podtour
Whitechapel, 1888: the victims of Jack the Ripper
You start in Mitre Square with Kate Eddowes, back from hop-picking in Kent without a penny, and with Liz Stride, who died that same night and told everyone about a shipwreck she never lived through.
The Tower of London and Pepys's Diary: audio walk in London
Around the Tower, without going in: Thomas More joking on the scaffold, the fake parson who stole the crown, the ravens and their modern legend, and the neighbour who wrote it all down, Samuel Pepys, between the plague of 1665 and the fire of 1666.
What this walk is about
You start beside a stretch of Roman wall that once held the tomb of a tax collector who asked for mercy, and climb to the site of the Tower Hill scaffold, where Thomas More asked for help going up and none coming down, and where, according to More's family, Charles V said what he'd have given for a counsellor like that. Facing the Tower, you'll hear how a colonel dressed as a parson stole the crown and walked away rewarded, how long the ravens have really been there, and what lies behind the names of its towers. Then you cross into Samuel Pepys's neighbourhood: the steeple from which he saw the burnt city, the explosion that had left it new, the street the fire came down, the garden where he buried his wine and his Parmesan, the doctor next door who shut himself in with the plague, and the church of the skulls he came back to in fear. All of it from the street.
- Start
- The merciful tax collector
- Finish
- Skulls at the gate and tombs above the ground
- Who it is for
- A good starting point for your first visit. A walk for anyone curious about Tudor and Stuart history and mysteries with dates.
- Languages
- Spanish and British English
- Underfoot
- The walk has slopes or changes in level. The route notes mention stairs or steps on the walk or its approaches.
The route, stop by stop
An outline of the walk. The full stories are in the app.
Loading the map…
Open a marker to see its page. Use two fingers to move the map on mobile.
- 1
The merciful tax collector
- 2
Help me up to the scaffold
- 3
The stand that collapsed
- 4
The supposed parson who stole the crown
- 5
When the raven legend began
- 6
Two boys and a caged bird
- 7
Twenty-seven barrels and a baby on the roof
- 8
Pepys's church tower
- 9
Tower Street in flames
- 10
Wine, papers and a Parmesan cheese
- 11
The doctor who stayed with the plague
- 12
Counting the plague's dead
- 13
Skulls at the gate and tombs above the ground
Walking directions are based on mapped pedestrian routes. Check local access and signs; the route is not an accessibility guarantee. Times are approximate.
London, before you go
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.
More walks nearby
The City: the Great Fire, the Money and the Legends
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.
Bankside and Southwark: Shakespeare's Other Bank
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.
Good to know
What is Podtour?
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.
When can I download the app?
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.
Does Podtour include attraction tickets?
No. Street walks and monument audio tours do not include admission tickets, transport or a guide accompanying you.
Can I listen without an internet connection?
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.
What languages are included?
Every route includes Spanish and British English. The English version is adapted for English-speaking travellers, rather than translated word for word.
How do I get a whole city for free?
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.
Can I buy for myself or for a group?
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.
How do I share, and when must guests accept?
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.
Can I add guests after buying?
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.
Your first city,
on Podtour.
Join the waitlist. When we launch, your chosen city is yours to explore.
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A little welcome gift
Your first city,
on Podtour.
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.