Guided Walks of Britain's most surprising town!

Regular guided walks of Historic King's Lynn take place from April to October, commencing at 2pm from Saturday Market Place. Keep a watch-out for our special walks, or book a private walk of your choice. Read on for more details. . .


King’s Lynn has over 400 Listed Buildings Grades I, II* & II, with the finest medieval architecture anywhere in the country for a town of its size.

King’s Lynn’s unique 12th Century development and prosperous Hanseatic trading links created one of the wealthiest towns in medieval England. Today, its architectural legacy includes two Market Places (one of which is the largest in England), two Guildhalls (one of which is the largest in England) and 2 Churches (one of which is the largest chapel in England). 

King’s Lynn Town Guides conduct regular guided walks:

  • every Tuesday, Friday and Saturday from April to October
  • every Wednesday and Thursday in July and August
  • at other times throughout the year by appointment.

The full range of walks can be found on this website.

Each year we show over 1,000 locals and visitors around our wonderful town and introduce them to its unique heritage. It all started with a small band of enthusiastic people who formed the first Town Guides back in 1977.

All the guides are volunteers who have given up their time to train to be awarded their badge. All the money that is collected from the walks is given away to local charities and organisations that further the conservation and promotion of the town.

King's Lynn Town Guide

Our Walks

The 2022 season commences on Saturday 9th April with a Historic Lynn walk.

Following this, our Regular Walks take place until the end of October up to 5 days a week, starting at 2pm outside Stories of Lynn in Saturday Market Place. All walks last approximately 2 hours at a gentle strolling pace.

Throughout June and July the Guides hold a series of Thursday Evening Walks that take on more specialist themes. These walks are particularly popular with local people, many of whom come to several of the walks, making a regular evening outing through the summer whilst discovering different aspects of the town’s history.

July in King's Lynn marks the start of Festival Month and the King’s Lynn Town Guides take a number of specialist Festival Walks, including a special Festival Too Fundraising Family Walk.

If you would like to do a self-guided walk, there is a range of options available in the links below:

South Lynn

To The Walks

To the Docks

Funny Faces

Spot the Detail

2022 Guided Walks Schedule

Regular Walks

Thursday Eve Walks

Festival Walks

  • Historic Lynn
  • A Medieval New Town
  • Sailors, Smugglers and Merchant Adventurers

Historic Lynn


This tour, from the Saturday Market Place to the Tuesday Market Place, takes in over 900 years of history. Historic buildings, hidden courtyards and the river all reveal King’s Lynn’s story from small settlement to successful port and elegant town – along with the stories of the people who left their mark here. Meet outside Stories of Lynn  See the map.


Regular walks April to October

Available for private groups anytime

Meet outside Stories of Lynn

£5 ADULTS / FREE UNDER 16’S

A Medieval New Town

From Custom House to St Nicholas' Chapel, explore Bishop Turbus’ ‘new’ town, the second medieval town, started in 1180 but much altered and the buildings refaced over the years. The walk takes in King Street, St George’s Guildhall, Tuesday Market Place, True’s Yard Fisherfolk Museum and St Nicholas’ Chapel.

Regular walks April to October

Available for private groups anytime

Meet outside Stories of Lynn

£5 ADULTS / FREE UNDER 16’S

Sailors, Smugglers and Merchant Adventurers

King’s Lynn was one of England’s foremost ports from medieval times and evidence of this rich maritime heritage is to be found all along the waterfront streets – fine houses, warehouses and, of course, the Custom House. Wealthy merchants, naval heroes, brave sailors and bold smugglers have all left their stories waiting to be heard.

Regular walks April to October

Available for private groups anytime

Meet outside Stories of Lynn

£5 ADULTS / FREE UNDER 16’S
  • Old Lynn New Pubs
  • Gaywood Through Time
  • The North End: Trade, Buildings and People
  • Royal King’s Lynn
  • Sailors, Smugglers and Merchant Adventurers
  • Historic Lynn

Old Lynn New Pubs

A walk through King’s Lynn’s ‘old town’ discovering how historic sites have been brought back into new use, including visits to three new pubs that have been recently created in some of the most important locations.

2 June, 14 July

Available for groups anytime

Meet outside Stories of Lynn 7pm

£5 ADULTS / N/A UNDER 16’S

Gaywood Through Time

Gaywood’s history is older than Lynn’s. This walk will explore the development of Gaywood from Bishop’s residence, to rural village and Bagge family estate, to the busy suburb of King’s Lynn that we know today.

9 June

Available on request for groups

Meet at the old gate to King Edward VII Academy. 7pm

£5 ADULTS / FREE UNDER 16’S

The North End: Trade, Buildings and People

A tour of the North End looking at the buildings that remain, the lives of the people who lived here and their trades, legal and not so legal

16 June

Available for groups at anytime

Meet outside True's Yard Fisherfolk Museum, 7pm

£5 ADULTS / FREE UNDER 16’S

Royal King’s Lynn

This walk commemorates the Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The tour will reveal the town’s strong Royal connections over many centuries, and the patronage that provided Lynn with Royal Charters.

23 June

Available for groups at anytime

Meet outside Stories of Lynn, 7.00pm

£5 ADULTS / FREE UNDER 16’S

Sailors, Smugglers and Merchant Adventurers

King’s Lynn was one of England’s foremost ports from medieval times and evidence of this rich maritime heritage is to be found all along the waterfront streets – fine houses, warehouses and, of course, the Custom House. Wealthy merchants, naval heroes, brave sailors and bold smugglers have all left their stories waiting to be heard.

30 June

Available for groups at anytime

Meet outside Stories of Lynn, 7pm

£5 ADULTS / FREE UNDER 16’S

Historic Lynn

7 July

Available for groups at anytime

Meet outside Stories of Lynn, 7pm

£5 ADULTS / FREE UNDER 16’S
  • The River Walk
  • Sailors, Smugglers and Merchant Adventurers
  • The Hanse and the Warehouse on the Wash
  • Four Churches and a Chapel

The River Walk

This walk explores both banks of the river and includes discovering Harding’s Pit, crossing the river at the South Lynn Bridge and experiencing the view of King’s Lynn from the West Bank. A Ferry crossing ends the walk in Ferry Lane/King Street. PLEASE NOTE: The walk will take 2 - 2½ hours and involves walking along footpaths which are not concreted and a ferry crossing. Walking shoes are recommended.

28 July

Available for groups at anytime

Meet outside the Custom House, 2pm

£5 plus ferry fare ADULTS / Free plus ferry fare UNDER 16’S

Sailors, Smugglers and Merchant Adventurers

King’s Lynn was one of England’s foremost ports from medieval times and evidence of this rich maritime heritage is to be found all along the waterfront streets – fine houses, warehouses and, of course, the Custom House. Wealthy merchants, naval heroes, brave sailors and bold smugglers have all left their stories waiting to be heard

20 July

Available for groups at anytime

Meet outside Stories of Lynn, 2pm

£5 ADULTS / FREE UNDER 16’S

The Hanse and the Warehouse on the Wash

Covering several centuries, this walk explores the buildings that supported the towns’ commerce and helped it prosper. You will see buildings that have changed and adapted as the course of the river bank moved westward. Starting at St George’s Guildhall – a remarkably complete guild complex, our tour also includes the country's only remaining Hanseatic Warehouse

21 July

Available for groups at anytime

Meet outside Custom House, 2pm

£5 ADULTS / FREE UNDER 16’S

Four Churches and a Chapel

Spanning ten centuries, this tour takes in an eclectic mix of ecclesiastical buildings in a wide range of architectural styles, some of which Pugin and Salvin influenced. See an anchorite’s cell, a Grade I listed Victorian park and its unique pilgrim chapel and a monastery garden with the Leaning Tower of Lynn. Learn how Edward VII helped provide a place of worship for the King of Spain

27 July

Available for groups at anytime

Meet in Tower Gardens, 2pm

£5 ADULTS / FREE UNDER 16’S
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King's Lynn Job Centre Private Walks

Private Walks

The Guides are more than happy to take privately arranged group walks. These can be tailored to suit any theme or length and are available all year round. 

If you can’t make one of our scheduled walks and would like to get a group of people together, then a private tour may be an ideal way to show off the town for corporate or family events. 

Many local companies use a private tour as part of a team-building event or just as a staff night out, taking in a Historic Walk in the early evening followed by dinner in an old-town restaurant.

We only need a minimum of 6 people to arrange a private group and tours can be arranged any day of the week with reasonable notice. 

Please get in touch with us to discuss your ideas and requirements. 

The Guides

All the guides are volunteers who have given up their time to train to be awarded their badge. They come from a diverse range of backgrounds, but are united by a common fondness for King’s Lynn and an enthusiasm that they wish to share with others to raise the profile of the town amongst the wider population.

The King's Lynn Town Guides
THE KING'S LYNN TOWN GUIDES

Our Donations

One of the important benefits of the Town Guides’ work is the money that is raised that goes towards good causes in King's Lynn.

All the money that is collected for our walks is used to further the conservation and promotion of the town. Since 1998 we have guided over 50,000 visitors on walks around King’s Lynn and donated over £90,000 to worthy causes.

This is recognised in a ceremony that takes place each year in the Town Hall and has become a regular feature in the King’s Lynn calendar as each year the Guides donate the proceeds from their Town Walks to local heritage organisations.

The latest Annual Donations Ceremony took place at King’s Lynn Town Hall on Monday 21st February 2022, in the presence of the Borough Mayor, Cllr Harry Humphrey.

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Following another very successful year for the Guides, donations have been given to a larger number of organisations. Recipients of donations from the proceeds in recent years include: 

£90,000 Donated to Worthy Causes

Contact & Book

Tickets for all walks can be purchased in advance from the Tourist Information Centre in Saturday Market Place (01553 774297) or simply turn up and pay the guide at the start of the walk. Prices are £5 for Adults and FREE for under 16s.

Accompanied children are welcome on our walks and there are free Family Fun Sheets available to accompany our Historic Lynn walk. You can download and print these yourself, or simply pick them up from the Tourist Information Centre at the start of your walk.

If you'd like to get together with a small group of friends or colleagues for a private walk, please let us know. Walks, for a minimum of just 6 people, can be arranged any day throughout the year, with reasonable notice. Private walks can be tailored to start and finish in a variety of locations. To book a private walk, please email guides@kingslynntownguides.co.uk with your requirements.

IF YOU'D LIKE TO BOOK A TICKET FOR ONE OF OUR REGULAR WALKS OR FOR ANY OTHER ENQUIRIES, PLEASE CALL 01553 774297 OR EMAIL kings-lynn.tic@alivewestnorfolk.co.uk

FOR MORE INFORMATION & QUERIES

guides@kingslynntownguides.co.uk

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