How Trove works start to finish
You open a walk in your browser, put your earphones in, and the city starts talking. This page walks you through exactly what happens — and what it costs, which is nothing.
From the street corner to the story
Open Trove where you're standing — or from the sofa, planning. It runs in the browser you already have: nothing to install, and every route and stop list is laid out to read before you commit to anything. Pick a city, sign in free, and press play on its free walk.
A Trove walk is a plotted line through the city, usually eight stops, each chosen because something genuinely happened there. As you reach a stop, its story plays. There's no fumbling with a paper map and no typing numbers into a handset — the walk follows you, not the other way round.
Go at any pace. Pause to linger or break for lunch and Trove remembers your place; every stop can go deeper if you ask, and moves on when you don't.
A narrator, not a plaque read aloud
The narration is written for the ear, story first: the argument that built the church, the scandal behind the fountain, the small detail you'd walk straight past. Dates appear only when they earn their place.
It's crafted in one consistent, expert voice across every city, and quietly tailored to exactly where you're standing — so it lands like a well-read friend at your shoulder.
Runs in your browser, works offline
Trove is a web app. Open trovetours.com on iPhone or Android and it just runs — no App Store, no 400 MB download on hotel wi-fi, nothing new to learn. Add it to your home screen if you like; that part's optional.
Before you head out, save the walk on wi-fi. It then plays offline as you go — audio and route live on your phone, so mobile data and roaming stay out of the story. You can preview the whole route from home first.
Five cities curated end to end, and counting
Rome, Florence, Venice, Prague and Paris are curated end to end: a free city walk plus individual tours of the great sites, hand-built stop by stop — and, starting with the Uffizi in Florence, the great museums.
The free Trove Edit walk — a curated line through the centre — is ready in each of Trove's five cities: Rome, Florence, Venice, Prague and Paris. More cities are on the way.
Free, all of it, no subscription ever
Every walk Trove has written by hand is free — no unlock, no trial. That is the Trove Edit walk in every covered city, plus the themed walks authored on top of it: complete narration, all stops, no card. It's how Trove introduces itself — not a teaser.
Everything is free: every walk we have written by hand, every interior along the walk — the great sites you step inside on the way — and the museum tours, starting with the Uffizi. There is nothing to buy and no subscription.
How it works, asked directly
Do I need to download an app?
No. Trove runs in your phone's browser — open it, sign in and walk. Saving a walk stores it for offline use, so it keeps playing when the signal drops.
How does the walk know where I am?
With your permission it follows your phone's location, and each stop's story plays as you reach it. Prefer to look before you walk? Every route and stop list is public on this site, and you can preview the whole walk from home.
Is the first walk really free?
Yes — and so is every other walk Trove has written by hand. The Trove Edit walk in every covered city is free and complete: all stops, full narration, no card. So are the interiors along the walk, and the museum tours, starting with the Uffizi.
Do the tours work without mobile data?
Yes. Save a walk while you're on wi-fi and it plays offline as you go — audio, route and map are stored on your phone, so roaming charges aren't part of the trip.
Do I have to book a time or join a group?
No. Trove is self-guided — no group, no guide, no fixed departure. Start whenever you like, from wherever you are on the route, and pause as often as you want.
Which cities does Trove cover?
Rome, Florence, Venice, Prague and Paris are fully curated, with hand-crafted walks and deep-dive site tours. Florence also has the first museum tour, the Uffizi, with more museums on the way. Each of the five has its free Trove Edit walk.
How long does a walk take?
Most Trove Edit walks are around eight stops and 2–3 km — one to two unhurried hours with the stories. Pause anywhere; the walk remembers where you stopped.
What language are the tours in?
English today, with more languages coming.
