History and Hauntings Self Guided Walking Tour in York with App
Description
Most visitors choose between a highlights walk, a wall walk, or a ghost tour. This self-guided tour gives you the best of all three in a single route — from Roman ruins and Viking history to chilling tales told at the right moments, in the right places. With your phone as your guide, you'll walk atop the ancient city walls, squeeze through snickelways, and hear why the Golden Fleece pub claims over fifteen resident ghosts. This tour is ideal for those who are in York for a day and want to get a taste of everything that York has to offer while having the freedom to linger and dive deeper into the sites that capture their interest. Pause for a pint, duck into the Shambles for photos, or linger inside York Minster — then pick up right where you left off. No group to keep up with, no fixed start time. Available in 9 languages with offline access. Over 20,000 travellers have used our self-guided tours. If it's not for you, it comes with a full refund guarantee.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Walk among ruins of a church, destroyed not by war but by a king's grudge
Spot the line in the stonework where Roman hands stopped and medieval builders picked up
Trace how an abbot's luxury residence survived the very purge that destroyed the abbey next door
Discover the medieval gates of York, known as "bars," and pass beneath the gate that once faced Scotland
Hear why wealthy Georgians fought to keep York's crumbling walls private — and how the public won.
Discover how this historic bar also served as a home and a site for public proclamations.
Hear about the famous sightings of spectral Roman soldiers and other hauntings within this storied mansion.
Discover the modern sculpture of Constantine, commemorating his proclamation as Emperor in York in AD 306 and his legalization of Christianity.
Marvel at York Minster, a towering masterpiece of Gothic and medieval architecture, reflecting centuries of craftsmanship and spiritual significance. Discover its stunning exterior and pause the tour if you wish to enter.
Follow the ancient Roman road buried beneath this shopping street, once rutted by ox-carts hauling Minster stone.
Piece together the tale of Mad Alice on the snickelway that once bore her name
Explore Shambles, a beautifully preserved medieval street known for its narrow lanes, timber-framed buildings, and rich history as York's primary butcher area. Explore unique shops, enjoy the charming atmosphere, and discover historical sites like the shrine of St. Margaret Clitherow.
Pause at York's most haunted pub, where over fifteen spirits reportedly refuse to leave — including a one-eyed regular.
Pause at the headquarters of York's medieval investors
See where archaeologists unearthed a Viking city preserved beneath modern streets, complete with silk from the Far East.
Count the hangings that took place on this site before it traded justice for curiosities
End at the mound where a hundred and fifty people sought refuge — and never came back down.
Pause at the church where Guy Fawkes was baptised — and find out why his old school still refuses to burn his effigy.
Stand on the world's shortest street with the longest name, and consider why no one can agree what it means
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- The total tour duration includes the time spent at the stop and time required to walk through all the stops.
Reviews(27)
I learned a lot from this tour. I did have to keep going back and forth between the app and Google maps to navigate. But I enjoyed the tour.
Thank you for your feedback. We're glad you enjoyed the tour and appreciate your suggestion about improving the navigation experience.
It was great, genuinely a good guide, simple and easy to use.
Thank you for the kind feedback. We're delighted you enjoyed the experience.
Interesting information for a self-guided audio tour. We used the provider in two cities and found both tours to be very good.
Vielen Dank für Ihr Vertrauen und Ihr schönes Feedback. Es freut uns sehr, dass Ihnen die Touren in beiden Städten gefallen haben.
Nice walk with a funny guide who could tell nicely.
Bedankt voor je leuke reactie. Fijn om te horen dat je van de wandeling hebt genoten.
Excellent way to do a self guided walking tour
Thank you! We're delighted you enjoyed the experience.
Excellent tour. We had only arrived in York and had no idea where to go or what to do so the tour gave us a real purpose and we felt that we had really explored all of York when we finished. It was very informative and interesting and great value for money. The fact that it is a self guided tour meant that we could take as much time as we wanted at each of the stops. The map and the photos are very helpful as you navigate through the city, We have done a self guided walking tour before using the Tourific app and would definitely recommend them.
Thank you for the wonderful feedback. We're so pleased the tour helped you make the most of your time in York and became such a memorable part of your visit.
A really informative and easy to follow tour. Perfect to be able to pick up at your own pace and do other things in between, a good overview of the history of York, you recommend!
Thank you! We’re glad you found the tour informative and easy to follow. Happy to hear you enjoyed exploring York at your own pace. Hope to see you on another tour soon!
Great if you want to do a Tour in your own time. But I struggled with the map and lack of instructions how to find the next place. Downloading the app was only possible for me when I was connected to the WiFi.
Thank you for your feedback! We’re glad you enjoyed the flexibility of the tour. We appreciate your comments about the map and directions, and we’ll work on improving this.
V basic. Geared for someone who doesn’t know the uk. Obviously AI. No instructions but relied on a map which didn’t correspond to the walkways around York. Confusing
Thank you for your feedback, and we're sorry to hear that the tour didn't meet your expectations. We aim to make our self-guided experiences accessible to all travelers, including international visitors, which is why we use AI narration. That said, we understand your concerns and will look into improving both the content and the map navigation to make it clearer for future users. Please email us at support@tourific.org with your booking reference so we can issue a full refund — we're happy to honor our satisfaction guarantee. Best regards, The Tourific Team
Excellent guide to see all the important parts of York in 1 trip, lots of things we would easily have missed. Shame it rained ALOT, but still enjoyable
Thank you for your lovely feedback! We’re happy to hear that the guide helped you discover all the important parts of York and pointed out things you might have otherwise missed. Sorry to hear about the rain, but we’re glad you still enjoyed the experience. We look forward to welcoming you on another tour soon! Best regards, The Tourific Team
