Top Activities on the Ground in York

With beautiful architecture and medieval history, York is widely considered among England’s must-see cities—but pounding the sidewalks on foot takes time and effort. On this tour, hop into the saddle and spin through the city streets by bicycle, and hit top attractions like York Minster with ease. Follow safe routes inside and outside the ancient city walls, with your guide bringing York’s colorful Roman and Viking history to life.

Skip the standard group tours and enjoy an alternative history of York during this award-winning, immersive guided tour of the city. Pass by top attractions—such as the Shambles and Jorvik Viking Centre—as you listen to your guide tell tales of witches, queens, and murderers that you wouldn’t hear on most other tours.

Exploring York on your own can mean wandering past centuries of history without really understanding what you’re seeing. This guided walking tour adds the stories and context that bring the city to life. As you stroll along the ancient walls and through York’s picturesque streets, your guide connects the landmarks to powerful figures such as Constantine the Great, Robert the Bruce, and Oliver Cromwell—explaining how their actions shaped the city you see today. Along the way, discover hidden details, natural features, and lesser-known corners you might otherwise miss, turning a simple walk into a deeper, more meaningful experience of York.

Swap predictable walking tours for a fun and alternative way of exploring York—a Viking–themed treasure hunt game. Using your smartphone, enjoy the freedom of a self-guided experience that’s played by chatting to a character—Eric Bloodaxe, the last Viking King of York. By solving riddles, you can make your way around the city, and uncover key landmarks along the way.

Puzzle fans need look no further than this immersive York treasure hunt murder mystery, set in 1491, that’s sent to your phone (over the Telegram app) as a series of riddles. Discover classic sights and quirky delights as you unravel each cryptic clue, unlock the path to the next location—and bring the criminal to justice. You’ll cover around 2.5 miles (4 kilometers), with two optional pub breaks en route.

From plague to Vikings to butchery and murder, discover York’s dark history on this family-friendly tour led by a guide known for his dark sense of humor. See sights such as York Minster, the Shambles, and Bedern Hall, the silliest street in England, as you hear tales of bygone days, vile crimes, and things that go bump in the night.

Turning City Streets Into an Adventure Playground! Get a unique perspective of the city centre on this self-guided, interactive treasure hunt. It's the best way to see York! On your adventure, unlock a hidden trail by finding clues, solving puzzles and completing challenges, earning points along the way. During your Quest you will not only discover the city's highlights but explore hidden gems, learn some fun facts about the places you visit and see things that most people just pass by. As the activity is all self-guided through the app, you can start your Quest when you want (see opening times for this Quest), there are no set starting/ending times. No groups to follow. You can go at your own pace, stopping for longer in one location, taking a break or having a snack in one of the many cafes and pubs along the trail OR you can make it a race and try to get to the top of the city leaderboard! Instant acess with nothing to print from home. Will you conquer the Quest?

See a new side of Yorkshire on a full-day tour from York, visiting film locations from the classic British TV show “Heartbeat“. Admire the rugged scenery of the North Yorkshire Moors, get a taste of local life in villages like Pickering and Goathland, and visit the seaside resort of Whitby. It’s ideal for fans of the show who also want to see the countryside through the eyes of a local.

This Quirks & Snickets tour consists of a trail of clues that guide you around York. It takes the boredom out of repetitive walking tours, allows you to solve riddles, and helps you discover hidden sites that you might not find otherwise. The clues are easily accessed through your phone, making it a fun and convenient way to explore the city.

Explore the highlights of York without being stuck in a tour group on this self-guided treasure hunt. No need to carry a physical map, as all of the clues and maps can be accessed through your smartphone. Along the way, pass by top landmarks, and learn interesting stories about the city that you might discover otherwise.

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.

The Drowned City is an interactive tour that takes you through the city’s fascinating and often dark history to reveal a hidden world of Vikings, Medieval architecture, and Victorian trade. Follow the clues and solve riddles to find your way through the winding cobbled streets of York, with the aim of saving the city from an invasion of mythical beasts.

Zombie Scavengers tests your ability to survive after a Zombie Apocalypse. The game leads you through the city, where you will have 60 minutes to collect survival items for your colony. The Setting: Small colonies of the living are doing all they can to survive. You and your team have been tasked with scavenging for survival supplies for your colony. You’ll only have 60 minutes to figure out which items you'll need and find as many items on the list as you can. Your Mission: With 1 hour and your team of up to 10 people, you will use your smartphone to search the area for much needed food, supplies, and shelter. Along the way, you will be asked to do some challenges or answer some trivia questions. The goal is to score at least 4000 points in 1 hour in order to survive the zombie apocalypse! PS. Our game is family friendly, no actual zombies are involved in the scavenger hunt.

Survive an apocalypse in York today with Zombie Scavengers! An app will provide you with a list of items needed to survive the zombies. Find these items in any order you'd like and perform fun zombie themed challenges for points. Come up with a system to get the most points in order to survive the zombie apocalypse. Your friendly remote host will help you throughout the game via chat. Get enough points to survive the zombie apocalypse in York today!

Self-guided Tour & Treasure Hunt Travel Experience - Over 100 destinations & challenges to explore - Kid friendly & great for avoiding crowds - Flexible anytime start - 100% free cancellation up to 24hrs before - Just 1 Ticket for your whole group!! (with our great value device sharing ticket) The smartphone travel tool that helps you discover the great outdoors & connect with the world around you. Utilising seamless GPS technology, it takes you off-the-beaten-track to discover hidden gems & incredible places you may never find alone. As you travel you earn points by visiting destinations, solving clues & completing challenges. The Travel League lets you compete with fellow explorers. Each season win amazing prizes & become the UK’s Greatest Explorer! Whether exploring by car, on foot around town, or hiking across the countryside, our GPS technology guides you every step of the way. Take the stress out of planning trips with this perfect blend of challenge, fun & learning

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!

See the York Minster, the Shambles, the River Ouse, Clifford’s Tower, and much more on this private guided electric bike tour sightseeing around the city of York and the surrounding area. Get around faster and see even more on the back of an e-bike than you would on foot, and squeeze loads of sightseeing into one experience.

Discover York’s Magic: A Self-Guided Audio Adventure Step back in time and explore York at your own pace with Niki – Your Travel Buddy. This self-guided GPS audio tour leads you through the city’s most iconic sights, from the historic Micklegate and York City Walls to the serene Museum Gardens and magnificent York Minster. Wander along charming streets like The Shambles, uncover hidden gems such as Barley Hall, and relive Viking tales at the Jorvik Centre. Pause wherever you wish to shop, dine, or simply take in the atmosphere. Available in seven languages, this immersive 120-minute route covers 5.6 km of York’s highlights — a perfect blend of history, culture, and freedom. Experience York your way – authentic, personal, and unforgettable.

Explore the ancient city of York in a new and unique way on this self-guided treasure hunt tour. Using GPS technology, follow the guide app’s clues and solve puzzles to reveal hidden locations on your map. Walk through the streets like a local, and take short-cuts and secret passages to the most iconic York tourist spots, the best way to avoid the crowds. Win points as you travel—will you reach the top of the national leaderboard?

Unravel the mysteries of York with the Gift the Romans Quest, a thrilling treasure hunt perfect for families and friends. As you navigate the historic streets, your team will rely on strategy and creativity to solve engaging riddles, unlocking the next chapter of the story and inching closer to a tasty reward. This self-guided adventure, designed for groups of 2 to 8, allows you to explore at your own pace, stopping for coffee or sightseeing whenever you like. With a full year to redeem your quest, there's no rush to embark on this unforgettable journey through time.

Explore the captivating city of York through an interactive scavenger hunt that blends history with adventure. This unique experience allows you to uncover the tales of York's Roman and Viking heritage while visiting iconic sites like Clifford's Tower and the Yorkshire Museum. With your app guiding you, stroll through The Shambles and decode the mysteries of the city's street names at your own pace. Perfect for families, friends, or couples, this activity promises a fun and informative way to sightsee while capturing memorable moments along the way.

Explore the haunted streets of York in a thrilling self-guided quest. Equipped with just your smartphone, navigate through the city as you solve riddles and uncover ghostly tales. Engage with 13 spectral stories, each leading you to hidden gems while you enjoy the freedom to stop for a coffee whenever you like. Perfect for teams of 2 to 8, this adventure lasts around 90 minutes and can be enjoyed at your own pace, anytime within a year of purchase. Kids under 8 play free, making it a fantastic family outing.

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.