2 nights · 2 haunted hotels
York is often called the most haunted city in England, and its compact medieval centre makes it perfect for a ghost-hunting weekend. Everything on this itinerary is within the city walls and easy to walk, so you can spend the days in the history and the evenings on the ghost walks.
Day 1
York Minster, the Treasurer's House and the Shambles
Start in the shadow of the Minster, where York's best-known ghost story was born, then wander the medieval streets before an evening ghost walk.
York Minster
One of the largest medieval cathedrals in northern Europe, built over the site of the Roman fortress. Go down to the Undercroft to see the Roman remains beneath it.
Treasurer's House
In 1953 an apprentice plumber, Harry Martindale, was working in the cellar when he saw a column of Roman soldiers march through the wall, visible only from the knees up because they walked on the old Roman road below the floor. It's one of the most famous ghost sightings in Britain. The house is run by the National Trust.
The Shambles
York's medieval butchers' street, with overhanging timber houses. Margaret Clitherow, a butcher's wife who hid Catholic priests, lived here and was pressed to death in 1586. Her shrine is on the street.
The Deathly Dark Tour
One of York's most popular ghost walks, with no actors jumping out of the shadows. It meets at the Deathly Dark Tour Company on Grape Lane and covers the plague house on College Street, a message from beyond the grave and the haunting of the Bedern slums. It ends on the Shambles or at Clifford's Tower, both a short walk from the Dean Court.
Popular slots sell out, especially in October.
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A Victorian hotel in the shadow of York Minster, built as homes for the Minster's clergy. Room 36, in the attic, is called one of the most haunted rooms in York: guests report pressure on their chests, slamming doors and, in one widely reported case, a man pulled out of bed by his feet.
Ask for Room 36, the attic corner room facing the Minster, where guests report pressure on their chests at night. Expect the Minster bells in the morning.
Day 2
Clifford's Tower, the Castle Museum and Pavement
Today moves south through York's darkest history, from a medieval massacre to the condemned cells of the old prison, and ends at an inn that claims to be the most haunted in York.
Clifford's Tower
In 1190 York's Jewish community took refuge from a mob in the wooden castle that stood here. Most died in the tower rather than surrender. The stone keep that replaced it is run by English Heritage.
York Castle Museum
Built in the former debtors' prison and women's prison. The highwayman Dick Turpin was held here before he was hanged on the Knavesmire in 1739, and you can see the cells.
The York Dungeon
Ten live shows take you through 2,000 years of York's darkest history: the Viking invasion, Guy Fawkes (born in York) and the Gunpowder Plot, and a carriage ride to the Knavesmire with Dick Turpin. A good way to spend a rainy afternoon.
York's Haunted Heart: Ghosts, Ghouls and Gallows
A two-hour, 1.75-mile small-group walk that starts at Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma-Gate by St Crux church. It passes the Treasurer's House and the Shambles by night, goes through Mad Alice Lane and Bedern Passage, where orphaned children are said to whisper, and ends at the Golden Fleece itself, with the stories of its resident spirits. You'll finish the night at your hotel's door.
Popular slots sell out, especially in October.
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Guests have reported interactions with Geoff the airman and a Victorian boy spirit in Catherine's Room, experiencing sensations of invisible cats walking across beds, cold breezes, mysterious scratches appearing on their backs, heavy curtains moving, and unexplained water dripping that vanished immediately, along with overwhelming feelings of presence throughout the property.
An inn on Pavement that claims to be the oldest and most haunted in York, and the last stop on tonight's ghost walk. Ask which rooms have the most stories when you check in.
Want to build your own route? Browse every haunted hotel in the area or see more itineraries.