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Museums in York
York does museums rather well, and most of the best ones are right in the centre. The National Railway Museum is free and about as close to the middle as it gets, good for Flying Scotsman spotting and the Station Hall. Just up the road, Yorkshire Museum sits in Museum Gardens with Romans, Vikings and dinosaurs, from £6. York Castle Museum has a recreated Victorian street and two real prisons, from £8.60, best for kids who can manage the whole route on their own feet. If you want free, start with the railway museum or make a longer trip out to Leeds for the Royal Armouries, also free, with live combats and a crossbow challenge. For younger children, Dreamery Gardens has fifty acres to search for fairy houses and a maze, no set price given. Older kids do best at Beck Isle Museum out in Pickering, from £4, aimed at six and up, with a working blacksmith among its galleries.
8 places 7 upcoming events 3 free to visit
What's on: museums
WED 7 OCT, 10:00 · +120 MORE DATES
Daily Shows
Royal Armouries Museum
Free
WED 7 OCT, 10:00 · +120 MORE DATES
Dinosaur Backpacks
Yorkshire Museum
Free
WED 7 OCT · +25 MORE DATES
Genghis Khan: How the Mongols Changed the World
Royal Armouries Museum
WED 7 OCT · +120 MORE DATES
Gallery Talks
Yorkshire Museum
Free
WED 7 OCT, 10:30 · +120 MORE DATES
Crossbow Challenge
Royal Armouries Museum
From £8
SAT 24 OCT · +8 MORE DATES
Stories from the Steppe
Royal Armouries Museum
Free
FRI 6 NOV, 10:00 · +17 MORE DATES
Discover: Jurassic Yorkshire Workshop
Yorkshire Museum
Free
Places for museums
from £4Beck Isle Museum
Pickering · ages 6+
Twenty-five gallery spaces of historic shops, blacksmith demos and hands-on exhibits, best tackled with kids aged six and up.
Accessible toiletDog friendlyGift shopGroup bookings+4 more
Dreamery Gardens and Museum
York
Fifty acres of woodland to hunt through for fairy houses, dragon nests and hidden doors, plus a maze and a fairy museum.
Birthday partiesCaféDog friendlyFree parking+2 more
FreeKirkstall Abbey
Leeds
A ruined medieval abbey to wander round, with a café for tea and cake once the legs give out.
Baby changeCaféParkingToilets
FreeNational Railway Museum
York
Free York train museum - Flying Scotsman vibes, Station Hall and optional Wonderlab.
Accessible toiletGift shopFood on siteToilets+3 more
FreeRoyal Armouries Museum
Leeds
Free armour museum by Leeds Dock - live combats, hands-on kits and a crossbow challenge.
Gift shopFood on siteToiletsWheelchair accessible
from £2.50The Royal Dragoon Guards Museum and Regimental Association
York
A small military history museum in York with tanks, battle honours and regimental artefacts spanning 1685 to now.
Accessible toiletGift shopToiletsWheelchair accessible
from £8.60York Castle Museum
York · ages 5+
A recreated Victorian street and two real prisons to poke about in, best tackled with kids who can walk the whole thing themselves.
CaféToiletsWheelchair accessibleBaby change+1 more
from £6Yorkshire Museum
York
York museum in Museum Gardens - Romans, Vikings and dinosaurs without Soft Play.
Accessible toiletCaféGift shopToilets+1 more
Good to know: museums in York
Are any of them free?
Yes, Kirkstall Abbey, National Railway Museum and Royal Armouries Museum are free to visit.
What does a paid visit cost?
Paid entry starts from £2.50 at The Royal Dragoon Guards Museum and Regimental Association. Prices, ages and facilities are listed on every place page, taken from each venue's own published price list.
Whereabouts are they?
You'll find museums in Pickering, York and Leeds. Every place we list is in or around York, and each listing has the full address and directions.
More ways to plan a day out
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