York

Beyond York

York Walls Private Walking Tour

Badge of ExcellenceYork, England

From $82.95

Price varies by group size

Select Date and Travelers

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

1 hour 30 minutes to 3 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Overview

Uncover the medieval marvels of historic York on a bespoke walking tour with a private guide. Learn about York’s rich history as you walk around the centuries-old walls, pose for photos with a backdrop of the city or visit the wall museums (not included). Your private tour is yours to customize as you please, so you could also pay a visit to York Castle, stroll down the atmospheric The Shambles or take a peek inside the magnificent York Minster.

Bespoke walking tour of York’s city walls
Walk the medieval walls of York and enjoy spectacular views of the city
Customise your tour to include a visit to The Shambles, York Minster or York Castle
Bespoke tour includes hotel pick-up and drop-off
This private tour can be customized to your interests and ensures you’ll receive personalized attention from your guide

What's Included

Tour escort/host
Hotel pickup and drop-off (by foot, city centre hotels only)

Entrance fees (2 small museums located around the walls are available for entry separately)
Food and drinks

Meeting and Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Meeting point

Roman Column
11 Minster Yard, York YO1 7HH, UK
Outside York Minster near the entrance to the gift shop is the Roman Column. Its easy to find and right in the centre of town, a great place to meet!

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

Confirm time with the local provider in advance of your experience.

Opening hours

Select your preferred tour option to see hours.

View tour option

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Pickup details

We can meet you on foot at the reception of your hotel anywhere in the city centre, or at a location of your choosing

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
Not wheelchair accessible
Please inform the local provider of the preferred pick up point at the time of booking.

Children must be accompanied by an adult/senior
A minimum of 2 adults/seniors per booking is required (single adult is available but at a surcharge at our discretion)
Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

5.0

123 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 123 reviews

Highly recommend!

Allyn_O, Apr 2024

John was a wealth of historical information on the area and it was fascinating! I love how he took us right into the stories by imagining conversations or putting us in as characters to help the kids follow. Both our boys (12 & 14) enjoyed the tour as well. This is a MUST do while you’re in York!

Wonderful walking tour

Osama_A, Nov 2023

It was a great pleasure to take this walking tour. John was a punctual person. He met me at the station with great welcoming. He so informative and know a lot about history especially the history of York. I really enjoyed every minute of it and couldn't track the time. I recommend this trip to anyone who visits the city. Thank you John and I am happy that I know a friend who is passionate about history. Osa

Response from Host, Dec 2023

Thank you Osa it was awesome to meet you, and I hope you enjoyed Jorvik at the end! Hope to see you again someday

A must-do activity in York

Rob_H, Aug 2023

Excellent tour. I cannot recommend this tour highly enough. Our guide provided a comprehensive overview not only of York and its history but also of the history of Northern England and the Viking invaders. Very informative and entertaining.

Perfect day

William_M, May 2023

Our guide was great. He took us back in time to early york, viking york, dark ages york etc. Explained and showed us all the roman beginnings of the walls, the various stages of wall and city progress. He was truly entertaining and educational. Dont miss this

York Walls Tour EXCELLENT! Viator is crap. Use another agent.

Cheryl_S, May 2023

York Walls Private Walking Tour is an EXCELLENT company. They gave us an experience to remember and cherish. John was our guide and extensively knowledgeable of York’s history. He was amazing. Viator failed us miserably. Will never use them again. They took my £££ but never confirmed the tour with York Walls & we were left standing in front on the Minster with no guide. The phone number for Viator was useless. Eventually my husband, at home, got through to someone & they contacted John who called me & promised a 10 minute wait. He arrived & gave us an excellent tour but said that Viator had let them down several times before by not confirming bookings.

York

Anne_K, Apr 2023

John's enthusiasm & passion for his town was infectious. From Romans to Vikings to King Henry VIII, we were given a very entertaining overview of York's colourful history.

John was excellent!

Paige_C, Dec 2022

John was charismatic, engaging, informative and friendly. We loved discovering the hidden gems in York!

Over 60’s touring York

NannyJan, Nov 2022

Great tour guide, John…. Excellent knowledge and a pleasure to listen to and a fully enjoyable experience. Wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this tour5* all the way.

We are glad we took this private tour.

William_P, Oct 2022

John brought history to life through stories of the walls that we could see and touch. Very educational and enjoyable.

Monica was terrific!!!! Very personal and also helped sell duplicate tickets.

Victoria_H, Oct 2022

She shared get historical stories. We would not have gotten that personal experience from a audio. Thank you Monica! Victoria and Tom

Response from Host, Oct 2022

hello guys lovely to meet you all and glad you enjoyed your time with us! Many thanks

it was fascinating, the...

Viviane_S, Oct 2022

it was fascinating, the city is beautiful and Jonh knows everything about the history. I recommed it for you.

Response from Host, Oct 2022

thank you it was lovely to meet you all the best with your studies!!

Great Tour!

Tom_D, Oct 2022

John was a great guide. He is smart, funny, and knowledgeable. Highly recommended tour. If you want to learn about the fascinating history of York, this is the tour to book.

Brilliant Tour

Sophie_A, Aug 2022

Thank you very much John, we had a great time. Brilliant tour, it was very informative and entertaining!

Response from Host, Aug 2022

thanks so much it was lovely to meet you and thanks for bringing the good weather with you!

400 years in three hours

Hayden_S, Jul 2022

Knowledgeable guide with great storytelling skills. If your interested in the Roman history through Norman Conquest in York, this is a good value and experience.

Response from Host, Jul 2022

Thank you so much for the lovely review it was a pleasure to meet you!

Do this tour!!

Donna_v, Jul 2022

Very informative! Wonderful tour. Spent a lot of time with us! So informative and engaging! Great great great tour!

Response from Host, Jul 2022

Thank you Donna I'm so glad you enjoyed the tour hope to see you again someday!

Garbage tour.

Peter_B, May 2022

Garbage. Waited 15 minutes. Nobody showed. I did email the tour operator and they responded that evening. Not worth anyones time.

Response from Host, Jul 2022

Thank you however just to confirm we dont accept this as a genuine tour. We attend all tours and have no record of yours. Flagged for fraudulent posting

York Walls Tour

Mary_L, May 2022

We had the best time on the Private York Walls Walk with John, our wonderful host. He initially inquired if we had any places of interest that we wanted to hit so he could customize the tour to our interests. John was energetic and engaging and knew the history of the area inside and out—after we were done, I felt I had a degree in British history! He even had animations of the Roman forts to share. It was a great experience I highly recommend.

Response from Host, May 2022

Thank you Mary it was absolutely lovely to meet you! Thank you for the amazing review, hope to see you again someday

Great fun!

Karen_T, May 2022

Wonderful tour! Saw "real" history spots and learned a great deal. John showed me how to get on and walk the wall on my own later - great fun!

Response from Host, May 2022

thanks Karen, great to meet you!

Great entertainment

Keith_M, Apr 2022

John wax excellent, full of facts, stories and comedy. Helped by great weather, but a great city with layers of fascinating history.

Fantastic.

Allen_H, Nov 2021