Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
free-to-visit botanical Museum Gardens. Opening times are generally 10am to 5pm
daily; kids go free, adult tickets are £7, or £12 if you also visit the
York Castle
Museum & Prison
, Eye of York (
&
01904/687687;
www.yorkcastlemuseum.
org.uk). Occupying the site of York Castle, this is best known for its re-creations of
entire Victorian and Edwardian streets, but it also has period rooms, a collection of
arms and armor, a Costume Gallery, and an exhibition on the building's former history
as a gaol. It's normally open daily 9:30am to 5pm.
Over in Exhibition Square, the
York Art Gallery
(
&
01904/687687;
www.york
artgallery.org.uk) is a pleasant spot to while away an hour admiring fine paintings and
ceramics, from 14th-century Italian panels and 17th-century Dutch masterpieces to
20th-century works by Yorkshire artist David Hockney. A short walk from it lies the
National Railway Museum.
Jorvik Viking Centre
ENTERTAINMENT COMPLEX This attrac-
tion's “time capsule” takes visitors back to this spot as it would have looked in a.d. 97,
warts and all: The pig sties, fishmarket, latrines, and other features, populated by
animatronic figures, come complete with the requisite sounds and smells. An adjoin-
ing museum area has interactive displays, static exhibits, and costumed actors. Con-
tinual improvements—including a major refurbishment in 2010—keeps this among
York's best attractions. Note that tickets allow unlimited entry for an entire year.
Coppergate, York.
&
01904/615505.
www.jorvik-viking-centre.co.uk. Admission £8.95 adults, £6
children 5-15; joint tickets with sister attraction Dig! (see above)
£13 adults/£9.75 children 5-15.
Apr-
Nov daily 10am-5pm (to 4pm rest of year).
17
MUSEUM The first national museum
built outside London is an original steam-locomotive depot containing more than 100
locomotives, nearly 200 other items of rolling stock, and memorabilia galore that,
together, trace the history of railways from the early 19th century. A simulator gives
you the chance to experience the thrill of hurtling from London to Brighton at up to
765mph, while special events include the likes of a Wizard Week when you can take
a steam ride pulled by “Hogwarts Castle,” star of several Harry Potter films. There's
also a miniature railway in the grounds.
Leeman Rd.
&
08448/153139.
www.nrm.org.uk. Free admission (small charges for some activities and
events). Daily 10am-6pm.
York Minster
CATHEDRAL York's superb Gothic cathedral traces its
origins from the early 7th century but the present building is from the 13th century,
with, like Lincoln's cathedral (p. 551), three 15th-century towers. The central tower
is lantern shaped in the Perpendicular style; on a clear day the fit can climb its stone
spiral staircase for panoramic views, at an extra charge. Don't miss the medieval
stained glass, or, in the Undercroft beneath the central tower, the foundations of the
Roman buildings where Emperor Constantine lived while he began his rise to great-
ness.
Chapter House St.
&
0844/939-0011.
www.yorkminster.org. Admission and guided tour £9 adults,
free for children 15 and under; tower £5.50 adults, £3.50 children 8-16. Mon-Sat 9/9:30am-5:30pm, Sun
noon-3:45pm; 60-90 min. guided tours Mon-Sat 9am-3pm.
HARROGATE & AROUND
About 22 miles west of York and 7
1
⁄
2
miles north of Harewood House (p. 634), the
enchanting Victorian spa town of
Harrogate
is most famous as home, since 1919, to
the original
Bettys Café Tea Rooms
(p. 650).
Prior to that, in Georgian times, it
National Railway Museum
