From the cathedral that rose from one great fire and survived another to the martyrs' field: the crowds at the Newgate hangings, the midnight handbell, a ghost that packed Cock Lane, the golden boy who blamed the fire on gluttony, Wallace, John Rogers and the Black Death burial ground.
You start in front of St Paul's, where in 1666 the stones of the old cathedral flew like grenades, and whose dome, in 1940, became a photograph used by both sides. You go on to Old Bailey, the street where twenty thousand people paid for windows to watch a hanging, and to the church whose bellman recited verses to the condemned on their last night. At the mouth of Cock Lane, a ghost that had all London talking; at Pye Corner, the fat golden boy where the fire stopped. In Smithfield, the memorials to William Wallace and to John Rogers, the first to be burnt under Mary the First, whose wife and eleven children waited for him on the way; the church that, tradition has it, was founded by a jester; the Black Death square, and the Charterhouse, whose monks Thomas More watched go to their deaths.
An outline of the walk. The full stories are in the app.
Open a marker to see its page. Use two fingers to move the map on mobile.
Walking directions are based on mapped pedestrian routes. Check local access and signs; the route is not an accessibility guarantee. Times are approximate.
London makes more sense an area at a time than as one vast walk. Neighbourhoods change pace within a few streets; the sky may change while you find the next one.
You start beneath the spire of St Bride's, on the street that was born to print, and slip down an alley to the tavern where Dr Johnson is said to have sat, and on to the square where he really made his dictionary, with his cat Hodge and Francis Barber, born enslaved in Jamaica and heir to the house.
You start at London Bridge, where the gate on this bank displayed more than thirty heads, and where Wyatt's rebels waited in vain to stop Mary marrying Philip of Spain; the bridge that came afterwards was sold and rebuilt in the Arizona desert.
You start by Pudding Lane, where a young Frenchman, a watchmaker's son, confessed to starting the Great Fire and was hanged even though not even his judges believed him, and then stand before the Monument, which is exactly as tall as the distance to that bakery and which spent a century and a half accusing the Catholics in writing.
An app for self-guided audio walks. Choose a city and a route, then listen to the stories behind its streets. You decide when to start and when to stop.
Podtour is coming to iOS and Android. There is no confirmed launch date yet. Join the waitlist and we will let you know when it is ready.
No. Street walks and monument audio tours do not include admission tickets, transport or a guide accompanying you.
Download the audio in the app before heading out, then listen offline. Loading the online base map and calculating a new route from your location require a connection.
Every route includes Spanish and British English. The English version is adapted for English-speaking travellers, rather than translated word for word.
Join the waitlist, choose a city and confirm your email address. When the app launches, we will email you with access details. No card is required. You can also try one free route in every city.
Yes. Your own access is included and you can choose 0–5 guests: up to 6 people including you. Each guest saves up to €0.50 on a walk, €1 on a pack or €2 on a whole city compared with buying separately. The counter shows the total before you confirm one payment.
After paying, share your purchase’s invitation link. Each guest opens it in Podtour and accepts their place on their own iPhone or Android phone. They must redeem it within 30 days of purchase. Unclaimed places then expire and cannot be recovered or renewed. Access accepted in time is kept. Opening the link does not use a place; one account takes just one place, and no more people can join once all places are taken.
No. Choose all your guests before confirming the first purchase. Afterwards you can share the places you paid for, but you cannot increase their number or restart the 30-day deadline.
Join the waitlist. When we launch, your chosen city is yours to explore.
Join the waitlist and get one whole city free when Podtour launches. You choose where.
Podtour manages your launch request with your consent. You can withdraw it and exercise your rights as explained in our privacy policy. Privacy details.
One city per person. All its Podtour routes in Spanish and English. Available at launch. Offer details.
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