Welcome to the Gettysburg Battlefield Self-Guided Driving Tour
Welcome to the narrated driving tour of the Battle of Gettysburg, the most crucial battle of the Civil War! Here, Union forces staged a nearly impossible defense against Confederate attackers–and won! Walk in the footsteps of Civil War soldiers, re-live the battle strategies of the key generals, and embark on an adventure that brings this historic three-day battle to life on your Gettysburg auto tour.
This self-guided Gettysburg Auto tour lets you explore Gettysburg’s historical wonders with maximum flexibility, safety, and value. Hop in your car, set up the tour guide app on your phone, and get started. All audio plays automatically based on location.
We are proud members of the Gettysburg Heritage Center.
Follow the Battle
The tour follows the intense 3-day battle at Gettysburg chronologically. It begins at the Gettysburg Heritage Center, where you learn about the lead-up to the battle. Before you start driving, download the Action Tour Guide app and enter your unique password to access the audio tour. Then, you’ll explore McPherson’s Ridge, the site of the first skirmish of the first day. From there, you continue past the Railway Cut, Iverson’s Pits, and Seminary Ridge until you reach the end of Day 1.
As you continue to follow the route on the Gettysburg Auto Tour, begin Day 2 with an exploration of Little Round Top, Devil’s Den, the Peach Orchard, and Culp’s Hill. Day 3 then starts with the infamous Pickett’s Charge. This comprehensive tour ends at the Gettysburg Cemetery, where you hear Lincoln’s poignant Gettysburg Address. And if you ever have questions, feel free to reach out to us over chat, call, or email – we’re always available and looking forward to helping you!
The Gettysburg Address
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate — we can not consecrate — we can not hallow — this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
Abraham Lincoln
November 19, 1863
Hello, Bonjour and Hallo – Explore Gettysburg Battlefield in English, Dutch, French and German!
All languages are available to you when you purchase the tour.
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Know Before You Go
Note: The following programming and sites are currently not operational:
- All National Park Service programming is cancelled throughout the shutdown.
- The house at Eisenhower National Historic Site is closed during this time, but the grounds remain open.
- The David Wills House is already on a temporary closure for maintenance reasons.
Nearby Tours
Walking
21 Stories
1 - 2 Hrs
Driving
30+ Stories
1 - 2 Hrs
Walking
11 Stories
0.5 - 1 Hrs
Walking
20 Stories
0.5 - 1 Hrs
Gettysburg Auto Tour Map
Where To Start?
Starting Point Address: 1 Culp St, Gettysburg, PA
(The tour begins in the parking lot of the Gettysburg Heritage Center. Upon entering the parking lot, orient yourself so that the Heritage Center is behind you and Johns Avenue is ahead. Once you’re ready, take a left onto Johns Avenue to begin the tour. Please note that this is a suggested starting point. We are not affiliated with any of the businesses in the area, so their staff will not have information about this tour.)
How Does It Work?
- Once you book a tour, you’ll get a text/email with instructions.
- Download the app (while in good Wi-Fi/signal) and use your unique password to access your tours. If multiple versions or entry points are available for your tour, be sure to download all the audio guides.
- Audio Setup: Connect your phone to the car stereo via Bluetooth, USB, or Aux, and bring headphones on walking tours. CarPlay and Android Auto are currently not supported; we’re working toward a solution with Apple.
- To begin touring, go to the starting point and launch the app.
- The audio starts automatically once you reach the starting point. Stick to the tour route and speed limit for the best experience.
- Please note that no one will meet you at the starting point.
Gettysburg Battlefield Audio Tour Stops
Things to do on the Tour Include:
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Gettysburg Visitor Center
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McPherson Ridge (Auto Tour 1)
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The Railway Cut
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Eternal Light Peace Memorial (Auto Tour 2)
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Oak Ridge Observation Tower (Auto Tour 3)
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Battlefield Sallie Memorial
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Seminary Ridge Museum
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North Carolina Memorial (Auto Tour 4)
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Virginia Monument (Auto Tour 5)
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Pitzer Woods (Auto Tour 6) & Longstreet Observation Tower
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Eisenhower National Historic Site
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Warfield Ridge (Auto Tour 7)
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Little Round Top (Auto Tour 8)
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Devil's Den
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The Wheat Field (Auto Tour 9)
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The Peach Orchard (Auto Tour 10)
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The Abraham Trostle Farm
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Plum Run (Auto Tour 11)
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The George Weikert Farm
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Pennsylvania Memorial (Auto Tour 12)
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Spangler's Spring (Auto Tour 13)
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East Cemetery Hill (Auto Tour 14)
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The High Water Mark (Auto Tour 15)
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National Cemetery (Auto Tour 16)
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Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address
Preview The Tour
Tour FAQs
These days, there are much better options for touring a historic site like this than the type of Gettysburg guide you might have in mind. More specifically, you can get a rich, exciting, and complete tour of the Gettysburg Battlefield by using an app!
While the roads through the park will take you close to the major battlefields, in many areas, you’ll have to get out of the car to actually stand on the fields where the combat took place, such as Little Round Top. A Gettysburg Driving Tour app will help you locate the specific battlefield sites so you can get up close and personal with history.
Now, folks generally associate the Gettysburg Battlefield with the hot, humid days of summer, especially since the battle itself took place on the first three days of July 1863. Ironically, that’s exactly what makes winter such a good time to visit Gettysburg.
Absolutely you can! In fact, I’d say a Gettysburg driving tour is the absolute best way to experience this historic battlefield. Sure, you could pay to hop on a tour bus, but then you’re on someone else’s schedule and won’t have the chance to really explore the key sites across the field.
Luckily for traveling history buffs, the weather in Gettysburg is fairly predictable, even during the peak days of summer. The average temperature maxes out at around 85 degrees fahrenheit. That said, if you’re used to dry heat, the humidity on the Gettysburg Battlefield is something to keep in mind.
If you’re going for authenticity, summer is the season for you. The heat and yellowing grass will give you a great idea of the conditions under which the Union and Confederate soldiers fought all those years ago. For comfort, however, spring or fall are more temperate, have smaller crowds, and offer more pleasant scenery.
The battle itself stretched for three days and involved more than 160,000 soldiers. There were a staggering 120 generals present on the battlefield, of whom nine were mortally wounded or killed. But despite the size of the struggle, only one civilian was killed during the fighting.
The Battle of Gettysburg served as a major turning point in the Civil War. Many historians consider it the closest the Confederacy ever got to defeating the Union and winning the war.
The Battle of Gettysburg served as a major turning point in the Civil War. Many historians consider it the closest the Confederacy ever got to defeating the Union and winning the war.
There were nearly 50,000 casualties during the Battle of Gettysburg, including almost 8,000 dead. The first day saw 15,000 casualties, and the third saw nearly as many, but the second day remains the bloodiest day of the battle. Over 20,000 men were killed, injured, or went missing on that second day of fighting.
The Battle of Gettysburg marks the point where the Confederate invasion of the North came to an abrupt end, signalling the beginning of the end for the rebellion. Had Lee emerged victorious at Gettysburg, he would have marched on other Northern cities, and perhaps even Washington, D.C., changing the course of history.
There are still bodies buried in unmarked graves across the Gettysburg battlefield, but don’t worry about accidentally stumbling upon one of these grisly sites. It happens quite rarely, and always makes for big news when it does. For more details, read our blog post.
Walking Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg is an experience like no other, and you should absolutely do it if you have the chance! Following in the footsteps of all those men who rushed to their untimely end, looking up at the same ridge they hoped to take… It makes this historic battle feel a whole lot more real.
Confederate and Union forces battled at Gettysburg during General Lee’s invasion of the North. The Union decided to engage Lee’s forces here in order to prevent him from advancing any farther toward key strategic positions like Harrisburg or Washington, D.C.
The Battle of Gettysburg lasted for three long, bloody days. It began on July 1st, 1863 and raged until the late afternoon of July 3rd.
A single day is sufficient to tour the Gettysburg battlefield, even if you’d like to explore the town of Gettysburg afterward. Still, it’s a good idea to start in the morning to make sure you have enough time to see everything.
When visiting Gettysburg, you’ll definitely want to see crucial battlefield landmarks like Cemetery Ridge, Little Round Top, and Devil’s Den. Luckily, the Auto Tour Route which weaves throughout the park leads directly past all these important sites.
Comfort stations are conveniently located throughout Gettysburg National Military Park and are accessible during regular park hours. You can find more information here.
Portable toilets are available seasonally within the park to accommodate visitors, especially during the busier months. You can locate these portable toilets at:
McMillan Woods (near Auto Tour Stop #4)
Amphitheater (near Auto Tour Stop #6).
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Inclusions and Exclusions
App on your phone: A link to download the Action Tour Guide App and Password for your tours.
Easy to use: Stories play automatically via GPS, hands‑free.
Flexible schedule: Use any day, any time. Tours are valid forever.
Interactive audio stories: Experience local history and culture through clear, concise narratives from experienced narrators.
At your own pace: No group. Take breaks for photos, snacks, hikes. Go at your own pace.
Offline use: No cell signal or Wi-Fi required. Offline GPS Map & route. Stop-to-stop direction.
Don’t miss a thing: Enjoy a full itinerary, get travel tips, hear narrated guides, and see hidden gems.
Transportation, parking fees, food, and drinks.
Entry tickets or reservations for any attractions along the route.
Car Rental: Please arrange a rental car at the closest airport or train station.
