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Captain Cook Memorial Museum
Attractions in Whitby

Captain Cook Memorial Museum heads what Whitby has to see

The middle of Whitby has 10 places to visit within 1 km. Mapped inside Whitby’s built-up area are 11 places to visit, and within 5 km of its edge another 4. There are 7 museums, 4 castles and a historic ship to choose from. Of these, one is looked after by English Heritage. Day-trippers head 26 km out to Scarborough Castle.

Photo: Captain Cook Memorial Museum, aude (CC BY-SA 3.0)
In Whitby
11
inside the built-up area
Within 5 km
4
of the town’s edge
Museums & galleries
7
in or near town
Castles & historic places
6
in or near town
Cared for
1
National Trust, English Heritage, Cadw and others
Best known

Whitby’s best known

Following Captain Cook Memorial Museum are 3 museums, a castle and a historic ship.

MuseumCaptain Cook Memorial Museumin townMuseumWhitby Museumin townMuseumPannett Art Galleryin townCastleCastleSneaton Castle Centrein townMuseumMuseumCholmley Housein townHistoric shipHistoric shipThe Endeavour Experiencein town

Each has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.

The map

Where they are

Most of the 4 close by lie to the west.

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The dashed line is Whitby’s built-up area; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · ONS built-up area 2022

By kind

Kind by kind

Count 7 museums or galleries and 6 castles or historic places.

Museums & galleries 7 museums7 in town
Castles & historic places 4 castles · 1 historic ship · 1 abbey or priory2 in town · 4 nearby
Zoos, theme parks & days out 1 aquarium1 in town
Other attractions 1 attraction1 in town

Green: inside Whitby. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.

1 place is cared for by English Heritage (Whitby Abbey).

Every place

All the places to visit

After the 11 in town come 4 more within 5 km of its edge.

The 11 inside Whitby come first, best known first; then the places within 5 km, close and well known first. Churches and listed buildings are on the History page, not here.

458 listed buildings and 2 scheduled monuments are on Whitby’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Whitby →

Big names nearby

Big names nearby

Scarborough Castle (26 km) leads the 12 big names within reach.

Castle · English HeritageScarborough Castle26 km southeastCastle · English HeritagePickering Castle28 km southCathedralMiddlesbrough Cathedral39 km westCastle · English HeritageHelmsley Castle39 km southwestCastleDanby Castle18 km westAbbey or priory · English HeritageGisborough Priory28 km westHeritage railwayNorth Yorkshire Moors Railway28 km southAttractionMumbo Jumbo32 km southCastleAyton Castle27 km southTheme parkFlamingo Land33 km southMuseumRotunda Museum27 km southeastMuseumRyedale Folk Museum28 km southwest

Places well known beyond Whitby (Wikipedia articles in several languages, published visitor counts, or a National Trust, English Heritage or Cadw property), close and famous first. Distances are straight lines from the middle of the town.

Whitby, answered

What are the main attractions in Whitby?

The best known inside Whitby’s built-up area are Captain Cook Memorial Museum, Whitby Museum, Pannett Art Gallery and Sneaton Castle Centre. In all, 11 places to visit are mapped inside the town, and 4 more within 5 km.

Does Whitby have a museum?

7 museums and galleries are in or within 5 km of Whitby: Captain Cook Memorial Museum, Whitby Museum, Pannett Art Gallery and Cholmley House.

Is there a National Trust or English Heritage property near Whitby?

Yes. In or within 5 km of Whitby, 1 place is cared for by English Heritage (Whitby Abbey).

What are the best-known days out near Whitby?

Within 40 km: Scarborough Castle (26 km), Pickering Castle (28 km), Middlesbrough Cathedral (39 km), Helmsley Castle (39 km).

Where are Whitby’s historic buildings listed?

Whitby has 458 listed buildings, 8 of them Grade I. They are on its History page, from Historic England’s list, not repeated here.

How is this list made?

From OpenStreetMap (museums, galleries, zoos, theme parks and attractions, castles, forts and abbeys, and historic houses and gardens that are open to visitors) and Wikidata (what each place is, who runs it, its website and visitor counts). A place counts for Whitby when it is inside the ONS 2022 built-up area, and as nearby within 5 km of its edge. Opening times and prices are not shown: check the official site.

Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the ONS 2022 built-up area (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.

Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).

Photo credits (18)

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.