Things to do in York when it rains
York on a wet day is the Minster, the Railway Museum, Jorvik, the Castle Museum and a long lunch, with Bettys for the queue-worthy tea, and all of it a short dash between doors.
18 picks that fit, best first. The order assumes the conditions in the title; the live forecast only nudges it.
National Railway Museum
Leeman Road
Mallard, the Flying Scotsman’s home and a Japanese bullet train in the biggest railway museum in the world, free.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter. Free.
- Free
- Indoors
- Half a day
- Good with kids
York Minster
Minster Yard
The largest Gothic cathedral in northern Europe, with medieval glass and a tower over the whole city.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter.
- Over £25
- Indoors
- Half a day
- Good with kids
Free to attend a service; tower extra
JORVIK Viking Centre
Coppergate
A ride through a recreated Viking street, smells included, on the site where it was dug up.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter.
- £10 to £25
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
- Good with kids
York Castle Museum
Eye of York
A recreated Victorian street, the condemned cell that held Dick Turpin and rooms through the centuries.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter.
- £10 to £25
- Indoors
- Half a day
- Good with kids
Fossgate and Walmgate
Fossgate
The restaurant street: independents from tapas to Yorkshire ale, beside the Foss.
Mostly under cover.
- £10 to £25
- In and out
- Under 2 hours
- Fine in rain
York Art Gallery
Exhibition Square
Six hundred years of painting and the country’s best collection of studio pottery, free, opposite Bootham Bar.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter. Free.
- Free
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
Free; some exhibitions ticketed
Bettys Café Tea Rooms
St Helen’s Square
The Yorkshire tea room since 1936, with a fat rascal, a queue and a mirror signed by wartime airmen.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter.
- £10 to £25
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
- Good with kids
York's Chocolate Story
King’s Square
Guided tour of the city that gave the world Kit Kat and Terry’s Chocolate Orange, with tastings.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter.
- £10 to £25
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
- Good with kids
Micklegate
Micklegate
The Georgian street of pubs from the bar to the bridge, and the Micklegate Run that ends at the river.
Mostly under cover.
- Under £10
- In and out
- Under 2 hours
- Fine in rain
River Ouse cruise
King’s Staith
An hour on the river past the Guildhall, the Museum Gardens and the bishop’s palace, with commentary.
Mostly under cover.
- £10 to £25
- In and out
- Under 2 hours
- Fine in rain
- Good with kids
Yorkshire Air Museum
Elvington
A wartime bomber base kept as it was, with a Halifax, a Victor and engine-run days.
Mostly under cover.
- £10 to £25
- In and out
- Half a day
- Fine in rain
- Good with kids
Barley Hall
Coffee Yard
A medieval townhouse hidden down a snickelway, restored to 1483 and open to touch.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter.
- Under £10
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
- Good with kids
Merchant Adventurers' Hall
Fossgate
A timber-framed guildhall from 1357, still owned by the guild that built it, with a garden by the Foss.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter.
- Under £10
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
The York Dungeon
Clifford Street
Actor-led horror history, from the Vikings to Guy Fawkes, with jump scares for the brave.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter.
- Over £25
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
- Good with kids
Treasurer's House
Minster Yard
A collector’s townhouse behind the Minster, with the cellar where a plumber saw Roman soldiers march through.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter.
- Under £10
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
York Cold War Bunker
Holgate
A nuclear monitoring bunker kept as it was in 1991, shown by guided tour.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter.
- Under £10
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
Guided tours on set days
York Theatre Royal
St Leonard’s Place
A theatre since 1744, with a producing company, a famous panto and a glass foyer over medieval walls.
Comes alive in the evening.
- £10 to £25
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
- Good with kids
Grand Opera House
Cumberland Street
The city’s touring house for musicals, comedy and bands, in an Edwardian theatre by the river.
Comes alive in the evening.
- Over £25
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
Good to know
What can you do in York on a rainy day?
Head indoors. York has 18 rain-proof picks on this list, from free museums and galleries to covered markets and food halls. The list is re-ordered for the live forecast, so the strongest indoor options come first when it is actually raining.
Are there free indoor things to do in York?
Yes. Look for the "Free" label on the cards. The National Railway Museum, York Art Gallery, the city walls, the Museum Gardens, the Shambles and the snickelways cost nothing.