Things to do in York with kids
The Railway Museum, Jorvik, the Chocolate Story, the river cruise and the Dungeon for older children; the walls and Rowntree Park for running about.
18 picks that fit, best first. The order follows the live forecast and the time of day.
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.
Rain is due later, and this is under cover. 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.
Rain is due later, and this is under cover.
- Over £25
- Indoors
- Half a day
- Good with kids
Free to attend a service; tower extra
The Shambles and Shambles Market
City centre
The overhanging medieval street of butchers’ shops, now sweets and wizard shops, with the market beside it.
Free.
- Free
- In and out
- Under 2 hours
- Good with kids
JORVIK Viking Centre
Coppergate
A ride through a recreated Viking street, smells included, on the site where it was dug up.
Rain is due later, and this is under cover.
- £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.
Rain is due later, and this is under cover.
- £10 to £25
- Indoors
- Half a day
- Good with kids
Castle Howard
Day trip
The baroque palace of Brideshead Revisited, with a thousand acres of gardens, lakes and temples.
- Over £25
- In and out
- A full day
- Good with kids
Museum Gardens and the Yorkshire Museum
Museum Street
Botanical gardens with abbey ruins, a Roman tower and peacocks, free, with the Yorkshire Museum inside.
Go now, before the rain arrives. Free.
- Free
- Outdoors
- Under 2 hours
- Good with kids
Gardens free; museum 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.
Rain is due later, and this is under cover.
- £10 to £25
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
- Good with kids
River Ouse cruise
King’s Staith
An hour on the river past the Guildhall, the Museum Gardens and the bishop’s palace, with commentary.
Rain is due later, and this is under cover.
- £10 to £25
- In and out
- Under 2 hours
- Fine in rain
- 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.
Rain is due later, and this is under cover.
- £10 to £25
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
- Good with kids
Yorkshire Air Museum
Elvington
A wartime bomber base kept as it was, with a Halifax, a Victor and engine-run days.
Rain is due later, and this is under cover.
- £10 to £25
- In and out
- Half a day
- Fine in rain
- Good with kids
Clifford's Tower
Tower Street
The keep of York Castle on its grassy mound, with a new roof deck looking over the whole city.
- Under £10
- In and out
- Under 2 hours
- Good with kids
Rowntree Park
South Bank
The chocolate family’s gift to the city: a riverside park with a lake, a café and a skate park.
Go now, before the rain arrives. Free.
- Free
- Outdoors
- Under 2 hours
- Good with kids
The snickelways
City centre
The alleys, ginnels and passages that thread the medieval centre, free to explore with a map.
Go now, before the rain arrives. Free.
- Free
- Outdoors
- Under 2 hours
- Good with kids
Barley Hall
Coffee Yard
A medieval townhouse hidden down a snickelway, restored to 1483 and open to touch.
Rain is due later, and this is under cover.
- Under £10
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
- Good with kids
The York Dungeon
Clifford Street
Actor-led horror history, from the Vikings to Guy Fawkes, with jump scares for the brave.
Rain is due later, and this is under cover.
- Over £25
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
- Good with kids
York ghost walk
The Shambles
The most haunted city in England does its ghost stories every night, by lantern, from the Shambles.
Comes alive in the evening.
- Under £10
- Outdoors
- Under 2 hours
- Good with kids
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
Good to know
What is there to do in York with children?
The Railway Museum, Jorvik, the Chocolate Story, the river cruise and the Dungeon for older children; the walls and Rowntree Park for running about. This list keeps 18 places that work with kids and moves the indoor ones up when it is raining.
Which of these are free for families?
Look for the "Free" label. Most cities have at least a couple of free museums and a big park on this list, which makes a cheap day out easy to put together.