York City Walls wrap a two-mile ribbon of stone around the historic centre, lifting you above rooftops, gardens and traffic for a different view of the city. The surviving medieval walls sit on much older earthworks, so the circuit carries traces of Roman, medieval and Victorian York in the same walk.
The route is free, central and easy to join from several points. Bootham Bar is a useful starting place, but the full circuit works in either direction and can be split into shorter sections if you do not want to walk the whole way.
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Where is it?
Use the place pin to check the location, then open directions when you are ready to go.
Visit notes
Allow around two hours for the full 3.4 km (2 mile) circuit if you want time to stop at the gateways and look across the city. Faster walkers can do it more quickly, but the details in the stonework and the changing views are the reason to avoid rushing it.
Not every part of the circular trail is on top of the walls. Short pavement and riverside sections link the surviving elevated stretches, so expect to come down to street level before climbing again.
The four principal gateways — Bootham Bar, Monk Bar, Walmgate Bar and Micklegate Bar — give the circuit its rhythm. Views towards York Minster are a highlight, while Museum Gardens holds the Multangular Tower and an important surviving stretch of the Roman fortress wall.
For a quieter walk, start soon after the gates open. Spring brings daffodils to the ramparts, while clear winter days can give crisp city views, but cold-weather closures are more likely when the stone is icy.
Keep children close on narrow sections and take extra care where edges are unguarded. The gates close progressively around dusk, so leave enough time to finish or be ready to drop to street level if a section has already closed.