With kids · York · United Kingdom
York with kids
Family-tested sights, a calm base and the practical details that make travelling with children easier.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: webbedduck, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
York is one of England's best small cities for children: the free National Railway Museum, JORVIK's Viking ride, Clifford's Tower, ghost walks and the walls themselves turn history into an adventure, and the centre is compact and flat. Top picks: National Railway Museum, JORVIK Viking Centre and York Castle Museum. Families usually base themselves in Bootham and Clifton.
Key facts
- Family picks
- 8
- Best area for families
- Bootham and Clifton
- Rainy-day options
- 3
- Busiest months
- July–August
Best things to do with kids
Museum · Leeman Road
1.National Railway Museum
Behind York station, the free national museum fills vast halls with locomotives and carriages, including Mallard, the fastest steam locomotive in the world, royal carriages used by Queen Victoria, and a Japanese Shinkansen bullet train. There are outdoor play areas and a turntable demonstration.
Walk from the station via the footbridge in about 10 minutes, and check for turntable demonstrations on arrival.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Rainy day
- History
- Iconic
Museum · Coppergate
2.JORVIK Viking Centre
Built on the site of excavations that uncovered Viking-age houses and workshops at Coppergate in the 1970s and 80s, JORVIK takes visitors on a ride through a reconstruction of the 10th-century street, complete with sounds and smells, followed by galleries of the finds.
Book a timed ticket online; walk-up queues can be long, especially in school holidays.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Timed-entry tickets bought online help avoid long queues in summer and at half-term.
- Kids
- History
- Rainy day
- Iconic
Museum · Castle Area
3.York Castle Museum
Housed in former 18th-century prisons, the museum is known for Kirkgate, a recreated Victorian street with shops you can walk into, as well as period rooms, toys and the cells of the old debtors' prison where Dick Turpin was held before his execution.
Start with Kirkgate, then visit the prison cells; children enjoy both.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- History
- Rainy day
Historic site · City Centre
4.York City Walls
The medieval walls, built largely on Roman and Viking defences, run for about 3.4 km around much of the old city, with four main gateways (bars): Bootham, Monk, Walmgate and Micklegate. The walkway gives elevated views of the Minster, gardens and rooftops, and the section between Bootham Bar and Monk Bar has the classic Minster view.
Walk the stretch from Bootham Bar to Monk Bar for the best Minster views; the full circuit takes about two hours.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Iconic
- History
- Views
- Outdoors
Castle · Castle Area
5.Clifford's Tower
The 13th-century stone keep of York Castle stands on a steep mound built by William the Conqueror. English Heritage added a roof deck and walkways inside the ruin, which give views over the city and explain its history, including the massacre of the city's Jewish community in 1190.
Climb on a clear day for one of the best views of the Minster from the south.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Views
- Kids
Garden · Museum Gardens
6.Museum Gardens and Yorkshire Museum
Botanical gardens beside the Ouse surround the ruins of St Mary's Abbey, once one of the richest Benedictine abbeys in England, and part of the Roman fortress wall. The Yorkshire Museum inside has Roman, Viking and medieval collections, including the Middleham Jewel.
The gardens are free; picnic among the abbey ruins before visiting the museum.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Outdoors
- Kids
- Nature
Experience · King's Staith
7.River Ouse cruise
Sightseeing boats leave from King's Staith and Lendal Bridge for a one-hour trip on the Ouse past the Museum Gardens and out towards the Archbishop's Palace at Bishopthorpe, with commentary on the city's history. Evening cruises run in summer.
Take an evening cruise in summer for the light on the riverbanks and the pubs at King's Staith afterwards.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Couples
- Outdoors
- Views
Experience · City Centre
8.Evening ghost walk
York calls itself one of the most haunted cities in Europe, and evening ghost walks have run for decades, setting off from points such as the Minster and the Shambles to tell stories in the medieval lanes after dark. Tours mix history, theatre and humour.
Most walks set off around dusk without booking; bring cash or check whether card payment is accepted.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- After dark
- History
- Kids
- Couples
Rainy-day ideas
- JORVIK Viking Centre — Book a timed ticket online; walk-up queues can be long, especially in school holidays.
- National Railway Museum — Walk from the station via the footbridge in about 10 minutes, and check for turntable demonstrations on arrival.
- York Castle Museum — Start with Kirkgate, then visit the prison cells; children enjoy both.
Where families should stay
$$ · Best for quiet stays, budget and families
Bootham and Clifton
North-west of Bootham Bar, a short walk from the Minster, the streets of Bootham, Clifton and the Marygate area are lined with Victorian guesthouses and B&Bs. York Art Gallery, the Museum Gardens and St Mary's Abbey ruins are nearby, and the Ouse riverside paths lead back into the centre.
- Good
- Good-value guesthouses; Ten minutes' walk to the Minster; Quiet at night
- Watch out
- Busy main road on Bootham; Fewer restaurants on the doorstep
- Nearby
- Bootham Bar, York Art Gallery, Museum Gardens, York Minster
Family travel tips
- Under-16s often get free or reduced entry at York Minster and other attractions when accompanied by an adult; check each site.
- The walls have uneven steps and some low parapets, so hold small children's hands.
- JORVIK and the Castle Museum get busy at half-term; book tickets online.
- Family-friendly ghost walks start at dusk; check the tone is suitable for young children.
- Castle Howard's adventure playground and grounds make a good half-day trip.
Day trips for families
- Castle Howard (About 40 minutes by car or bus) — One of England's grandest stately homes, designed by John Vanbrugh in the early 18th century, with a painted dome, a vast landscaped park with temples and lakes, and an adventure playground.
- Whitby (About 1 hour 30 minutes–2 hours by car or coach) — A fishing port on the North Yorkshire coast where 199 steps climb to the clifftop ruins of Whitby Abbey, which helped inspire Bram Stoker's Dracula.
- Knaresborough (About 30 minutes by train) — A small market town on a gorge of the River Nidd, with a railway viaduct over the river, rowing boats for hire, castle ruins on the clifftop and Mother Shipton's Cave and petrifying well.
- Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal (About 50 minutes by car) — The ruins of a 12th-century Cistercian abbey, among the largest and best-preserved in England, set beside an 18th-century water garden with ponds, temples and a deer park.
- Scarborough (About 50 minutes by train) — A traditional seaside resort with two sandy bays separated by a headland crowned by Scarborough Castle, a harbour, a funicular railway and a long promenade.
- North York Moors Railway (About 1 hour by car or bus to Pickering) — A heritage steam railway runs from Pickering across the heather moorland of the North York Moors via Goathland, which doubled as Hogsmeade station in the Harry Potter films, with some trains continuing to Whitby.
When to go with children
The best months overall are May–June and September. July–August are the busiest, so book the big sights early. Weather by month.
Questions travellers ask
+Is York good for kids?
York is one of England's best small cities for children: the free National Railway Museum, JORVIK's Viking ride, Clifford's Tower, ghost walks and the walls themselves turn history into an adventure, and the centre is compact and flat.
+What can kids do in York?
National Railway Museum, JORVIK Viking Centre, York Castle Museum, York City Walls and Clifford's Tower.
+Where should families stay in York?
Bootham and Clifton: Victorian terraces and guesthouses just outside the walls near the Minster.