This was surely THE best way to explore Boston's Freedom Trail. You get an infomative narrative, loaded with history and facts about the places around you, piped directly into your ear, and at the pace that suits you best. Want to stop off for a coffee or a beer? The GPS knows that you've stopped, and the narrative picks up again when you're ready to go. It's the ultimte in flexibility, and you're not struggling to stay close to a real guide to hear what he or she is trying to explain. What's not to like! And it's also tremendous value for money. This was the second of two self-guided audio tours we've done, and we've been hugely impressed. We'll definitely look out for more in other places we plan to visit in the future. If you haven't tried them, I'd recommend Action Tours.
About Activity
What's Included
Includes
- Support is available via chat, email, or phone if you need help.
- Planning tools, route maps, scenic stops, and area previews included.
- Just bring your phone and headphones; the app guides your walk.
- Lifetime access: use the tour anytime and keep it for future trips.
- Works offline with GPS route guidance and automatic audio stories.
- Flexible tour: start, stop, and pause anytime during your trip.
- Private walking tour experience for your family or group.
- Access your tour in our separate audio tour app after booking.
- Hidden gems and local stories included along the route.
Excludes
- Self-guided tour — no live guide. Entrance fees, parking, food, and transport are separate.
Departure & Return
Departure Point
- You can also begin the tour from the New England Aquarium, 1 Central Wharf, Boston, MA, USA. After booking the tour, search your emails and texts for "audio tour". Your tour is VALID FOREVER, so follow these instructions NOW to finish setting up the tour while you have Wi-Fi or data.
Itinerary
Explore early Boston and U.S. history on the 2.5-mile Freedom Trail with a self-guided walking audio tour. Pass 16 historic sites, from downtown Boston through the North End to the Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown. Highlights include Faneuil Hall, the Paul Revere House, and the USS Constitution. Note: The tour is over 3 miles long, with more than 51 audio stories, and takes about 3-4 hours to complete. Note: Plan to arrive early for this tour, as parking fills up quickly. New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want.
Embark on this adventure into America's Revolutionary past at the heart of old Boston: the Boston Common. This spacious green has been a part of the city since it's early colonial beginnings. We'll begin the tour by the Visitor Center and find the red-brick path. As we follow the path, we'll dive back in time to the 1700s and set the scene....
The first stop along our red-bricked Freedom Trail tour is right at the corner of Boston Common: the Massachusetts State House! This building is both historic and architecturally beautiful.... and of course, we can't forget about it's eye-catching golden dome! We'll pause in front of the State House to catch up on a couple of key Revolutionary War characters (and soon-to-be American heroes) and a little colonial history. We'll also take a look at the Robert G Shaw and 54th Memorial, which stands opposite the State House. Who was Shaw and what made the 54th Regiment so significant? We'll get into all of those details right here.
From the State House and Shaw Memorial, we'll continue following the Freedom Trail. That brings us through Boston Common and out to the Park Street Church. As we walk, we'll dive into the most important question of all: what prompted the Revolutionary War? As we peel back the layers, we discover that the battle for American Independence was one falling domino in a long chain of dominos stretching across multiple continents and older wars...
This brings us to the truly ancient Granary Burying Ground! Established in 1660, this is only Boston's third-oldest burying ground. Can you imagine what's changed in the last 400 years? Well for one thing, this ground is so old it actually holds the grave of Mother Goose. We still hear her stories today! We'll also visit the graves of American legends like Paul Revere, Robert Paine, and James Otis. And we can't miss John Hancock and Sam Adams' graves either! Lastly, we'll visit the graves of those killed in the Boston Massacre, one of the stepping stones to the full-blown revolution. We'll be heading to the site of this Massacre later.
A few steps down from the Latin School, we'll find the Irish Famine Memorial. Here we'll jump a bit later into Boston history and talk about the new wave of immigrants after the revolution. We'll learn about the hardships they faced and overcame... and where these communities are today.
Just across the street from the Irish Famine Memorial, we'll find the historic Old South Meeting House. This small, tucked-away building is easy to miss but we'll pause in front of it. Here, we'll be transported back in time to one of the most fateful events leading up the Revolutionary War... the Boston Tea Party. We'll learn all about the organizers, their motivations, and of course the consequences of their "tea party".
Our red-brick road finally brings us to the one of the most popular stops along the Freedom Trail: the Old State House. We'll pause here to identify key architectural features and learn about it's significance (and long history!). Then, we'll walk around to the other side....
... to see the site of the infamous Boston Massacre! But was it a massacre? Or just a rowdy riot, as the British said? We'll dive into the thrilling tale while standing at the very spot where history unfolded. We'll also learn about Crispus Attacuks, an honored American hero.
We'll follow the Freedom Trail to another popular resting spot: Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market! First we'll explore the site's fascinating history and then explore it's huge range of food options!
As we continue our journey along the red-bricked path of the Freedom Trail, we'll also dive into the story of the historic Haymarket, the new and striking Holocaust Memorial out in front, and the stunning view of the Custom House Tower a little beyond. We'll learn a bit about each of these sites as we make our way to another popular stop.
Our path brings us to another popular stop along the Freedom Trail: Paul Revere's House! Here we'll learn about Paul Revere's famous "Midnight Ride", it's immortalization in a poem by Henry Wadsworth-Longfellow, and the truths and myths behind this historic moment.
From Paul Revere's House, we'll make our way to the Old North Church. This is the iconic site where the "one if by land, two if by sea" lanterns were lit, silently signalling the British troops' movements to colonial revolutionaries.
From the Old North Church, we'll follow the Freedom Trail farther up to the historic Copp's Hill Burying Ground. This historic cemetery in Boston's North End is older than the Granary... but only by a year!
Our last few stops are a little farther along, over the bridge and into the Charlestown Navy Yard. There we'll see the historic and impressive USS Constitution -- and learn all about her epic battle against the Guerriere. We'll explore the naval battles of the War for Independence in more detail while at this historic site.
Finally we'll follow the Freedom Trail up to the Bunker Hill Monument, built to commemorate the Battle of Bunker Hill. We'll walk around this hill, exploring the site of this epic battle and getting an understanding of the brutality and intensity of the battle for freedom. This site is the last along our comprehensive tour along Boston's historic Freedom Trail.
Language Offered
Additional Info
Cancellation Policy
Reviews
This was surely THE best way to explore Boston's Freedom Trail. You get an infomative narrative, loaded with history and facts about the places around you, piped directly into your ear, and at the pace that suits you best. Want to stop off for a coffee of a beer? The GPS knows that you've stopped, and the narrative picks up again when you're ready to go. It's the ultimte in flexibility, and you're not struggling to stay close to a real guide to hear what he or she is trying to explain. What's not to like! And it's also tremendous value for money. This was the second of two self-guided audio tours we've done, and we've been hugely impressed. We'll definitely look out for more in other places we plan to visit in the future. If you haven't tried them, I'd recommnend Action Tours.
This was a great way to see the freedom trail. I could go at my own pace and stop to see what i wanted to. The walk was easy though long. The narrator spoke at just the right time when I would get to things to see or when I needed to turn. It kept me going on the right direction and it filled some of the space in between sites with interesting stories. I would recommend this to someone who is looking to see the trail without all of the people in a tour group.
Plan for 4 hours if you want to stop and explore stops along the way. A lot of walking but so fun. The audio is really well done
Good experience with a lot of information historically and insight for other places to go. I liked how the GPS stopped if you went to places along the way that were not on the trail.
The information was good and the layout was good. But the app kept stopping and starting over. That was a bit frustrating. If we took a picture, the app started over and we had to figure out where to start it again.
It was so nice to be on our own schedule to tour the Freedom Trail. The app was super easy to use and quite informative.
Self-paced nature of the tour is great. Narration was informative. The location tracking timed perfectly with the narration.
The information given for the Boston Freedom Trail was wonderful. The map given for the tour was helpful. I would give a five for those items. My hesitation in giving a 5 for the full experience is that every time I paused the app because I was trying to save my phone battery, I would have to start the app over. It would find my location easily, but it does get tiring going through the start over for every stop. We did the trail in two days and I didn't even use the app on the second day. Probably if you have something to charge your battery on your phone while doing your app, this would be a wonderful experience and worth a 5 rating!
This is a great way to do the freedom trail at a timing that works for you. Great flexibility to do it when it suits you best. It does indeed drain your battery very quickly as explained and some stops didn’t auto play if I moved out and back to a location. A great experience otherwise and I would recommend it.
Very informative and loved that you could take your time and explore. It was a little confusing going in and out if the old cemetery, but it was easy to get back on track.
A great way to do the Boston Freedom Trail. It is very clearly marked and information is very informative. Recommend further travellers
The app was easy to use and the red brick trail was extremely helpful to follow through the city. Interesting historical information.
The self guided tour was great. We were able to start mid tour after we had lunch and make our way towards bunker hill and then back. The gps prompts know when you walk past a certain talking point. It is definitely a lot of walking so be prepared. I only used and airbud in one ear and was able to hear the narrator just fine even in louder areas of the city.
I liked that the narration started automatically when I hit the correct spot on the map. It included so much great information that really added to my experience walking the trail.
I liked being able to go at my own pace and pause the audio when we wanted to stop. Really enjoyed it
Worked perfectly. Don't have other apps open and the tour guide automatically starts. Easy to follow the map.
This was a great way to experience the Freedom Trail at our own pace. We really enjoyed the fact that the audio was linked to our location so that it started when we would near a site. It was very informative and fun to listen to.
Couldn't figure out the app Ended up taking a regular tour Wasted ten dollars Please check reviews first
Excellent way to follow the trail at your own pace! Gives very specific directions and background details that you wouldn’t get just from walking around or reading a guide book.
This particular app didn't function well for me at all! I had to keep switching from the map to the audio to press play when I was in the spot. The map also failed to function and know where I was on the street a lot.
Self tour provides opportunity for frequent beverage stops and a slower pace. Information was very Information and the map kept you on course.
The first time I went to Boston I did one of the guided tours by a man dressed as a colonial. He was awesome. Funny, and it was a very good tour, but when my husband and I went back the following year I felt like there was a lot we skipped over and I needed a better history lesson. This listening tour was excellent! We were able to sync our AirPods so that we stopped and were looking at the same thing at each stop. So much information. Good guides and easy to listen to and navigate!
We really loved using this virtual tour. We could go at our own pace and stop longer at places we were more interested in. App was super easy to use.
My husband had a business meeting to go to, so I wanted to see the sights in Boston. This allowed me to go at my own pace and choose where I started, and if I wanted to see the sight. It provided so much detail and even showed my some things not part of the Freedom trail. I would definitely use them again!
App was very easy to use and directions were very clear and map easy to follow. Also, I could do all at my own pace and take a break whenever I wanted. The audio did not always start automatically, but was very easy to do manually.
The chance to go at our own pace, have quality information and guidance at our fingertips was a wonderful experience!
Great narration throughout the tour. The tour tracked our location using GPS and automatically started the narration as we approached different stops. Pro Tip: For two people, just buy one tour and each of you can wear an earbud for the tour...two for one!
Easy to use and follow. We stopped during the trip for lunch and picked it up where we left off. Definitely recommend
I loved doing the Freedom Trail tour this way. We were able to go at our own pace and when it got cold we took a break for lunch and then hopped back on the trail later in the day. I personally preferred this to the guided tours for those reasons. I also felt the app included a lot of great info and allowed you to choose to hear more info or continue on.
Loved this audio tour! Way better than a guided tour. Guided tours I have been on in the past it has been hard to hear even with an ear piece so this way so nice! I learned so much and it was nice to be able to stop for lunch when we wanted to or any shops we had wanted to go to.
Easy to use when downloaded on phone Good information about stops on the trail Easy to hear and understand narrator Did the trail on a Saturday - very heavy foot and motor traffic.
We enjoyed the entire tour. We're a little older and don't walk as fast as we used to. The highlight of that is that my wife got some FANTASTIC photos, because it took us longer to walk past the sights. We were a little disappointed that the Constitution was not open and that you had to pay to get into some of the historical sites. Please stress to future tours that it is 2.6 miles ONE WAY.
Parking hard to find. Tour is east to follow. Self guided option is informative and easy to follow. Lots of walking
Very easy to navigate, great explanations of the stops pleasant voice , great instructions. Would definitely use it again
This audio tour was amazing! It works exactly as it says it will. And my favorite part - the backstories it fills in as you walk from place to place. It’s the perfect amount of info! We also appreciated how we could pause it to wander through a bookstore or eat lunch. And it pointed out things we would not noticed on our own such as the Holocaust memorial which is powerful. Such a well done audio tour!
It was so much fun and I learned a lot and the tour guides did an amazing job! They were so entertaining and knowledgeable. Would definitely do it again
Excellent! Almost perfect! Thé narration was informative and engaging. It was easy to navigate. The only problem was that I didn’t realize it was a 45 minute walk back to the beginning, where I parked my car, AFTER I’d walked 5 miles. I was sooooo sore!!
Better be prepared to walk closer to 4 to 5 hours. Nice tour. We ended up doing it over two days and taking a Lyft back. Summer heat.
I loved this guide. It's full of information, kept me from getting lost, and allowed me to go at my own pace. It is a very great value for the price. I also downloaded the Bunker Hill guide once I ended at the Bunker Hill monument. It was a great addition to an already great guide.
Easy to take a break audio picks back up with ease. Really worked for our time schedule and saw and learned interesting facts we didn’t know
I really enjoyed the tour that I could hear! However, I have an auditory processing disorder which causes me to focus in on audio changes and breakages - so when the tour guide would go from sounding like a man, to a chipmunk, or would have consistent crackling in my headphones that would not go away no matter how many times i reset my phone, headphones, disconnected and reconnected, restarted the app, anything- I really struggled to fully appreciate the tour. I also have a tendency to walk fast, so several times throughout the tour the previous line would be cut off by the geo location overriding which was unfortunate as I really enjoyed a lot of the stories. 7/10 Overall
Loved it! Very informative and easy to use. We originally paid for a $300 guided service but then had a crazy (but turned genius) thought when I found this option. We cancelled the $300 tour, bought a Bose Bluetooth Clip on speaker from Walmart on sale for $50. Connected to our phone and it was like having a virtual guide there with us. Saved us $240!! Paused it when we wanted to take a quick “rabbit trail” off the freedom trail to see something and resumed it automatically when we approached the next point automatically. Highly recommend!!
This fantastic tour takes you to all the important spots on the freedom trail. It's perfect for a solo traveler on your own timeline or anyone who prefers not to move in crowds.
A Boston must see! We will be back for a repeat when we have more time. The brick path is super easy to follow with the self guided tour.
Such a cool experience! I didn’t have enough time to soak this all in since I hadn’t planned well ands has a flight to catch. Definitely making plans for a return trip and will make a day of the Freedom Trail and Boston!
This was a great option for us. We didn't want to be tied to a tour group so this was perfect as we could stop in interesting shops or eat lunch when we wanted. As soon as we got back on the trail the audio picked up right where we left off.
I cannot provide a 5 star rating because we were not provided maps nor were we provided headphones like the picture shows. We were told to use an app on our phones which would begin playing a recording about the attraction as soon as we entered the geofence. If we didn't all walk into the geofence at the exact same time, the recording didn't sync to everyone we were standing next too. I would not recommend. Instead, just buy a map, read about each stop and save yourself $10 a person.
It was easy to download and instructions were clear. Parking is terrible in Boston so we got a 4 hour timed parking and could not complete the tour in that time. We wanted to listen to the sites we missed but once we got out of parking, our tour was no longer available. The history sites are amazing and the narration was good when we could hear it. Boston had noise overload and we had a difficult time hearing.
This tour works great. It was very easy to use and follow and enriched our Freedom Trail experience. The Freedom Trail itself is extremely easy to follow as the train is marked on the ground. This tour was definitely better than using the public tours containing 60 people! We downloaded it on one phone prior to our visit and each used an earbud.
Monday through Friday 9 am to 7 pm EST
Reach us by phone
Reach us by email