Bored of Walking Tours? 6 Different Ways to Explore a City at Your Own Pace
Updated: Sep 21
I should probably say this upfront: I don’t hate walking tours.
A great guide can turn an unremarkable doorway into the entrance to an extraordinary story. They know where to stop, what to point out and which scandal to save until everyone is paying attention. But sometimes, a walking tour just isn’t what you want. Perhaps you don’t fancy following an umbrella through a crowd. Maybe you want to stop for coffee without losing the group, spend twenty minutes taking photographs or change your plans because it has started raining sideways. Or perhaps you simply want something more active than walking, listening and trying to remember which king did what to whom.
If that sounds familiar, here are six different ways to explore a city; without being tied to someone else’s timetable.
Take a self-guided tour
A self-guided tour gives you the structure of a planned route without the group, fixed start time or pressure to keep moving.
Depending on the experience, you might follow an app, an audio guide, a map or a set of written directions. You can begin when you like, stop for lunch, spend longer somewhere interesting and skip anything that doesn’t appeal.
It’s a good choice if you enjoy discovering the stories behind a place but prefer to explore on your own terms. Self-guided tours do vary, though. Some simply replace a guide with a recording or blocks of text. If you want something more involving, look for one that encourages you to observe your surroundings, make choices or solve something as you go.
Turn the city into a mystery
If you would rather investigate than simply listen, try an outdoor mystery, puzzle trail or city game. These experiences give you a reason to pay attention. A name carved into a building might become evidence. A statue you would normally photograph and walk past might hold the answer to a puzzle. Directions lead you through the city, but the real purpose is to piece something together along the way.
It feels less like being shown around and more like having a role in the story.
This is especially good for couples, friends and families who want an activity they can do together. There is something very satisfying about spotting the clue everyone else has missed - even if you pretend it was obvious afterwards.
Follow one story instead of the whole city
Many tours attempt to fit hundreds of years of history into a couple of hours. The result can be fascinating, but also slightly overwhelming. An alternative is to choose one person, mystery or moment from the city’s past and follow that story through the streets.
In Edinburgh, that might mean tracing the double life of Deacon Brodie: respected cabinetmaker by day, burglar by night. Elsewhere, it could be a disputed trial, a vanished fortune, a political conspiracy or the life of someone whose name still appears above doorways and on street signs.
Following one narrative gives the places you visit a connection. They stop feeling like separate points on a map and become chapters in the same story.
Give yourself a noticing challenge
You don’t necessarily need a formal tour to look at a city differently. Set yourself a challenge before you start walking.
Look for unusual inscriptions. Find the oldest date carved into a building. Count how many animals appear above doorways. Photograph ten things that reveal what the city used to be.
This works because it changes the way you look around. Instead of moving from one famous attraction to another, you begin noticing the smaller details in between.
And those details are often where a city becomes interesting: worn steps, blocked-up windows, faded shop signs and symbols whose meanings have long been forgotten.
Just remember to look up. Cities hide an unreasonable amount above eye level.
Build your walk around what you actually enjoy
Build one around independent bookshops, historic pubs, street art, old cinemas, unusual architecture or places connected to a favourite writer. If you’re interested in food, follow a trail of local specialities. If you like photography, plan around viewpoints and interesting streets rather than famous attractions.
The best way to explore a city is not necessarily the most comprehensive one. It is the one that keeps you curious.
You may leave without knowing every major date in its history. You will probably remember the tiny bookshop, the strange carving and the conversation you had over lunch. That feels like a fair exchange.
Get lost - but give yourself a way back
There is a lot to be said for wandering without a detailed itinerary. Choose a neighbourhood, mark one or two places you would like to reach and leave enough time to explore whatever appears between them. Take the narrow street. Walk through the archway. Follow the steps just to find out where they go. This works particularly well in older cities, where the most direct route is rarely the most interesting one.
Of course, there is a difference between pleasantly lost and my phone is on 3% and I have no idea where I am lost. Download an offline map, keep an eye on the time and know roughly how you’ll return. Spontaneity is much more enjoyable when it doesn’t end with an emergency taxi.
What kind of city explorer are you?
Some people want an expert guide and a carefully planned route. Others want headphones and complete independence. Some want to wander, while others need a mystery to pull them forward.
There isn’t one correct way to discover a city. But if traditional sightseeing has started to feel like a checklist—castle, cathedral, photograph, next—try choosing an experience that asks something from you.
Look closer. Make a decision. Follow a character. Solve something. Give yourself a reason to care about what is around the next corner.
That is why I created City Odyssey.
It combines the freedom of a self-guided walk with the clues and puzzles of an escape room and the momentum of a historical mystery. You follow the story through real streets, investigate details around you and gradually uncover what happened—all at your own pace.
No group to keep up with. No umbrella to follow. And no one judging how long you stop for coffee. Just you, the city and a story waiting to be uncovered.
Ready to try something different? Download City Odyssey and begin your first adventure in Edinburgh.
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