Bedern Hall
ENTRY
Free
WHERE
York
What it’s like
A free medieval hall near York Minster with a squirrel-themed activity trail and a courtyard café for afterwards.
Stanley the Squirrel leads the way here, with an activity trail through the hall that gives children something to hunt for while the grown-ups take in the medieval room itself. There are family storytimes too, and because it's free to get in you can pop in for twenty minutes or make a proper morning of it without worrying about ticket prices.
It's open Wednesday to Friday, 10.30am to 3.30pm, so this isn't a weekend plan, more a midweek one if you've got a day off with the kids or fancy filling the gap before school pickup. Everything's on the ground floor, which makes it an easy one with a buggy or a wheelchair, and it's only a three minute walk from York Minster if you're stacking it onto a bigger day out in the city.
The courtyard café stays open a bit later than the hall, until 4pm, with sandwiches, paninis and sweet treats for the kids and wines, local beers and specialty teas for you. There's even afternoon tea with sparkling wine if you fancy turning the visit into something a bit more grown up once the children have done the trail.
Worth checking the date if you're planning ahead. The hall closes for private events now and then, including a confirmed closure on 31st July, and since there's no booking link you can't reserve a slot, you just turn up during opening hours.
Facilities
Need to know
- Food
- Courtyard cafe serving sandwiches, panini, platters, sweet treats, wines, local beers, coffee and specialty teas
- Wheelchairs
- Disability accessible and entirely located on the ground floor
- Getting there by bus or train
- Three minute walk from York Minster
- It sometimes closes for private events, including a confirmed closure on 31st July
- Only open Wednesday to Friday, so not a weekend option
- It's a three minute walk from York Minster if you want to combine visits
- Foss Bank car park is the one to use in the daytime; it closes at 8pm
Plan your visit
How much does it cost?
It's free to get in.
What is there for children to do?
There's an activity trail with Stanley the Squirrel and family storytimes.
What are the opening hours?
Wednesday to Friday, 10.30am to 3.30pm. The café stays open until 4pm.
Do we need to book?
There's no booking link, so you just turn up during opening hours.
Is it accessible with a buggy or wheelchair?
Yes, it's disability accessible and entirely on the ground floor.
Is there anywhere to eat?
The courtyard café does sandwiches, paninis, platters and sweet treats, plus wines, local beers and afternoon tea with sparkling wine.
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