Explore on foot · Compliments of Smart Ride Central Ohio

Downtown Columbus walking tours.

Turn a little free time into a memorable visit. Choose your hotel starting point, pick a 30-, 60-, 90-, or 120-minute walking tour, and explore Columbus with recorded local stories and Google Maps walking directions.

Choose your starting hotel ↓
Free to useNo account requiredAudio storiesRound-trip hotel routes
Steve French, owner and operator of Smart Ride Central Ohio

A welcome from Steve French

Sharing the community he calls home.

Steve French, the owner and operator of Smart Ride Central Ohio, has been a Central Ohio resident since 1987. He has a passion for sharing the places, history, and stories of the community he calls home.

In 2026, Steve started Smart Ride Central Ohio in his retirement to provide superior customer service and clean, dependable, reliable transportation throughout Central Ohio. He specializes in airport transportation, with personal attention to the details that make a trip easier.

Steve created these free walking-tour apps to help visitors enhance their Central Ohio experience. Whether you have half an hour between plans or a couple of hours to explore, the tours offer a way to get to know Columbus beyond your hotel.

Make the tour your own.

  1. Choose a starting hotel below. Each tour begins and ends at that hotel.
  2. Pick your time. Choose approximately 30, 60, 90, or 120 minutes, including walking and listening.
  3. Explore and listen. Open Google Maps walking directions for each stop, then play its story in the tour app. Follow the return directions back to your hotel when you finish.

Open the app on your phone. No purchase, account, or app-store download is required.

Ten places to begin

Choose your hotel starting point.

Each link opens a free, hotel-specific tour app with all four time options, plus 14 optional Columbus overview stories—about 15 minutes of extra listening about the city’s history, neighborhoods, food, attractions, and people. The overview audio is separate from your walking-route time. You can choose any starting point that works for you, even if you are staying elsewhere.

  • Hilton Columbus Downtown

    402 North High Street
    Columbus, Ohio 43215

    30 · 60 · 90 · 120 minutes

    Choose your tour →

  • Hyatt Regency Columbus

    350 North High Street
    Columbus, Ohio 43215

    30 · 60 · 90 · 120 minutes

    Choose your tour →

  • Sonesta Columbus Downtown

    33 East Nationwide Boulevard
    Columbus, Ohio 43215

    30 · 60 · 90 · 120 minutes

    Choose your tour →

  • Canopy by Hilton Columbus Downtown Short North

    77 East Nationwide Boulevard
    Columbus, Ohio 43215

    30 · 60 · 90 · 120 minutes

    Choose your tour →

  • AC Hotel Columbus Downtown

    517 Park Street
    Columbus, Ohio 43215

    30 · 60 · 90 · 120 minutes

    Choose your tour →

  • Le Méridien Columbus, The Joseph

    620 North High Street
    Columbus, Ohio 43215

    30 · 60 · 90 · 120 minutes

    Choose your tour →

  • Renaissance Columbus Downtown Hotel

    50 North Third Street
    Columbus, Ohio 43215

    30 · 60 · 90 · 120 minutes

    Choose your tour →

  • Hotel LeVeque, Autograph Collection

    50 West Broad Street
    Columbus, Ohio 43215

    30 · 60 · 90 · 120 minutes

    Choose your tour →

  • The Junto

    77 Belle Street
    Columbus, Ohio 43215

    30 · 60 · 90 · 120 minutes

    Choose your tour →

  • The Westin Great Southern Columbus

    310 South High Street
    Columbus, Ohio 43215

    30 · 60 · 90 · 120 minutes

    Choose your tour →

Tour times and distances are estimates and vary with your pace, listening time, and stops. Check current conditions and pedestrian access as you go. These independent guides are provided by Smart Ride Central Ohio; hotel names identify starting points and do not imply hotel endorsement or affiliation.

A local welcome, on foot or on the road

Need a ride while you’re here?

Steve provides private, prearranged airport transportation and other transportation throughout Central Ohio. Get an airport quote or learn more about the owner behind your tour.

Get an airport transportation quote

Meet Steve →
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