NB This is an Advertorial Feature for Visit York
We wanted to let you know a little bit more about what you can do here…
During the Summer school holidays we went for a day out in York and had a great day. We drove to the Grimston Bar park and ride, about an hour from Hull, and caught the bus into York city centre. This saved me panicking about where to park and I saved loads of money (parking is free, bus ticket is £5.10 for an adult, kids go free).
We spent the morning meandering around the shambles, the Minster and the shops. After lunch we hired a self drive boat along the river with City Cruises. My kids love doing this and it had been their request for our visit. You get an hour to drive up and down the river yourselves, taking in the sights of the city from a different angle, and my daughter loved being the driver! Lastly we went to the York Chocolate Story. We’ve never been here and didn’t know what to expect. The guided tour lasts an hour and you get to eat lots of chocolate on the way around, ending by making your own chocolate lolly. It was interactive, interesting and we learned a lot. We then headed back to the bus stop and were quickly back at our car ready for the drive home. My daughter was gutted we hadn’t made time for the Jorvik centre so we will be back in October half term for that!
Love a day out in York.
We’re so pleased to have teamed up with Visit York to offer an AMAZING prize of a Dream Day Out in York which includes, for a family of 4,:
💜 Family Park & Ride Tickets to access the city easily
💜 Family annual pass for Wonderlab: The Bramall Gallery at the National Railway Museum
💜 Entry for 4 to a York Castle Museum
The competition closed at midnight on Wednesday 21st August 2024 and the winner has been notified.
T&C’S
York is a fab place to visit during the week in Summer holidays and at the weekends in Autumn so if you’re planning a trip, we hope this info is useful for you…
Before you set off it’s a good idea to plan how you’re going to enter the city – of course there is parking available but it can be limited (and a little expensive!) so we find the easiest way is by bus… plus the kids love it and it makes it part of the trip!
You can make your journey into the city hassle-free by taking advantage of York Park & Ride. With free parking available at all sites – there are 6 so you won’t have to travel around the ring road to get to one… it’s a convenient and cost-effective option. Their fleet of 100% electric, zero-emissions buses are equipped with USB charging ports, free Wi-Fi, and luxury leather seats for a comfortable trip into the city. What’s even better, an Adult Return ticket costs just £3.60, and up to three children can travel for free! We love the app – Did you know you can track your bus in real-time so you know exactly when your service will arrive? Super helpful.
There are 3 attractions within the York Museum’s Trust group – York Art Gallery (currently with a Monet Exhibition) Yorkshire Museum (Showcasing Star Carr) and we’ve most recently visited the York Castle Museum. This brilliant Museum showcases history from the last few centuries and you can easily spend a full day here. You can really immerse yourself in the Homes, Working Life, Games and Fashions of the past.
There is a full sized Victorian Street which is always popular with our kids (including the back street toilets, school rooms, shops and more)
All Summer they have traditional games in the courtyard as well as Victorian Stilt Walkers and an itinerant band on Sundays!
There are lots of opportunities to dress up and the York Castle Prison is also well worth spending some time in, with the prisoners coming to life through projections.
More information about York Museums Trust 
Find out more on the York Museums Trust website.
York Art Gallery:
General admission – Free. Monet £8 adult/child free
Open Wed-Sun, 10am-5pm
Exhibition Square, York, YO1 7EW
Yorkshire Museum:
£8 per adult pre-booked/free child entrance for YO/City of York council postcodes.
Open Tues to Sun, 10am-5pm.
Museum Gardens, York
York Castle Museum:
14 adult pre-booked/child free . Free child entrance for YO/City of York council postcodes.
Open Mon, 11am-5pm and Tues – Sun, 10am-5pm.
Eye of York, York, YO1 9RY
York has a gorgeous river running right through the City Centre and you can Cruise down the Ouse with City Cruises this summer.
They offer a choice of options – from a self-drive boat where up to 5 people (and a dog!) can explore.. or you can take a sightseeing tour, lasting around 45 minutes and with Commentary telling you all about the history of York from the river.
They also offer the fantastic ‘Fish and Chips’ option where you can dine on board with one of York’s best fish and chips served to you while you sail.
For the full captains experience, download, print and colour in your Captains Hat before jumping aboard!
More information about City Cruises York Find out more on the City Cruise York website.
Day sightseeing cruise from £13 per adult/£7.50 per child/under 5s free. 1 hour boat ride from £35. Fish & Chip Cruise from £25 per adult/£15 per child/under 3s free.
Open seven days a week, see website for sailing times
King’s Staith Landing, York, YO1 9SN and Lendal Bridge Landing, York, YO1 7DP
York is famous for it’s chocolate… and you can learn all about the families who built this Chocolate History at Yorks Chocolate Story – right in the heart of the city.
We went along for the guided tour and loved learning all about it – plus loads of yummy chocolates to sample along the way.. would be rude not to wouldn’t it?!
The tour is so engaging using different technologies and wonderful tour guides.. you really do learn lots in a really fun way whatever your age! We even got to make our own chocolate lollipop at the end with loads of yummy toppings as well as watching how they make the delicious chocolates there today.
More information about York’s Chocolate Story Find out more on the York’s Chocolate Story Website
Adult £18.50 / Child £16 / Under 4’s Free / Family Tickets Available
Open seven days a week, 09.00–17.00.
King’s Square, York YO1 7LD
A trip to JORVIK is simply a ‘Must Do’ when coming to York. I remember this fantastic experience from my childhood and this year, they are celebrating 40 years since JORVIK opened on Coppergate.
The exhibition has been updated with guides talking you through the Viking history, a chance to see the real archeology site, preserved so you can walk in the footsteps of the Vikings.. and of course there is the tour around the Viking village with full commentary. You can see, smell and experience what Viking life was really like back then.
After the ‘Ride’ you can see some original artefacts including human remains, tools, coins and even a Viking poo! There are QR codes on many of the exhibits which leads to a video, further bringing it to life.
We love JORVIK and reckon you will too!
More information about Jorvik Viking Centre Find out more on the Jorvik Viking Centre Website
£16.50 Adult / £11 Child / Under 5 free / Family Tickets Available
Open seven days a week, 10.00–17.00.
19 Coppergate Walk, York, YO1 9WT
The National Railway Museum is one of the attractions we’re most proud of in York. If you’re on a budget, then it’s good to know that it’s donation only to enter the main attraction – but if you’re able then the (paid for) Wonderlab is WELL worth a visit.
It was new last year and has already proven very popular. It’s all about the different elements of engineering with 18 incredible interactive challenges to get involved with. Brand new for the summer holidays, take part in facilitated sessions for children and their adults with our team of Explainers to think like engineers as you design, build, test and improve your creations in an open and active way.
More information about the National Railway Museum Find out more on the National Railway Museum website.
Main Museum: Free, pre-book a ticket online.
Wonderlab: The Bramall Gallery: Day Tickets from £13.50 / under 2s free. Book tickets for Wonderlab: The Bramall Gallery here.
Flying Scotsman VR experience: £7 per person. Book tickets here.
Open seven days a week, 10.00–17.00. Last admission is at 16.30.
Leeman Road, York, YO26 4XJ
