York Trip Overview
Forget about crowds, schedules or lines! With this self-guided experience, your smartphone is your new private guide.
Stroll through the top attractions and history hiding in plain sight in the beautiful city of York! This is an entertaining and informative experience for everyone to enjoy – whether you’re a local or a newcomer to the city.
During this amazing experience, you will learn about religion, roman conquerors, revolutions, the true (and known) history of Vikings, Saints, infamous Massacres, Harry Potter and much more. You will also get an overview of the characters who have played an important role in the colourful history of York, such as Emperors who visited the Roman Fort thousands of years ago, King Charles I, Guy Fawkes, the most terrifying Viking Kings ever documented like Ragnar Lothbrock or Harald Hadrada (who happen to have lived here in Jorvik) and more.
Plus, we will give you a unique list of insider recommendations so you get the most of your visit.
Additional Info
Duration: 2 to 3 hours
Starts: York, United Kingdom
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Cultural Tours
Explore York Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting York, England, United Kingdom
Forget about crowds, schedules or lines! With this self-guided experience, your smartphone is your new private guide.
Stroll through the top attractions and history hiding in plain sight in the beautiful city of York! This is an entertaining and informative experience for everyone to enjoy – whether you’re a local or a newcomer to the city.
During this amazing experience, you will learn about religion, roman conquerors, revolutions, the true (and known) history of Vikings, Saints, infamous Massacres, Harry Potter and much more. You will also get an overview of the characters who have played an important role in the colourful history of York, such as Emperors who visited the Roman Fort thousands of years ago, King Charles I, Guy Fawkes, the most terrifying Viking Kings ever documented like Ragnar Lothbrock or Harald Hadrada (who happen to have lived here in Jorvik) and more.
Plus, we will give you a unique list of insider recommendations so you get the most of your visit.
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: York Minster, Minster Yard Deangate, York YO1 7HH England
Our tour starts at The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York, commonly known as York Minster. This cathedral is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe and the minster is the seat of the Archbishop of York, the third-highest office of the Church of England. Here you will learn the story of this beautiful building, its surroundings and more.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: The Roman Column, Treasurers House Minster Yard, York YO1 7JL England
Did you know that York was once a Roman Fort?
Founded in 71 AD, by Roman General Quintus Petillius Cerialis of the Ninth Legion, Eboracum was a fort built on flat ground above the River Ouse near its junction with the River Foss.
In this tour, we will tell you everything you need to know about the Roman Heritage of the city and the remains you can still find today.
Duration: 10 minutes
Pass By: Dean’s Park, Minster Yard, York England
This stop is all about the medieval past of the city, specifically, you will learn about the “boundaries” of St Peter’s Church and its inhabitants. This city within a city didn’t come within the Mayor’s authority thus the area inside was known as the ‘Liberty of St Peter’.
Come with us to learn what happened inside and what were the social repercussions of St Peter’s monks all over the city.
Stop At: St. Michael le Belfrey Church, High Petergate, York YO1 7EN England
The church of St Michael le Belfrey is the only remaining sixteenth-century church in York and is the largest pre-Reformation parish church in the city. The church is famous for being the place where Guy Fawkes was baptised on 16 April 1570. Here you will learn everything about the guy who made the 5th of November so remarkable all over the world.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: High Petergate, York England
Petergate Street, now part of the Minster Quarter, stands on the site of the Roman Via Principalis, the first-century main east-west route through the Roman fortress. The street is named due to its proximity to York Minster, which is dedicated to St Peter. High Petergate was the medieval route into York from the North, it runs from Bootham Bar to Stonegate. Some of the medieval buildings still stand here, forming an eclectic mix with those dating from the Georgian era other period styles of architecture. We will stroll with you through this street and tell you all about it.
Duration: 15 minutes
Pass By: Petergate House, 11 High Petergate, York YO1 7EN England
Strolling through High Peter street towards the north entrance you will find Petergate House, a Grade II listed building that was once the home of Sir Thomas Herbert, a historian and groom of the bedchamber to Charles I. You will learn all about these characters and their story. We will also tell you a story about a haunted house in this area.
Pass By: Bootham Bar, De Grey House Exhibition Square St. Leonards Pl., York YO1 7EW England
At the end of Petergate street, you will see the Bootham Bar, which once was one of the four main entrances to the Roman fortress some 2000 years ago. You will dive into its history and understand why it still preserved.
Stop At: York City Walls, York YO1 7HB England
Since Roman times, York has been defended by walls of one form or another. York has more miles of intact wall than any other city in England. They are known variously as York City Walls, the Bar Walls and the Roman walls. In this stop, we will tell you everything about the walls, recommendations on where to hop on, and give you the liberty to walk through it as long as you like.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Multangular Tower, Museum Gardens Museum Street, York YO1 7FR England
The Multangular Tower is located in the western corner tower of the Roman fortress, standing 9 metres high, it contains stonework from both the Roman and medieval periods.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Museum Gardens Museum Street, York YO1 7FR England
The beautiful ten-acre botanical Museum Gardens, which surround the Yorkshire Museum, cover the grounds of the former medieval St Mary’s Abbey. Established in the early nineteenth century by the Yorkshire Philosophical Society, and designed by landscape architect Sir John Murray Naysmith, the gardens are famous for their stunning collections of trees, shrubs, perennial plants and bulbs.
Several noteworthy historic buildings stand within the gardens, these include the remains of the west corner of the Roman fort of Eboracum and St. Mary’s Abby.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: St. Mary’s Abbey, Museum Gardens Museum Street, York YO1 7FR England
St Mary’s Abbey occupied an extensive precinct site immediately outside the city walls, which is now the Museum Gardens. It was a Benedictine foundation with origins dating back to 1086 when magnate Alan Rufus, a distant cousin of William The Conqueror and Count of Brittany, granted it to the monk Stephen of Whitby. At this stop, you will also learn about the remains of the Roman Anglian Tower.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: 11 Shambles, York YO1 7LZ England
The Shambles is an old street in York, with overhanging timber-framed buildings, some dating back as far as the fourteenth century. It was once known as The Great Flesh Shambles used to display meat shelves from butcheries. We will walk you through this Harry-Potterish street while we discuss its past, what’s a myth and what’s real about both the novel and real-life events.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Shrine of Saint Margaret Clitherow, 35 The Shambles, York YO1 7LZ England
Among the structures of the Shambles is a shrine to Saint Margaret Clitherow, who is an English saint and martyr of the Roman Catholic Church. She was married to a butcher who owned and lived in a shop in this street, her home is thought to have been No. 10 Shambles.
Here, we will let you discover her former house, and tell you all about her past and why she became a Saint.
Duration: 10 minutes
Pass By: Jorvik Viking Centre, 19 Coppergate Coppergate Shopping Centre, York YO1 9WT England
Jórvík or Danish York is a term used by historians for the south of Northumbria (modern-day Yorkshire) during the period of the late 9th century and first half of the 10th century when the city was dominated by Vikings. At this stop, you will learn the rich history of the Vikings, who happened to establish themselves here more than a thousand years ago. You will also get a bonus of the stories of the most famous Vikings who visited the city (three in total, and yes, Ragnar is among them).
Stop At: Clifford’s Tower, Tower Street, York YO1 9SA England
Clifford’s Tower is one of the best-loved landmarks in York. It is the largest remaining part of York Castle, once the centre of government for the north of England. At this stop, you will get all about York Castle history and its relation with the people of York. We will also give you a list of recommendations of places to go, where to eat and what to do on your visit to this beautiful city.
Duration: 15 minutes
