Self-paced audio tours are almost always better.

Yes, self-paced audio is the way to go.

Guided tours lock you into someone else’s pace, bathroom breaks, and questions you don’t care about. Audio tours let you skip the boring parts, linger on stuff you like, and pause for a snack whenever you want.

The only exception is if the guided tour gives you access to areas you can’t enter alone. That’s rare. Most “expert guides” are reading a script anyway. You can read faster.

Skip the herd.