yorkshire england tourism

Places to visit in Yorkshire

Affectionately known as ‘God’s Country’ by locals, visit Yorkshire and you too will be converted by the stunning scenery, cities steeped in industrial heritage, and charming market towns to explore. Delightful places to visit in Yorkshire include Beverley, a thriving medieval market town, and historic York where you can admire gothic York Minster cathedral. Looking for a challenge? Fun things to do in Yorkshire include uphill climbs across the Yorkshire Dales, where you’ll be rewarded by jaw-dropping views, or try your hand at surfing in beach towns like Scarborough. Or simply take a leisurely stroll around cosmopolitan Leeds for museums, galleries and excellent shopping in abundance.

193 Experience Results

View results as:

• East Riding of Yorkshire (18) Apply East Riding of Yorkshire filter
• North York Moors (36) Apply North York Moors filter
• Scarborough (27) Apply Scarborough filter
• York (16) Apply York filter
• Yorkshire Dales and Harrogate (16) Apply Yorkshire Dales and Harrogate filter
• South Yorkshire (20) Apply South Yorkshire filter
• Leeds (10) Apply Leeds filter
• (-) Remove Yorkshire filter Yorkshire
• Lancashire (1) Apply Lancashire filter
• Peak District (1) Apply Peak District filter
• Accessible breaks and places to stay (1) Apply Accessible breaks and places to stay filter
• Boating (4) Apply Boating filter
• Countryside pursuits (2) Apply Countryside pursuits filter
• Cycling (4) Apply Cycling filter
• Extreme Sports (2) Apply Extreme Sports filter
• Going underground (1) Apply Going underground filter
• Tours and trails (14) Apply Tours and trails filter
• Walking and hiking (9) Apply Walking and hiking filter
• Autumn Break Ideas (5) Apply Autumn Break Ideas filter
• Free (4) Apply Free filter
• Low cost (3) Apply Low cost filter
• Markets (1) Apply Markets filter
• Neighbourhoods (2) Apply Neighbourhoods filter
• Beaches (1) Apply Beaches filter
• Coastal towns (18) Apply Coastal towns filter
• Harbours and fishing villages (6) Apply Harbours and fishing villages filter
• Seaside resorts (1) Apply Seaside resorts filter
• Areas of outstanding natural beauty (2) Apply Areas of outstanding natural beauty filter
• Forests and woodlands (4) Apply Forests and woodlands filter
• Gardens and Parks (9) Apply Gardens and Parks filter
• Lakes and waterways (4) Apply Lakes and waterways filter
• National Parks (33) Apply National Parks filter
• Wildlife and Nature Reserves (1) Apply Wildlife and Nature Reserves filter
• Architectural wonders (1) Apply Architectural wonders filter
• Arts and cultural events (3) Apply Arts and cultural events filter
• Festivals and carnivals (15) Apply Festivals and carnivals filter
• Hidden gems (1) Apply Hidden gems filter
• Literature, film and TV (12) Apply Literature, film and TV filter
• Museums galleries and libraries (17) Apply Museums galleries and libraries filter
• Music and nightlife (5) Apply Music and nightlife filter
• Music festivals in England (2) Apply Music festivals in England filter
• Outdoor art and sculpture (3) Apply Outdoor art and sculpture filter
• Days Out in England (3) Apply Days Out in England filter
• April events (2) Apply April events filter
• August events (1) Apply August events filter
• February events (2) Apply February events filter
• July events (4) Apply July events filter
• June events (1) Apply June events filter
• March events (1) Apply March events filter
• May events (2) Apply May events filter
• November events (1) Apply November events filter
• October events (3) Apply October events filter
• September events (6) Apply September events filter
• Attractions (12) Apply Attractions filter
• Indoor Activities (13) Apply Indoor Activities filter
• Outdoor Activities (2) Apply Outdoor Activities filter
• Playtime (1) Apply Playtime filter
• Theme Parks (2) Apply Theme Parks filter
• Toddler Friendly Holidays (3) Apply Toddler Friendly Holidays filter
• Zoos wildlife and safari parks (4) Apply Zoos wildlife and safari parks filter
• Afternoon tea (2) Apply Afternoon tea filter
• Breweries and distilleries (1) Apply Breweries and distilleries filter
• Cookery courses (1) Apply Cookery courses filter
• Eating out (4) Apply Eating out filter
• Food markets and experiences (4) Apply Food markets and experiences filter
• Pubs and cocktail bars (5) Apply Pubs and cocktail bars filter
• Regional specialities (3) Apply Regional specialities filter
• Vineyards and wine tasting (2) Apply Vineyards and wine tasting filter
• Abbeys cathedrals and sacred places (3) Apply Abbeys cathedrals and sacred places filter
• Archaeological sites (1) Apply Archaeological sites filter
• Castles and Historic Properties (21) Apply Castles and Historic Properties filter
• Historic sites and icons (4) Apply Historic sites and icons filter
• Industrial Maritime And Transport (13) Apply Industrial Maritime And Transport filter
• Military history (3) Apply Military history filter
• Myths Legends and Tales (3) Apply Myths Legends and Tales filter
• World heritage sites (5) Apply World heritage sites filter
• Courses Learning and Self Improvement (1) Apply Courses Learning and Self Improvement filter
• Luxury and indulgence (6) Apply Luxury and indulgence filter
• Shopping and fashion (6) Apply Shopping and fashion filter
• Spa Breaks (5) Apply Spa Breaks filter
• Rural and Coastal Escapes (10) Apply Rural and Coastal Escapes filter
• Unique Experiences (3) Apply Unique Experiences filter
• Le Tour de France Grand Départ 2014 (1) Apply Le Tour de France Grand Départ 2014 filter
• Sporting Events (1) Apply Sporting Events filter
• Autumn (40) Apply Autumn filter
• Spring (36) Apply Spring filter
• Summer (52) Apply Summer filter
• Winter (33) Apply Winter filter

See the light at the end of the tunnel

Standedge Tunnel, in the heart of the Pennine countryside, is the longest canal tunnel in Britain.

Location: Marsden, Yorkshire

Kiss under the Heart of Yorkshire window at the Minster

According to legend, all loved up couples that kiss under the 'Heart of Yorkshire' window, will stay together forever.

Location: York, North Yorkshire

Go shopping medieval-style along The Shambles

Travel back in time along one of Europe’s best-preserved medieval shopping streets, with cheerful cafés and quirky shops in timber-framed buildings.

March along England's longest medieval city walls

Enjoy a bird's-eye view of the city and stroll along its 13th century defensive walls, passing historic landmarks, gatehouses and gardens.

Get on board at the National Railway Museum

The world's largest railway museum is home to a staggering collection of restored locomotives, including the fastest steam engine of all time.

Rainy Day Activities: Step back in time at York Castle Museum

Travel back in time on a rainy day at this trend-setting museum, which transports visitors back through 300 years of history.

Go ghost hunting in ‘Europe's most haunted city’

York claims to be the world’s first city to run ghost walks – you’ll soon see why, with tales of murder, mayhem and gore at every corner.

Take a cruise along the River Ouse

The city of York owes its existence to the rivers. Escape the city rush and admire the scenery from the comfort of a City Cruises boat.

Explore the city of York by bike

York is voted as one of the most bike-friendly cities in England with a wide range of cycle routes through the city and beyond.

See England's finest view from Sutton Bank

Celebrated author and vet James Herriot gave the view from Sutton Bank the ultimate accolade – “England’s finest”. Find out if he was right…

Location: Sutton Bank, near Thirsk, North Yorkshire

Keeping it in the family at Castle Howard

The Howard family has called Castle Howard home for 300 years but their house is your house as you explore one of Yorkshire’s finest historic estates.

Celebrate Ryedale's heritage at the Folk Museum

Discover this hidden gem deep in the North York Moors National Park and uncover English antiques and curiosities.

Location: Hutton-le-Hole, North Yorkshire

Take on adventures aplenty in Dalby Forest

See some of Yorkshire’s beautiful countryside from a mountain bike, Segway, tree-top trail and by night, at one of the UK’s premier activity centres.

Location: Dalby Forest, North Yorkshire

Nine floors of silver-screens

A visit to the National Media Museum is a must if you love photography, film, television, animation, gaming or the internet.

Location: Bradford, West Yorkshire

Life in Victorian Bradford

Founded by Sir Titus Salt in 1853, Saltaire is a UNESCO World Heritage site and remains a living, working 19th century village.

Location: Saltaire, West Yorkshire

Ride the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway

This exciting heritage steam railway runs through the picturesque Yorkshire countryside where the classic movie The Railway Children was filmed.

Location: Keighley, West Yorkshire

Walk in the footsteps of the famous Brontë sisters

Visit the Bronte Parsonage Museum and explore the beautiful home and surroundings that inspired classic Brontë novels.

Location: Haworth, West Yorkshire

Rainy Day Activities: Discover military history at The Royal Armouries

Britain’s national museum of arms and armour is home to a fascinating and unique collection, including the only existing suit of armour built for an elephant.

Location: Leeds, West Yorkshire

Splash your cash in Victoria Leeds

A haven for designer brands, Victoria Leeds is the destination for luxury shopping.

Embrace the pop-up dining trend at Trinity Kitchen

Take your pick from a mix of vibrant restaurants and street food vans all under one roof.

Visit the Yorkshire Sculpture Triangle

Celebrate 200 of the world’s greatest artists at 4 leading arts venues in Yorkshire.

Location: Wakefield, West Yorkshire

• See more results

Related Items

Yorkshire dales & harrogate.

A grand gothic cathedral, Viking heritage and Roman city walls. York is quite literally steeped in history. This North Yorkshire city can be seen from every angle.

North York Moors

Rights-of-way footpaths cut across heather coated heathland, ridges and North Sea cliff edges in the North York Moors. Follow dinosaur footprints to the Jurassic bays of the Heritage Coast.

We've something we want to share

Want to receive travel tips and ideas by email?

VisitEngland would like to invite you to take part in a short survey about our website, it should take no more than a couple of minutes.

Go to the survey

To add items to favourites …

… you need to be logged in.

If you already have an account, log in.

Or register a new account

Access your account

Visit Yorkshire!

Welcome to england's premier county, on this site you can find the information you need for a visit to yorkshire.

• Check out Visitor Guides to the Yorkshire Dales , York , North York Moors , Yorkshire Coast , Yorkshire Wolds , towns and villages
• Explore Yorkshire with our interactive maps
• Find accommodation in our Where to Stay in Yorkshire section
• View details of Yorkshire's leading attractions in our What to See and Do section

We hope you enjoy this website

Andrew Montgomery

With a population as big as Scotland's and an area half the size of Belgium, Yorkshire is almost a country in itself. It has its own flag, its own dialect and its own celebration, Yorkshire Day (1 August).

Best Things to Do

Leave the planning to a local expert.

Experience the real Yorkshire. Let a local expert handle the planning for you.

Attractions

Must-see attractions.

Whitby Abbey

There are ruined abbeys, and there are picturesque ruined abbeys. And then there's Whitby Abbey, dominating the skyline above the East Cliff like a great…

York Minster

York Minster is the largest medieval cathedral in northern Europe, and one of the world's most beautiful Gothic buildings. Seat of the archbishop of York,…

Castle Howard

North Yorkshire

Stately homes may be two a penny in England, but you'll have to try pretty damn hard to find one as breathtakingly stately as Castle Howard, a work of…

Yorkshire Sculpture Park

West Yorkshire

One of England's most impressive collections of sculpture is scattered across the formidable 18th-century estate of Bretton Park, 200-odd hectares of…

Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal

The alluring and strangely obsessive water gardens of the Studley Royal estate were built in the 18th century to enhance the picturesque ruins of 12th…

National Railway Museum

York's National Railway Museum – the biggest in the world, with more than 100 locomotives – is well presented and crammed with fascinating stuff. It is…

Jorvik Viking Centre

Interactive multimedia exhibits aimed at bringing history to life often achieve exactly the opposite, but the much-hyped Jorvik manages to pull it off…

Rievaulx Abbey

North York Moors National Park

In the secluded valley of the River Rye about 3 miles west of Helmsley, amid fields and woods loud with birdsong, stand the magnificent ruins of Rievaulx…

Top picks from our travel experts

The best things to do in yorkshire, uk.

Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet

In the days before steel mills, metalworking was carried out in hamlet communities like Abbeydale, situated by rivers and dams that were harnessed for…

Northern Monk

So successful has this craft brewery become that its beers are now stocked in UK supermarkets. But it's best drunk at the source, in the brewery's Grade…

Wilberforce House

The wealth that Britain amassed as the world's first industrial nation was directly aided by the transatlantic slave trade, and this important museum…

A classic tearoom in a classic location with views across the park, Bettys is a local institution. It was established in 1919 by a Swiss immigrant…

Pipe and Glass Inn

Set in a picturesque hamlet 4 miles northwest of Beverley, this charming Michelin-starred country pub has a delightfully informal setting, with weathered…

This thatch-roofed country pub is home to a Michelin-starred restaurant, with a menu specialising in top-quality produce from the surrounding countryside:…

Captain Cook Memorial Museum

This fascinating museum occupies the house of the ship owner with whom Cook began his seafaring career. Highlights include the attic where Cook lodged as…

Wensleydale Creamery

Yorkshire Dales National Park

Wensleydale Creamery is devoted to the production of a crumbly white cheese that's the favourite of animation characters Wallace and Gromit. You can visit…

Hepworth Wakefield

West Yorkshire's standing in the international arts scene got a boost in 2011 when the Yorkshire Sculpture Park was joined by this award-winning gallery…

Malham Cove

North of Malham village, a 0.75-mile field walk beside a lovely babbling stream leads to Malham Cove, a huge rock amphitheatre lined with 80m-high…

Leeds Art Gallery

This major gallery is packed with 19th- and 20th-century British heavyweights – Turner, Constable, Stanley Spencer, Wyndham Lewis et al – along with…

St Mary's Church

The 199 steps of Church Stairs lead steeply up from the end of Church St, passing the spooky graveyard of St Mary's Church, a favourite haunt of Goth…

Tetley Brewery's defunct 1930s offices have been converted into a contemporary-arts venue with a restaurant and pub on the ground floor, spilling out onto…

Keighley & Worth Valley Railway

This vintage railway runs steam and classic diesel engines between Keighley and Oxenhope via Haworth. The classic 1970 movie The Railway Children was shot…

Forbidden Corner

There can surely be no other place like this in the world: a modern walled garden furnished with Victorian-style follies, some veering into gothic horror,…

Tan Hill Inn

Built to cater for 19th-century miners, Tan Hill's claim to fame is that it's Britain’s highest pub, at an elevation of 328m (1732ft). It perches in the…

Turkish Baths

Plunge into Harrogate's past at the town's fabulously tiled Turkish Baths. This mock-Moorish facility is gloriously Victorian and offers a range of watery…

National Coal Mining Museum for England

For close to three centuries, West and South Yorkshire were synonymous with coal production. The collieries shaped and scarred the landscape and entire…

Merchant Adventurers' Hall

York's most impressive semi-timbered building is still owned by the fraternity that built it almost 650 years ago and it is the oldest surviving guildhall…

Kelham Island Museum

Sheffield's prodigious industrial heritage is the subject of this excellent museum, set on a human-made island in the city's oldest industrial district…

Black Sheep Brewery

Founded in 1992 by the 'black sheep' of the Theakston family, who refused to work for the multinational company that took over Yorkshire's highly regarded…

North Yorkshire Moors Railway

This privately owned railway runs for 18 miles through beautiful countryside from Pickering to Whitby. Lovingly restored steam locos pull period carriages…

Barley Hall

This restored medieval townhouse, tucked down an alleyway, includes a permanent exhibition of life in the times of Henry VIII. It was once the home of…

Brontë Parsonage Museum

Set in a pretty garden overlooking Haworth parish church and graveyard, the house where the Brontë family lived from 1820 to 1861 is now a museum. The…

Plan with a local

Experience the real England

Let a local expert craft your dream trip.

Latest stories from Yorkshire

Filter by interest:

• All Interests
• Adventure Travel
• Art & Culture
• Beaches, Coasts & Islands
• Food & Drink

Jul 15, 2022 • 11 min read

Yorkshire is awash with scenic landscapes, historic architecture and agreeable country pubs. Here are the top things to do in God’s Own County.

Jun 30, 2020 • 2 min read

Jun 7, 2019 • 5 min read

May 26, 2019 • 4 min read

Mar 22, 2019 • 4 min read

Mar 13, 2019 • 7 min read

Feb 1, 2019 • 4 min read

Feb 1, 2019 • 2 min read

Oct 25, 2018 • 5 min read

Sep 3, 2018 • 5 min read

in partnership with getyourguide

Book popular activities in Yorkshire

Purchase our award-winning guidebooks.

Get to the heart of Yorkshire with one of our in-depth, award-winning guidebooks, covering maps, itineraries, and expert guidance.

Yorkshire and beyond

Yorkshire Travel Guide

By: Author Tracy Collins

Posted on Last updated: May 29, 2023

O ur  Yorkshire Travel Guide  includes recommended places to visit and things to do, best day trips, accommodation options, tips and more for England’s largest county. Everything you need to plan your visit and essential reading for any visitor to Yorkshire (or as the locals like to call it “God’s own country”

Plan your visit to Yorkshire

Yorkshire, England’s largest county offers visitors historic cities, beautiful countryside, pretty seaside towns, areas of outstanding natural beauty, rivers, waterfalls, 3 National Parks and countless day trip opportunities.

What you will find in this complete Yorkshire Travel Guide

Map showing the location of Yorkshire

When is the best time of year to visit yorkshire, how many days do you need in yorkshire, what is the best way to explore yorkshire, 🚆 by train from london – york, 🚙 by car, listen to our podcasts about visiting yorkshire.

• St Mary's Guest House

Jorvik House

🎟 tickets, tours & attractions in yorkshire, books set in yorkshire, 💛 enjoy your visit to yorkshire, 📖 yorkshire travel guide – visiting yorkshire faq’s.

With warm summers and cool winters, Yorkshire is a great destination all year round.

During winter snow can fall on higher ground which can make some roads at higher altitudes over the Pennines impassable. Always check the weather before planning any road trips and hikes.

Wrap up warmly (wear layers) with waterproof boots and jackets. Christmas celebrations and markets in many of the cities and historic houses make this a popular time to visit.

Spring days are mild to warm with wet weather to be expected too (it is England after all). In summer the days are warm with the occasional hot day thrown in. Days are long so expect daylight into the late evening.

Enjoy the colours of Autumn during the cooler months of September to November.

• Read more about the best time to visit the UK in my detailed guide.

There are a number of festivals and events held in Yorkshire during the year including

• Yorkshire Dales Food & Drink Festival 21st/22nd/23rd July 202 3
• Tramlines – 3 day music festival in Sheffield 21/22/23 July 202 3
• Whitby Goth Weekend 28/29/30 April 2023 & 27/28/29 Oct 2023

Durham is the perfect weekend break (or UK staycation) destination although you can spend a day in the city and explore the main sights if you prefer.

If you are travelling around the UK by train we recommend including Durham in your train trip itinerary . Durham is only a few hours by train from both London and Edinburgh. Durham train station is located a 10-minute walk from the city centre.

By train – Much of Yorkshire can be travelled by train (particularly to and from the larger cities) Take the Settle to Carlisle line which is one of the UK’s most scenic train lines (and one of our top 10 train lines to take in the UK)

There are also popular heritage railways such as the North Yorkshire Moors Railway or the Wensleydale Railway.

Check out timetables and prices at thetrainline.com

By car – Yorkshire is perfect for a road trip with many scenic driving roads. If you are travelling around by car there are many Park & Ride schemes available which make parking easier. Park & Ride can be found in York, Leeds, Scarborough, Sheffield and Whitby.

What is the best way to travel to Yorkshire from London?

For timetables and tickets, we recommend the trainline. Take the train to Durham for a short break or incorporate it into your UK train travel itinerary.

• Distance from London: 320 km
• Time taken by train: Just under 2 hours
• Leave from: London Euston or London King’s Cross

Tip – If this is your first time catching a train in the UK read our complete guide to UK train travel which includes all the information you need to know to make travelling around the UK by rail a relaxing and stress-free experience.

Yorkshire is served by an excellent road network that provides easy access from the north or south of the country.

⬆️ Follow the A1/A1(M) motorway from the south.

⬇️ From the north take the A1 and A19

Read – UK transportation guide

⭐️ Attractions, things to do and best day trips in Yorkshire

Click the links for more information about the best places to visit in Yorkshire.

YORK TRAVEL GUIDE

TOP 10 PLACES TO VISIT IN YORKSHIRE

BEST YORKSHIRE DAY TRIPS

FOUNTAINS ABBEY & STUDLEY ROYAL WATER PARK

THINGS TO DO IN YORK

• Episode #3 – Discover York
• Episode #16 – Best day trips from York

🏩 Yorkshire Accommodation

BEST PLACES TO STAY IN YORKSHIRE or BEST PLACES TO STAY IN YORK

Accommodation Quick Picks (York)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Superb location in the city centre. Swimming pool, sauna and gym.

St Mary’s Guest House

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wifi and free parking B&B with excellent reviews

Boutique Hotel in historic location with spacious rooms and helpful staff 

Find more special stays in my Accommodation Guide for England.

⭐️ CLICK FOR MORE INFO ABOUT OUR TRAVEL ITINERARY PLANNERS

This guide will have provided inspiration plus practical information to help plan your visit to Yorkshire. These posts will also provide practical advice for travelling around the UK:

• UK train travel guide
• Britain by train – top 10 UK rail journeys (+ map & tips)
• 17 Things to do in the Cotswolds
• Oxford Travel Guide (including tips, itinerary + map)
• Whitby Travel Guide

Find more inspiration for your travels in my England Travel Guide which includes information about what to see, where to stay, how to get around, travel tips, recommended reading and more to make the most of your trip.

12 Top-Rated Things to Do in Yorkshire

Written by Bryan Dearsley Nov 17, 2022 We may earn a commission from affiliate links ( )

One of the most visited regions of the UK , the historic county of Yorkshire has plenty to offer those seeking fun things to do while on vacation in England. Set on the east coast of Northern England and known officially as the County of York, Yorkshire is in fact split into four individual counties for administrative purposes: North Yorkshire , South Yorkshire , West Yorkshire , and the East Riding of Yorkshire .

Yorkshire is Britain's largest county and one of the best places to visit if you're seeking an authentic English travel experience. Here, you'll find everything from stunning old cathedrals to perfectly preserved medieval-era homes and shopfronts rubbing shoulders with world-class museums, art galleries, and entertainment facilities.

It's also easy getting to Yorkshire from London . It's also easy to get around by car or bus, with most of its remotest corners accessible by a good road network.

To learn more about the county's numerous attractions, be sure to read through our list of the top things to do in Yorkshire.

1. Take a Tour of York Minster

2. take the train to the national railway museum, york, 3. visit the royal armouries museum, leeds, 4. sheffield botanical gardens, sheffield, 5. amble along the shambles, york, 6. england's top country estate: castle howard, york, 7. visit britain's floral city: harrogate, 8. explore york castle museum & clifford's tower, york, 9. take the kids to the streetlife museum in hull, 10. hike the yorkshire wolds way, 11. make the climb to scarborough castle, 12. explore the ruins of rievaulx abbey, map of things to do in yorkshire.

Immensely walkable, the beautiful city of York makes for an ideal location to begin your Yorkshire adventure. One of the city's top attractions is undoubtedly its impressive cathedral: York Minster . England's largest medieval cathedral, York Minster was constructed in the 1200s and is as attractive on the inside as it is on the outside.

Notable features include its spectacular stained-glass windows, in particular the famous Pilgrimage Window. Added in the early 14th century, it's unusual for its golden dragon and monkey.

Also worth seeing, the Cathedral Treasury features fascinating interactive galleries depicting the cathedral's construction and rich history.

For an unforgettable bucket-list adventure, climb the 275 steps of York Minster's Central Tower. You'll be rewarded not just with spectacular views over the city but also of the cathedral's richly decorated interior.

Speaking of views, book one of the spectacular cathedral-view rooms at the fully renovated Principal York .

Even closer to York Minster on Chapter House Street, the historic Grays Court Hotel dates back to the 11th century and is just steps away from the cathedral; it's restaurant, The Bow Room , offers an incredible multi-course dining experience overlooking the hotel's garden and York City Walls.

Address: Deangate, York, North Yorkshire, England

Official site: https://yorkminster.org

One of the top free things to do in York for families is a visit to the National Railway Museum. While only a short stroll away from York's historic train station, it's a big museum, so be sure to allow plenty of time to see it all.

In addition to its huge collection of historic steam engines and carriages, many of which you can see from specially raised viewing platforms, the museum is home to the Rocket , the country's first passenger service. Plenty of modern engines are included, too, including high-speed British and overseas examples. A number of Royal carriages are also on display.

In addition to a well-stocked shop selling train-related models, toys, and books, a fun afternoon tea experience aboard a historic Royal carriage is also available.

Address: Leeman Road, York, England

Official site: www.nrm.org.uk

The county town of West Yorkshire, Leeds offers plenty of fun things to do . Topping most lists is paying a visit to the Royal Armouries Museum. Here, you'll find the UK's official collection of old arms and armor, including examples from around the world.

Laid out in a series of themed galleries, must-sees include the Tournament Gallery, with its displays relating to knights and jousting, including original armor once worn by King Henry VIII; and the international collection, which includes rarities from Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Tolkien fans will also want to visit the museum's collection of weaponry props used in the making of the hit Lord of the Rings movies.

Check the official website for details of special family events, workshops, and programs, including re-enactments and weapon demonstrations. Guided tours are available, and a gift shop and café are located on-site.

Address: Armouries Drive, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England

Green thumb or not, a visit to Sheffield Botanical Gardens is time well spent. Located just three miles west of the city center, it's an easy Sheffield attraction to get to by car or bus.

Set amid 19 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds, the gardens were founded in 1836 and remain one of the top such collections in England.

Among its over 5,000 plant species, many of them housed in the property's historic glasshouses, are examples from the Southern Hemisphere. Also of note is the attractive Victorian Garden and the Four Seasons Garden with its hardier plant types.

Admission is free, and a café is located on-site. Best time to visit? If you can, try to plan a visit for spring or early summer when everything is in bloom.

Address: Clarkehouse Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England

Taking a stroll along the famous Shambles in York is another great reason to visit this historic cathedral city. This large collection of fabulously preserved old timber-framed houses and shopfronts dates from the 14th century and is fun to explore.

Too narrow for cars and trucks, the Shambles is a cobbled street that is immensely pleasurable to explore thanks to the absence of anything other than people traffic. Along the way, you'll notice many of these old buildings actually seem to hang over the streets.

If you look closely, some still have the hooks used to hang meat, as the area was known as the city's butcher district. Today, they house everything from fun souvenir shops to tearooms and boutique stores.

Location: The Shambles, York, North Yorkshire, England

One of the most picturesque of English country estates, elegant Castle Howard is a must-visit when exploring the Yorkshire countryside. Just 15 miles from downtown York, Castle Howard is so vast, it actually took over 100 years to complete, with construction on the county's original mega-project completed in 1799.

It's easy to spend the best part of a day exploring both the grounds and the estate home itself, set on 1,000 acres of beautiful parkland. Highlights include enjoying a guided sightseeing tour of the sprawling, still-privately owned home, taking in its well-preserved furnishings, artworks, and stunning décor.

For the ultimate Yorkshire selfie, head to the fountain at the front, framing the home in your shot behind you.

Address: The Estate Office, Castle Howard, York, England

Known affectionately as "Britain's Floral Resort," the attractive town of Harrogate in North Yorkshire is a must-visit for fans of formal gardens and urban green spaces. An easy day-trip from Leeds, York, or the city of Manchester, Harrogate first hit the public's radar after the discovery of hot springs in the 1500s and has been a popular tourist destination ever since.

These days, the big attractions are the town's lovely gardens. One of the best is Valley Gardens , a 17-acre park replete with lovely floral blooms in spring. Other highlights include its spectacular Art Deco pavilion, a kids' adventure playground, and free music concerts in the summer.

Other must-visit green spaces in Harrogate include the 68-acre RHS Garden Harlow Carr with its garden museum and fun model village, and the year-round Harrogate International Festivals , which add a splash of culture and entertainment to an already colorful travel destination.

Address: Valley Drive, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England

The recently refurbished and upgraded Clifford's Tower in York not only offers a fascinating look into the development of the city's first battlements, as well as spectacular views over the Minster and its surrounds. Built in the 1200s as a replacement for the original wood fort that stood here, it's the oldest remaining part of York Castle.

You can learn more about the tower and castle at the York Castle Museum . Just a short stroll away from Clifford's Tower, this excellent museum offers a fascinating glimpse at life in Yorkshire down the centuries.

Highlights include an authentic reproduction of a Victorian-era street scene, along with shops and homes, as well as a look at historic prison cells in the Debtors Prison.

Address: Tower Street, York, North Yorkshire, England

Planning a family outing to the Streetlife Museum of Transport is a great excuse to visit Kingston Upon Hull . One of this Northern England city's top attractions, this fun museum showcases over 200 years of British transportation innovation and history.

Exhibit highlights include large collections of historic carriages, the original "horse power" two-wheeled transportation, including bicycles and motorbikes, as well as cars and trucks from the present day.

Also fun are the recreations of "street scenes" from various periods in time, including WW2, as well as displays relating to train travel.

Address: High Street, Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England

Official site: www.hcandl.co.uk/museums-and-galleries/streetlife-museum/streetlife-museum

There's no better way to truly experience Yorkshire than by donning a pair of good walking shoes or boots and hitting the trails of the Yorkshire Wolds Way.

Stretching for 80 miles from the coastline near Scarborough all the way to Hull, this Yorkshire hiking route is part of England's National Trail Network and can easily be broken up into bite-size pieces for those wanting to tackle a picturesque portion of the stunning North Yorkshire Moors .

Other highlights include passing through Old Byland , one of England's prettiest villages , located in the heart of North York Moors National Park and notable for its old abbey ruins.

The seaside resort town of Scarborough makes for a superb day trip from York. It's less than an hour's journey via an extremely scenic train ride.

You'll want to make Scarborough Castle your first stop. It was built in the 12th century and largely destroyed during the English Civil War after being under siege, the last of five such sieges it experienced. Guided tours describe its importance in various periods of English history.

While you might think it a bit of a climb, the views from these castle ruins are simply spectacular. Below you, the town's beaches stretch into the distance in both directions up and down the coast, begging to be explored.

Once rested, visit neighboring St. Mary's Church , still bearing battle scars from the Civil War. Charlotte Bronte's younger sister was buried here in 1849. From here, you can take the downhill path through Royal Albert Gardens and head into town along scenic Marine Drive.

Address: Castle Road, Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England

Also within North York Moors National Park, the ruins of Rievaulx Abbey are well worth visiting. Dating from 1132, it was at one time reputedly one of the largest monasteries in England, abandoned. It was plundered in 1538 by a disgruntled, vengeful King Henry VIII. You can learn much about this fascinating and turbulent time in Northern England at the attraction's recently opened visitor center.

Afterwards be sure to have a wander through Rievaulx village itself, camera at the ready. It's some of the most idyllic village scenery in Yorkshire. You'll notice that many of the prettiest old buildings were in fact built using stones from the abbey ruins.

Address: Rievaulx Bank, Rievaulx, Helmsley, York, North Yorkshire

More on England

Visit Yorkshire, England: York, The Dales & More

Visit  Yorkshire  in the north of England, one of the most popular tourist regions in England.

There are tons of things to do and places to see. It’s many attractions include fishing villages, historic cathedrals. and breathtaking countryside.

Here, then, are some of the top destinations in this lovely county…

(We’ve split it up into sections: York, the Coast, Yorkshire Dales and Other).

If you’re interested in holiday cottages in Yorkshire then visit our post: Yorkshire Holiday Cottages | Self Catering In Yorkshire, Northern England

Table of Contents

The ancient city of York dates from before Roman times. It was a major city during Viking times and then a major centre of Christian Britain.

York Minster

We start with the jewel in York’s crown, its Minster (or cathedral), worth a visit in itself.

It’s full name is The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York, and is one of the largest of cathedrals in Northern Europe.

(Although a cathedral , it is officially a ‘Minster’ as it was also home to a community of monks).

It’s the seat of the Archbishop of York, the third-highest office of the Church of England (after the monarch as Supreme Governor and the Archbishop of Canterbury),

One of it many attraction is its Rose Window which was destroyed by fire in the 1980s. Each piece of stained glass was lovingly restored.

York Castle

Dating from the 11th century the castle is also known as Clifford Tower.

The Shambles

By  Peter K Burian

This ancient street was the old butchers area of the city.

Most of its overhanging buildings date from the 14th century and are a real taste of medieval England.

Mickelgate Bar

The town of York is surrounded by an old city wall with gates, or ‘bars’, such as this one.

We have a post dedicated to York here for more info:  The Best Places To Visit In York.

Yorkshire Coast

The Yorkshire coast, along the East coast of northern England, is home to several Victorian era resorts and pretty fishing villages.

Scarborough

Scarborough’s the largest seaside resort on the East coast of Yorkshire. Home to two beaches and several amusement arcades, it’s a popular place in summer.

You can also the popular Scarborough Fair, which inspired the famous song.

Whitby is an iconic seaside town that has a long history of fishing and exploration. (James Cook, the British explorer, was born near here).

Its built around a pretty natural harbour, home some of the best fish and chip shops in Yorkshire. You’ll also find several quaint shops, excellent restaurants, and historic architecture.

It’s also overlooked by Whitby Abbey (pictured) inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

Staithes is another pretty fishing village with a pretty harbour. You can also visit the popular beach in Staithes and see why it was a popular with the young Captain James Cook.

Many of the locals work in the fishing and boating industry in the harbour.

Yorkshire Dales National Park

The Yorkshire Dales (or ‘Dales’) are a highland area in the west of the county. They’re home to rivers which each form a valley, or ‘dale’, named after the river.

So Swaledale is the valley of the River Swales, Wharfedale is home to the Wharfe and so on…(The River Ure is the exception. It’s valley is Wensleydale).

Here are some highlights:

Burnsall. North Yorkshire

Close to the serene River Wharfe is the beautiful Dales village of Burnsall.

Also nearby is Barden Tower, historic Bolton Priory and Aysgarth waterfalls.

Blue Bell Inn, Kettlewell

Yockenthwaite.

One of many pretty hamlets dotting the Yorkshire Dales.

Hardraw Force

Hardraw Force is a waterfall on the Hardraw Beck in Hardraw Scar, a wooded ravine just outside the hamlet of Hardraw, north of the town of Hawes, Wensleydale.

Janets Foss

A pretty small waterfall near Malham, a popular village in the Dales.

Bolton Abbey

The Abbey, founded in 1120, is now in ruin – and has been since the Dissolution of the Monasteries in Henry VIII’s time.

Other Great Places In Yorkshire

There are lots of other great places in Yorkshire. Here are some of these:

Castle Howard

Castle Howard is a stately home in North Yorkshire, England, 15 miles north of York. It is a private residence, and has been the home of the Carlisle branch of the Howard family for more than 300 years.

It’s not a true castle, but this term is also used for English country houses erected on the site of a former military castle.

It was used as the fictional “Brideshead”, in both the TV and recent movie of Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited.

Haworth is a pretty village near Bradford. It is most famous as the former home of the Bronte sisters Anne, Charlotte and Emily.

You can visit their former home, the Bronte Parsonage, now a museum. And wonder the local moors, inspiration for much of their writing.

North York Moors National Park

This is one of the most popular national parks in the UK, particular with walkers. It has heath, woodland, majestic sea cliffs and several pretty villages to explore.

If you are a literary fan, then you will love to visit the little village that author James Herriot, called home.

Thirsk is between North York Moors National Park and Yorkshire Dales and so is a great base to explore both.

Knaresborough

A pretty market town on the River Nidd in North Yorkshire.

As well as the viaduct it’s also famous for the spectacular Mother Shipton Caves in the town.

Remember To Check Out Our Most Popular Posts:

The Cotswolds: The 20 Best Places To Visit

English Villages | What Makes The Perfect Village In England (With Examples)

Visit Yorkshire, England: York, The Dales & More

English Cathedrals: The 20 Best Cathedrals In England

The Best 20 Castles To Visit In England

London Travel: The Ultimate Guide. Tips, Attraction Reviews & More

The Kings And Queens of England: From William the Conqueror To Charles III

British Insults, Slang & Phrases: The Ultimate Guide

10 Fun Facts About England: Weird English Traditions

The Yorkshire Dales | The Best Places To Visit

Gorgeous Images Of The English Countryside

Visit Somerset, England: Cider, Bath, Glastonbury & More

20 Gorgeous English Thatched Cottages

Take our London Quiz: How Well Do You Really Know London?

Terms and Conditions - Privacy Policy

Yorkshire Travel Guide

Book your individual trip , stress-free with local travel experts

• roughguides.com
• Travel guide
• Local Experts
• Travel Advice
• Accommodation

Plan your tailor-made trip with a local expert

Book securely with money-back guarantee

Travel stress-free with local assistance and 24/7 support

It’s easy to be glib about Yorkshire – to outsiders it’s the archetypal “up North” with all the clichés that implies, from flat caps to grim factories. For their part, many Yorkshire locals are happy to play up to these prejudices, while nursing a secret conviction that there really is no better place in the world to live. In some respects, it’s a world apart, its most distinctive characteristics – from the broad dialect to the breathtaking landscapes – deriving from a long history of settlement, invention and independence. As for Yorkshire’s other boasts (the beer’s better, the air’s cleaner, the people are friendlier) – anyone who spends any time here will find it hard to argue with those.

Bradford and around

The east yorkshire coast, leeds and around, the north york moors, ripon and around, sheffield and around, york and around, the yorkshire dales.

The number-one destination is undoubtedly York , for centuries England’s second city, until the Industrial Revolution created new centres of power and influence. York’s mixture of medieval, Georgian and Victorian architecture is repeated in towns such as Beverley , Ripon and Richmond , while the Yorkshire coast, too, retains something of its erstwhile grandeur – Bridlington and Scarborough boomed in the nineteenth century and again in the postwar period, though it’s in smaller resorts like Whitby and Robin Hood’s Bay that the best of the coast is to be found today.

The engine of growth during the Industrial Revolution was not in the north of the county, but in the south and west, where Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield and their satellites were once the world’s mightiest producers of textiles and steel. Ruthless economic logic devastated the area in the twentieth century, but a new vigour has infused South and West Yorkshire during the last decade. The city-centre transformations of Leeds and Sheffield in particular have been remarkable, while Bradford is a fine diversion on the way to Haworth , home of the Brontë sisters.

The Yorkshire Dales , to the northwest, possesses a glorious collection of places to visit, with a patchwork of stone-built villages, limestone hills, serene valleys and majestic heights. The county’s other National Park, the North York Moors , is divided into bleak upland moors and a tremendous rugged coastline between Robin Hood’s Bay and Staithes.

Tailor-made travel itineraries for England, created by local experts

20 days  / from 2970 USD

The Great British Road Trip

Get ready to explore Britain on this unique self-drive road trip. Choose the car of your liking before you hit the road: from the Cotswolds and its picturesque villages over the Beatle's favorite hang-out in Liverpool to Scotland's capital Edinburgh: this trip includes many highlights to be explored

7 days  / from 1339 USD

Magical 7-Day Family Adventure in Scotland and England : From Harry Potter to Loch Ness!

Searching for an unforgettable family adventure? Scotland is the perfect destination! With a perfect balance of nature, adventure, and Scottish culture. This 7-day trip offers a delightful mix of activities that everyone in the family will enjoy. Get ready to create life long lasting memories!

5 days  / from 632 USD

Refreshing English Countryside Break

Outside of London, England is known with a countryside full of history, picturesque villages, patchwork hills, and winding country roads. Explore the countryside with its castles, parks, and historical cities such as Oxford.

With its tangle of old streets, cobbled lanes and elegant Georgian and Victorian terraces BEVERLEY , nine miles north of Hull, is the very picture of a traditional market town. More than 350 of its buildings are listed, and though you could see its first-rank offerings in a morning, it makes an appealing place to stay.

BRADFORD has always been a working town, booming in tandem with the Industrial Revolution, when just a few decades saw it transform from a rural seat of woollen manufacture to a polluted metropolis. In its Victorian heyday it was the world’s biggest producer of worsted cloth, its skyline etched black with mill chimneys, and its hills clogged with some of the foulest back-to-back houses of any northern city. A look at the Venetian-Gothic Wool Exchange building on Market Street, or a walk through Little Germany , northeast of the city centre (named for the German wool merchants who populated the area in the second half of the 1800s) provides ample evidence of the wealth of nineteenth-century Bradford.

Contemporary Bradford, perhaps the most multicultural centre in the UK outside London, is valiantly rinsing away its associations with urban decrepitude, and while it can hardly yet be compared with neighbouring Leeds as a visitor attraction, it has two must-see attractions in the National Media Museum and the industrial heritage site of Saltaire . The major annual event is the Bradford Mela , a one-day celebration of the arts, culture and food of the Indian subcontinent, held in June or July.

The East Yorkshire coast curves south in a gentle arc from the mighty cliffs of Flamborough Head to Spurn Head, a hook-shaped promontory formed by relentless erosion and shifting currents. There are few parts of the British coast as dangerous – indeed, the Humber lifeboat station at Spurn Point is the only one in Britain permanently staffed by a professional crew. Between the two points lie a handful of tranquil villages and miles of windswept dunes and mud flats. The two main resorts, Bridlington and Filey , couldn’t be more different, but each has their own appeal.

Bridlington and around

The southernmost resort on the Yorkshire coast, BRIDLINGTON has maintained its harbour for almost a thousand years. The seafront promenade looks down upon the town’s best asset – its sweeping sandy beach . It’s an out-and-out family resort, which means plenty of candyfloss, fish and chips, rides, boat trips and amusement arcades. The historic core of town is a mile inland, where in the largely Georgian Bridlington Old Town the Bayle Museum presents local history in a building that once served as the gateway to a fourteenth-century priory. Every November, Bridlington hosts a highly regarded World Music Festival, Musicport , which pulls in some very big names.

Around fourteen miles of precipitous 400ft-high cliffs gird Flamborough Head , just to the northeast of Bridlington. The best of the seascapes are visitable on the peninsula’s north side, accessible by road from Flamborough village.

HARROGATE – the very picture of genteel Yorkshire respectability – owes its landscaped appearance and early prosperity to the discovery of Tewit Well in 1571. This was the first of more than eighty ferrous and sulphurous springs that, by the nineteenth century, were to turn the town into one of the country’s leading spas. Tours of the town should begin with the Royal Baths , facing Crescent Road, first opened in 1897 and now restored to their late Victorian finery. You can experience the beautiful Moorish-style interior during a session at the Turkish Baths and Health Spa . Just along Crescent Road from the Royal Baths stands the Royal Pump Room , built in 1842 over the sulphur well that feeds the baths. The town’s earliest surviving spa building, the old Promenade Room of 1806, is just 100 yards from the Pump Room on Swan Road – now housing the Mercer Art Gallery .

To the southwest (entrance opposite the Royal Pump Room), the 120-acre Valley Gardens are a delight, while many visitors also make for the botanical gardens at Harlow Carr , the northern showpiece of the Royal Horticultural Society. These lie 1.5 miles out, on the town’s western edge – the nicest approach is to walk through the Valley Gardens and pine woods, though bus #106 will get you there as well.

Of English literary shrines, probably only Stratford sees more visitors than the quarter of a million who swarm annually into the village of HAWORTH , eight miles north of Bradford, to tramp the cobbles once trodden by the Brontë sisters. In summer the village’s steep Main Street is lost under huge crowds, herded by multilingual signs around the various stations on the Brontë trail . The most popular local walk runs to Brontë Falls and Bridge , reached via West Lane (a continuation of Main Street) and a track from the village, signposted “Bronte Falls”, and to Top Withens , a mile beyond, a ruin fancifully (and erroneously) thought to be the model for the manor, Wuthering Heights (allow 3hr for the round trip). The moorland setting beautifully evokes the flavour of the book, and to enjoy it further you could walk on another two and a half miles to Ponden Hall , claimed by some to be Thrushcross Grange is Wuthering Heights .

HULL – officially Kingston upon Hull – dates back to 1299, when it was laid out as a seaport by Edward I. It quickly became England’s leading harbour, and was still a vital garrison when the gates were closed against Charles I in 1642, the first serious act of rebellion of what was to become the English Civil War. Fishing and seafaring have always been important here, and today’s city maintains a firm grip on its heritage with a number of superb visitor attractions.

Yorkshire’s commercial capital, and one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, LEEDS has undergone a radical transformation in recent years. There’s still a true northern grit to its character, and in many of its dilapidated suburbs, but the grime has been removed from the impressive Victorian buildings and the city is revelling in its new persona as a booming financial, commercial and cultural centre. The renowned shops , restaurants , bars and clubs provide one focus of a visit to contemporary Leeds – it’s certainly Yorkshire’s top destination for a day or two of conspicuous consumption and indulgence. Museums include the impressive Royal Armouries , which hold the national arms and armour collection, while the City Art Gallery has one of the best collections of British twentieth-century art outside London. Beyond the city, a number of major attractions are accessible by bus or train, from the stately home Harewood House and the gritty National Coal Mining Museum to the stunning new Hepworth Gallery and the Yorkshire Sculpture Park .

Leeds concerts and festivals

Temple Newsam , four miles east of the centre hosts numerous concerts and events, from plays to rock gigs and opera, and at Kirkstall Abbey every summer there’s a Shakespeare Festival with open-air productions of the Bard’s works. Roundhay Park is the other large outdoor venue for concerts, while Bramham Park, ten miles east of the city, hosts the annual Leeds Carling Festival at the end of August with rock/indie music on five stages. August bank holiday weekend heralds the West Indian Carnival in the Chapeltown area of Leeds.

National Coal Mining Museum

While the gentry enjoyed the comforts of life in grand houses like Harewood, just a few miles away generations of Yorkshiremen sweated out a living underground. Mining is now little more than a memory in most parts of Yorkshire, but visitors can get all too vivid an idea of pit life through the ages at the excellent

. Based in a former pit, Caphouse Colliery, the highlight is an underground mine tour (90min, warm clothes required; arrive early in school hols) with a former miner as your guide.

Virtually the whole of the North York Moors , from the Hambleton and Cleveland hills in the west to the cliff-edged coastline to the east, is protected by one of the country’s finest National Parks. The heather-covered, flat-topped hills are cut by deep, steep-sided valleys, and views here stretch for miles, interrupted only by giant cultivated forests. This is great walking country; footpaths include the superb Cleveland Way , one of England’s premier long-distance National Trails, which embraces both wild moorland and the cliff scenery of the North Yorkshire coast. Barrows and ancient forts provide memorials of early settlers, mingling on the high moorland with the battered stone crosses of the first Christian inhabitants and the ruins of great monastic houses such as Rievaulx Abbey .

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway connects Pickering with the Esk Valley (Middlesbrough–Whitby) line at Grosmont , eighteen miles to the north. The line was completed by George Stephenson in 1835, just ten years after the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway. Scheduled services operate year-round, and a day-return ticket costs £16. Part of the line’s attraction are the steam trains , though be warned that diesels are pulled into service when the fire risk in the forests is high. Steam services have also been extended from the end of the NYMR line at Grosmont to the nearby seaside resort of Whitby – departures are usually during school and bank holidays, with a return fare from Pickering of £21.

The attractive market town of RIPON , eleven miles north of Harrogate, is centred upon its small cathedral , which can trace its ancestry back to its foundation by St Wilfrid in 672; the original crypt below the central tower can still be reached down a stone passage. The town’s other focus is its Market Place , linked by narrow Kirkgate to the cathedral (market day is Thursday, with a farmers’ market on the third Sunday of the month). Meanwhile, three restored buildings – prison, courthouse and workhouse – show a different side of the local heritage, under the banner of the Yorkshire Law and Order Museums . Just four miles away lies Fountains Abbey , the one Yorkshire monastic ruin you must see.

Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal

It’s tantalizing to imagine how the English landscape might have appeared had Henry VIII not dissolved the monasteries:

Fountains Abbey

gives a good idea of what might have been. The abbey was founded in 1133 by thirteen dissident Benedictine monks and formally adopted by the Cistercian order two years later. Within a hundred years, Fountains had become the wealthiest Cistercian foundation in England, supporting a magnificent

abbey church

Perpendicular Tower

, almost 180ft high, looms over the whole ensemble, while equally grandiose in scale is the undercroft of the

Lay Brothers’ Dormitory

off the cloister, a stunningly vaulted space over 300ft long that was used to store the monastery’s annual harvest of fleeces. Its sheer size gives some idea of the abbey’s entrepreneurial scope; some thirteen tons of wool a year were turned over, most of it sold to Venetian and Florentine merchants who toured the monasteries.

A riverside walk, marked from the visitor centre car park, takes you through Fountains Abbey to a series of ponds and ornamental gardens, harbingers of Studley Royal (same times as the abbey), which can also be entered via the village of Studley Roger, where there’s a separate car park. This lush medley of lawns, lake, woodland and Deer Park was laid out in 1720 to form a setting for the abbey, and there are some scintillating views from the gardens, though it’s the cascades and water gardens that command most attention.

Yorkshire’s second city, SHEFFIELD remains linked with its steel industry, in particular the production of high-quality cutlery. As early as the fourteenth century the carefully fashioned, hard-wearing knives of hardworking Sheffield enjoyed national repute, while technological advances later turned the city into one of the country’s foremost centres of heavy and specialist engineering. Unsurprisingly, it was bombed heavily during World War II, and by the 1980s the steel industry’s subsequent downturn had tipped parts of Sheffield into dispiriting decline. The subsequent revival has been rapid, however, with the centre utterly transformed by flagship architectural projects. Steel, of course, still underpins much of what Sheffield is about: museum collections tend to focus on the region’s industrial heritage, complemented by the startling science-and-adventure exhibits at Magna , built in a disused steel works at Rotherham , the former coal and iron town a few miles northeast of the city.

Sheffield orientation

Sheffield’s city centre is very compact and easily explored on foot. Southeast of the Winter Garden/Peace Gardens hub, clubs and galleries exist alongside arts and media businesses in the Cultural Industries Quarter . North of the stations, near the River Don, Castlegate has a traditional indoor market (closed Sun) while spruced-up warehouses and cobbled towpaths line the neighbouring canal basin, Victoria Quays . South of here, down Fargate and across Peace Gardens, the pedestrianized Moor Quarter draws in shoppers, though it’s the Devonshire Quarter , east of the gardens and centred on Division Street, that is the trendiest shopping area. A little further out, to the northeast of the city centre and easily accessible by bus or tram, lies the huge Meadowhall Shopping Complex , built on the site of one of Sheffield’s most famous steelworks.

YORK is the North’s most compelling city, a place whose history, said George VI, “is the history of England”. This is perhaps overstating things a little, but it reflects the significance of a metropolis that stood at the heart of the country’s religious and political life for centuries, and until the Industrial Revolution was second only to London in population and importance. These days a more provincial air hangs over the city, except in summer when it comes to feel like a heritage site for the benefit of tourists. That said, no trip to this part of the country is complete without a visit to York, and the city is also well placed for any number of day-trips , the most essential being to Castle Howard , the gem amongst English stately homes.

The Minster is the obvious place to start, and you won’t want to miss a walk around the walls. The medieval city is at its most evocative around the streets known as Stonegate and the Shambles , while the earlier Viking city is entertainingly presented at Jorvik , perhaps the city’s favourite family attraction. Standout historic buildings include the Minster’s Treasurer’s House, Georgian Fairfax House, the Merchant Adventurers’ Hall, and the stark remnants of York’s Castle . The two major museum collections are the incomparable Castle Museum and the National Railway Museum (where the appeal goes way beyond railway memorabilia), while the evocative ruins and gardens of St Mary’s Abbey house the family-friendly Yorkshire Museum . Just fifteen miles away from town, and accessible by bus, Castle Howard is one of the nation’s finest stately homes.

Brief history

An early Roman fortress of 71 AD in time became a city – Eboracum, capital of the empire’s northern European territories and the base for Hadrian’s northern campaigns. Later, the city became the fulcrum of Christianity in northern England: on Easter Day in 627, Bishop Paulinus, on a mission to establish the Roman Church, baptized King Edwin of Northumbria in a small timber chapel. Six years later the church became the first minster and Paulinus the first archbishop of York. In 867 the city fell to the Danes , who renamed it Jorvik , and later made it the capital of eastern England (Danelaw). Later Viking raids culminated in the decisive Battle of Stamford Bridge (1066) six miles east of the city, where English King Harold defeated Norse King Harald – a pyrrhic victory in the event, for his weakened army was defeated by the Normans just a few days later at the Battle of Hastings, with well-known consequences for all concerned.

The Normans devastated much of York’s hinterland in their infamous “Harrying of the North”. Stone walls were thrown up during the thirteenth century, when the city became a favoured Plantagenet retreat and commercial capital of the north, its importance reflected in the new title of Duke of York, bestowed ever since on the monarch’s second son. Although Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries took its toll on a city crammed with religious houses, York remained wedded to the Cathoic cause, and the most famous of the Gunpowder Plot conspirators, Guy Fawkes , was born here. During the Civil War Charles I established his court in the city, which was strongly pro-Royalist, inviting a Parliamentarian siege. Royalist troops, however, were routed by Cromwell and Sir Thomas Fairfax at the Battle of Marston Moor in 1644, another seminal battle in England’s history, which took place six miles west of York.

The city’s eighteenth-century history was marked by its emergence as a social centre for Yorkshire’s landed elite. Whilst the Industrial Revolution largely passed it by, the arrival of the railways brought renewed prosperity, thanks to the enterprise of pioneering “Railway King” George Hudson, lord mayor during the 1830s and 1840s. The railway is gradually losing its role as a major employer, as is the traditional but declining confectionery industry, and incomes are now generated by new service and bioscience industries – not forgetting, of course, the four million annual tourists.

Where Jorvik shows what was unearthed at Coppergate, the associated attraction that is

illustrates the science involved. Housed five minutes’ walk away from the museum, in the medieval church of St Saviour, on St Savioursgate, a simulated dig allows you to take part in a range of excavations in the company of archeologists, using authentic tools and methods. Tours to visit

Dig Hungate

, York’s latest major archeological excavation, start from here.

The city’s blockbuster historic exhibit is

, located by the Coppergate shopping centre. Propelling visitors in “time capsules” on a ride through the tenth-century city of York, the museum presents not only the sights but also the sounds and even the smells of a riverside Viking city. Excavations of Coppergate in 1976 uncovered a real Viking settlement, now largely buried beneath the shopping centre outside. But at Jorvik you can see how the unearthed artefacts were used, and watch live-action domestic scenes on actual Viking-age streets, with constipated villagers, axe-fighting and other singular attractions.

The Yorkshire Dales – “dales” from the Viking word dalr (valley) – form a varied upland area of limestone hills and pastoral valleys at the heart of the Pennines. Protected as a National Park, (or, in the case of Nidderdale, as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty), there are more than twenty main dales covering 680 square miles, crammed with opportunities for outdoor activities. Most approaches are from the south, via the superbly engineered Settle to Carlisle Railway , or along the main A65 road from towns such as Skipton , Settle and Ingleton . Southern dales like Wharfedale are the most visited, while neighbouring Malhamdale is also immensely popular due to the fascinating scenery squeezed into its narrow confines around Malham village. Ribblesdale is more sombre, its villages popular with hikers intent on tackling the famous Three Peaks – the mountains of Pen-y-ghent, Ingleborough and Whernside. To the northwest lies the more remote Dentdale , one of the least known but most beautiful of the valleys, and further north still Wensleydale and Swaledale , the latter of which rivals Dentdale as the most rewarding overall target. Both flow east, with Swaledale’s lower stretches encompassing the appealing historic town of Richmond .

Here for the beer

If you’re a beer fan, the handsome Wensleydale market town of Masham (pronounced Mass’m) is an essential point of pilgrimage. At Theakston brewery (tours daily 11am–3pm; reservations advised; w theakstons.co.uk ), sited here since 1827, you can learn the arcane intricacies of the brewer’s art and become familiar with the legendary Old Peculier ale. The Black Sheep Brewery , set up in the early 1990s by one of the Theakston family brewing team, also offers tours (daily 11am–4pm, but call for availability; w blacksheepbrewery.com ). Both are just a few minutes’ signposted walk out of the centre.

A few miles west of Wharfedale lies Malhamdale , one of the National Park’s most heavily visited regions, thanks to its three outstanding natural features of Malham Cove , Malham Tarn and Gordale Scar . All three attractions are within easy hiking distance of Malham village .

MALHAM village is home to barely a couple of hundred people who inhabit the huddled stone houses on either side of a bubbling river. Appearing in spectacular fashion a mile to the north, the white-walled limestone amphitheatre of Malham Cove rises 300ft above its surroundings. After a breath-sapping haul to the top, you are rewarded with fine views and the famous limestone pavement, an expanse of clints (slabs) and grykes (clefts) created by water seeping through weaker lines in the limestone rock. A simple walk (or summer shuttle bus ride) over the moors abruptly brings Malham Tarn into sight, its waterfowl protected by a nature reserve on the west bank. Meanwhile, at Gordale Scar (also easily approached direct from Malham village), the cliffs are if anything more spectacular than at Malham Cove. The classic circuit takes in cove, tarn and scar in a clockwise walk from Malham (8 miles; 3hr 30min), but you can also do it on horseback – the Yorkshire Dales Trekking Centre at Holme Farm in the village centre is the place to enquire about saddling up.

The Settle to Carlisle Railway

The 72-mile Settle to Carlisle line is a feat of Victorian engineering that has few equals in Britain. In particular, between Horton and Ribblehead, “ England’s most scenic railway ” climbs 200ft in five miles, before crossing the famous 24-arched Ribblehead viaduct and disappearing into the 2629 yards of the Blea Tunnel. Meanwhile, the station at Dent Head is the highest, and bleakest, mainline station in England. The journey from Settle to Carlisle takes 1hr 40min, so it’s easy to do the full return trip in one day. If your time is short, ride the most dramatic section between Settle and Garsdale. There are connections to Settle from Skipton and Leeds.

RICHMOND is the Dales’ single most tempting destination, thanks mainly to its magnificent castle , whose extensive walls and colossal keep cling to a precipice above the River Swale. Indeed, the entire town is an absolute gem, centred on a huge cobbled market square backed by Georgian buildings, hidden alleys and gardens. Market day is Saturday, augmented by a farmers’ market on the third Saturday of the month.

Top image: Aerial view of Robin Hood’s Bay, North Yorkshire, England © Andrei Petrus/Shutterstock

Discover more places in England

• The North Yorkshire coast

The Rough Guides to England and related travel guides

In-depth, easy-to-use travel guides filled with expert advice.

Find even more inspiration here

Planning your own trip? Prepare for your trip

Use Rough Guides' trusted partners for great rates

written by Rough Guides Editors

updated 06.09.2021

Ready to travel and discover England?

Get support from our local experts for stress-free planning & worry-free travels.

• Travel advice
• Where to stay

• Search Please fill out this field.
• Manage Your Subscription
• Give a Gift Subscription
• Sweepstakes

Enjoy Pub Life, Sculpture Parks, and Classic Estates on a Scenic Trip Through Yorkshire, England

The wild windswept landscapes and industrial-age towns of Yorkshire, in northeastern England, might seem like an unlikely setting for a cultural and culinary groundswell, but the county is ripe for exploration.

Editor's Note: Travel might be complicated right now, but use our inspirational trip ideas to plan ahead for your next bucket-list adventure. Those who choose to travel are strongly encouraged to check local government restrictions, rules, and safety measures related to COVID-19 and take personal comfort levels and health conditions into consideration before departure.

When the good people of Yorkshire call their region "God's own country," as they have for centuries, it conveys several meanings. One carries a hint of smugness: these are among the most county-proud citizens in all of England. Another meaning, only slightly contradictory, is gently ironic. The men and women of this sprawling northern county—England's largest—are known for their self-deprecating humor, and love to stick a pin in any kind of puffery, especially their own.

To a visitor like myself, however, the most obvious meaning is rooted in plain fact. From its deep-green dales to the windswept moors of Brontë country in the South Pennines and the well-ordered Methodist towns of West Yorkshire, this county goes a long way toward justifying its billing.

Bear in mind, this is not Keats's "beaker full of the warm south." It is bracing northern beer, and that's the way the locals like it. "The landscape has a strong character, and so does the local accent," the TV writer Sally Wainwright told me over e-mail. "'God's own country' is kind of a joke, but it's also a strong identity."

It was Wainwright who indirectly beckoned me here through my television. On a fine morning last fall just outside Halifax, not far from where she grew up, I found a bunch of other visitors waiting in line to enter Shibden Hall. This 15th-century estate is the setting for a BBC TV series Wainwright created called Gentleman Jack, and it turns out its popularity has set off a small tourist stampede.

Gentleman Jack is based on a real person named Anne Lister, who inherited Shibden Hall in the early 1800s. She was a lesbian, and, as her nickname suggests, she didn't try very hard to hide it. Not for Lister the melancholy vapors of the closet; this is Yorkshire, home of the brave and unabashed. Lister proved a shrewd business owner, not to mention a diligent seductress of local gentlewomen. All this she set down in voluminous diaries (rendering the naughty bits in a code of her own devising that wasn't cracked until over a century later).

There are more Michelin stars in Yorkshire—five in all—than in any other county in the U.K. outside of London

Even if you're not a Gentleman Jack fan, Shibden Hall i s well worth visiting. It's a fine half-timbered manor with rich paneling and coffered ceilings the color of mink. When she wasn't pursuing romantic conquests, the real-life Anne Lister was making money, and much of it ended up being spent on the house.

As a motivation to hike through Shibden Hall's extensive parkland, there's the prospect of ending up for lunch at the Shibden Mill Inn nearby. Like much else in the county, Yorkshire cuisine is not prissy, but this pub serves comfort food with particular vigor. My pork chop arrived with gammon crumble, salt-baked carrot, pickled carrot, sticky toffee pudding purée, and cider cream. It was a lot harder waddling back from the pub than it was walking there.

It turns out there's also a Sally Wainwright link to Holdsworth House , the hotel I stayed at in Halifax. The handsome Jacobean manor served as a backdrop for an earlier Wainwright TV drama, Last Tango in Halifax. This is not surprising. The sandstone building, which dates back to the early 1600s, makes for a telegenic setting: the interiors are low-slung and woodsy; the large gardens, set off with stone ornaments and box hedges, are delightful. As I sat outside in the warm twilight, several young couples walked through on wedding-planning missions. Good luck to them—they picked a splendid place to embark on married life.

Halifax sits at the heart of West Yorkshire, which is what locals call the populous southwestern end of the county. This is a textile-milling and coal-mining region, or at least it was in England's 19th-century industrial heyday. A lone smokestack, jutting up like a spire, is often your first view of a village nestled in a West Yorkshire valley.

Those industries are long gone, but they've left reminders of a bustling past all over the region. Piece Hall, in the center of Halifax, is where merchants came to trade their woolen goods. Its two levels of colonnaded galleries arranged around a vast open square were recently converted into a mall of pubs, cafés, and shops.

This striking public space, originally built in 1779, manages to look surprisingly modern. Methodism sank deep roots in Yorkshire, and while its stern doctrine wasn't a lot of fun, its aesthetics have aged well. The minimalist architect John Pawson, who made his name with the old Calvin Klein store on Madison Avenue, grew up a stone's throw from here. ("Piece Hall is fantastic," Pawson once told me in an interview, adding that as a child, its straight lines engraved themselves on his brain.)

The industry and landscape of Yorkshire also left their marks on two giants of modern sculpture, Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore, both of whom were raised here. That in itself is enough to certify the county's claim to be the U.K.'s unofficial sculpture capital—one it asserts every summer in a wonderful festival, the Yorkshire Sculpture International. (Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event went mostly online for 2020, though most participating venues had reopened by late summer.)

A short drive east from Halifax is the Hepworth Wakefield . The museum is a jewel, opened in 2011 and housed in a blocky building by David Chipperfield that's a pretty fine sculpture itself. Inside you can find the hollowed-out forms Hepworth carved in wood to reveal that a sculpture can have its own organic interior. The idea felt brave and fresh in the 1960s, and it still does.

The juxtaposition of modern sculpture and grazing sheep is idyllic—if occasionally jarring.

I missed the Henry Moore Institute in nearby Leeds , preferring to steer clear of Yorkshire's biggest city, but I can't imagine a better setting for Moore's monumental Reclining Woman than the Yorkshire Sculpture Park , just outside Wakefield. Scattered among 500 acres of grassland and woodland on the old Bretton Estate are dozens of immense, sometimes startling objects. The juxtaposition of modern sculpture and grazing sheep is idyllic—if occasionally jarring. I will not soon forget gazing out over the pasture while contemplating the exposed unicorn innards of Damien Hirst's Myth.

I drove back to Halifax through the village of Hebden Bridge, which has been beckoning bohemians and hipsters from all over England for some time now. It's clear right away that this is not your typical sober Yorkshire mill town: window and doorframes are painted blue, orange, green, and purple.

The main drag could have been transplanted from Brooklyn—the artisanal soap maker, the bike shop, the vegetarian café—and I'm told housing in town is getting just as pricey. How hip is Hebden Bridge? When the Calder River flooded in 2012, Patti Smith flew in to play a benefit at the tiny Trades Club, considered one of England's best music venues.

Just outside of town, a charming gastropub called Stubbing Wharf straddles a sliver of land between the Calder River and the Rochdale Canal. I wanted to stop here for lunch because former poet laureate Ted Hughes, another local son, wrote a dreary poem called Stubbing Wharf e about eating here with his wife, the writer Sylvia Plath, when the couple were living in Hebden Bridge.

"This gloomy memorial of a valley" is what he called the region in his poem. "A gorge of ruined mills and abandoned chapels."

That's not the view from Stubbing Wharf today. Outside, a steady stream of hikers clomped merrily past my table along the canal towpath. The pub's monstrous portion of fish-and-chips was excellent. Plath, though one of the most celebrated female poets of all time, merits barely a footnote in Hebden's past. Instead, Hebden Bridge is known as an LGBTQ-friendly town, and celebrates its reputation as the lesbian capital of the U.K.

The area just north of West Yorkshire, where I headed next, looked like a big, empty splotch of green on my Google Map. This is the Yorkshire Dales National Park, a broad expanse of rolling hills and shaded valleys (known locally as dales) broken up by low stone walls and clear, swift streams. Here, beauty exists in perfect balance, neither too tame nor too savage.

Grantley Hall, just outside the town of Ripon, lies right on the edge of Nidderdale, a corner of the Dales considered so sublime that Her Majesty's government added its approval to God's by designating it an AONB, or Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

What is a ha-ha, you ask? It is a steep drop-off that prevents sheep from wandering up to the front door, designed to be invisible so as not to mar the view. Of course, if you don't know it's there, you fall in. Ha ha.

Grantley Hall's current owner, Valeria Sykes, relaunched the stately Palladian mansion as a hotel just last year. Sykes, now 76, grew up a coal miner's daughter in Barnsley, down south in Yorkshire. In 2012, she divorced her exceedingly rich husband and spent a reported $90 million of her settlement doing up Grantley Hall good and proper. "I wanted to put Yorkshire on the luxury map," Sykes said in one newspaper interview.

I stayed in one of the plush grand suites overlooking the endless front lawn with its traditional ha-ha. (What is a ha-ha, you ask? It is a steep drop-off that prevents sheep from wandering up to the front door, designed to be invisible so as not to mar the view. Of course, if you don't know it's there, you fall in. Ha ha.)

The structure itself needs little help to shine. It was owned and added to by a succession of men who were good at making money and wanted people to know it. Thomas Norton kicked things off in about 1710, when he began work on the original building. In 1760, his son Fletcher Norton, an avaricious lawyer known locally as Sir Bullface Doublefee, extended Grantley Hall out sideways, the better to fan his plumage.

"It's all frontage—look at me, look at me!" says Anne Harrison, the hotel's head of guest relations and its unofficial historian. "All the Norton men were unpleasant."

Portraits of a few of these feckless rotters line the wall on the way to dinner, along with the portrait of another of the doughty women who seem to keep popping up in Yorkshire. This one was Caroline Norton, wife of Fletcher's even more odious grandson George. In 1836, Caroline left George, who then denied her any property or access to their three children. Norton fought back, and her ceaseless pleas to Parliament led eventually to the passage of landmark feminist legislation. Many Englishwomen, Valeria Sykes not least among them, owe her a debt.

The food game in Yorkshire is lively and played for high stakes. There are more Michelin stars here—five in all—than in any other county in the U.K. outside of London. In hiring Shaun Rankin, Grantley Hall clearly means to up Yorkshire's count. (Rankin already won a star for Bohemia, on the Channel Island of Jersey.) Rankin has said that he aims to fill his market basket within 25 miles of the hotel.

This is not such a tight straitjacket: Yorkshire's beef and lamb are renowned, and its produce is bountiful. There are exceptions to Rankin's rule, of course—Wensleydale, home of one of England's iconic cheeses, is 35 miles away. But vanilla, which grows in Madagascar, doesn't come anywhere close. Rankin was raised in North Yorkshire, and he knows his way around its woods. So he makes his "vanilla" ice cream from a locally available herb called woodruff, which has a similar flavor.

Driving straight east from Ripon, away from the Dales, you cross Dere Street, which is the modern name for the old Roman road that splits Yorkshire lengthwise. On the far side of this thoroughfare, the character of the land changes strongly and quickly. Glades give way to bare, low hills that roll eastward to the North Sea. Before long, you enter the uplands of North York Moors National Park, which in September are quilted purple with heather. It's a sadder, lonelier landscape than the Dales, but equally beautiful.

There are many ways to take it in, but the quaintest and most romantic must surely be the North Yorkshire Moors Railway . A charitable trust now operates the old steam and diesel trains that make the 18-mile run over the moors from Pickering to Whitby. Hokey as it may be, I find it difficult to resist the chugging and clanking of the old locomotives—mine was the Repton No. 926 from 1934—or the great plumes of smoke that rise up as you pull into country stations like Goathland, which stood in for Hogsmeade Station in the Harry Potter movies. More than one grown man let loose with a "whoo whoo!" as the Repton 926 blew its steam whistle.

The moors meet the sea at Whitby, where the railroad line ends. There I toured the supremely haunting Whitby Abbey , which glowers over the town and the gray waves from high on the cliffs. To see the roofless nave backlit against low clouds provokes an involuntary shudder. The monastery was founded by the Abbess Hild in 657, which makes her perhaps the original eminent Yorkshirewoman, but the Gothic building whose ruins cast their spell today dates from much later.

Those ruins left their creepy imprint on Bram Stoker, who saw them on a visit in 1890 and set several scenes from his Dracula in the abbey. So I was not surprised, as I wandered among the bare ruined choirs, to hear a gent in a Victorian bowler say, "Dead! And with two small holes in his neck!" They typically run theatrical renditions of Dracula all summer long—though they're currently on hiatus because of the pandemic. The one I happened upon last year was pretty good, too.

It would be hard to pick a winner in a Dales vs. Moors cook-off. A short hop from the Feversham Arms in Helmsley, where I was staying, are two of Yorkshire's best-loved restaurants. The Star Inn , in Harome, is a homey, low-ceilinged cottage (when I came, they were re-thatching the roof).

I first stopped by for a snack, and figured that since this is Yorkshire, it would be a crime to leave without sampling its namesake pudding. What arrived were three fluffy monsters, each about the size of a grapefruit, accompanied by root vegetables and bathed in a hearty gravy. Henceforth, this will be the standard against which all Yorkshire puddings will be judged. The next day I tried the inn's signature dish: a layered confection of black pudding, foie gras, and a caramelized apple. I could have stopped right there but, reader, I did not.

Dinner at the Black Swan in nearby Oldstead is an even more elaborate affair. Chef Tommy Banks serves up one of those operatic tasting menus where the words are as important as the music. And so it was explained to me that Banks achieves the explosive intensity of his beet salad by dehydrating and then rehydrating the beets before sprinkling them with crumbly frozen goat-milk cheese. I felt bad asking the staff to shorten the menu so my companion wouldn't miss her train, which is like stopping the opera before the fat lady sings. They were very good sports about it.

England is so saturated with stately homes that I sidestepped most of the Yorkshire ones. I made an exception for Castle Howard , and I'm so glad I did. This property, just south of the moors in the Howardian Hills, is the stately pile's stately pile. When a TV or film production needs a grand country seat as a location, they're very likely to book Castle Howard. It stood in for Brideshead in the beloved 1981 TV adaptation of Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited, and I arrived there a month ahead of a film crew from Netflix.

Suffice it to say, the grandeur here—of the house, the park, the art collection—is even grander than is the norm for this kind of place. The Howards, or some of them, still live here in a wing far, far away. Lucky them, you say? Yes and no. Through history, 19 Howards lost their heads on the chopping block, which, to paraphrase Oscar Wilde, seems more like carelessness than misfortune.

Rain had begun to fall as I made my way back to the Feversham Arms Hotel. The morning weather report had put the chance of a shower at one in three, but the woman at the front desk explained that in Yorkshire, one in three means 90 percent. "Nice weather for ducks," she said cheerfully.

Ducks and Yorkshiremen, who rarely let a passing downpour get in their way. I noted, even with the rain pelting down, no one got out of the hotel's outdoor pool.

Seeing Yorkshire in Style

Getting there.

Manchester is the nearest major airport to Yorkshire; change planes in London for the hop north. The area is also easily reached by train to Halifax, Leeds, or York.

Where to Stay

I adored Grantley Hall (doubles from$488), a converted 17th-century mansion with 47 rooms and suites and a restaurant helmed by chef Shaun Rankin.

Holdsworth House (doubles from$143) lies on the edge of busy Halifax, but sitting in the hotel's Jacobean garden, you'd never know it.

Just outside York, I stayed at the Feversham Arms Hotel (doubles from $158), a stylishly restored former coaching inn in the village of Helmsley.

Where to Eat

At the Shibden Mill Inn (entrées $19–$39), you can feast on dishes like duck fat brioche prepared with hen of the woods mushrooms, slow-cooked duck egg, and scallions.

The Stubbing Wharf (entrées $10–$20) isa quaint little pub on the Rochdale Canal that cooks up a dynamite fish and chips. Black Swan at Oldstead (tasting menu $160) has a clutch of awards for chef Tommy Banks's way with local produce.

Don't miss the Yorkshire pudding at Andrew Pern's Michelin-starred Star Inn at Harome (entrées $19–$44).

What to See

The 15th-century estate at Shibden Hall is a must-visit for fans of the TV series Gentleman Jack . The Hepworth Wakefield and Yorkshire Sculpture Park showcase works by local sculpture stars Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth.

You'll find haunting ruins at Whit by Abbey and Fountains Abbey , while the North Yorkshire Moors Railway covers one of the most scenic routes in the U.K.

How to Book

T+L A-List travel advisor Anne Scully ([email protected]; 703-945-7768) can help plan a Yorkshire trip.

A version of this story first appeared in the October 2020 issue of Travel + Leisure under the headline Over Hill, Over Dale.

Select language

What are you looking for.

VisitBritain/Sam Barker

Why we love York

Small and mighty – York is the medieval walled city that really packs a punch. Its backdrop of medieval lanes, Snickelways, and even a shopping street that dates back to the Domesday Book, means this compact city is packed with stuff to see.  Check out the impressive 2,000-year-old Gothic halls of its cathedral which could fit in the Leaning Tower of Pisa, or the ridiculously pretty 13th century timbered streets of The Shambles. Take a punt on the horses at its world-famous race course, check out its masses of museums and sample a food scene that spans from Michelin stars to shipping containers. Wash it down with the world’s first carbon-negative gin, or escape to nearby sites as awesome as the city itself.

cooperkingdistillery

Carbon-negative gin tour

Explore the world’s first carbon-negative gin distillery and take a tasting tour at York’s Cooper King .

natalieandtheloves

Bring out the train driver in you

See the world’s fastest steam locomotive, the Mallard. Discover how high-speed rail travel began and experience the tough life of a working station at York Railway Museum .   

Scare yourself silly at York Dungeon

Discover a grizzly 2000 Years of York’s darkest history as you see, hear and smell the cities murky past. Come face-to-face with Vikings and their Saxon enemies in an adult theatrical tours.

Things to do in York

Choosing an option from the dropdown will automatically update the map listing results to filter by your selection.

Jorvik Viking Centre

Journey through Viking past and discover what life was like in 10th century York at Jorvik Viking Centre.

photohodgeuk

York Minster

Marvel at one of Britain’s most majestic cathedrals, York Minster, a medieval masterpiece.

VisitBritain/Felipe Pires

The Shambles

Walk around York’s famous Shambles, the medieval shopping street that looks like it’s straight out of Harry Potter.

National Railway Museum York

From steam locomotives to the dawn of diesel, interactive family-fun and more, discover how the railways shaped modern Britain.

York City Walls

Follow a trail along York’s famous Roman City Walls – the longest town walls in England and take in views of this historic city.

VisitBritain/Andrew Pickett

Roots, York

Tuck into a tasting menu from a twenty-acre farm.

York's Chocolate Story

See expert chocolatiers at work, and have a go at creating your own cocoa masterpieces too!

York Castle Museum

Covering 400 years of history, this living museum offers craft workshops, theatre shows and more.

VisitBritain

Unique York Walking Tours - Invisible Cities

This fantastic social initiative has transformed countless lives, and is a great way to get to know York.

The York Dungeon

With ten live-action shows, professional storytellers and atmospheric sets, this is like travelling through time!

Yorkshire Photo Walks

Sharpen your photography skills while exploring York’s history, nature and neighbourhoods on these expert-led workshops.

northyorkmoors

McArthurGlen Designer Outlet York

Love designer fashions at discount prices? Browse Levi’s, Coach, Paul Smith, Ted Baker and more.

McArthur Glen York Designer Outlet

Antiques Centre York

This incredible emporium features more than 120 antiques dealers and traders – all under one roof.

Maybe you’ll climb the ‘Volcorno’, hit the ‘Cobstacle’ Course, or go climbing on the ‘Corn-wall’?

Rowntree Park

This picturesque city-centre park is ideal for picnics, and is free-of-charge to enjoy.

Ian Lamond / Alamy Stock Photo

York Racecourse

Horse racing highlights include the Dante Festival (May), John Smith’s Cup (July) and the season finale (October).

Holy Trinity Church

Look out for the plaque commemorating 19th-century diarist Anne Lister, who was known as “Gentleman Jack”.

Ian Roscoe / Alamy Stock Photo

York Art Gallery

Maybe you’ll join a photography walk, give painting a go, or try a life-drawing workshop?

Merchant Adventurers' Hall

An atmospheric setting for live music and entertainment, which offers guided behind-the-scenes tours too.

Merchants Hall York

Hidden Gems Food Crawl

A must-try for all foodies, and a great way to get under the skin of this vibrant city.

Tours in a Dish

Raise a pint or two with friends, and check the website to see what’s on during your visit.

Matthew Curtis

Yorkshire Heart Vineyard & Brewery

Sip wines made from grapes grown in Yorkshire, and beers brewed from quality local hops and malts.

Yorkshire Heart Vineyard

Original Harry Potter Locations Tour - York

Explore the real-life inspiration behind Diagon Alley, and visit a Potter-themed potion shop…

Getty Images/Joe Daniel Price

Science Museum Group/Eleanor Bentall

The biggest LGBTQIA+ event in North Yorkshire, this annual festival takes place every June.

Grand Opera House York

From West End musicals and opera performances, to world-famous ballets: this historic theatre has it all.

Milner Creative

York Early Music Festival

Discover the sounds of days gone by, with soul-stirring historic concerts and choral ensembles.

Ben Puch/National Centre for Early Music

The Bloody Tour of York

With “Mad Alice” as your tour guide, you’ll learn all about York’s fascinating and ghoulish history.

Clifford’s Tower

Old meets new at this York heritage hotspot, with incredible rooftop views over the city skyline.

English Heritage/Dominic Lipinski

The Ghost Bus Tours York

A horror-themed bus trip with plenty of laughs: this is one ghoulish city tour!

Paul Ridsdale / Alamy Stock Photo

Breezy Knees Gardens

Enjoy a walk in this spectacular garden, with its statuesque fountains, flowering borders and towering conifers.

Breezy Knees Garden

River Ouse Cruise

See York from a fresh perspective on a 45-minute sightseeing cruise along the peaceful River Ouse.

Sergii Figurnyi / Alamy Stock Photo

Maybe you’ll catch an outdoor film screening, join a craft workshop, or try a reflexology treatment?

Robert Lazenby / Alamy Stock Photo

Coppergate Shopping Centre

This central retail quarter features the likes of Primark, The Body Shop, Fenwick and Flying Tiger.

Goodramgate

Known as the “independent heart of York”, this vibrant quarter is home to boutique shops and quirky cafés.

Jack Cousin / Alamy Stock Photo

Askham Bryan Wildlife & Conservation Park

Meet meerkats, tortoises, alpacas, otters and more – and get even closer on a wildlife experience day.

Planet Food

Love food, but hate waste? So does this weekly community café, which offers a ‘Pay-As-You-Feel brunch / lunch.

Matthew Lightfoot

Featured things to do

Up to the heights

Discover the newly reopened Clifford’s Tower after its £5 million facelift to transform this 800-year-old landmark and drink in the 360-degree views of the city.

Whether you take a river boat cruise and enjoy afternoon tea or hop onboard a Red Boat and become the skipper of your own boat, the River Ouse is a pretty relaxing way to take in the city.

invisiblacitiestours

Take a walking tour

Walking tours run by homeless people who literally know the streets inside out, means you can give something back. All money raised from Invisible York Tours helps support the homeless.

Discover the history of chocolate

Learn how three clever families of Rowntree’s, Terry’s and Cravens made York a chocolate capital, create a bar of your own at York’s Chocolate Story.

Places to stay in York

City centre.

This is the best part of town and the centre of York’s beauty, but you’ll have to compete with other visitors for a spot in this small and popular city.

Perfect for reaching the nearby attractions - and the best museums, landmarks and activities long with a good choice of pubs and places to eat are all here.

This is great for those on a budget, it’s largely residential area, and relatively quiet. You can easily walk to the centre from here - and more likely to experience the locals going about their everyday lives.

Explore nearby

A hotbed for shopping and the arts, you’ll find lots to explore in Leeds.

VisitBritain/Thomas Heaton

Yorkshire Dales

Proof that perfection can’t be rushed, the Yorkshire Dales was millions of years in-the-making.

VisitBritain/MattCant

North York Moors

Rugged yet beautiful, wild yet welcoming – the North York Moors National Park is full of surprises.

Getting to York

Located in the heart of North Yorkshire, York’s nearest airport is Leeds-Bradford. Located 30 miles from the city centre, the airport operates flights to and from 70 destinations worldwide.

Getting around York

York is easily accessible from around Britain. Hop on a direct train from London, Manchester or Edinburgh, and be there in just two hours. It’s absolutely best explored on foot, or bike, but the city does have excellent public transport connections. Check out iTravelYork’s handy guide gives you all the information you need on travel within the city

It takes just 20 minutes to get from the outskirts to the city centre by bike, making cycling one of the easiest and most fun ways to access places to visit in York. You’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to the choice in bike tours. 

York’s winding cobbled streets are best explored by foot. In fact, it takes just 20 minutes to walk from one side of the city to the other – a small city with an eyeful of sites. There’s also lots tours and guided walks .

First Bus run regular services throughout York and offer a range of money-saving tickets in addition to accepting contactless payments on all routes, for fast and convenient travel.

Outside of York

Looking to visit attractions outside of York? Coastliner operates regular services to nearby destinations including bustling Leeds and the quirky coastal town of Whitby.

Want to know more?

Check out Visit York for top insider tips and travel inspiration.

Enjoyed The Snooks Trail? Bid for the sculptures at auction and raise money for charity!

Discover The Snooks Trail, an exciting new sculpture trail

Plan your Visit to York

Loading entries...

A city where ancient walls surround incredible local businesses, attractions, shops, accommodation and eateries, with exciting events every day and inspiring festivals every month of the year.

Perfectly placed half-way between London and Edinburgh and with the glorious Yorkshire Dales, North York Moors and Wolds right on the doorstep, York is unlike any other English city. There’s thirty world-class museums you can explore, the best racecourse in the country and a thriving cultural scene.

Stay | Things to Do | What's On | Eat & Drink | Shopping | Beyond York

Plan your Visit

Must see & do, shambles market.

Shambles Market is your ultimate destination for a diverse range of shopping needs. From exquisite quality gifts and fresh flowers to artisan crafts and stylish handbags, Shambles Market offers a delightful variety of c…

Visit York Information Centre & Gift Shop

Welcome to York, a city steeped in history, culture, and charm. Before you embark on your exploration, make sure to dro…

York Minster

Discover one of the world’s most magnificent cathedrals, a masterpiece in stained glass and stone and a sacred space wh…

JORVIK Viking Centre

Discover the Original Viking Encounter at JORVIK Viking Centre! With its world-famous ride taking visitors around the s…

The Visit York Pass

The Visit York Pass is an added value sightseeing card giving you the flexibility to visit top attractions in the city …

Shambles Food Court

Discover the Shambles Food Court nestled within the renowned Shambles Market, steeped in historical charm. Indulge in t…

National Railway Museum

Visit the National Railway Museum for a day out like no other! Not only do we have icons of the railway and thousands …

City Cruises York - Sightseeing Cruises

Enjoy York's No. 1 sightseeing tour; an entertaining and informative cruise on the River Ouse! Min. 45-Minute Sightseei…

Itineraries

Visit york tourism awards 2023: winners.

On Thursday 23rd March, the winners of the Visit York Tourism Awards 2023 were revealed a…

Must See & Do in York

If you're only in York for a short time, make sure to visit the must-see attractions that…

Hidden Gems of York

Step off the beaten track and delve deeper into the city’s ancient past to uncover some o…

Save money while sightseeing with a Visit York Pass! York's official sightseeing card which gives entry to top attractions in York, including York Minster, City Cruises York, JORVIK Viking Centre and more!

Why get a Visit York Pass?

🏰 Save money on 25+ attractions

🏰 Quick and easy to use

🏰 Includes 24 hours city sightseeing bus ticket

It's the only ticket you need!

York Festivals

York festival of ideas 2024, york festival of ideas, merchant adventurers' charity beer festival, merchant adventurers' hall, malton christmas festival, visit malton cic, york has a vibrant calendar of festivals, events, gigs and shows and there's always something exciting taking place for you to enjoy whilst visiting the city., ‘richmond poppies’ begin tour …, the school for scandal, easter at castle howard, two houses, one story york's …, fiddler on the roof, whether you’re visiting york for the first time or you’ve lived here all your life, we’ve got something to inspire you., updates from visit york sign up for news on events, festivals and special offers.

By checking this box you are agreeing to receive marketing material from Visit York. For further information please see our Privacy Policy .

Explore the places that make

North yorkshire.

Knaresborough

Scarborough

Northallerton

Nestled in the picturesque valley of Swaledale, Richmond is one of the most attractive towns in the UK thanks to its Georgian architecture. The town features a charming cobbled marketplace, which is surrounded by elegant 18th-century streets and buildings with a beautiful Gothic medieval church at its heart.

Learn more about Richmond

An iconic boutique Spa town in the heart of Yorkshire, with thriving streets packed with an eclectic mix of boutique shopping and green spaces.

Learn more about Harrogate

Full of surprises, a warren of medieval streets and stone staircases, perched on dramatic cliffs with famous views across the River Nidd.

Learn more about Knaresborough

A cathedral City rich in deep tradition and magnificent history with fascinating stories to tell of its character and people.

Learn more about Ripon

The home of Wensleydale cheese, a town filled with independent shops surrounded by dramatic landscape, great walking and beautiful waterfalls.

Learn more about Hawes

A traditional Yorkshire market town surrounded by a dramatic limestone landscape filled with waterfalls, caves and hills just waiting to be explored.

Learn more about Settle

A Busy market town with a beautifully broad high street, thriving canal basin and one of Britain’s best preserved castles.

Learn more about Skipton

Learn more about Leyburn

Learn more about Bedale

The birthplace of the James Herriot stories in a thriving market town just a short distance from Sutton Bank and finest view in England.

Learn more about Thirsk

Your gateway to the North York Moors National Park where a walled garden, castle and birds of prey centre surround this busy market town.

Learn more about Helmsley

Your base for exploring Yorkshire’s largest forest, the North York Moors National Park and a famous steam railway, the perfect place for adventures and activities.

Learn more about Pickering

Learn more about Malton

Head for the bright lights of Scarborough for a classic seaside break packed with ice cream, fish and chips, and plenty of family attractions.

Learn more about Scarborough

Uncover coastal charm with a gothic twist in Whitby’s cobbled streets, and delve into dramatic history at the world-famous Abbey.

Learn more about Whitby

This former fishing village offers a peaceful break with an impressive five mile beach, beautiful Edwardian architecture and an historic promenade.

Learn more about Filey

Learn more about Tadcaster

Having spent centuries on the front line of History Selby has a Norman-era Abbey at its heart, and a thriving market town community full of tradition.

Learn more about Selby

North Yorkshire’s county town and historical centre, Northallerton is the perfect place to explore independent shops along its beautifully broad high street, lined with Georgian architecture.

Learn more about Northallerton

Come and Visit

North yorkshire.

England’s largest county is a rich mixture of rolling hills and dales, dramatic moorland and spectacular coastline.  Interspersed among the peaks and valleys, the breathtaking landscapes and open waterways of are distinctive destinations and market towns, each with individual personality and charm.

North Yorkshire’s character can be explored through its amazing food and drink, the rich artistic culture and the echoes of our history that stand proud over the landscape.

However long you choose to visit North Yorkshire for, you will be spoiled for great ideas to fill a weekend, a week or longer exploring this special part of the country.

Family Days Out

Food and Drink

Dog Friendly

History and Heritage

North Yorkshire’s Unique Heritage

The County is rich with stories; from Harrogate’s Victorian spas, to coastal fishing villages and Captain Cook’s legacy, Selby’s industrial and shipping heritage and waterways, Skipton’s canals to Tadcaster’s breweries. Discover the History of North Yorkshire.

Explore North Yorkshire

The Yorkshire Coast

The Yorkshire Dales National Park

The North York Moors National Park

Nidderdale National Landscape

The Howardian Hill National Landscape

Keep up to date.

Get away to North Yorkshire this Spring

Discover the Taste of North Yorkshire

Have a Cracking Easter in North Yorkshire

Festivals you won’t want to miss in 2024

February Half Term in North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire Ideas for 2024

Home » Travel Guides » United Kingdom » England » 15 Best Things to Do in York (Yorkshire, England)

15 Best Things to Do in York (Yorkshire, England)

A city with two millennia of history to unpack, York has stupendous historical wonders in a quaint Medieval cityscape.

The Romans founded York as a fortress in AD 71, and the emperors Hadrian, Septimus and Constantius I all had their British seat in York while on campaigns.

Constantine the Great was declared Roman Emperor at this very place in 306 when his father died.

The sight that wins all hearts is York Minster, an English Gothic masterpiece built over the Roman fortress and graced by brilliant Medieval stained glass windows.

York continues to be defended by walls that were first raised by the Romans 2,000 years ago, and you can do a full 3.4-kilometre circuit along the battlements.

In the Industrial Revolution York became the nerve centre of northeast England’s railway network and is the fitting location for the UK’s National Railway Museum.

Let’s explore the best things to do in York :

1. York Minster

The city’s cathedral is the largest Gothic church in Northern Europe.

There’s much to see, like the 15th-century East Window, which at 24 metres is the largest expanse of Medieval stained glass in the world.

Some two million pieces of glass make up York Minster’s 128 stained glass windows, all fitted with elaborate tracery.

Maybe the loveliest is the Decorated Gothic Great West Window from the 13th century, with tracery forming a heart shape known as the “Heart of Yorkshire”. Coming up for 600 years after it was built, the Perpendicular Gothic Central Tower remains the highest structure in York at 72 metres.

You can go up 275 steps for an exhilarating view over the city’s rooftops.

Now, in The Undercroft below the cathedral there’s an interactive exhibition covering 2,000 years of York history, with excavated Roman barracks visible through glass floors and a 1,000-year-old illuminated manuscript.

2. Shambles

Snaking north to south through York’s historic centre, Shambles is a picture perfect Medieval shopping street.

The oldest of the corbelled and half-timbered buildings on Shambles date back to the 1300s.

From those times up to the 20th century the street was the reserve of butchers, intentionally narrow to help keep meat out of the sunlight, as it would be presented to buyers on shelves beneath open windows.

A few of these shelves are still in place along the street today.

Meanwhile the old butcher’s shops have all disappeared to be taken over by tea shops, cafes, restaurants and quirky boutiques purveying leather, fudge, Yorkshire wool and jewellery.

Included in : York: City Highlights Walking Tour

3. City Walls

York has been ringed by walls since Roman times, and these defences were altered by successive Medieval occupants before gaining their current course and design between the 12th and 14th centuries.

The one fragment of the Roman wall still standing is the Multangular Tower in Museum Gardens, raised in the 310s during the rule of Constantine the Great.

You can walk the full 3.4-kilometre circuit of York’s walls in a couple of hours.

On the walk you’ll see 45 towers and four main bars (gates): Bootham, Monk, Walmgate and Micklegate, all deserving a closer look.

Monk Bar has a portcullis in working condition, while Walmgate Bar’s 15th-century oak doors are intact.

4. National Railway Museum

In the 19th century York became the archetypal railway town, partly through the help of railway financier George Hudson in the 1830s.

By the turn of the 20th century more than 5,500 people were employed at the headquarters and works of the North Eastern Railway, and the modern York station is a principal stop on the East Coast Main Line.

The National Railway Museum charts 200 years of locomotion, in immense halls containing machines like the Mallard, the fastest steam locomotive in the world.

The modern equivalent, a Shinkansen engine also has pride of place at the museum, and these are just two of a fleet of spick and span locomotives on show.

The Station Hall recalls a century of life at a working station, while kids can watch engineers in action at The Workshop, explore the inner-workings of engines at interactive displays and take a ride on a miniature train.

5. York Castle Museum

In the 18th century a lot of the remaining stonework from York Castle’s bailey was reused to build a Neoclassical hall, serving as both an administrative building for the county and a prison.

The York Castle Museum was founded here in 1938 and recreates hundreds of years of York’s history.

In these interactive galleries you can see some of the cells and learn about life in a Victorian debtor’s prison or live it up at a Victorian parlour and 17th-century dining room.

In 2014 the “1914: When the World Changed” exhibition opened, remembering the First World War and its impact on York.

You can also go for a walk along Kirgate as it would have looked in Victorian times and relive the fashion and music of the 1960s.

6. Clifford’s Tower

The last remaining piece of York Castle is the ruined keep, which stands on a grassy Norman motte (earthwork mound). The previous wooden tower that was built here in the 11th century came to a grim end in 1190, when York’s 150-strong Jewish population was besieged by a mob and opted to commit suicide as the tower burnt down.

The stone keep dates to the 13th century and is a part of York’s identity despite being gutted by an explosion in 1684. The tower was used as a treasury and prison, and has information panels explaining what came before.

You can get up onto the battlements to contemplate York Minster, the city and the moors in the distance to the north.

See York from the water : River Ouse City Cruise Anytime Ticket

7. Treasurer’s House

Just north of York Minster is the Treasurer’s House, a grand residence where the Minster’s Treasurer would receive important guests.

When this post was abolished by Henry VIII the house came into the hands of three successive Archbishops of York.

There are building elements from the 11th and 12th centuries, but most of the Treasurer’s House as it appears today is from a Mannerist redesign in the early 17th century, when the curved gables, window pediments and Classical entrance were built.

In the 19th century the house belonged to the rich industrialist Frank Green, and his splendid furniture collection is on show inside.

Also special is the main hall, ordered by Green and with an exquisite half-timbered gallery.

8. Merchant Adventurers’ Hall

A superlative monument from Medieval York, the Merchant Adventurers’ Hall is a timber-framed guildhall that can be traced back 1357. It was founded by a religious fraternity that was eventually granted the status of Merchant Adventurers by Queen Elizabeth, and was a base for the guild to perform its charity, business and spiritual obligations.

The three main spaces at the hall are the imposing Great Hall for feasts, the Undercroft, which was used as an almshouse for the sick and needy, and the Chapel where the merchants and people living at the almshouse would worship.

There are still 160 Merchant Adventurers in York today, and you can hear about some of history’s prominent Merchant Adventurers and see an array of artefacts from the guild’s long history.

9. Fairfax House

A fine Georgian townhouse next to Clifford’s Tower, the Grade I listed Fairfax House is a museum recording how the other half lived in the 18th century.

The building dates to the 1740s, and in 1759 was bought as a winter home by 9th Viscount Fairfax of Emley who hired the eminent architect John Carr to remodel the interiors.

Over time the building was used as a gentleman’s club, building society and cinema, before being restored in 1980s and turned into a museum.

The interiors are appointed according to the tastes of the day, with dainty stuccowork on the ceilings, damask wallpapers, musical instruments, portraits and antique books.

You’ll get in touch with the evening entertainment to social commitments and dining habits of the period.

10. Jorvik Viking Centre

In the 9th and 10th centuries York was controlled by Norse warrior kings known as the Kings of Jórvík (Norse for York), and that heritage is celebrated at this edutainment-style attraction.

The Viking Centre was hit by the floods in December 2015 but took the opportunity to modernise, reopening in spring 2017 after a refit.

You’ll go on a ride back to 960 when York was under the yoke of the last Viking King Eric Bloodaxe, descend 6.5 metres to the reconstructed Viking-era Coppergate trading street, admire some 800 authentic artefacts up close and get to see Viking craft demonstrations by costumed actors.

The lifelike mannequins at the Viking Centre have an interesting story as they have been modelled using skeletons excavated at a Viking-era cemetery.

11. St Mary’s Abbey

Founded in 1088, west of York’s city walls between Bootham and the Ouse, St Mary’s Abbey was at one time the richest Benedictine abbey in the North of England.

Its ruins lie in what is now the Yorkshire Museum Gardens after it was dissolved under Henry VIII in 1539. Although a lot of its stone was removed in the 18th century, a long stretch of the nave wall and a tall section of the crossing are still here, broken by pointed Gothic windows, and with beautiful tracery on the blind aches below.

There are traces of the cloister, hospitum, Abbot’s House, West Gate and a large extent of the protective walls built in 1260.

12. Yorkshire Air Museum

At what used to be the RAF Elvington airfield, the Yorkshire Air Museum stands out both for its fleet of aircraft but also as the most complete Bomber Command Station open to the public.

The museum’s 50 aircraft span the development of aviation, from the replica George Cayley Golder (1853) to a Panavia Tornado multi-role combat aircraft (2003). There are seven examples from the Second World War, all in mint condition, including a Handley Page Halifax bomber and a De Havilland Mosquito, with fuselage made almost entirely from wood.

Check the calendar when you visit York as the museum stages regular “Thunder Days” when you’ll see, smell and hear the operational Second World War and Cold War machines up close.

13. Castle Howard

A 14-mile drive from the Vale to the Howardian Hills, Castle Howard is a trip that needs to be made.

This English Baroque stately home was designed for the 3rd Early of Carlisle by John Vanbrugh, one of the foremost architects of the day, who also happened to be a playwright.

Construction was drawn out, beginning in 1699 and after a few Palladian modifications, not finishing until 1811. The lasting image is the central dome, over a balustrade, cherubs, coronets and urns, and fronted by a pediment and pilasters.

Go in to see portraits, period furniture and opulent decoration, while information boards telling the story of each room and the people who lived here.

The 1,000-acre grounds are just as special, comprising an 18th-century Walled Garden, a Woodland Garden, lakes and waterways and a variety of Grade I listed temples and monuments.

14. York Maze

The UK’s largest maze is open for just a small window every year, during the school summer holidays between mid-July and the start of September.

The “Giant Maize Maze” is planted with a million individual maize plants, and is of course the biggest draw, but there are all kinds of side attractions to keep youngsters active.

Kids can try and solve the Maze of Illusions, the Mineshaft Maze and the Finger Fortune Maze.

Also on hand is a “Cobstacle Course”, straw bale mountain, a tractor trailer ride, the “King Kernel’s House of Confusion”, crazy golf and even pig racing.

15. York Cold War Bunker

English Heritage’s most modern property is a slightly unsettling 20th-century artefact.

In the western Holgate suburb, the Cold Bunker was commissioned in 1961 and is the only Royal Observer Corps (ROC) bunker that has been preserved.

In the Cold War the ROC would have had the responsibility of warning the public of impending attacks and assessing nuclear fallout in the UK. The bunker supported 60 ROC personnel, and from Wednesday to Sunday you can go in to check out the dormitories, air filtration and generation system, canteen, kitchen, operations room, communication equipment and computers from the 1980s.

15 Best Things to Do in York (Yorkshire, England):

• York Minster
• National Railway Museum
• York Castle Museum
• 6. Clifford's Tower
• Treasurer's House
• Merchant Adventurers' Hall
• Fairfax House
• Jorvik Viking Centre
• St Mary's Abbey
• Yorkshire Air Museum
• Castle Howard
• York Cold War Bunker

Your browser is not supported for this experience. We recommend using Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari.

2024 visitor guide

What's on this weekend, discover great value holidays, visit east yorkshire.

Calm beaches or wild coastlines, a week with the family or a mini break for two , woodland adventures or country retreats, natural wonders or historical homes, fish and chips or fine dining, walking or riding, exploring or relaxing, fun in the sun or a cosy winter break – whatever a holiday means to you, we know you’ll find it here in beautiful East Yorkshire. 

Breathe in the natural beauty

Rolling hills, wild open spaces, fresh air and rich wildlife make this region the perfect place for anyone who loves the great outdoors. Choose from miles of  walking paths dotted with cosy country pubs and spots to admire the view or follow the  cycle trails and go off-roading through amazing woodland or along our unique coastal routes.  If you like to take your holidays at a slightly slower pace then our bird watching is some of the best in the UK or just take a seat on a bench created by a local artist and soak in the tranquillity of being surrounded by mother nature at her very best.  

Find your family again

Whether you spend your days building sandcastles on our wide golden  beaches , rock pooling for natural treasures, visiting one of our many fun family  attractions  or just relaxing in each other’s company as you sample amazing fish and chips, on a bustling seaside promenade, this is place where you can enjoy quality time together and the great British  seaside  at its very best.

Enjoy history, horse racing and handcrafted souvenirs   

If you are seeking an eclectic break away, then you’ve come to the right place.  Where else could you explore the rich history of a medieval Minster , wander down historic cobbled streets, visit art galleries, shop in an array of boutique stores and then be able to choose between a gourmet dinner, an exciting race meet or a night at the theatre? You can when you visit East Yorkshire.

Discover the art of being outdoors

Take your time here, explore the region and you will discover the unique light and landscapes that have inspired artists for centuries, including world renowned painter  David Hockney , who has spent much of his life painting the beautiful woodlands and vistas of East Yorkshire. When you visit, you can learn to paint, learn to cook, or simply learn to relax and enjoy the trees and dappled sunshine that inspired him and so many others.

Go wild on two wheels, or on two feet

East Yorkshire’s coastline spans from the towering chalk cliffs of  Bempton , home to over half a million seabirds that nest there, to the sand spit of  Spurn point  where you can cycle, or walk, almost all of it. From challenging routes to explore with friends to a gentle seafront cycle with the family or a scenic pub to pub stroll with some gentle inclines thrown in, East Yorkshire is a perfect place to explore on bike or on foot.

Things To Do

From beach days to family friendly attractions, stately homes that will amaze and…

From coast to countryside and inviting market towns, explore all that East Yorkshire…

Whether you’re enjoying a day out, a weekend break or a longer family holiday…

Eat, Sleep, Enjoy, Repeat.

From traditional seaside B&Bs and stunning self-catering cottages through to rural campsites and rustic lodges that offer something a little bit special, you’ll find every type of accommodation choice here. You’ll also be spoilt for choice when it comes to delicious food and drink from all of our local producers and independent cafes and restaurants including, of course, fresh local shellfish and seafood. Local brewers and distillers in the area are also aplenty and often run tours to show how their fine ales and smooth whiskies are lovingly crafted from locally grown produce.

Enjoy the festival feeling that lasts all year!

Whether you come here for a fun family summer break, a cosy winter weekend for two or an autumnal escape with friends, you’ll find that there’s always something going in our vibrant event calendar. From Race the Waves , to the Bridlington Kite Festival , and from East Yorkshire Walking and Outdoors Festival to the atmospheric Beverley Festival of Christmas we have hundreds of exciting events all year, every year. Find out what’s on, when you visit East Yorkshire, and enjoy something special.

So, come and visit a place where fresh sea air blows, rich natural beauty thrives, history comes to life, adventures are found, appetites are satisfied, thirsts are quenched and special moments fill every single day.  Come and visit a place where holidays happen and memories are made. Visit East Yorkshire. 

Where to stay.

Find great places to stay in East Yorkshire, from unique glamping pods to luxurious…

East Yorkshire is a truly a year-round destination, so whenever you choose to…

Food and Drink

East Yorkshire is full of delicious temptation. Dive in and enjoy a holiday that…

More of East Yorkshire

East yorkshire for two, sustainable east yorkshire, dog friendly east yorkshire, family friendly east yorkshire, 7 wildlife wonders of east yorkshire.

• 5 minute read

East Yorkshire offers an enchanting tapestry of wildlife habitats that beckon both seasoned nature enthusiasts and curious explorers alike. From rugged cliffs to serene wetlands, each corner of this region teems with life, promising unforgettable encounters with some of Britain's most iconic…

Walking the Wold Rangers Way

Despite the cold and sometimes very windy weather, Bill and I continued our explorations of the Yorkshire Wolds this January – an apt month as it was actually National Walk Your Dog Month! For those of you that have also been following our adventures on our Walking the Wolds Facebook page, you will…

The best Sunday roasts in East Yorkshire

• 7 minute read

A Sunday roast has got to be one of the highlights of the week, hasn’t it? Crispy roast potatoes, fluffy Yorkshire puddings and lashings of proper gravy – it’s comfort food at its best. Whatever the season, come rain or shine, you’ll find us tucked away in cosy pub corners tucking into our favourite…

Searching for something

Join in & follow East Yorkshire on Instagram

Queen Camilla visits Catterick Garrison for Lancers medal ceremony

• Published 2 days ago

The Queen has presented a series of medals to active and retired members of the regiment her father served with in World War Two.

Queen Camilla presented five Buchan Medals to Royal Lancers at Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire on Monday.

There was an homage to her late father, Maj Bruce Shand, who served with the 12th Lancers.

This was her first visit to the regiment since being appointed as its Colonel-in-Chief in June 2023.

Soldiers in the Royal Lancers are often known as being the "eyes and ears" of the British Army.

They are trained to fight using a wide range of equipment, from drones to sniper rifles and anti-tank missiles.

Maj Shand had served in the regiment and won the Military Cross during the retreat to Dunkirk in 1940 and again at El Alamein in North Africa in 1942.

He was captured on 6 November 1942, during a battle in which the crew of his armoured car were both killed and he was seriously injured.

The Queen's father was held in Spangenberg Castle, in Germany, until he escaped in early 1945 - and he went on to then leave the Army after the war.

During her visit, the Queen met with Maj Phil Watson, who served for 35 years with the regiment.

He was also the author of Their Greatest Hour, a book which followed the story of her father and the rest of the 12th Lancers guarding the retreat of the British Expeditionary Force's withdrawal to Dunkirk.

Maj Watson showed the Queen her late father's tunic, which was recently purchased by the barracks.

Speaking to BBC Radio York, he said: "It was through an online auction, we put a bid in and got it at a reasonable price."

He explained that the tunic was from a particular "snapshot in time", after Maj Shand was awarded the Military Cross but before he was captured.

"All the rest of his medal ribbons aren't there for World War Two, why?", he added.

"Because he'd been captured and he had to wait until the end of the war to get them.

"We know that it's not been interfered with because if somebody had known who it was, they probably would have over-embellished it to get a sale."

Maj Watson said that the tunic was an "amazing find" and was special for the Queen, but just as special for everyone there.

"It was a once in a lifetime opportunity," he said.

Military families also went along to the event to watch the parade and the Queen's short speech.

Major Ed Minards, who attended with three generations of his family, called the experience a "real privilege", adding that it was "fantastic" to have a daughter of the regiment as their Colonel-in-Chief.

His wife Maria said: "I think the ceremony, the music, the marching and having such a special visitor was incredible.

"It was really important for the children to see that and feel part of the regiment."

Queen Camilla was also pictured signing the visitors' book, before leaving through a guard of honour and a procession.

Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook , X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram . Send your story ideas to [email protected]

Related Topics

• UK Royal Family
• Queen Camilla

More on this story

Kate 'will be thrilled', Queen says to well-wishers

• Published 27 March

Queen praises young writers in BBC writing contest

• Published 7 March

Related Internet Links

Royal Lancers - The British Army

The Queen visits The Royal Lancers, for her first time as Colonel-in-Chief