York Pub History Tour: Discover Centuries-Old Taverns

Explore York’s oldest pubs on a guided walking tour. Discover hidden histories, from riots to plagues, and support a local charity.

Duration: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • York Historic Pub Walks - This tour explores the rich history of numerous pubs in York. If time and space permit, the group will have the opportunity to visit the interior of the Old White Swan and enjoy a refreshment break at the Olde Starre Inn, where a 20% discount is available.
What's Included
  • Information from the Guide’s research
What's Not Included
  • Alcoholic beverages
Additional Information

Explore a different side of York’s history with this exceptional guided walk through the city center. Known for having a pub for every day of the year, York invites you to discover some of its oldest establishments and the fascinating stories and events linked to them. From inquests and riots to politics, plagues, religious influences, unusual…

Location
Goodramgate Corner Bike Rack
Goodramgate
Go to the National Trust shop on the corner of Goodramgate and College Street. The guide will meet you there.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(77 Ratings)
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Davidlo5741sp
Apr 7, 2026
A Fascinating and Friendly historical Pub Walk - Having recently moved to York we enjoyed discovering several city centre pubs with interesting histories. Keith was very knowledgeable and friendly
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Heidigh7178gs
Apr 6, 2026
Interesting and engaging! - Keith did an amazing job telling us so many interesting historic facts and stories about various bars throughout York. The experience was more than my husband and I expected for a free tour! Great way to spend the night!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Annalt229pd
Mar 18, 2026
Fun afternoon learning all about local pubs. - We had a great time with Keith, showing us around York and telling us lots of interesting facts and stories. Having been to York many times (we live locally), we learned lots of new things. Keith was puntional, very knowledgeable and friendly. It was great to have a stop for a drink in one of the pubs. Recommend if you want to learn more about Yorks pubs!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Stevebw8478np
Mar 15, 2026
Interesting walk with knowledgeable host. - Interesting walk. Keith clearly had a passion for the subject - both the pubs themselves and their history. It gave us idea of which pubs to visit after.
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Cruiser812380
Feb 28, 2026
Interesting tour of York's pubs - Having just moved to York, we really enjoyed Keith's tour of some of the city's historic pubs despite the fact that it was bitterly cold. We now have a list of pubs to visit! And all for charity. Thanks Keith.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tom
Feb 1, 2026
Excellent! - We have just spent a very enjoyable couple of hours with our excellent guide Keith. His knowledge and enthusiasm is very good and we learnt a lot of York's pub history. It was lovely to stop and really look at the architecture. There is so much to see and learn about York and its history. Thanks Keith, you are a mine of information 🙂
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Thebikeshack
Feb 1, 2026
Excellent Historical Tour Of York Pubs - Excellent professional well guided tour informative, engaging and well informed. A fascinating meander through the streets of York with historical facts and some mention of ghosts and other interesting incidents. Would highly recommend
Review provided by Tripadvisor
480beckym
Jan 20, 2026
recommend - Very knowledgeable, a lot of history reguarding the pubs. Very friendly. Would recommend this. Would also recommend comfortable shoes.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sarahdo7879we
Jan 19, 2026
Friendly & informative tour - Keith gave us a great tour very friendly & informative about the history behind some of best pubs in York. We went places we wouldn’t have found & felt like we were taken back in time. Approx 2 hours was just right to pack in as much experience as we could within the main centre of York ( the shambles) . Value for money & a charity benefits too.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Alysone353
Feb 10, 2026
Who knew! - My husband and I took this tour during the residents weekend so it was very good value for money. The tour group was small in numbers so good for viewing and hearing all that Keith had to tell us. It was a cold day so two hours was more than enough time. Keith was a very knowledgeable guide with a good sense of humour. All in all a very enjoyable and interesting experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $11
up to 4 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).