Newport Cliff Walk Self-Guided Walking Audio Tour

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. Embark on this scenic walk at the Cliff Walk entrance by Easton's Beach. We'll learn a little about Easton's Beach as we set off on this journey, followed immediately by a short look at the Chanler. As we continue along, we'll dive into Newport's history, the effect of the Gilded Age, and the Cliff Walk's creation. We'll also learn a little about the "old-money" families, like the Vanderbilts and Astors, whose grand summer cottages line the Cliff Walk. Note: The tour is over 4 miles long, with more than 35 audio stories, and takes about 1-2 hours to complete. New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want. Your password can be used on the same number of devices as the travelers you have booked. Please enter the same password on each device.

   10 min

2. Our first major stop comes at the iconic Forty Steps. This is an alternative starting point for the tour and a wonderful opportunity to walk down these historic steps and appreciate the wild beauty of the crashing waves in front. We'll learn about the Gilded Age elites who tried to keep access to the Cliff Walk for themselves by building a wall -- and about the lower-class residents who tore those walls down! Thanks to their battles, this beautiful pathway has remained open to the public.

   10 min

3. Ochre Court will immediately arrest our eyes! This châteauesque mansion cost of $4.5 million... in 1892. And it certainly shows! Now the centerpiece of the Salve Regina University, this mansion isn't open for tours... but that won't stop us from learning all about it's rich and fascinating history!

   Passes by

4. Next up on our Cliff Walk tour: the manorial Vinland Estate. This Vikings-inspired mansion is now Salve Regina's McAuley Hall. As we pass this beautiful red-stone mansion, we'll learn all about it's inspiration and its unique owner.

   Passes by

5. Finally, we reach Newport's highlight: The Breakers. This Vanderbilt mansion is the biggest and the best of all of Newport's summer cottages -- and you can tell. We'll look past the gate, across the sweeping lawns, and up to the magestic and marvelous mansion's facade. We'll dive into the Vanderbilt backstory, the mansion's architectural wonders, and much more while here. We'll also explore the technological wonders at work beneath the Breakers.

   Passes by

6. Rosecliff is next on our path along the Cliff Walk. This is arguably the most beautiful of the Newport Mansions, and it contains a rotating exhibition gallery on it's top floor. You can immediately spot this mansion by it's pink-and-white awning.

   Passes by

7. As we continue, we'll pass the Astors' summer cottage: Beechwood. Mrs. Astor famously had a "300 List" - the definitive list of the 300 people she considered high society. Where did that number come from? Well, this ballroom actually! It fit 300 guests. We'll learn more about this list, the Astors, and the Gilded Age as we continue to walk down Newport's Cliff Walk.

   Passes by

8. Our journey now takes us past Marble House, one of the most opulent and magnificent of Newport's Mansions. This Gilded Age marvel is another Vanderbilt home, and actually has one of the most interesting histories of all the mansions here. We'll learn all about Marble House's powerful owner Alva and it's beautiful Chinese Tea House.

   Passes by

9. As we continue along the Cliff Walk, we can catch a glimpse of an English Manorial style home through the trees: that's Rough Point. As we pass, we'll learn all about it's eccentric (and possibly dangerous) owner: Doris Duke.

   Passes by

10. As we near the end of the Cliff Walk, we'll see one final mansion: Land's End. This was the home of Edith Wharton, the gifted author who abhorred being a Gilded Age elite. We'll learn all about Wharton and her works as we continue.

    10 min

11. Our tour along the beautiful Cliff Walk ends near another beach: Bailey's Beach. The northeast end of the beach, where the Cliff Walk ends, is open to the public, but Bailey’s Beach itself is private, welcoming only a very exclusive club.... reminiscent of Mrs. Astor’s “400” list. Perhaps the Gilded Age lives on in Newport!

    Passes by

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

Ratings come from 92 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Showing reviews written in English.

• 1Frustrating and disappointing.

  I received too many emails and texts prior to the tour and then it took too much time to find how to actually start it. When it finally started the instructions kept telling us to go back to our start point. We were unable to listen to rhe tour!

  Linda_VSeptember 2026via Viator

• 5Guilded Tour

  Overall great experience. Tour guide was A++++. Carlos knew a lot about everything and was good entertainment to boot!

  Scotty_BSeptember 2026via Viator

• 5Perfect tour for a self guided pace with great informative stories

  I have seen reviews saying that the app didn’t work, etc. I had zero issues. I followed the instructions and downloaded while I had WiFi. Got my activation code and detailed instructions within 2 minutes. So make sure you fully download before going as cellular service on the walk can get minimal in places but with the app and the tour downloaded I had no issues. It did a perfect job of automatically starting an informative story at each point of interest. Who ever did the narration did an excellent job keeping it interesting and humorous. I highly recommend for a self paced walk from start to end. You can then walk back or take a trolly back to Easton Beach. Some of the walk is unpaved and requires balance but nothing too difficult. The tour was well worth the cost.

  Carl_RAugust 2026via Viator

• 1Save your money

  We were charged for passes to a walking trail that is free to everyone.

  Camper773502July 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5Get the app you won’t regret it!!!!

  Really great app, well worth the money! So easy to use, engaging, lots of great info and kept me engaged on the long walk. Highly recommend

  Ahahn063July 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5peace

  great sense of peace come and go as you want

  michaelwA404BAJuly 2026via Tripadvisor

Know before you go

How it compares in Newport

• Its from-price is 71% below the median of the 69 experiences we list in Newport.
• Its length is typical for the group.
• By number of reviews it ranks 20 of 69.
• The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Newport

Newport is a sailing town on Rhode Island's Aquidneck Island, known for Gilded Age mansions, a cliff walk, a tennis hall of fame and music festivals.

Newport sits at the southern end of Aquidneck Island, at the mouth of Narragansett Bay, and has been a port since colonial times. Its old streets hold Touro Synagogue, built in 1763 and the oldest surviving synagogue building in the United States, and the harbour is full of yachts; the America's Cup was raced off Newport for decades. Fort Adams, a large stone fort on the bay, guards the harbour.

Top-ranked sights in Newport: Fort Adams State Park, The Breakers, Marble House.

See all 69 experiences in Newport