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Walkabout Durham History Tour

5.0115 reviews

  • 1h 30m
  • Free cancellation up to 24h before
  • Guided in English
  • Instant confirmation

Highlights

While strolling along cobbled streets and riverside footpaths, you will view some of the world's best architecture and encounter gripping tales of the kings, Prince Bishops and local people who have made Durham one of England's most fascinating, and historically significant, cities. Our History Tour will take you from the bustling heart of the Market Place to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the castle. Walkabout Durham is a small family run business of two guides (Peter and Annmarie). We both grew up in Durham, trained as teachers and have been running tours in Durham since 2019. This was our first tour and is still the most popular of our range of tours.

Inclusions

What's included

  • We do not enter any buildings on the tour. We provide recommendations for food and attractions.

Itinerary

  1. At our meeting spot in the historic Market Place, in the heart of the city, we will see the 19th Century Town Hall and Guildhall, St. Nicolas' church and the statues that commemorate the city's history. We will learn about the figures who have helped to shape the city and county. From here, we will take a short walk to Framwellgate Bridge.

    20 min

  2. The oldest of the city's bridges with a magnificent view of Durham Castle and Cathedral. Here we will explore the history of the Castle and famous Prince Bishops of Durham before heading along the picturesque riverside walk to our next stop. The walk from here to the next stop will take approximately 5 minutes.

    15 min

  3. Along the way to Prebends Bridge we will explore the city's mills and riverbanks before taking in spectacular views of the Cathedral from Prebends Bridge.

    5 min

  4. On our way to the South Bailey, we will encounter the medieval city wall and explore the historic rivalry with the Scots before heading into the Bailey, which is the home of Durham University.

    15 min

  5. Now affiliated with St. John's college, St. Mary the Less, has some fascinating connections with Durham legends. We explore their stories here whilst taking in the interesting architecture of the Bailey.

    10 min

  6. We arrive at the eastern side of the Cathedral and explore some early medieval history and stories of St. Cuthbert as well as learning about some of the colleges of Durham University. The walk along The Bailey takes us to the top of Saddler Street.

    10 min

  7. We enter the heart of the UNESCO World Heritage site on Palace Green and explore the various buildings around Palace Green that are steeped in history. Here we will talk about the battles, tragedies and miracles that feature heavily in the Durham story. The climax of the takes us to the doors of Durham Cathedral.

    15 min

Cancellation

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

Reviews

5.0

  • 5111
  • 43
  • 30
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  • 10

Ratings come from 114 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

Meeting point
Meet at the ‘Man on the Horse’ statue in the centre of the Market Place
Pickup
Everyone meets at the starting point; there is no pickup.
Ticket type
Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Group size
Up to 20 travellers
Operated by
Walkabout Durham
  • Service animals allowed
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels
  • Dogs more than welcome!

How it compares in Middlesbrough

  • Its from-price is 73% below the median of the 36 experiences we list in Middlesbrough.
  • Its length is typical for the group.
  • By number of reviews it ranks 4 of 36.
  • The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough is a Teesside town on the River Tees, built on iron and steel, with a famous transporter bridge and the North York Moors close behind.

Middlesbrough lies on the south bank of the River Tees in north-east England, historically in Yorkshire. It grew from a farm into a major ironworking town in the nineteenth century after ironstone was found in the Cleveland Hills, and its bridge-building firms worked on the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Tyne Bridge.

See all 36 experiences in Middlesbrough

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Was/now prices come from the operator, never from us.

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