Europe’s Most Haunted City: A Walk with the Ghosts of York

(68 reviews)

York audio tour: Europe’s Most Haunted City: A Walk with the Ghosts of York

This is a 1.8mi walking tour

It takes an average of 90 mins to complete.

York

The United Kingdom

$8.99

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About the Tour

Track down the ghosts who inhabit York on this walk through the historic centre of Europe’s most haunted city. You’ll meet Queen Anne Boleyn before her beheading and the Earl of Northumberland in search of his severed head. You'll pass by a pub with seven active spirits and a house crammed full with 14 ghosts. And that’s only the beginning!

We’ll meet ghosts from the last 2,000 years: some are re-enacting tragic scenes from their past and others are trying to contact the living. There are ghosts, friendly spirits who just can’t bear to leave, disruptive poltergeists, and dark phantoms with sinister motives. There are ghosts of ordinary folk, royalty and children. There are, in short, spirits of every type in this most beautiful and historical city, and while you can go looking for them at any time, you might have more luck finding them if you do this walk when it’s spookiest: after dark.

Tour Producer

James Easton

3 tours

A York resident, passionate about the history and present of this extraordinary city.

Preview Location

Location 2

41 Stonegate & 35 Stonegate

Look on your left for number 41 – now a shop. Stop here while I tell you about it.

It is haunted by the first of the child ghosts we will meet on our walk – a sad little girl of around six years old who – it is believed – died falling down the stairs around 150 years ago... Look on your left for number 41 – now a shop. Stop here while I tell you about it.

It is haunted by the first of the child ghosts we will meet on our walk – a sad little girl of around six years old who – it is believed – died falling down the stairs around 150 years ago. She has been here ever since, and is seen and heard still on those same stairs where she died – although she does occasionally venture into the shop – and has even been seen sitting on the counter – perhaps wondering what is going on in the modern world or looking for a playmate.

She is not alone in the Stonegate spirit world – a mysterious man in a cape has been seen in the dark passageways, and in one of the houses here, building work uncovered a human skull buried under the stairs. It explained a lot – for many years dogs in the house had refused to walk up the stairs – who it belonged to – nobody knows – although later in our walk we will discover a body looking to be reunited with its head!

But the most companions for our sad little girl can be found in just one house, just 6 doors along on the left – walk there now and then stop. You’re looking for number 35, a shop with ornately carved arched doorway and an ornate window projecting at the first floor.

[6 SECONDS PAUSE]

This is surely the most haunted house in York. Built in 1482 has accumulated an apparent 14 ghosts since then. Its previous owner, an astrologer, bought the house 1999. Initially, he was aware only of a handful of ghosts a couple in one of the back rooms and a distraught lady who used to hang around in the kitchen. And there was a male presence that one or two people had seen. But when he began to renovate the old building, something dark was disturbed – and ghostly activity exploded. You can take your pick of the ghosts that linger behind these doors. There is tall Tom who is said to linger in the Seance Room on the second floor dressed all in black and wearing a hat. A balding monk has been seen in the Lantern Room, and an apparition of an elegant Georgian Lady has been seen in the Dining Room. Doors opening and shutting with accompanying bangs and creaks are heard by visitors when alone in the house. Visitors have also felt the icy touch of invisible fingers and heard eerie screeching from the attic. A woman sobs tragically in the basement, or you may see another little girl who fell to her death – this time from the back of the house. Or the grey lady still searching for her lost lover. There's even a cat ghost - apparently it was bricked up here during building work, and its desperate scratching can still sometimes be heard.

Perhaps having heard all that you would like to now continue walking along Stonegate. Our next stop is a small lane just ahead on the left. Read More

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Major Landmarks

The Minster
The Shambles
many more hidden corners!

Getting There

Route Overview

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Start location
52-60 Stonegate, York YO1, UK
Total distance

3km
Final location
5-9 Blossom St, York YO24 1AU, UK
Distance back to start location

878.37m

Directions to Starting Point

You need to be in the City centre, at the junction of Stonegate and High Petergate, with the cathedral of York Minster behind you and looking down Stonegate towards the sign for Ye Olde Starre Inn which crosses over Stonegate.

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

This walk takes you through the centre of the City, so it is crammed with all the main tourist sites - meaning you can just pause the tour and explore them at your leisure. There are also many pubs and cafes along the way - and some of them feature in the tour as haunted locations, so you can get a drink and a bite to eat rubbing shoulders with other guests from the afterlife.

Best time of day

Can be done anytime - but spookier after dark!

Precautions

York is generally a pretty safe city, so nothing beyond the normal precautions is required. There are some roads to cross so please be careful doing that - other than that - just watch out for ghosts!

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