Gettysburg auto tour: the free 16-stop route, and how to hear it
The Gettysburg auto tour is the National Park Service's own self-guided drive: 24 miles and 16 numbered stops that follow the three days of battle in order, and it is free. Start at the Museum and Visitor Center, take the free park map or the free NPS app, and follow the black-and-red "Auto Tour" signs. Allow two to three hours.
- CostFree. No park entrance fee; the visitor center building is free too.
- Route24 miles, 16 stops, in the order the battle was fought. Some avenues are one-way.
- Time2 to 3 hours. The park says allow at least 3 for the complete route.
- Park hoursDaily, 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset.
- StartMuseum and Visitor Center, 1195 Baltimore Pike. Stop 1 is about 3 miles away, through town.
- Visitor center8 a.m. to 5 p.m. March to November; 9 to 4 December to February. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.
The 16 stops, in order
These are the numbered stops on the park's official map. Most have exhibits or tablets that explain what happened there. You can skip stops; the route still makes sense.
July 1, 1863: west and north of town
- 1McPherson Ridge. Where the battle began, around 8 a.m., as Union cavalry met Confederate infantry on the Chambersburg Pike. Year-round restrooms at the West End Guide Station nearby.
- 2Eternal Light Peace Memorial. The tour's northernmost point, dedicated in 1938 with Civil War veterans present.
- 3Oak Ridge. An observation tower, and an optional loop to Barlow Knoll, which is not a numbered stop.
July 2: the long drive south along Seminary Ridge, then east
- 4North Carolina Memorial. The start of one-way West Confederate Avenue, which carries you through stop 8.
- 5Virginia Memorial. Look east across the open field that Pickett's Charge crossed on July 3.
- 6Pitzer Woods. An amphitheater and an observation tower nearby; restrooms at the South End Guide Station near stop 7.
- 7Warfield Ridge. The southern end of the route, where Longstreet's attacks began around 4 p.m.
- 8Little Round Top. Reopened June 24, 2024, after a 22-month rehabilitation. Devil's Den is nearby.
- 9The Wheatfield. Charge and countercharge; more than 4,000 killed and wounded in and around this field.
- 10The Peach Orchard. The angle of the Union line, overrun around 6:30 p.m.
- 11Plum Run. The ground retreating Union troops crossed on their way to Cemetery Ridge.
- 12Pennsylvania Memorial. The largest monument on the field. Seasonal restrooms, mid-April to mid-October.
- 13Spangler's Spring. The foot of Culp's Hill. Reach stops 13 and 14 by way of Visitor Center Drive.
- 14East Cemetery Hill. Where a Confederate assault reached the crest at dusk and was thrown back.
July 3, and after
- 15High Water Mark. The Copse of Trees and the Angle, where Pickett's Charge was turned back.
- 16Soldiers' National Cemetery. Where Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863. Park on Taneytown Road; no cars inside, no pets.
A "complete tour," in the park's words, adds Barlow Knoll, a short downtown loop (the David Wills House and the Lincoln Railroad Station) and the East Cavalry Battlefield, about 4 miles east of the visitor center. The David Wills House is closed except November 16 to 19, 2026, per the park's alert on November 7.
Ways to take the auto tour, compared
You can drive the route with only the free map. Everything else adds a voice: a person in your car, a guide on a bus, or an app that plays stories as you reach each stop.
| Option | Price (Nov 7, 2026) | What you get | Time | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Park map + NPS app | Free | The official 16-stop route; the app has the park's self-guided auto tour and can be downloaded for offline use | 2 to 3 h | Anyone on a budget |
| Gettysburg Battle App (American Battlefield Trust) | Free, no in-app purchases | GPS app covering the whole battle, day one to Pickett's Charge | Your pace | A free second layer on the map |
| Licensed Battlefield Guide, in your car | $84 for 2 h, $120 for 3 h, per car of 1 to 6 | A park-licensed guide drives your car and answers your questions; tours up to 8 h | 2 h minimum | First visits, families, anyone with questions |
| Gettysburg Foundation bus tour | $44 adult, $27 ages 6 to 12, under 6 free | A licensed guide narrates a 2-hour coach tour from the visitor center | Allow 2.5 h | Not driving; solo travelers |
| Gettysburg Battlefield Tours bus | $43 adult, $26 ages 6 to 12; open-top double-decker $43 to $44 (April to mid-October) | Licensed guide, at least one scenic stop and a restroom stop; leaves 778 Baltimore Street | About 2 h | Open-air views in season |
| Action Tour Guide | $14.99 per car; 5-tour Gettysburg bundle $24.99 | 80+ GPS-triggered stories over 20+ miles, offline; English plus three other languages, including French and German; starts at the Gettysburg Heritage Center | 2 to 3 h | The most stops; other languages |
| Shaka Guide | $13.99 per vehicle; with the walking tour $19.99 | Narrated drive with turn-by-turn directions and music, offline; 12 must-see stops (its FAQ says 20 in all); two starting points | Half day | Hands-off navigation |
| GuideAlong | From $16.99 | 160+ audio points along the park's route, plus short walks at Seminary Ridge and Devil's Den; offline, no expiry | Half to full day | The most narration |
| The Gettysburg Story (HereStory app) | $9.99 in the app; also sold as 3 CDs with a 72-page guidebook | Narrated by actor Stephen Lang, from historian Gabor Boritt's work; follows the official route, up to 14 stops; short, medium or full | 2 to 3 h | A famous voice; CD players |
| Stories (ours) | $4.99 per car, plays on up to 4 phones; stop 1 free | 9 stops on the park route, McPherson Ridge to the National Cemetery; plays in any phone browser, or with GPS auto-play and offline in the free iPhone app; synthetic voice | About 1 h 15 min, 12.9 mi | The cheapest paid narration; trying before paying |
The car-tour rates above are the Gettysburg Foundation's booking prices. The park's own rate page (last updated March 2024) still lists $82 and $117. Bus prices are per person; app prices are one purchase.
Which one should you pick?
Your first visit, with questions: book a Licensed Battlefield Guide. At $84 for a car of up to six, two people pay no more each than for a bus seat, and nothing else answers back. Guides are available daily, first come, first served, but booking ahead is safer: the Foundation asks for at least 24 hours' notice, and the park's fee page says three days. Call 877-874-2478.
A free day: the park map plus the NPS app, with the American Battlefield Trust app as a second voice. Read the tablets at each stop; they are good.
Narration at every stop, at your own pace: Action Tour Guide, Shaka Guide or GuideAlong. All three play by GPS and work offline once downloaded. Choose Shaka for turn-by-turn directions, Action for other languages, GuideAlong for the most content.
Someone else drives: a bus tour. The Foundation's leaves from the visitor center; Gettysburg Battlefield Tours leaves from Baltimore Street, with open-top buses in season.
A short, cheap version: Stories, at $4.99 for the car, or The Gettysburg Story at $9.99 if you want a single well-known narrator across the official route.
Where Stories fits (we make it)
Stories' Gettysburg drive plays one story at each of nine stops on the park's route: McPherson Ridge, the Eternal Light Peace Memorial, Seminary Ridge, Little Round Top, Devil's Den, the Wheatfield, the Pennsylvania State Memorial, the High Water Mark and Soldiers' National Cemetery. It is 12.9 miles and about an hour and a quarter of driving and listening; getting out at the stops makes it two to three hours.
Where it is the better pick
- Price: $4.99 for the car, against $9.99 to $16.99 for the other paid apps.
- You can hear all of stop 1 in a phone browser before you pay, with no app and no account.
- Refunded within 7 days if it isn't for you.
Where others are better
- 9 stops, not 16. It skips Oak Ridge, the Peach Orchard, Culp's Hill and others.
- A synthetic voice, not an actor or a guide.
- No live guide to ask. A Licensed Battlefield Guide beats every app.
- English only, and its app has 2 App Store ratings; Action's Gettysburg app has about 2,900.
- In the browser you keep the screen on and tap each stop. GPS auto-play and offline play need the iPhone app; on Android it plays in the browser.
Tips for the day
- Start inside. The Film, Cyclorama and Museum ticket ($20.75 adult, $19.75 seniors and veterans, $15.75 ages 6 to 12) sets up the drive: a 22-minute film narrated by Morgan Freeman, then the 360-degree painting of Pickett's Charge. Showings run every 15 minutes from 8:15 a.m.; the last is 4:15 p.m. Allow two hours.
- Download first. Every paid app here works offline once downloaded; do it on the visitor center's Wi-Fi or at your hotel.
- Drive like the park asks. Park on the pavement, not the grass or shoulders. Watch for blind curves, one-way avenues and people on foot.
- Know the restrooms. Year-round: the West End Guide Station (near stop 1), the South End Guide Station (near stop 7) and the National Cemetery. Seasonal, mid-April to mid-October: near stops 12 and 13.
- Mind the light. The park roads close 30 minutes after sunset; in November that is about 5:30 p.m. or earlier. Start the drive by early afternoon.
- Bags. Bags are inspected at the visitor center, and coolers, luggage and bags with wheels aren't allowed inside.
Questions people ask
Is the Gettysburg auto tour free?
Yes. The battlefield, its roads and the Museum and Visitor Center building are free, with no park entrance fee. The park map and the NPS app are free too. You pay only for extras: the film, Cyclorama and museum ticket ($20.75 for an adult), a Licensed Battlefield Guide, a bus tour or a paid audio app.
How long does the Gettysburg auto tour take?
Two to three hours for the 24-mile, 16-stop drive with short stops. The park suggests at least three hours for the complete route with Barlow Knoll and the downtown stops. Add two hours if you start with the film, Cyclorama and museum.
Where does the Gettysburg auto tour start?
At the Museum and Visitor Center, 1195 Baltimore Pike, where you get the map. Stop 1, McPherson Ridge, is about three miles away through town, west of Gettysburg on the Chambersburg Pike.
Is there a free Gettysburg audio tour?
The free NPS app has the park's own self-guided auto tour, and the American Battlefield Trust's Gettysburg Battle App is free with no in-app purchases. Fully narrated, GPS-triggered drives cost $4.99 to $16.99, and most let you hear a sample first.
Can a guide ride in my car?
Yes. A Licensed Battlefield Guide drives your car and tailors the tour to your questions: $84 for two hours or $120 for three, for one to six people, booked through the Gettysburg Foundation at 877-874-2478.
What is the best Gettysburg auto tour app?
It depends on what you want. Action Tour Guide ($14.99, 80+ stories, four languages) and Shaka Guide ($13.99, turn-by-turn directions) are the full-featured picks; GuideAlong ($16.99) has the most audio points; The Gettysburg Story ($9.99) is narrated by actor Stephen Lang; Stories ($4.99) is the cheapest paid option but covers 9 stops. The NPS and American Battlefield Trust apps are free.
Can you do the auto tour in winter?
Yes. The park is open every day from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset, so winter days are short. The Museum and Visitor Center keeps 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. hours from December to February, and the seasonal restrooms near stops 12 and 13 are closed.
About this page
Published by Winding AI, Inc., the company that makes Stories. We wrote this page because most answers to "which Gettysburg auto tour should I use?" are forum threads, and the park's free route deserves to come first.
How we checked: the route, stops, hours, fees and alerts come from the National Park Service's Gettysburg pages and its official park guide; guide and bus prices from the Gettysburg Foundation and Gettysburg Battlefield Tours; app prices from each seller's own page or App Store listing. All were read on November 7, 2026. Prices change, so confirm before you go. We don't take commissions from anyone listed, and we don't invent ratings or reviews. If something here is wrong, write to support@winding.ai and we will fix it.