When you visit North Yorkshire, you’ll soon embrace the great outdoors. Bring your walking shoes for uphill climbs across Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors to castles and abbey ruins that frame the landscape, and afterwards, recharge in regal spa town tearooms and market town pubs over jugs of locally brewed Ruby Ale. One of the best things to do in North Yorkshire of all is amble round historic York, with its gothic York Minster cathedral decked out in stained glass. Get lost in cobbled snickelway passages, or take in ancient forts and bridges on a River Ouse cruise.
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Places to visit in North Yorkshire
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The Grand, York
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Wake up in gorgeous Edwardian surroundings at this York hotel, winner of our Large Hotel of the Year Gold Award 2024.
The Wizard Walk of York
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Take the family on a magical tour around York with the winner of our New Tourism Business of the Year Gold Award 2024.
24 hours in Whitby
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Scratch the surface of the Gothic, historic and dramatic seaside town of Whitby, perched on the Yorkshire Coast.
Take afternoon tea at Bettys Café Tea Rooms
Experience vintage English hospitality and choose from hundreds of delicious treats and tea varieties in this iconic Art Deco café.
Location: Harrogate, North 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.
Location: York, North Yorkshire
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.
Location: York, North Yorkshire
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.
Location: York, North Yorkshire
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.
Location: York, North Yorkshire
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.
Location: York, North Yorkshire
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.
Location: York, North Yorkshire
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.
Location: York, North Yorkshire
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.
Location: York, North Yorkshire
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
Dive into an underwater world at SEA LIFE Scarborough
Discover a magical underwater world at one of North Yorkshire's best family attractions.
Location: Scarborough, North Yorkshire
Get your jazz hands out for the Scarborough Jazz Festival
Each September, the annual Scarborough Jazz Festival on Yorkshire’s north coast provides the ideal tonic for music lovers to wash away those summer blues.
Location: Scarborough, North Yorkshire
Enjoy a magical ride across the English countryside
With your day ticket in hand, hop on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and discover some of the best villages in UK between Pickering and Whitby.
Location: Whitby, North Yorkshire
Savour family fun in sandy Scarborough
If you’re looking for good old-fashioned fun that's easy on the wallet, you might want to consider Scarborough beach, also known as the “St Tropez of the North”.
Location: Scarborough, North Yorkshire
Be royalty for a day at Scarborough Castle
Take an audio tour around the Castle, enjoy breathtaking views from the headland of the North Yorkshire Coast and have tea in a historic building.
Location: Scarborough, North Yorkshire
Explore historic Whitby Abbey
Discover how over 2,000 years of history made Whitby Abbey one of England’s most important archaeological sites.
Location: Whitby, North Yorkshire
Create your own work of art in a quaint artist’s bolthole
Get the creative juices following and spend the weekend discovering inspiring landscapes just waiting to be captured.
Location: Staithes, North Yorkshire
Delve into the story of Dracula
Probe into the dramatic history of Bram Stoker’s Dracula in the very place where the stories of the bloodthirsty vampire were born.
Location: Whitby, North Yorkshire