York Walking Tour with Audioguide on your Smartphone

What's included

What you'll see and do

1. York Railway Station

   York Railway Station is one of northern England’s great Victorian railway stations. Opened in 1877 for the North Eastern Railway, it became a major hub on the route between London, Edinburgh, and the north of England. Its curved trainshed, long platforms, and position beside the city walls reflect York’s importance in railway history.

   10 minutes here

2. Micklegate Bar

   Micklegate Bar is one of the main medieval gateways into York. It served as the traditional ceremonial entrance for monarchs arriving from the south and was also used to display the heads of executed traitors. Its stone arch, upper chambers, and position on the city walls reflect York’s defensive, civic, and royal history.

   10 minutes here

3. The City Walls

   York City Walls are the most complete medieval city walls in England. Built on Roman foundations and expanded through later centuries, they once protected the city and controlled its main gates, or bars. Their stone walkways, towers, views of York Minster, and circuit around the historic centre reflect the city’s Roman, medieval, and civic history.

   10 minutes here

4. Victoria Bar is a 19th-century gateway through York’s city walls. Opened in 1838 to create a direct route between Nunnery Lane and Bishophill, it was named for Queen Victoria. Its pointed arch, city shields, and position within the medieval wall circuit reflect York’s adaptation of historic defences to modern urban movement.

   10 minutes here

5. Baile Hill

   Baile Hill is the surviving motte of a Norman castle in York. Built by William the Conqueror in the late 11th century, it once formed part of a motte-and-bailey fortress on the west bank of the River Ouse. Its grassy mound and position beside the city walls reflect the Norman military reshaping of medieval York.

   10 minutes here

6. Skeldergate Bridge

   Skeldergate Bridge is a Victorian bridge across the River Ouse in York. Built between 1879 and 1881, it carried road traffic between the historic centre and the southern riverside approaches. Its ironwork, stone piers, Gothic details, and attached tollhouse reflect York’s 19th-century expansion and the continued importance of river crossings.

   20 minutes here

7. Clifford’s Tower is the surviving keep of York Castle. Built on a Norman motte and rebuilt in stone in the 13th century, it became a symbol of royal power in medieval York. Its circular walls, hilltop position, and views over the city reflect the castle’s defensive role and York’s turbulent political history.

   Pass by without stopping

8. York Castle Museum

   York Castle Museum is a social history museum on the site of York Castle. Opened in 1938, it occupies former prison buildings and presents everyday life through recreated rooms, shops, costumes, toys, and domestic objects. Its Victorian street, prison cells, and castle setting connect York’s civic history with the lives of ordinary people.

   Pass by without stopping

9. The York Dungeon

   York Dungeon is a theatrical visitor attraction in the historic centre of York. It presents dark episodes from the city’s past through live actors, staged sets, humour, and horror-style storytelling. Its themes of plague, punishment, crime, and local legends reflect York’s fascination with the darker side of its medieval and early modern history.

   Pass by without stopping

10. Jorvik Viking Centre

    JORVIK Viking Centre is a museum and visitor attraction built around the archaeology of Viking-age York. Created after major excavations at Coppergate, it reconstructs the city as it may have looked in the 10th century, when York was known as Jórvík. Its artefacts, ride-through scenes, sounds, and smells connect modern York with its Norse past.

    Pass by without stopping

11. Parish of All Saints' Pavement

    All Saints, Pavement is a historic parish church in the centre of York. Rebuilt and altered through the Middle Ages, it stands beside one of the city’s old market areas and busy commercial streets. Its lantern tower, stained glass, carved details, and compact urban setting reflect York’s medieval parish life and civic history.

    20 minutes here

12. Merchant Adventurers' Hall

    Merchant Adventurers’ Hall is one of York’s finest medieval guild halls. Built in the 14th century for a powerful merchant fraternity, it combined business, charity, worship, and social life under one roof. Its timber-framed Great Hall, chapel, undercroft, and riverside setting reflect York’s commercial wealth and civic society in the Middle Ages.

    Pass by without stopping

13. York’s Shortest Street, known locally as Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma-Gate, is a tiny historic street in the city centre. Famous for its unusual name and short length, it links the area around Pavement, Colliergate, and Fossgate. Its playful street sign, medieval setting, and compact scale reflect York’s dense urban fabric and love of curious local names.

    20 minutes here

14. Shambles

    The Shambles is one of York’s most famous medieval streets. Once lined with butchers’ shops, it preserves overhanging timber-framed buildings, narrow paving, and the close scale of the old city. Its shopfronts, upper stories, and crooked perspective reflect York’s medieval commercial life and enduring historic character.

    20 minutes here

15. York's Chocolate Story

    York’s Chocolate Story is a visitor attraction dedicated to the city’s chocolate-making heritage. It tells the story of York’s famous confectionery families and brands, including Rowntree’s, Terry’s, and Craven’s. Its exhibits, demonstrations, and tastings connect the historic centre with the industry that helped shape modern York.

    Pass by without stopping

16. York Minster

    York Minster is one of the largest Gothic cathedrals in northern Europe. Built over several centuries on a site with Roman and earlier Christian layers, it became the spiritual centre of medieval York. Its vast nave, towers, stained glass, chapter house, and carved stonework reflect the city’s religious importance and architectural ambition.

    Pass by without stopping

17. Treasurer's House

    Treasurer’s House is a historic house beside York Minster. Built around earlier medieval structures and later remodelled by the collector Frank Green, it preserves period rooms, furniture, paintings, and decorative objects. Its gardens, layered interiors, and connection with the Minster’s medieval treasurers reflect York’s ecclesiastical and domestic history.

    10 minutes here

18. The Roman Column stands beside York Minster as a fragment of Roman Eboracum. Excavated beneath the Minster in 1969, it once formed part of the headquarters building of the legionary fortress. Its reconstructed shaft, classical form, and position near the cathedral reveal the Roman layer beneath medieval York.

    20 minutes here

19. Guy Fawkes House is a historic building near York Minster traditionally associated with the birthplace of Guy Fawkes. Born in York in 1570, Fawkes later became linked with the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605. The timber-framed frontage, narrow street setting, and local memory connect York’s domestic history with one of England’s most famous political conspiracies.

    20 minutes here

20. Multangular Tower

    The Roman Tower, usually known as the Multangular Tower, is one of the clearest surviving Roman remains in York. Built around the 3rd century as a corner tower of the legionary fortress of Eboracum, it was later incorporated into the medieval city defences. Its stonework, polygonal form, and Museum Gardens setting reveal the Roman layer beneath historic York.

    20 minutes here

21. Dame Judi Dench Walk

    Dame Judi Dench Walk is a riverside path beside the River Ouse in York. Named after the York-born actress Dame Judi Dench, it runs below Museum Gardens between Lendal and Marygate. Its trees, river views, boat activity, and glimpses toward the Minster connect the historic centre with York’s theatrical heritage and everyday waterside life.

    10 minutes here

Where it starts and ends

Before you book

Cancellation

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Languages

en

Ticket

Mobile Only

Runs on

Every day

Group size

Up to 20 travelers per booking

Operated by

TouringBee

Know before you go

• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels
• The audio guide is available through a special mobile app for iOS and Android
• Entry tickets to the cathedral and museums are not included. Please buy them separately in advance
• The tour doesn’t cover all York sights
• This is a self-guided tour. You will need to download the audio guide mobile app, activate your purchase, and follow the route on the app's map. There is no human guide provided
• The audio guide is available anytime. The date and time provided for checkout are approximate

Photos