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Jorvik House, York

Things to do guide

The best things to do in York

Updated 7 October 2026 · 14 things to do

Pictured: Jorvik House

York is England in miniature, squeezed inside a ring of medieval walls. The Romans founded it, the Vikings renamed it, and the wool merchants of the Middle Ages made it rich enough to build one of the great cathedrals of Europe. All three left their fingerprints, which is why a ten-minute walk here can take you past a Roman column, a Viking street name and a pub that has been pouring since the Tudors.

It is also wonderfully small. Almost everything worth seeing sits within a mile of the Minster, so you can leave the car at home, walk everywhere and still have energy for a pint at the end. Give it two days, bring comfortable shoes for the cobbles, and expect to eat a lot of cake.

Don't miss

  1. 1York Minster
  2. 2The city walls
  3. 3The Shambles
  4. 4National Railway Museum
  5. 5Castle Howard

The big sights

Two thousand years of history, most of it within a short walk.

  1. York Minster

    Landmark

    The nave of York Minster looking towards the west window
    Photo: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0

    One of the largest Gothic cathedrals in northern Europe, the Minster took around 250 years to build and it shows. The scale is staggering, but the glass is the real treasure: the Great East Window is a wall of medieval stained glass the size of a tennis court, and the Five Sisters in the north transept glow a soft grey-green.

    If your knees are willing, climb the central tower for a view over the rooftops to the Yorkshire countryside. Then head down to the undercroft, where the remains of the Roman fortress lie beneath the cathedral floor.

    Tip: Come for evensong if you can. You hear the choir, see the building at its most atmospheric and sit in the medieval quire.

  2. The city walls

    Landmark

    A stretch of York's medieval city walls
    Photo: Tim Green from Bradford, CC BY 2.0

    York has the longest medieval town walls in England, and you can walk nearly the whole circuit along the top. It takes a couple of unhurried hours, passing through the four great fortified gateways, known here as bars: Bootham, Monk, Walmgate and Micklegate. The stretch between Bootham Bar and Monk Bar is the one to do if you are short on time. It runs behind the Minster, looking down into the Deanery gardens, and gives the best views in the city.

    Tip: The walls are narrow and unfenced in places, and they close in icy weather. In spring the grassy banks below are covered in daffodils.

  3. The Shambles

    Neighbourhood

    The Shambles, a narrow medieval street in York
    Photo: Paul Buckingham, CC BY-SA 2.0

    York's most famous street was once lined with butchers' shops, and you can still see the meat hooks and the wide wooden shelves where the cuts were displayed. The timber-framed houses lean so far towards each other that the upper floors almost touch. Today it is all fudge, wands and gift shops, and by midday it is shoulder to shoulder. Duck into the snickelways, the narrow alleys that thread between the streets, to find the quieter corners.

    Tip: Go before breakfast or after dark, when the street is empty and looks its best.

  4. Clifford's Tower

    Landmark

    Clifford's Tower, the keep of York Castle, on its mound
    Photo: Steven Fruitsmaak, Public domain

    Perched on a steep grassy mound, this stone keep is almost all that remains of York Castle. William the Conqueror raised the mound; the tower on top came in the 13th century. It was also the site of one of the darkest episodes in the city's history, the massacre of York's Jewish community in 1190. A roof deck and walkways inside the shell tell the story well, and the view from the top takes in the Minster and the whole of the old city.

Museums

Trains, Vikings and a Victorian street: York's museums are as good for children as for adults.

  1. National Railway Museum

    Museum

    The steam locomotive Mallard at the National Railway Museum in York
    Photo: PTG Dudva, CC BY-SA 3.0

    You do not need to be a train enthusiast to enjoy this. The great hall is filled with giants of the steam age, among them Mallard, the streamlined blue locomotive that still holds the world speed record for steam, alongside a Japanese bullet train and a line of royal carriages fitted out like travelling drawing rooms. It sits right behind the station, so it is an easy first or last stop on a rail trip. Children love it, and so do grandparents.

  2. Jorvik Viking Centre

    Museum

    In the 1970s, archaeologists digging at Coppergate uncovered the remarkably well-preserved remains of Viking-age York: houses, workshops, shoes, even cesspits. The centre stands on that very spot. A slow ride carries you through a reconstruction of the streets as they were a thousand years ago, complete with sounds and some memorable smells. Afterwards you see the real finds up close. It is short, vivid and great for families.

    Tip: Queues build quickly in school holidays, so book a time slot ahead.

  3. York Castle Museum

    Museum

    Kirkgate, the recreated Victorian street in York Castle Museum
    Photo: Jeff Buck, CC BY-SA 2.0

    Housed in the old prison buildings beside Clifford's Tower, this is a museum of everyday life. Its star is Kirkgate, a full-size Victorian street with cobbles, shopfronts and a schoolroom you can walk straight into. Downstairs are the original prison cells, including the one where the highwayman Dick Turpin spent his last days. It suits anyone who prefers their history with sweet shops and toy cupboards over dates and battles.

  4. Yorkshire Museum and Gardens

    Museum

    The ruins of St Mary's Abbey in York's Museum Gardens
    Photo: Jeff Buck, CC BY-SA 2.0

    The Museum Gardens are the city's favourite picnic spot: ten acres of lawns and trees beside the river, scattered with the romantic ruins of St Mary's Abbey and a corner tower of the Roman fortress. Squirrels are bold; guard your sandwiches. In the middle stands the Yorkshire Museum, with Roman mosaics, Viking treasure and medieval finds from across the county. The gardens alone are worth half an hour on a sunny day.

Eat and drink

  1. Bettys

    Food

    Bettys Café Tea Rooms on St Helen's Square in York
    Photo: Spudgun67, CC BY-SA 4.0

    A Yorkshire institution. Bettys opened in Harrogate over a century ago, and its York tea room on St Helen's Square is a vision of polished wood, silver teapots and waiting staff in white aprons. Afternoon tea is the big event, but a pot of tea and a Fat Rascal, a plump fruity scone with a cherry-and-almond face, does the job nicely.

    Tip: There is nearly always a queue. Mid-morning on a weekday is the calmest time.

  2. Shambles Market

    Market

    Shambles Market in York
    Photo: Mx. Granger, CC0

    Tucked behind the Shambles, the city's open-air market runs every day. Stalls sell fruit, flowers, cheese, books and crafts, and one corner is given over to street food, with picnic benches where you can eat in the open air. It is the quickest good lunch in the centre, and a useful escape when the Shambles itself is too crowded to move.

  3. York's historic pubs

    Nightlife

    York likes to say it has a pub for every day of the year. That is hard to prove, but it has plenty, and many are centuries old, with low beams, uneven floors and open fires. Stonegate, Goodramgate and Fossgate are good hunting grounds. Yorkshire ale is the thing to drink. Ghost stories come free: this is often called one of the most haunted cities in England, and evening ghost walks set off from the centre most nights.

Day trips

A grand house, the moors and the coast, all within easy reach.

  1. Castle Howard

    Day trip

    Castle Howard, a stately home in North Yorkshire
    Photo: acediscovery, CC BY 4.0

    North-east of the city, in the Howardian Hills, stands one of the grandest country houses in England: a domed baroque palace designed by Sir John Vanbrugh, set among lakes, temples and a walled rose garden. It has been home to the Howard family for more than 300 years. You may recognise it from Brideshead Revisited, which was filmed here twice. Allow most of a day, as the grounds alone take hours to explore.

  2. Whitby

    Day trip

    The ruins of Whitby Abbey
    Photo: Juliet220, CC BY-SA 3.0

    A fishing port on the Yorkshire coast with red-roofed cottages stacked up either side of the harbour. Climb the famous 199 steps to the clifftop ruins of Whitby Abbey, the Gothic skeleton that helped inspire Bram Stoker's Dracula. Then come back down for what many people consider the real reason to visit: fish and chips eaten on the harbourside, with one eye on the seagulls.

  3. North York Moors

    Nature

    Purple heather in bloom on the North York Moors
    Photo: Thelight00702, CC BY-SA 4.0

    A national park of open heather moorland, deep green dales and stone villages, running from the market towns north of York all the way to the sea. In late summer the heather flowers and whole hillsides turn purple. Walkers have endless choice. If you would sooner sit, the North Yorkshire Moors Railway runs steam trains through the heart of the park from Pickering.

Where to stay in York

Not sure which area suits you? Read our guide: Where to stay in York →

Getting around

Walk. The centre is compact and largely traffic-free, and almost every sight in the city is within about 20 minutes of the station on foot. A car is more trouble than it is worth inside the walls, so use the park-and-ride sites on the ring road if you are driving. For Castle Howard, the moors and the coast, a car or an organised tour makes life easier.

When to go

York works all year. Spring brings daffodils to the walls, summer is the busiest and liveliest season, and December fills the streets with a big Christmas market. Weekends and race days are crowded; midweek is calmer. Pack a waterproof whatever the month.

Questions about visiting York

What is York best known for?
York Minster, one of the great Gothic cathedrals of Europe, along with its medieval city walls, the timber-framed Shambles, its Viking and Roman history, and the National Railway Museum.
Is York worth visiting?
Yes. It is one of the best-preserved historic cities in England, small enough to explore on foot, and packed with museums, pubs and tea rooms. It is also an easy rail trip from London, Edinburgh and Manchester.
How many days do you need in York?
Two days covers the Minster, the walls, the Shambles and a couple of museums at a relaxed pace. Add a third if you want a day trip to Castle Howard, Whitby or the North York Moors.
What is there to do in York with kids?
The National Railway Museum, the Jorvik Viking Centre and the Victorian street at York Castle Museum are the big hits. Walking the walls, climbing Clifford's Tower and an evening ghost walk go down well with older children.
Do you need a car in York?
No. The centre is compact and mostly pedestrianised, and the station is a short walk from the sights. A car only helps for trips into the countryside.

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