Detour - Immersive Audio Tours App Reviews

I took the Haight-Ashbury tour in San Francisco. 1. Being able to sync the tour with my friend was crucial for taking short breaks and worked really beautifully. 2. I loved hearing the voices of real people who lived that history, I loved hearing music from the time and place, and I loved the depth it provided--the stories were inspired but not overly sunny and nostalgic. 3. Visiting businesses on Haight street was fun but a little awkward -- I wondered if the employees there would be bothered by people walking in on headphones not buying anything. They seemed fine, though. 4. I really loved the backyard patio where the tour ended. I felt like a VIP being able to go through the back door of the pipe shop where the sign says "tenants only." The patio was quiet and peaceful, just like the Sue Bierman benches where we started the tour. 5. I loved learning that the Panhandle would have been a highway if it wasnt for Sue Bierman, and I felt really grateful for her activism. I jog in this park daily and had no idea I had been enjoying the effects of her work. Heres what could use improvement: I had trouble sharing my photos on Detour. They didnt upload and I had to restart the app every time I tried, maybe 3 times, even though my LTE connection seemed fine. I chalk this up to Detour being a new app--I’m sure they’ll fix it in future versions. Really great experience and interesting way to explore a city, whether you’re visiting or you live there!

I was looking forward to checking this out after seeing a review in the chronicle this morning but the app crashes as soon as I open it

One of the best audio tours Ive ever done. Its great listen to the local knowledge and see the city from a different, more real angle. Great job. Definitely recommend.

Austin is good - I live here - but a warning about the summer heat is missing. PLEASE add Florence and Prague, but especially Florence. You cant take a bus tour there.

Detours are incredible experiences. Intimate, curated, surprising. Try it!

Best thing Ive done in SF... and I live here.

Spectacular. Exceeded my expectations by light years. Im officially wowed. Cannot wait until there are more NYC options. Thank you!

The Tenderloin detour was AWESOME. I did it with 2 friends and we chose it because it was relatively close to our office, the optimal hours were during working hours, and its an interesting part of the city we dont typically spend much time in. I thought it was really well done – it felt like the narrators were with us. When we went into St. Boniface Church and she said "dont worry, youre with me" it was very comforting! I can’t wait to explore other parts of the city with Detour.

I was expecting just another audio tour of The Castro with brief historical vignettes along the way but the narrative was so captivating and personal that I felt like I had gone through something completely immersive at the end. There was a moment along the tour where my friend and I were looking at Jane Warner Plaza listening to a description of a candlelit march where we felt slight feelings of sorrow but I felt conflicted and somewhat amused by the country line dancers performing in front of me. Havent stopped talking about the experience with others ever since. Looking forward to checking out the Tenderloin next.

Started preview tour of haight. Then bought the entire sf package but tour never showed up. Ever. Even a week later. Went to sf to specifically take the tour. VERY disappointed. Will now see if I can get my money back.

My husband and i finally got around to doing the Austin Detour after hearing about it last summer on NPR. It was SO GOOD!! We really enjoyed seeing parts of Austin that we wouldnt have known about otherwise. The story and music were really great too! GPS worked perfectly, and we hope there will be more interactive tours available for Austin soon!!

Whether you’re a tourist or a local, Detour is an incredible way to explore a city. This takes walking tours to the next level. The level of detail in the tours, the personality of the guides and the super-easy wayfinding make this app a must-DL. My sister and I did Cool Gray City and we were bowled over by how much fun we had. We were so delighted with the super-specific details, we both paused the track and marveled over it together. The tour was seriously incredible, so deep and well-researched. The app itself is lovely, highly functional, and easy to use. Three cheers for Detour!

I got a free Detour as part of a local event. The one I picked was about trash, and I took me through San Franciscos Bayview, not a normal tourist destination, but I really enjoyed it! Everything worked great- I liked how the app started each segment when you got to the next location, and even directed you back if you got off the right patch. Content-wise, the info about recycling and composting and such was thought-provoking. Ill definitely think about taking another Detour in the future.

I went on tour with a friend and we were both incredibly impressed with the tour! We chose the Haight-Ashbury tour because I live in the neighborhood, and we could complete it quickly. The tour definitely exceeded my expectations. It was extremely easy to use, guided us with impeccable direction, and provided interesting stories and background music to keep us engaged throughout the entire tour. I couldnt believe how much I learned about the neighborhood I walk around daily! The only negative was a few minor glitches with the syncing with a friend option (but they didnt affect the tour too much). I am looking forward to taking all of the tours available and getting to know my city even better! I would definitely recommend this app to out of town visitors, as I think it is such an intimate and interesting way to learn about San Francisco.

It was way beyond my expectations! Great job, guys. I signed up and subscribed a long time ago because I thought it was a very cool idea, but kind of forgot about it until just recently. The main reason why I didnt start using it right away was because it kind of sucked that you had to do it by yourself, so now that you can sync with friends its perfect. Cant remember how I found out about Detour and the reason why I chose The Castro was because it was the most convenient time and location wise. I want to do them all, hopefully before my subscription expires! Best moment: When we got to the stairways we got welcomed by this beautiful cat, and that was moments before Cleve talked about what were pretty sure is the very same cat! Something you can do better: Provide audible notifications when you get off-track.

I dont recall where I heard of this app, but I got it because I travel a lot and like to explore. I purchased the Cool Gray City tour because I was working in the San Francisco Bay Area for a while and had the book Cool Gray City of Love (the author guides this tour). I just took the tour yesterday and was blown away! I love this app! I intend on trying the other tours as soon as I can. Ive even reached out to the creators and offered to narrate such tours for other cities that I am familiar with! The tour consists of a narrator telling you about the city and the buildings, etc. as if they are walking along with you. You start at a prescribed location and then the app makes use of your location to know when you get to the next milestone and it will play music or pause while you walk to get there. It includes interactive visuals like photos and maps showing where your path is to the next milestone and where you are. And the sound is amazing!! I kept looking behind me to see if the sounds were coming from the app or from where I was standing! Feels like full surround sound. This app and the tours are well worth the cost (if the first one that I tried is any indicator). I spent several very happy hours walking and learning and experiencing San Francisco in a way that I hadnt before...even though I had been to most of the places the tour took me! It is about time that this type of app exists, and Detour hits it right on the mark. Well done.

Whether these high-quality tours walk you around the neighborhood where you live or guide you through a faraway city, they are worth every step, moment, and penny. The technology works beautifully to create an experience for you and your companion(s) that is more relaxed and enjoyable than any other tour I’ve been on. I hope they expand to more cities soon!

The idea and execution of this app is impressive. The user interface as you walk the tour is intuitive and immersive. The production quality of the tour audio presentation was top notch - like the best podcasts. I would give the app 5 stars if you could buy individual tours, but, unfortunately, the app only offers the full bundle of walking tours at $25. I was in San Francisco for 3 days and was not going to do more than 1, maybe 2, walking tours. I would have happily paid as much as $8 per tour. I quit after the 10-minute preview of Haight-Asbury. It was very disappointing because I had planned my afternoon around it. I found some alternative podcasts but it was not nearly the same experience I had been looking forward to.

I saw this app advertised on Flipboard (I think) just several days before me and my girlfriend were planning on going to SF. When I first saw the price I was immediately hesitant. But then I thought if I were to take a tour it would cost $60 minimally. After more thought we figured that even if Detour wasnt a good app we didnt waste much money. Our first Detour was Fishermans Warf. Ive been there a couple times before but my girlfriend hadnt so I thought it might be a good introduction. With 10 minutes, I knew it was going to be worth it. The Detour took us in places I never would have gone on my own. Past the touristy areas. And it talked about stories I never would have heard. By the end of the tour we were excited to do more. And we did. The Cool Grey City and Beyond the Painted Ladies. Both were also great with the exception of a couple of very minor parts. These Detours gave us very insightful information. One of the greatest things to this app was being able to sync with other users. That was priceless. The only drawback is that it seemed to go through battery power rather quickly. Especially for the synced user. Possibly because of the use of Bluetooth. But that could just have been my perception. For the remainder of that Detour my girlfriend finished the tour on her iPad. We bought a couple of battery rechargers and that solved the problem for the next day. This app has quickly altered my idea of travel and sightseeing. I kind of want to plan future trips to cities that have Detours. We cant wait to go back to SF to take the Detours that we didnt get to go on.

I was turned on to this app while visiting San Francisco by a friend who lives there and uses it a lot. I did the tour in the Castro and really enjoyed it. Very excited to hear tours will be expanded to Chicago soon where I live. These tours are an educational, fun way to explore a city on foot - a unique vantage point in my opinion. I highly recommend detour!