About This Event

Explore Harrogate at your own pace Beneath the gentle hum of Harrogate lies a tangle of secrets, from vanished authors to glittering soirees and covert wartime drama. This self-guided audio tour invites you to wander beyond postcard scenes and into the heart of the town's most intriguing tales, unlocking corners most visitors simply overlook. Why did world-famous Agatha Christie hide at the Old Swan Hotel under a false name while detectives scoured the country? What vanished masterpiece once slipped away from the Mercer Art Gallery, only to reappear half a world away? Who was crowned "Queen of the Well" among sulphur-scented crowds-and what scandal unfolded behind the domes and columns of the Royal Pump Room? Move through sunlit streets and ornate façades, stepping into stories that echo with luxury, mischief, and curiosity. Every corner turns up new drama; every building holds a wild secret waiting for discovery. Photo: Ebun Oluwole, Unsplash Tour details Duration: 1 hour 26 minutes, entirely at your own pace Distance: around 3.5 km (2.1 miles) Stops: 15 landmarks, including Old Swan Hotel, Mercer Art Gallery, Royal Pump Room, Harrogate Audio: up to 38 minutes of narration Starts at: Old Swan Hotel Map data by Mapbox and OpenStreetMap contributors How it works Book here and a redemption code arrives by email within minutes. Download the free AudaTours app on your phone and enter the code. Download the tour once and the whole thing works offline. Walk to the first stop and press play. The audio for each landmark starts automatically as you approach it, so your phone can stay in your pocket. There is no fixed date and no start time. The date you pick at checkout does not matter, and the tour stays on your phone permanently, so you can use it whenever you next visit and walk it again as often as you like. What is included Professionally narrated audio that plays automatically at each stop An interactive map showing the walking route between landmarks Full offline access once downloaded, so you need no data or signal Freedom to start, pause and resume whenever you like Lifetime access - your code never expires Where you will stop Old Swan Hotel Mercer Art Gallery Royal Pump Room, Harrogate White Hart Hotel, Harrogate Royal Hall, Harrogate Harrogate Convention Centre Harrogate Theatre St Peter's Church, Harrogate Harrogate War Memorial West Park United Reformed Church, Harrogate Belvedere House, Harrogate Jubilee Memorial, Harrogate St Robert's Church, Harrogate Harrogate (Brunswick) railway station Trinity Methodist Church, Harrogate Image: AudaTours What is AudaTours? AudaTours turns a walk through a city into a story. Our guides bring landmarks to life with the history, the scandals and the detail you would never get from a plaque. Immersive: real stories about the places in front of you, not a dry commentary Offline: download once and use it with no data, anywhere At your own pace: start, pause and resume whenever you want Accurate: every story is built from verified historical sources and checked before release Good to know This is a self-guided audio tour on your own phone. There is no in-person guide. It does not include entry to any building or site along the route. The landmarks on the tour are not affiliated with AudaTours. You need a smartphone with Android 7.0 or later, or iOS 16 or later. Bring headphones and start with a charged phone. Who it suits Solo travellers, couples, families and small groups who would rather explore on their own schedule than follow a guide and a fixed departure time. It suits a first visit, and it suits anyone who has already seen the famous sights and wants to know what actually happened in them. Image credits Photos: Ebun Oluwole (Unsplash); AudaTours.

Staying overnight?

Hotels within walking distance of The Old Swan Hotel.

Frequently asked questions