Private Viking Walk of York
5

Private Viking Walk of York

By York City Walls
Recommended by 94% of travellers
94% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
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Ages 0-85
Duration: 90–120 minutes
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: English
More


  • Tour escort/host
  • Private walking tour
What's not included
  • Food and drinks
  • Stop at Viking-themed bar in York (additional fee)
  • Entry/Admission - Jorvik Viking Centre
  • Entry/Admission - York Castle Museum
  • Entry/Admission - Clifford's Tower


Start:Multiple pickup locations offered.
  • 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 details
  • We will meet you at the reception of your hotel, or alternatively anywhere of your choosing (for example we can meet you after lunch at your restaurant, or alternatively finish the tour somewhere where you can get something to eat / drink)
Hotel pickup offered
During checkout you will be able to select from the list of included hotels.
    End:This activity ends back at the meeting point.

      • Not wheelchair accessible
      If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 32407P3

      • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
      • Children under 16 years of age must be accompanied by an adult
      • Most travellers can participate
      • This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

      • For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.

      If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 32407P3

      From
      £65.00
      per adult (price varies by group size)
      Select date and travellers
      Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.

      Similar experiences

      Itinerary
      • 1
      • 2
        Pass by
        York Minster
      • 3
      • 4
      • 5
      • 6
      About the operator
      Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
      • York City Walls
        9,930
        United Kingdom
      • CassimaSK
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        Very entertaining
        I loved this kind of attraction as city walls are accessible from the multiple points around the old town and there are not too many people on your way. The only downside would be that entrances do close at around the sunset time but it's understandable I guess due to the safety reasons.
        Written 16 January 2025
      • billwA9385PO
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        Great Tour, Entertaining and Knowledgeable Guide
        John was an excellent, fun, and highly knowledgeable tour guide in York. His love of the city and its history was evident. He told us many entertaining stories and "read the walls" for us -- the history of York through the ruined walls of Roman, Norman, and Medieval architecture. He mixed in the origins of the Christmas dates and rituals that we know today, given we were touring on December 19. And taught us much more about Vikings than we ever knew before, including facts about their non-patriarchal society that valued the skills and intellect of women, even as warriors, just as they valued those of men.
        Written 31 December 2024
      • Navigate04483296405
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        Stunning views
        This is a lovely way to see the town. I would like to come back and walk all of the town walls. Lovely views and great feature.
        Written 19 December 2024
      • variouslots
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        Recommend the walls
        This is a great way to have a breather from the crowds in the centre, and gain a different perspective of the city. Doing a section then breaking off for a refreshment was most enjoyable.
        Written 5 December 2024
      • 980amy9
        0 contributions
        4.0 of 5 bubbles
        Lovely walk
        Had a lovely independent walk around the old ruins of the walls. Interesting history and get some great views. Don't really need a guided tour as can find a lot of info online.
        Written 16 November 2024
      • Jon B
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        A must do activity in York.
        We walked the walls without a guide. The views of the city are amazing and you can get a feel how the city was in the past. There are some great photo opportunities of the along the way, just bear in mind that there are quite a few steps. This is a must do activity on a visit to your York, especially as it is free.
        Written 13 November 2024
      • lawliettl
        0 contributions
        4.0 of 5 bubbles
        A good walk, lots of stairs.
        A nice walk to do, gives you a great view of all the city from pretty much every possible angle. There are a lot of steps though so it can be quite difficult if you have difficulties with that. The stairways can also be quite narrow in places. That said there are a good few spots to stop and rest on. The one thing that gets somewhat irritating is that some people can be very ignorant and inconsiderate, blocking what is already a narrow walkway to make the person they are with take a hundred photos of them pulling stupid poses in the most inconvenient of places. To clarify, I do not mean people photographing the scenery, they always stand aside and make sure others can pass, and I do not mean people in groups taking photographs against the scenery as they use the wider open rest spots and do not obstruct the paths. It is the idiots that live their lives on social media, just completely blocking walkways when there are a lot of people trying do the walks while they pout and pose for their camera while a friend takes photos.
        Written 2 November 2024
      • 18katey
        0 contributions
        4.0 of 5 bubbles
        For castles lovers
        Walking along York’s city walls was one of my favorite parts of visiting the city. You get great views of the Minster and the surrounding area, and it’s a lovely way to take in the history of York. The walls are well-preserved, and there are information boards that explain the history as you go along. It’s also a nice, peaceful walk, even though there were a few tourists around. If you love history and walking, this is a must-do!
        Written 27 October 2024
      • seaydot
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        Walking the York Walls
        We walked most of the existing walls around York. Beautiful views!!! There are a lot of steps and no provisions for handicapped.Well worth the time!
        Written 13 October 2024
      • MWWildcatFan
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        Best walking tour we have taken
        What a fun and informative walking tour. Unlike any we have experienced. Our guide, John, was funny and so filled with unique facts. His deep understanding of York history made our stay here far more enjoyable. Highly recommend!!!
        Written 12 October 2024
      • X8838ANjohnp
        0 contributions
        1.0 of 5 bubbles
        Dog phobic city
        Visit spoilt by not allowing dogs in all kinds of places especially the walls, next time went to Chester dogs allowed had great time.
        Written 9 October 2024
      • Safari16761515630
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        Really pleasant walk
        It was a fine sunny day, not too hot snd the walk around the city walls was so pleasant and relaxing. It's not at all strenuous and you get to see York for a different and interesting aspect.
        Written 7 October 2024
      • Safari16761515630
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        Entertaining and informative.
        The ghost walk was very interesting with lots of local facts, plus a bit of added fiction for effect, but overall it was entertaining and well worth it.
        Written 6 October 2024
      • 422dancem
        0 contributions
        4.0 of 5 bubbles
        Nice walk
        The first thing time visiting here since moving to the area. Lots of sights to see and a good day out my family really enjoyed the trip
        Written 29 September 2024
      • B_lSteven
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        An amazing must-do activity in York
        Taking a walk away from the bustling streets and gaining some perspective on the city. There are some sections with fantastic views of Minster and the old town. Others provide a pleasant opportunity for a stroll and are calmer.
        Written 29 September 2024
      See all 9,930 reviews
      These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

      Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

      Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

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      5.0
      5.0 of 5 bubbles18 reviews
      Excellent
      16
      Very good
      1
      Average
      0
      Poor
      1
      Terrible
      0

      Allison C
      2 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Apr 2023 • Couples
      Could not have asked for a more knowledgeable, interesting, passionate, friendly, energetic tour guide than John! We walked the entire fortress perimeter with him, walking and talking Roman, Norman, Viking history, new archeological finds, and city secrets. He appreciated and happily integrated our love of Netflix Vikings shows and their characters, differentiating between fact and fiction. So enjoyable! Thank you John! You were the best!
      Written 1 May 2023
      This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

      Ken S
      Coventry, UK846 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Aug 2021
      Although this tour was billed as a ‘Viking Tour of York’, it was actually much more covering the complete history of the city from Roman times through to the modern day.

      John was very knowledgeable and knew his subject inside out. His commentary was both informative and interesting and he pitched it at exactly the right level for his audience.

      An excellent tour and highly recommended for anyone interested in the history of the city.
      Written 17 August 2021
      This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

      Carl P
      Uttoxeter, UK2 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      John was an excellent tour guide. He was knowledgeable and friendly and we all thoroughly enjoyed the tour. His screen and paper maps of various time periods helped bring his information to life. My wife is writing a children's novel set in Viking England and this tour provided a great start to her research. Many Thanks.
      Written 1 July 2021
      This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
      thank you so much for the review I am reading the boudicca book to my children tonight they are really enjoying it! Hope to be in touch soon many thanks
      Written 7 July 2021
      This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

      Galya A
      2 contributions
      2.0 of 5 bubbles
      Nov 2023 • Solo
      I really wanted to like this tour, especially because the guide seemed interesting and upbeat. Unfortunately, the reality didn't match my expectations. The tour barely touched on Viking history, and missed half of the proposed itinerary. I can't recommend this tour as it was off topic and didn’t feel like a good value for money.

      Despite being promised insights into York's rich Viking history, the tour ended up being incoherent, with hardly any Viking stories. Instead, I got a mix of random facts, mostly focusing on Romans and history as recent as Henry VIII. The tour missed the mark on its Viking theme.

      What disappointed me even more was that we didn't visit most of the places listed in the itinerary, such as the Jorvik Viking Center, Castle Museum, cliff tower, and the Viking-themed bar. Considering it was a private tour with just me and the guide, we were extremely mobile and missing all those stops confused me. I asked about the Jorvik center at the end, and the guide informed me it was already closed and I couldn’t visit even by myself. This information should have been communicated earlier so we could adjust the start time, begin the tour there, or at least notify me of potential closures beforehand.

      While I understand Viking history is based on folklore, titling a tour "Vikings" is misleading when the tour doesn't live up to that promise. The tour was exactly 1.5 hour long. Overall, it was a disappointing experience.
      Written 18 November 2023
      This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
      Hi Galya, thank you for your review but we appear to be at cross purposes. You specifically REQUESTED a full history tour on the day, and not to focus exclusively on Viking History. The Jorvik Centre, castle museum (not Viking) and Cliffords Tower (not viking) were indeed all closed at the time of the tour - this is 100% down to your choice about when you booked the tour (evening) and that you hadn't prebooked tickets or even checked with the venue if they were open. We do not provide access to any of these places and this is clearly indicated in the price. Finally I'm happy to confirm that we did stop at all the relevant Viking History points (museum gardens, Viking Wall Section, Aldwark, Goodramgate, Shambles, Kings Square and we DID go past Valhalla) but you yourself were quite insistent to move on. I'd emphasise that as a private tour we fit 100% around the needs and requirements of the customer. We spend as long or as quick a time on a particular location as we can. We always adjust our tours dynamically to fit around the needs and questions of the tour party, but as you asked or requested absolutely nothing on the tour but remained silent I'm confused why you're now bring up complaints here. The only feedback you expressed was that Jorvik was closed, which indeed it was. And as I said then this is something you need to take up with the Jorvik centre as we neither own them not determine their opening hours;)
      Written 24 December 2023
      This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

      Drsusiefoster
      York, UK63 contributions
      4.0 of 5 bubbles
      We had a fascinating tour of a familiar place to us which kept us interested despite the freezing cold weather . We learnt a lot about York we didn’t know and like other reviewers I would say this tour covers vastly more about the history of York than just the Vikings.
      The animations of historic buildings were really helpful to visualise what we were seeing when it was originally built.
      Johns premise was that history is very subjective, being based on the viewpoints and agendas of whoever wrote it down. Which I agree with. But he also has quite strongly held opinions about early Christianity based on his own reading. As this is an area on which my husband has also read widely with different conclusions there were some uncomfortable moments. I think early on there was the opportunity for John to have tailored some of his talk to the audience which he probably missed.
      I would highly recommend this tour but if you hold any strongly held religious belief be prepared for discomfort.
      Highlights: The multifaceted tower.
      Lowlight: God is a dog on a leash.
      Written 7 December 2021
      This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

      cherlynnmed
      Niceville, FL46 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      We started off on the York wall discussing the actual age of the wall and how the walls' shape was created from its history. We also discussed some anecdotal stories about the queen and her humor in regard to the wall. We learned about words and phrases that were created through ancient times. We then learned about the vikings' religion and their gods. It was an extremely interesting tour.
      Written 18 May 2023
      This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

      KimA1979
      Manchester, UK128 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      I booked this guided walk for me & my 13 year old who is mad on history & especially Vikings. It definitely did not disappoint. John our guide was very knowledgeable and made the walk fun as well as informative. We both came away knowing much more about the history of York than we’d known before. Thank you for a very enjoyable afternoon
      Written 1 June 2021
      This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
      thank you so much it was lovely to meet you both!
      Written 4 June 2021
      This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

      Robert Snow
      Makati, Philippines70 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      To begin, John is a very kind, accommodating and well mannered person. That, apart from his immense knowledge of the city’s history, Viking lore, and so much more, made this an incredible experience.

      I would recommend this 100% if you’re in the hunt for someone dedicated enough to share his time and mastery of York’s history. Someone dedicated well beyond duty. He addrsssed all my questions, and regaled us with such glorious trivia as we walked the avenues, and walls of the city of York.

      We ended up sharing a drink at Valhalla pub as he had a few moments before his next booking. Matt, the owner was very affable himself.

      So, now you know, book this trip!

      John! I’m looking forward to your interactive York game, it’s looking awesome!
      Written 2 June 2019
      This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
      thank you so much for the lovely review and it was one of the best tours we have ever done, it was a pleasure to spend time in your company, hope to see you again someday!
      Written 10 July 2019
      This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

      Douglas L
      2 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Jul 2019 • Solo
      Great tour. John our guide was incredibly knowledgeable of the history of York and gave us a perspective we could not have gotten on a larger group tour. He catered the trip utilizing what we already knew and adding a whole layer of history on top. Highly recommended!
      Written 1 August 2019
      This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
      thank you for the lovely review, it was a pleasure spending a few hours in your company hope to see you again someday!
      Written 2 August 2019
      This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

      antonio1416
      Hornchurch, UK70 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Tour guide advised a pick up area closer to be able to give us a full tour experience.
      Our guide John was very informative and knew the history of York inside and out. Not only covering the Viking eta but also romans until Tudor period
      We found it very informative and easy to understand.
      My wife who is not a real history buff also said she enjoyed the tour (which is saying something )
      Job. Also gave us tips on places to go and see.
      I would totally recommend John for a private tour
      Written 17 June 2023
      This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
      Thank you it was lovely to meet you both, hope you had a great remainer of your holiday!
      Written 24 December 2023
      This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

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