York is well provided for in the way of museums and art galleries. Here are the main ones that visitors to York visit: York Castle Museum
Housed in the city`s old prison buildings, the museum also gives intriguing glimpses of the prison life of 200 years ago. Look out for the centuries-old graffiti still on the walls as you stare through the bars into dingy cells!
Continuing the real-life experience, you can walk down a genuine cobbled Victorian street, peer into replica shop windows, call at the Victorian police station and Edwardian pub, and step into family living rooms recreated from centuries ago.
The Yorkshire Museum
The museum lies in the shadow of St Mary's Abbey, once the north's wealthiest abbey, and near a Roman fortress wall. It is an imposing Doric-style building commanding a spectacular view of landscaped gardens which retain the atmosphere of York's unique past.
The site covers 10 acres of botanical gardens and is the home to a 15th century timber-framed guest-house - better known as The Hospitium. It covers 1000 years of Yorkshire's heritage. You can view elegant Roman jewellery, impressive mosaics and Anglo-Saxon silver. Viking treasures include a spectacular warrior stone, swords, battle-axes and a silk cap.
National Railway Museum
The National Railway Museum is the largest railway museum in the world, boasting a host of railway icons and literally millions of artefacts. Its vast collection tells the story of the railway from Rocket to Eurostar.
The Jorvic Viking Centre
The Jorvik Viking Centre is unique, once experienced - never forgotten. It is built on the exact site of a huge archaeological dig. Here the York Archaeological Trust found the amazingly well preserved remains of part of the Viking City of Jorvik cocooned in wet mud (and therefore perfectly preserved) for over 1,000 years.
A massive range of detailed, often microscopic evidence was recovered and has been used to recreate (in intricate detail) every last aspect of everyday life. This is no waxworks, this is the closest you'll ever get to time travel, the sights, the sounds and even the very smells of Jorvik in 948 AD.
Starting from the moment you arrive at our door, Viking inhabitants of the York of 1,000 years ago will be eager to tell you the best place to buy wooden bowls, or bone skates, and give you a few insights into the City in their day, as well as preparing you for your journey back in time.
Children will love to dress up for their journey as or a raider (complete with sword). Then your party can start the journey by descending the stairs into the very bowels of York, climbing down to Viking levels; to the level of York's streets as they were in 948 before they were buried beneath all the rubbish of subsequent generations.
You can find more information, and links to the websites for each of these museums on this web page.
There's also a lot more information about York on the website.
