Where to Visit in York

The National Railway Museum

The National Railway Museum of York is the largest railway museum in the world with a huge collection of millions of railway artefacts. The museum traces the history of the railway from the Rocket to Eurostar. Also houses a huge photographic collection. The railway children's play area is for younger visitors, with rides on the miniature railway or full size trains normally available.

Getting to the National Railway Museum is not difficult and can be reached on foot from the many hotels in York centre. Visitors coming directly from outside the centre can reach the museum by rail; York is half way between London (Kings Cross station) and Edinburgh. It takes under two hours to travel to York from London. The Museum is 5 minutes walk from York railway station. Travellers by road are directed by good signage and York is a few miles from the main A1 Trunk road. www.nrm.org.uk

The Jorvik Centre

Below the pavements of York below the streets of Coppergate and the surrounding areas, with modern shops restaurants and hotels is the Viking City of Jorvik. Travel back one thousand years and explore York's Viking history exactly where archaeologists found the remains of the original city built after the Roman age settlement of Eboracum and see over 800 items which ere discovered on the site. The Jorvik experience is divided into two main phases, starting with the Time cars transporting visitors around the streets, alleyways and wharfside of the reconstructed Viking city. The Journey then continues to the dazzling new artefacts gallery, where the latest technology enable visitors to see the genuine Viking age artefacts displayed as they were found by archaeologists and also how they were used in the 10th century. www.jorvik-viking-centre.co.uk

York Castle Museum

York’s Castle Museum is a very interesting and informative place to visit and is not the usual tradition style of museum. You will find an authentically created street, Kirkgate where more than 30 million people have visited. Kirkgate, the oldest recreated Victorian street in Britain and one of the most popular attractions in the country. Dick Turpin's last days were spent in a cell in the Debtors' Prison at York Castle, now part of York Castle Museum. He was brought to the prison in October 1738 and remained here until his execution in April 1739. The Castle Museum houses a remarkable collection of objects telling a story of every day life from the past four hundred years. These nationally designated collections include probably the best collection anywhere of British household items from 1600 -2002. Amongst these exhibits is a Victorian parlour and a living room or front room of a comfortable working class family at the time of the Coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953. In this 1950's room much of the furniture dates from the 1930's and 1940's and carries on the "make do and mend" motto of the 1939-45 war. www.yorkcastlemuseum.org.uk