Linear city or heritage walk
Use an ordered route when most visitors enter at the same point and move through stops in sequence.
See city tourism routesSelf-guided audio tours
Self-guided audio tours visitors can call.
Turn a city walk, heritage route, attraction, or outdoor trail into an audio experience visitors reach by phone. They call a published number, listen at each stop, and keep exploring without an app download or loan-device desk.
No app download Built around the place Sponsor-funded or ad-free
In a nutshell
Self-guided audio tours in a nutshell.
A self-guided audio tour lets people explore at their own pace while hearing stories tied to the place in front of them.
VoxiGuide is a phone-based self-guided audio tour system for museums, city tourism teams, heritage routes, attractions, and outdoor trails. Visitors call a published number and listen as they explore, avoiding an app download or rented device. Venues can choose sponsor-funded access or an ad-free subscription, subject to market-specific call setup and charges.
- Visitors start with a phone number shown on signs, maps, tickets, or visitor pages.
- The tour follows real stops, decision points, and moments of curiosity.
- A phone-based guide removes the app-download and loan-device steps.
- Venues can choose a sponsor-funded path or an ad-free subscription.
- Number type, call charges, language routing, and accessibility requirements are confirmed for the market and venue.
Route planning
Start with the visitor route, not a folder of facts.
Mark where people arrive, pause, look up, and choose a direction. Those moments show where audio earns attention and where a short instruction matters more than another story.
Free-choice venue route
Let visitors choose rooms, exhibits, viewpoints, or themes when there is no single correct path.
See attraction use casesDistributed outdoor stops
Make every marker understandable on its own when people can join a park, trail, or scenic route from several points.
See outdoor routesThe U.S. National Park Service recommends choosing interpretive media around the message, audience, and available resources. Its wayside-planning guidance also stresses site-specific interpretation and direct observation of visitor-use patterns. The practical lesson for a phone tour is simple: walk the route before you script it.
Visitor flow
Make the first action obvious.
Visitors should understand the invitation at a glance: spot the number, call, choose a stop, and listen while the place stays in view.
From sign to story
Build the route in five practical passes.
The full VoxiGuide setup flow connects your existing content and visitor touchpoints to the phone experience.
Walk the route
Mark where people arrive, pause, look up, and choose a direction.
Purpose each stop
Give every stop one interpretive job and one clear location cue.
Write for listening
Use direct language, pronounceable names, and a reason to look back at the place.
Place instructions
Show the guide number and next action where visitors actually need them.
Pilot on site
Test with people who did not help create the route, then trim what slows them down.
Bring what you already have
Turn your map, stop list, and scripts into a route brief.
If your team is still choosing a format, read what an audio guide is and compare the main access models first.
Stop-by-stop content
Make each stop useful in the moment.
Write for the person standing in the place, not for someone reading a catalogue at a desk. Start with the detail they can notice now, add the context they cannot see, then give them a cue to look up and continue.
- Give each stop one clear interpretive purpose.
- Use direct language, active verbs, and pronounceable names.
- Keep safety and direction instructions separate from the story.
- Test the audio against real background noise and route conditions.
National Park Service wayside-writing guidance favours plain English, active verbs, and a strong connection between the words and the immediate view. It also warns against trying to interpret everything at once.
Access and practical limits
No app required is useful. It is not a full accessibility claim.
A call can remove the app-store, account, and loan-device steps. The wider experience still needs clear signs, physical access, readable alternatives, and a route review with qualified accessibility guidance.
For prerecorded audio-only content published on the web, W3C guidance on WCAG Success Criterion 1.2.1 calls for an alternative that presents equivalent information. A transcript can support that requirement, but it does not by itself certify the whole tour as accessible.
Confirm before launch
- Phone number and charges: confirm the number type, market, and visitor wording.
- Voice service: a phone call still needs an available mobile or landline connection.
- Languages: scope the exact language and routing needs before promising availability.
- Privacy: confirm call-data handling, retention, and reporting before publishing claims.
Funding
Choose who funds the guide.
The visitor experience comes first in both models. The difference is who pays and whether sponsor messages appear.
Sponsor-funded
Short, clearly separated sponsor messages help fund the guide. The venue defines suitable categories and approves the tone before launch.
See the advertiser modelVenue-funded and ad-free
The venue pays a subscription and sponsor messages do not play. Fixed public rates are not listed because the setup depends on the route and requirements.
Compare pricing and plansFAQ
Questions to settle before launch.
Do visitors need to download an app?
No. Visitors call the guide number published by the venue and listen from their phone.
Will visitors pay for the call?
That depends on the number type, market, and visitor's phone plan. Confirm the setup and state any normal call charges clearly on signs and visitor information.
Does a phone audio tour work without a mobile signal?
A phone call needs available voice service. VoxiGuide removes the app-download and Wi-Fi setup steps, but it does not remove the need for a working phone connection.
Can a self-guided tour use more than one language?
Language and routing needs should be scoped with VoxiGuide before publication. Do not promise a particular language list until the call flow is confirmed.
Is a no-app audio tour fully accessible?
No-app access may reduce one barrier, but it is not the same as audited accessibility compliance. Review the route, signs, audio, transcripts, physical access, and alternative formats with qualified accessibility guidance.
Can the venue control sponsor messages?
The venue defines suitable sponsor categories and approval rules. If sponsorship does not fit the setting, use the ad-free funding path.
Bring your route to life, one call at a time.
Tell us about the place, the stops, the content you already have, and the funding model that fits your visitor experience.