Private York Self-Guided Tour

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. 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.

   10 min

2. 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.

   10 min

3. 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.

   Passes by

4. 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.

   10 min

5. 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.

   15 min

6. 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.

   Passes by

7. 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.

   Passes by

8. 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.

   15 min

9. 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.

   5 min

10. 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.

    20 min

11. 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.

    15 min

12. 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.

    15 min

Cancellation

All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.

Reviews

Ratings come from 28 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Know before you go

How it compares in York

• Its from-price is 83% below the median of the 186 experiences we list in York.
• Its length is typical for the group.
• By number of reviews it ranks 60 of 186.

About York

York is a walled cathedral city in northern England, a place of Roman and Viking history, medieval lanes and a vast Gothic minster.

York Minster, among the largest Gothic cathedrals in northern Europe, towers over the city, and its stained glass includes the Great East Window, one of the biggest areas of medieval glass in the country. Medieval walls, the longest in England, encircle the old centre and can be walked along the top. The Shambles, a narrow lane of leaning timber-framed buildings, was once the street of butchers.

Top-ranked sights in York: York Minster, Clifford's Tower, The Shambles.

See all 186 experiences in York