Top York Self-guided Tours

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.

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.

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.

See the historic city of York from a different perspective during a 45-minute or 1-hour cruise on the Ouse River. Relax during a leisurely sail, accompanied by commentary that details the history and culture of York, and enjoy unobstructed views of landmarks such as Clifford’s Tower and the York Museum and Gardens. Choose from several departure times to suit your schedule.

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.

See a spookier side to York without the worry of getting lost during this guided ghost walk around the streets and snickelways (alleys) of the medieval city. Listen to your guide tell tales of York’s tragic past that you wouldn’t otherwise hear, ask questions along the way to learn more, and enjoy an atypical introduction to the city.

Delve into the dark side of York, and see the city in a new light, on this evening ghost bus tour. Visit notorious local haunts of restless spirits and pass eerie sites such as York Minster, Clifford’s Tower, and the grave of Dick Turpin, the infamous highwayman and murderer. Throughout the tour, hear anecdotes and fascinating facts about York’s grisly past, and make key stops for a closer look at the city’s most haunted buildings.

This murder mystery experience is a true whodunit with suspects, alibis and a twist ending. Every clue hides in something real: a plaque, a statue, a facade in the historic centre of York. You will collect the evidence, piece together the case and accuse a suspect at the finale. We offer 24/7 customer support and built-in hints to guarantee that you never stay stuck. Also, the app will provide real historical facts and local legends about the landmarks you're visiting, making a learning experience as much as it's a fun one. The game can be played anytime, at any hour, and will take you ~90-120 minutes with optional cafe breaks. You can pause and resume whenever you want (even on another day). Total walking distance involved is about 1.5 miles and the game will end in the same area where it started, making it easy to fit into your day. It has an easy difficulty and it's perfect for solo adventurers, couples, friends, families with older kids, or team-building events.

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?

Roman walls, Viking streets and a Gothic giant — York layers 2,000 years of history into one compact riddle. This app-led scavenger hunt takes you through York on foot, using phone-based riddles to guide you from one landmark to the next. No guide, no fixed start time. • Climb the mound to Clifford's Tower, the castle's stone survivor • Stand beneath York Minster, northern Europe's Gothic masterpiece • Squeeze through the Shambles, the medieval street that time forgot Available in 24 languages including English, French, German, Spanish, Italian — see the full list when booking and choose yours when you start the game in the app. Around 2 hours - any group size. Old York, new tricks.

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.

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.

You don’t have to join a tour group to discover York. This self-guided audio walking tour lets you set the pace and pick up and drop the route when it suits you. Hit all the signature spots—York Minster, Stonegate, Mansion House, the Shambles, one of the best-preserved medieval streets in the world, and more. The app works online and offline, and includes geodata, so you don't need to waste money on roaming charges.

See the historic city of York from a different perspective during an Ouse River cruise. Setting off in the early evening when the light softens, sail past ancient landmarks and quaint riverside villages, all the while learning about the area’s Roman and Viking heritage. Keep warm in the heated saloon, where you can buy alcoholic drinks, warm beverages, and snacks.

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

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.

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?

Book York’s #1 adventure game and explore the city in a completely different way. Destination Unseen blends an escape room, treasure hunt, and interactive mystery into one real-world experience. You’ll solve clues, inspect physical evidence, interact with your surroundings, unlock mini-games, and follow a story that leads you through real streets, landmarks, hidden corners, and local venues. Unlike a standard map-based trail, each stage feels different. You might be cracking a code, following a lead, examining evidence, searching for a location, or completing a themed challenge. It’s a playful, memorable way to discover York with your team, without being tied to a guide or a rigid tour route.

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.

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.

Designed for travelers with a historical interest in the supernatural, this private 2-hour ghost tour of York — one of the most haunted cities in the world — allows you to customize your itinerary to suit you. Choose to visit sites with countless reports of ghost sightings, including York Minster, and The Shambles, and listen to frightening tales rooted in York’s 2,000-year-old history. The start time and location of your tour is up to you.

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.

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.