A more leisurely big-city tour is afoot

WITH the cost of sightseeing tours constantly increasing, travelers are turning to free self-guided walking tours to become acquainted with large cities.

Most major cities -- including Rio de Janeiro; Washington, D.C.; Hong Kong; and Los Angeles -- now distribute free brochures (increasingly in English no matter where in the world you are) that outline a path for pursuing historical, cultural or architectural highlights.

You can obtain these guides at a city’s official tourist information office or order them in advance by phone or e-mail. Some cities put walking tours on their Web pages in downloadable formats. Another source is your local bookstore, where you can find guidebooks that offer self-guided, on-foot itineraries of different neighborhoods or sections of a city.

Even cities that aren’t usually toured on foot -- such as Los Angeles -- have jumped on board. Several walking tours are available; among them are two from the Music Center. You can download a downtown walking tour called “Explore the Architecture of Grand Avenue” or “Downtown Los Angeles is Grand!” at www.musiccenter.org.

If you’re visiting Washington, D.C., you can spend a pleasant afternoon following the self-guided tour “The Kennedys’ Georgetown: The Homes They Lived In, the Streets They Loved.” Georgetown, less than a mile from the White House, is among the city’s most stylish neighborhoods and a lively place at night. For tour details, contact the Georgetown Business Improvement District, 1055 Thomas Jefferson St., Suite L11, Washington, D.C. 20007; (202) 298-9222, www.georgetowndc.com.

Visitors to Annapolis, Md., can choose among several tours. The city, an outdoor museum of Colonial and 19th century architecture, is home to the ornate Queen Anne-style Zimmerman House, which is featured in several tours published by the city tourism office. This wedding cake of turrets and gables was built in 1887 and housed the U.S. Naval Academy bandmaster who wrote “Anchors Aweigh.” For information, contact the Historic Annapolis Foundation, 77 Main St., Annapolis, MD 21401; (410) 267-7619, Ext. 5576, www.annapolis.org

Hotels all over the world also are producing self-guided walking itineraries of their areas, and you don’t have to be a guest to pick up the brochure at their front desks. The Stafford, a posh London hostelry, describes several such routes in its St. James’s neighborhood. You can download them from the hotel’s website, www.thestaffordhotel.co.uk/destination.

One tour, the “Shoppers Stroll,” directs you to many “long-established shops which take pride in service and quality.” The guide notes that nearby Paxton & Whitfield stocks 300 varieties of cheese, that sampling is encouraged and doesn’t require an actual purchase.