Bury St Edmunds Tours

About Bury St Edmunds Tours

Secrets, stories and scandals  are yours for the asking on the daily official historic walking tour of Bury St Edmunds

This 90-minute tour of the historic centre of Bury St Edmunds includes the Abbey Gate, the Abbey Gardens and Abbey Ruins, the statue of St Edmund, St Edmundsbury Cathedral, St Mary’s Churchyard, Church Walks, Guildhall Street, Hatter Street, Abbeygate Street and the main market area. 

Find out about the legend of St Edmund and the wolf, Bury St Edmunds’ connections to the Magna Carta, where Charles Dickens stayed, and the final resting place of a French Queen and Henry VIII’s beloved sister. Hear about the story of the great Abbey -  once one of Europe’s most important pilgrimage sites whilst visiting the ruins and see the oldest Norman building in the country and the second oldest building in England.

The history of Bury St Edmunds stretches back over a thousand years starting with the martyrdom of Edmund, Anglo Saxon King and the original Patron Saint of England. Later came the establishment of the Benedictine Abbey dedicated to St Edmund, which became a major focus of pilgrimage in the Middle Ages. With Medieval, Georgian and Norman architecture, a visit to Bury St Edmunds is like taking a trip through time.

The Bury St Edmunds Tour Guides are all green or blue badge registered having completed their training with the National Institute of Tour Guiding. With years of experience and with a love of Bury St Edmunds, its history and people and a great sense of humour, the tour guides will ensure you see the best that Bury St Edmunds has to offer.

Guided walking tours of Historic Bury St Edmunds (90 minutes) run daily from April to September.

April 1 – October 31 at 2.00pm daily (including Sunday and Bank Holidays).

July 1 – September 30 at 11.00am and 2.00pm (including Sunday and Bank Holidays).

All tours can be booked on the day at the Tourist Information Point on Angel Hill (next to St Edmundsbury Cathedral). The tours all begin at the same office (except 11.00am tours on Sundays which begins at the Abbeygate on Angel Hill, the tickets for this tour should be bought from the guide).

Tours cost £6 per person, children under 16s free.

Ghostly and Macabre Tours (14+)
October - March

Murder, executions, plague, riots, witchcraft and sightings of ghostly figures, the Bury St Edmunds Tour Guides take you on a journey around our haunted town.

Starting with Moyse’s Hall, we tell you the story of the Red Barn Murderer – William Corder, who trial, conviction and execution brought thousands to the town… onto spectral goings on at the Market Cross and then to the Nutshell pub to hear the stories of witches, mummified cats and local folklore.

We wind our way around the darkened streets to tell stories of screaming skulls, mysterious ‘monk’ like figures appearing in cellars, burnings and hangings and more, finishing up in the dark and deserted Great Churchyard where the guides recall the stories from the Abbey and the famous Grey Lady.

The Bury St Edmunds Ghostly and Macabre Tour starts on Halloween and then every other Friday evening from 3 November to 30 March 2018. The 90-minute tour costs £6 per person and starts from outside Marks and Spencer on the Cornhill at 6.30pm.

Numbers are restricted to 20 guests per guide- perfect to hear the stories close up and maybe experience something out of the ordinary ... Due to the content of the tour, participants must be aged 14 years or over.

The tour can also be booked for groups outside of these times/ dates by contacting The Apex box office on 01284 758000. 

Tickets must be booked in advance.

Bespoke and Group Tours

The Bury St Edmunds Tour Guides also offer an extensive range of over 20 Themed Tours that can be pre-booked for groups and schools. All group, themed and ghost tours must be pre-booked and tickets are available from The Apex box office on Charter Square in the arc shopping centre. For information on the group tours and to book, contact The Apex box office on 01284 758000.