Richard made our York experience truly unforgettable. After spending a day exploring York on our own, we realised that we had actually understood very little of what we were seeing!

Thanks to Richard, we discovered places we had walked past without noticing, learned about York’s fascinating history, and visited many hidden spots that we would never have found by ourselves.

Over the years, I have joined many tours led by professional tour guides, and I can honestly say that Richard was more professional, knowledgeable, and engaging than many of them.

I would highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting York. Believe me, it will transform your trip and make your visit truly memorable.

Massive thank you to Nick our guide who taught us so much about the history of York and took us to some absolute gems- I would have never found without him. Absolutely brilliant would recommend this is your first stop in York!

We went on a walking tour this afternoon with Christina. She was full of interesting information about York delivered in a fun and engaging way. I’m so glad we chose this tour.

We had absolutely first class tour with Glyn. Glyn is very knowledgeable and you can tell history is his passion. In addition to being knowledgeable , Glyn provides all the information in very entertaining way. It was a pleasure to listen to Glyn for almost 2.5 hours. We not only saw the most important sights in York but also learned history associated with each sight. I can’t imagine a better city walking tour anywhere. Greatly recommended.

Excellent tour where our guide Neil was very knowledgable and delivered the information in an excellent way. Would recommend to anyone and all for free. What tremendous value.

Guided Tour – May 2026

Richard, our tour guide, did a great job. He was a history teacher, so that made his details all the more interesting.

Tour Start:

We took the morning tour at 10:30am. The 7:55 train from London left us with comfortable time on hand.

Starting point of the tour is centrally located and clearly marked . Some benches too, if you land up earlier and want to sit.

There were two guides that day and we were split into two groups. Good to pre-book, even though they do it for free.

Tour Duration:

It took us a little under 2h 30m. If you want to leave early you could do so.

Tour Highlights:

We started with the Museum Gardens, St. Mary’s Abbey – and over the duration of the walk covered the Multangular Tower. The King’s Manor, Bootham Bar, Monk Bar, York Minster (from outside), Goodramgate, The Shambles and an old Catholic church – Shrine of St. Margaret Clitherow near Shambles.

Richard gave us a good insight into –
The various historical aspects starting from the Romans, the Vikings, the Catholic-ness of the place et al.

Also saw how the fortification was done and improved on – fascinating!

Similarly the perspective on how St. Mary’s Abbey appears just as a set of walls now – The role of the monks and their power in an era gone by.

The importance of the location (near the river). There were a lot of small stories beyond just seeing the place which Richard explained very well.

Of course he also talked about the pride of the York people!
How the York Minster was left unscathed even though the area was attacked .

Overall:

I would recommend this tour. It was extremely good value for our time. Thank you Richard.

One thing that he mentioned at the beginning – Ask questions! The questions and his answers make this wonderful tour come alive!
Richard keeps the tour lively.
Thank you Richard.

We attended the tour today with Richard and enjoyed it immensely. It was our first visit to York and this was a great way to learn some of the history and see areas we wouldn’t have found on our own. Richard was a fountain of knowledge and made the tour really enjoyable and engaging throughout. The tour was accessible for my blind husband, enjoyed by my children and by our niece visiting from Minnesota, USA. I would highly recommend this – Richard was brilliant and it’s a great way to learn some of the history of the beautiful city of York!

We had an excellent tour guided by Fraser. He was very knowledgeable and informative and had a good sense of humour. We learned a lot about York that we didn’t know. We also went to a few places that we didn’t know about previously. We would definitely recommend this tour.

Spent this morning listening to an excellent guide, Fraser, who was knowledgeable and friendly and so engaging Highly recommended!

Excellent, entertaining and informative. Enjoyed a fabulous couple of hours touring the highlights of York. Fraser combined just the right balance of history & storytelling. Highly recommend.

Shout out to our guide, Richard, for an entertaining and informative tour! This was our first time in York and it was the perfect way to learn about the city both past and present. We covered a lot of ground, saw sites we know we would have overlooked on our own, and got our bearings for independent post-tour exploring. I cannot recommend this tour enough to anyone visiting the city. Hopefully, you will get Richard too!

We had a lovely and very informative tour this morning with Richard. It was our first full day in York, and to be honest the Shambles had left me pretty disappointed in York. Getting out of the retail area and learning some of the local history completely changed my experience. Bravo Richard.

We did an excellent tour guided by Richard. Although we have been to York a number of times Richard showed us lots of places we have previously missed.
I would definitely recommend this tour.

Richard was very informative and pleasant. It was a pleasure to be on his tour. We hope to see him in Kerry one day! 🙂

Our tour was great! We learned so many interesting facts about York, specifically Roman York. There was never a moment where our attention wavered, as every aspect of the tour touched on key historical moments; from Henry VIII to Queen Mary of Scots, every detail and quirk was captivating.

Our guide, Lawrie, was very knowledgeable, friendly and considerate. Unfortunately, the weather was absolutely dreadful, however, he made sure to choose places to stay where the wind wouldn’t get us so much! So thoughtful. We found him very charming and polite. Also, he gave us great food recommendations and tips to see the not-so-touristy places. 10/10!

Kevin did an excellent job of delivering York’s past in an interesting and captivating manner. The tour was very enjoyable and informative. Experiencing the city’s breath taking beauty was made all the better by understanding its complex history, and I would recommend this tour to anyone visiting York.

Fraser was amazing on our tour. Huge depth of knowledge and a great sense of humour. The tour itself was as the info states completely free and they won’t accept tips which makes the sacrifice of their time even more appreciated. The places we went to give you a great introduction to York history and some interesting social insights. Highly recommend the tour for anyone who is going to York. But makes sure you book as you may not get on a tour if you just turn up. You might but you wouldn’t want to miss this.

We attended a two-hour walking tour in York led by our guide Fraser, and it turned out to be one of the highlights of our visit. From the start, his humour and knowledge made the experience engaging and easy to follow. What stood out most was how thoughtfully he delivered the tour,he was careful to provide context, explain terms clearly, and ensure that even international visitors could fully understand and connect with the history.

As the tour progressed, we found ourselves becoming more and more immersed in the city’s past. The stories of Anne Lister was particularly fasinating to me. The Viking heritage of York added another layer to it , making the city feel alive with centuries of stories. We also really enjoyed the explanations of the stained glass panels at York Minster, especially the ones on the west front they added a visual depth to the historical narrative. One of the other memorable aspects of the tour was learning about the origins of everyday English phrases like “find the loophole” and “eavesdropping.” These small details made the experience both educational and fun. By the end of the tour, we walked away with a much deeper understanding of York and a genuine appreciation for its rich history. It didn’t just feel like sightseeing, it felt more like building a connection with the city. This is truly a must-do experience in York, and Fraser’s thoughtful and engaging approach made it exceptional for us.

We had a superlative tour. Fraser was the best tour guide! Witty, knowledgeable and clearly passionate about York’s heritage. He even chatted with and checked in on each family/couple separately during the short walks to the heritage spots on the tour itinerary.

Richard ( of york) was our guide. I understand there are three Richards. Ours i believe was the first.

We just turned up as the tour was fully booked online and of 25 people who had booked only a handful turned up so we were able to join.

Richard is very knowledgable and clearly loves his city.
He was engaging and told many stories that enhanced our experience.

Thoroughly recommend this tour. Make sure to give a round of applause because he is worth it and very genuinely did not want a tip. He does have his favorite charities though.

What a fantastic tour! I have been to York many times over the years but this was the first tour I had done, and it was so interesting! Ken was a fantastic guide….so knowledgeable and passionate about his city. He offered an extra tour after the two hours and if we had had more time we would have loved to do his Shambles tour. Instead, we only had 10 mins, so he took us to a little church and old building that had been restored….neither we would have noticed from the road (or gate as Ken taught us!). We would have happily paid for the tour….maybe AVG could think about suggesting some local charities people could make a donation to if they wanted?
Keep up the great work and thank you Ken!

Had an amazing tour of York with Glyn our guide. He was very knowledgeable and made our walking tour very interesting with his knowledge of the history of the city of York.

Did tour with Neil at 1.15pm he was excellent, ,he is very knowledgeable, lots of interesting landmarks and info. We learnt lots and even dodged the rain ! highly recommended.

It has been great to discover the city of York with Mike on our first day in town! He has shared so many interesting facts about the city and. Highly recommended!

This is one of the best walking tours I’ve ever been on. And it’s free. Our guide was Fraser and he was so knowledgeable. Pre booking is recommended but not required. Definitely recommend!

Today I did a walking tour with Richard he is engaging, funny, and knowledgeable. You can tell he genuinely loves the city and its history, and he brought everything to life with stories I’d never have discovered on my own.
From medieval streets to hidden details I would have walked straight past, he made every stop interesting and memorable. Easily one of the best walking tours I’ve done. Highly recommend if you’re visiting York!

We had a fantastic walking tour of York with Jim today and couldn’t recommend him highly enough. He struck the perfect balance between being incredibly informative and genuinely entertaining — full of fascinating historical insights, but delivered with great humour throughout.

Jim brought York’s history to life in such an engaging way, and it was clear how knowledgeable and passionate he is. The time absolutely flew by, and we came away having learned so much.

If you’re visiting York, definitely try to get on one of Jim’s tours — you won’t regret it!

The tour is absolutely wonderful and was the highlight of our trip. Glyn, our guide, gave us a bird’s eye view of York’s history full of fun facts and anecdotes. The content of the tour was very informative without being overwhelming. Highly recommend! Thanks a lot again.

Fantastic tour – Richard was an excellent guide through the beautiful city of York. He transported us through thousands of years of history with engaging and fun storytelling. Highly recommend and a big thanks to AVG York!

Excellent tour led by Richard, with commentary that was entertaining and highly educational. Included sights (e.g., Holy Trinity Goodramgate) that we would never have seen without joining the tour.

Nick was entertaining knowledgeable and interesting! The tour was nicely paced and we learnt a lot. Thank you!. ……from the Blackpool gang!

What an absolute treat today with Debbie. Such a wonderful experience. Debbie’s knowledge and humour was spot on. We learnt such a lot and would recommend this tour to anyone visiting York. Thank you Debbie. David and Ann.

Tour highly recommended! Kevin guided us through the history and some nice facts about York, all with warmth and expertise.

Glyn enhanced my visit to York immensely. His style was that of an old friend rather than a teacher. Highly recommended.

Absolutely fantastic! Richard’s guided tour of York was an great experience! He shared fascinating stories and anecdotes, making the tour both informative and entertaining. Would highly recommend Richard as a guide. Many thanks for this tour.

A great guide, Glyn, who gave an informative and entertaining tour of York. Thoroughly recommend.

Glyn was a perfect tour guide, hugely knowledgeable yet presented his knowledge lightly and with gentle humour. Every step was a joy, every stop an opportunity to learn and enjoy the history of this remarkable city. Superb and highly recommended.

I went on a tour today which was lead by Fraser. He was a fantastic guide; enthusiastic, funny, knowledgeable and clearly very proud of his city. I’d been on an AVG tour a couple of years ago but what I loved was that even though we revisited some places, there were others I had not seen before. On every corner Fraser could tell us some fascinating snippet of history. The difference between these tours and the paid ones are that the guides are clearly there because they love the city and its rich history and want to share it. Bravo. Highly recommend!

Great tour with Grant yesterday, and absolute mine of knowledge about York, all presented in an interesting and accessible way. Thank you.

Had the most incredible tour with Richard. His love of history shone through and we discovered parts of York we’ve never seen before. We thoroughly enjoyed it all and couldn’t get enough of the knowledge he was imparting. We were blown away and loved every minute of the tour. Thank you for this free tour showcasing your amazing historical City, it’s truly appreciated.

Had the most incredible tour with Richard. His love of history shone through and we discovered parts of York we’ve never seen before. We thoroughly enjoyed it all and couldn’t get enough of the knowledge he was imparting. We were blown away and loved every minute of the tour. Thank you for this free tour showcasing your amazing historical City, it’s truly appreciated.

I really enjoyed this walking tour in York. The guide was excellent (unfortunately I don’t remember his name), very knowledgeable and engaging. The tour beautifully retraced the history of York, from the Roman settlement all the way to the medieval period, highlighting the most important stages of the city’s development.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t walk on the medieval walls because they were closed, but the guide handled it very well and quickly improvised an alternative route, showing us other interesting places and sharing additional insights.

I highly recommend this type of guided tour to anyone who enjoys history and wants to discover hidden gems and interesting details about the city they are visiting. I had previously done a ghost tour in York which I didn’t enjoy as much, but this one was truly excellent.

Considering that the tour is free and run by volunteers, it is absolutely worth it. The volunteer association is doing a fantastic job, and I believe they deserve a lot of appreciation for their work.

We had a great getting to know York walk guided by the wonderful Mick. He knows the city in and out and obviously loves his town very much.
The walk had a great balance between history and anecdotes. Just the right amount of detail. We had a splendid time.
Wholeheartedly recommended!

Thankyou Nick for an excellent tour yesterday. I would totally recommend an AVG tour…informative, really interesting,and engaging, despite the weather!!

Superb, relaxed and highly informative tour with guide Richard.Many thanks for imparting your knowledge and enthusiasm.

Our tour today with Richard, was wonderful. We’ve visited York many times as we live quite close by in Grimsby. We learned so much today, and saw many sites we hadn’t seen before. Richard made everything come to life with his genuine honest knowledge and charm. Thanks and praise to everyone involved in this fabulous voluntary organisation.

Richard was amazing. His enthusiasm and fun storytelling made the history come alive. It was wonderful to learn so much in such an engaging and enjoyable way.

Also writing on behalf of a lovely elderly lady in our group of 3 who isn’t very tech-savvy but truly loved the tour. And wanted to drop a review for Richard.

Sakshi from London (28/01/26)

My friend and I went on a walking tour with Richard, and it was an excellent experience from start to finish. The tour lasted around two hours and took us through the Abbey Gardens, York Minster, and the Shambles. Richard was very knowledgeable and engaging, bringing the history of the city to life with interesting stories and insights. The pace was comfortable, and we learned so much while enjoying some of York’s most beautiful spots. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting the city.