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Key Info for Visitors
- Currency: GBP
- Languages: English
- Climate: Temperate Maritime
- Timezone: Europe/London
- Population: Approximately 210,000
- Best Time to Visit: best time to visit is late spring through early autumn for pleasant weather and events.
- Visa Requirements Visitors from the US, EU, and UK do not require a visa for short stays in York as it is part of the UK. Many other nationalities can enter visa-free for tourism for up to six months. Some countries may require a visa or an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) before arrival. It is advisable to check the UK government’s official visa guidance based on your nationality before traveling.
About York
York is a historic city in northern England renowned for its rich heritage, medieval architecture, and vibrant cultural scene. Its iconic city walls, dating back to Roman times, encircle a charming old town filled with cobbled streets, quaint shops, and traditional pubs. The city’s most famous landmark, York Minster, is one of the largest Gothic cathedrals in Europe and a masterpiece of medieval craftsmanship. Visitors are drawn to York for its unique blend of history and modern amenities, including museums, galleries, and festivals. The city’s Viking past is vividly brought to life at the Jorvik Viking Centre, while the National Railway Museum celebrates Britain’s rail heritage. York’s welcoming atmosphere, combined with its scenic River Ouse and beautiful parks, makes it an ideal destination for history buffs, families, and culture lovers alike. Its compact size allows for easy exploration on foot, offering a perfect balance of relaxation and discovery.
Top Attractions
1. York Minster – A stunning Gothic cathedral with impressive stained glass and panoramic city views from its tower. 2. The Shambles – A medieval street famous for its overhanging timber-framed buildings and unique shops. 3. Jorvik Viking Centre – An interactive museum that recreates Viking-age York with artifacts and immersive exhibits. 4. National Railway Museum – Home to historic locomotives and rail memorabilia, perfect for train enthusiasts. 5. York City Walls – Walkable ancient walls offering scenic views and insight into the city’s Roman and medieval defenses.
Popular Activities
Visitors can enjoy walking tours of the historic city walls, river cruises on the Ouse, and ghost walks exploring York’s spooky past. Cultural experiences include visiting museums, attending festivals like the York Food Festival, and exploring art galleries. Outdoor enthusiasts can relax in the city’s parks or cycle along scenic trails. Unique local experiences include sampling traditional Yorkshire tea rooms and shopping in independent boutiques.
York Tours & Experiences
- Top Attractions: Highlights of Yorkshire
- Duration Range: Visitors can enjoy walking tours of the historic city walls, river cruises on the Ouse, and ghost walks exploring York’s spooky past. Cultural experiences include visiting museums, attending festivals like the York Food Festival, and exploring art galleries. Outdoor enthusiasts can relax in the city’s parks or cycle along scenic trails. Unique local experiences include sampling traditional Yorkshire tea rooms and shopping in independent boutiques.
- Group Size: Small groups (up to 15 people)
- Difficulty Level: All Comfort Levels
- Recommended For: The best time to visit is late spring through early autumn for pleasant weather and events. Pack comfortable walking shoes and layers for variable weather. Respect local customs such as queuing and polite greetings. York is generally safe, but standard precautions apply. Credit and debit cards are widely accepted, though carrying some cash is useful for small purchases. Booking accommodations and attractions in advance is advisable during peak seasons.
Average Tour Price: $80
Lowest Price Tour: $55
Highest Price Tour: $200
134 Available Tour Excursions in York
NEW for 2025, from the multi-award-winning "Deathly Dark Tours" comes The Spookologist's Guide to Haunted York; a fascinating and engrossing exploration of the paranormal history of York, a city often claimed to be the most haunted in all of England. This small group tour features a blend of local history, infamous supernatural sightings and a sprinkling of paranormal science. Fans of shows such as Uncanny and Most Haunted, or those with an interest in the supernatural will find this experience especially enjoyable.
Price: $20.76
Duration: 1 hours
You will travel by Hot Air Balloon over the Historical City Of York and it's surrounding countryside. We offer Champagne Balloon Flights over the beautiful city of York from April – October each year. Our balloons are all multi coloured and look amazing both form the ground, from the air and in your pictures! Pilot Ollie says - "There’s nothing more peaceful and serene than watching the world go by as you fly over the countryside in a Hot Air Balloon. The most rewarding part of piloting balloons is being able to share the experience and excitement with others" Your ballooning experience will include: - 3 - 4 hour Experience - Detailed Passenger Safety Briefing - Opportunity To Help Set Up The Balloon - 45 minutes to 1 Hour Flight From York - Opportunity To Help Pack The Balloon Away - Champagne Toast - Flight Certificates - Optional In-Flight Photographs & Video (£20) - Minibus Ride Back To Launch Site
Price: $275.35
Duration: 3-4 hours
Don't get lost in the crowds. Explore York at your own pace and in private with one of our expert, fully qualified, personable guides. Delve deep into the medieval maze and discover secret corners few other visitors get to see. This is an entirely personal service - once you have made your booking we will get in touch to arrange where to come and meet you (such as any city centre landmark or hotel). We will ensure you don't miss any of the highlights - including the world-famous Minster (exterior only) medieval city walls and Shambles - but if you have any particular areas of interest, please get in touch. It's your tour and we want you to experience York your way!
Price: $207.55
Duration: 2 hours
Dorian Deathly has been leading ghost tours in York at night for 10 years and has a lot of interesting tales to share, but sometimes he likes to come out during the daylight hours and enjoy a tour with a difference! York can be a noisy old place in the daytime, particularly at peak times so it can be difficult to be fully immersed in the terrible tales! We use a tour guide system with high quality over the ear headphones and a professional microphone system to ensure incredible clarity. You will be absolutely captivated by the stories, yet free to move around and explore the spaces as you like. The tour will cover a collection of some of the fouler fiends from York's darker past, blood spilled on these old stones that we tread upon. The tale of Death By Pancake! Questionable Victorian medical practices... History has never been so disgraceful.
Price: $6.92
Duration: 1-1 hours
Discover Yorkshire with Greg – Your Personal Guide to the Heart of the Moors Step aboard a truly personal, small-group tour of North Yorkshire with Greg, your dedicated guide for the day. With no more than 7 guests per tour, Greg offers a relaxed, friendly experience that you won’t find with larger tour operators, Greg brings the region's rich history and culture to life with fascinating stories and insider knowledge. Your day will be filled with stunning landscapes, charming villages like Goathland – the iconic backdrop of Harry Potter and Heartbeat – and the breathtaking Whitby coastline. Whether you're enjoying the nostalgic steam train ride from Goathland to Whitby, snapping photos of the rolling moors, or simply chatting with Greg about local life, you'll feel like part of the Yorkshire family. Join Greg for a tour that’s as much about the journey as it is about the destination – a relaxed, engaging experience where every guest feels valued and connected.
Price: $109.31
Duration: 8 hours
This tour will take you across the historic centre of York and stop at a number of independent businesses, each one of which will provide you with generous examples of their fabulous food & drink. You'll get to enjoy Yorkshire Cheeses, Fish & Chips, Tacos, Chocolate and Pintxos with Sherry before choosing a sweet or savoury finale with a well earned Yorkshire ale! While walking between the venues you'll hear a bit about the history of York and pass by several of the cities major attractions such as York Minster, Cliffords Tower and the City Walls. Your guide is a York based food writer who knows the city and its hospitality scene intimately. He's been featured in the Lonely Planet guide, is a coordinating judge for the Guild of Fine Food and helps run York Food & Drink Festival....You can recognise him by the cutlery tattoos!
Price: $103.78
Duration: 3 hours
Explore York on a guided e-bike city & surrounding area tour. Tours run daily and last around 2.5 hours Riders must be 16 and over and be competent riding a bicycle on UK roads. Bikes and helmets included
Price: $48.43
Duration: 2 hours
Explore Roman York, at your own pace with your own personal tour guide! This is a new private bespoke tour run by York Walls Tours - with over 100 5 star reviews for our other tours on Trip Advisor! Your private guide will take you on a informative and entertaining trip around York, discovering its fascinating Roman past, where for over 300 years the most dangerous province in the entire Roman Empire was governed from. Learn about the emperors who visited (and died here!), discover lost sites missed by tourists and explore the extraordinary history of this most iconic of Roman Cities, from Dark age battles to lost legions, crazed emperors to gladiator cemetaries, the private Roman tour of York has it all!
Price: $89.94
Duration: 1-2 hours
For group sizes of up to 4, 8 or 15 passengers, this Private Day Trip from York, just for your party, provides the opportunity to explore the stunning scenery of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, visiting Bolton Castle, Askrigg, Kettlewell, Pateley Bridge and the traditional Dales Market Town of Hawes, where you will have the opportunity to visit the award winning Wensleydale Creamery, the home of Yorkshire Wensleydale Cheese!
Price: $823.29
Duration: 8 hours
Our Tours are the only way to see Yorkshire and its beauty in a single day with complete privacy, security and comfort onboard the magnificent Mercedes Benz V Class accompanied by Andrew the guide. Andrew always places your enjoyment of the day before everything else. No other Tour in the glorious north of England focuses so much on the overall quality of each and every guests experience. We believe that your vacation is the most valuable part of your year. We respect every minute of your vacation time, our philosophy is to make every moment of your time on vacation worthwhile. Before founding our company Andrew led a tour in another part of the UK that was ranked by TripAdvisor Travellers choice as the best tour in England and tenth best tour in the world. Lastly and most importantly every tour guarantees the sighting of at least a couple of very woolly Sheep!
Price: $1,314.50
Duration: 8-9 hours
Our Tours are the only way to see Yorkshire and its beauty in a single day with complete privacy, security and comfort onboard the magnificent Mercedes Benz V Class accompanied by your expert driver guide. Our guides always place your enjoyment of the day before everything else. No other tour in the glorious North of England focuses so much on the overall quality of each and every guest's experience. We believe that your vacation is the most valuable part of your year. We respect every minute of your vacation time, our philosophy is to make every moment of your time in the uK worthwhile. Sheep sightings guaranteed!
Price: $1,314.50
Duration: 8-9 hours
The real beauty of this tour is the efficient use it makes of your holiday/vacation time. On first inspection, it may appear quicker to take the train. While the train is a great option for some, by the time you have caught a taxi, hauled your luggage to the correct platform at the station, and done the same again at the other end, you have spent nearly a full day travelling, missing out on historic sites such as Hadrian’s Wall, Bamburgh Castle, the wild Scottish border country or the other wonderful sites and landscapes we travel through along the way.
Price: $2,212.51
Duration: 8-9 hours
The City of York walls are the most unique and complete in the country. They have also seen their fair share of blood with heads spiked on Micklegate bar, a medieval Jewish massacre and cannon fire from the Civil War in 1644. Join award winning Mad Alice on a gruesome walk on the walls as she highlights some of the tragedies that have taken place on and around the ancient stones. This 2 hour tour will visit 3 of the 4 gateways as visitors have the option to complete the 2.5 mile circuit with the guidebook given by Mad Alice at the end or wander back to city centre if the truth has become too much to bear.
Price: $34.59
Duration: 2 hours
A great, unique and memorable Tour of the city of YORK, the most spectacular Medieval city in YORKSHIRE AND the North of England. Founded by the Romans in 71 AD, York was occupied by Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, and invaded by the Normans! Its great Gothic Cathedral: the York Minster, the ruins of a Medieval Monastery, its Castle, its wall, and public gardens, Georgian and Victorian Architecture... something to discover and explore at every step during our walk. One of the most photogenic and picturesque cities in the UK. York still preserves a large group of buildings, churches and market for more than 600 years, taking us on a journey to the Middle Ages. Let's climb the defensive wall, and walk a portion of this magnificent structure, with the best views of the city. Discover York with me, you will learn everything about the city and its importance to England since it appeared on maps 2000 years ago.
Price: $55.35
Duration: 3 hours
Let your own private guide take you around the world famous city of York, which is at its most beautiful during the Christmas season. Your bespoke tour will include visiting some of the key sites of the city, in addition to a number of our hidden gems usually missed by tourists, with your well informed and friendly guides.
Price: $89.94
Duration: 2 hours
Join us for this half day walking tour of York, which gives you a great overview of this beautiful city in Yorkshire. This walled city has so much to offer, from Roman history, through the Vikings, to the Chocolate merchants and Harry Potter. Maybe you’re passing through the area, but if not it’s just a 2 hour train ride from London, it’s easily reachable for a day trip.
Price: $321.01
Duration: 4 hours
From the Roman Empire to the Industrial Revolution, via Vikings, the Norman Conquest and the Wars of the Roses, the history of York is the history of England. This city has been at the heart of the action for nearly 2000 years. With York’s Hidden History, you’ll be at the heart of the action too, in the expert company of our local guides. Using knowledge and humour they'll tell the city's secrets whilst showing you the famous sights. We offer two Welcome to York walks, aimed at people new to the city. On our Royal Route we’ll ramble regally through 2000 years of amazing history. Starting outside the Yorkshire Museum, in the shadow of the city’s ancient stone walls, we’ll explain how a Roman military outpost turned into imperial Eboracum. Making our way across the city via York Minster, The Shambles and Jorvik, we’ll tell tales of conquests and massacres, empresses and queens, before finishing our walk beneath Clifford’s Tower, in the heart of York Castle.
Price: $16.60
Duration: 1-2 hours
Join us on an insightful walking tour of York, highlighting untold histories and diverse stories. On the Unconventional York™ tour, you will go beyond the conventional stories of the city, hearing about the impact of women, people of colour, and LGBTQIA+ individuals from York's past. This tour invites attendees to see beyond the stonework and uncover the lesser known narratives of York, while learning about the long and rich history of the medieval city. Walking through the beautiful city centre, you will discuss its early settlement, medieval expansion and vibrant industrial heritage. This tour was written and researched by academic historians from the University of Oxford and is delivered by trained guides from York. PLEASE NOTE: We cannot always accommodate last-minute bookings for private or group tours. Please contact us directly if you want to book a tour within the next 24 hours.
Price: $24.91
Duration: 1 hours
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Important Tour Information
- Bring comfortable walking shoes and appropriate clothing
- Check tour cancellation and refund policies
- Arrive at the meeting point at least 15 minutes early
- Carry valid identification and tour booking confirmation
Frequently Asked Questions
Local Food & Cuisine
York’s food scene highlights traditional Yorkshire fare such as Yorkshire pudding, pork pies, and Wensleydale cheese. The city also offers diverse dining options from classic British pubs to contemporary restaurants. Must-try dishes include locally sourced game, hearty stews, and afternoon tea with scones and clotted cream. Noteworthy restaurants include The Star Inn The City for fine dining and Bettys Café Tea Rooms for a quintessential Yorkshire tea experience.
Getting Around
York is accessible by train from London and other major UK cities, with York railway station centrally located. Local transport includes buses and taxis, but the city center is best explored on foot. Cycling is popular, with bike rental options available. Parking can be limited in the city center, so using public transport or walking is recommended. Costs for local buses are moderate, and rail travel offers convenient connections.
Travel Tips
The best time to visit is late spring through early autumn for pleasant weather and events. Pack comfortable walking shoes and layers for variable weather. Respect local customs such as queuing and polite greetings. York is generally safe, but standard precautions apply. Credit and debit cards are widely accepted, though carrying some cash is useful for small purchases. Booking accommodations and attractions in advance is advisable during peak seasons.
Culture & Customs
Yorkers value politeness and friendliness, with a strong sense of local pride in their city’s history. Traditional events include the York Mystery Plays and the Viking Festival. Social customs emphasize respect for heritage sites and quiet enjoyment of public spaces. Visitors should be mindful of the city’s religious heritage when visiting churches and cathedrals. Tipping around 10-15% in restaurants is customary.
