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York Minster
Attractions in York

In York, York Minster is the name to know

National Railway Museum welcomes about 808K visitors a year. Mapped inside York’s built-up area are 37 places to visit, and within 5 km of its edge another 9. The commonest are 20 museums, 6 attractions and 3 castles. 4 of them are cared for: 2 by English Heritage and 2 by the National Trust. Beyond the town, the best known is Castle Howard, 22 km off.

Photo: York Minster, MatzeTrier (CC BY-SA 3.0)
In York
37
inside the built-up area
Within 5 km
9
of the town’s edge
Museums & galleries
22
in or near town
Castles & historic places
13
in or near town
Cared for
4
National Trust, English Heritage, Cadw and others
Best known

Top of the list in York

Then come 3 museums, a castle and a fort, behind York Minster.

ChurchYork Minsterin townMuseumBig drawMuseumNational Railway Museumin town · 808K visitors a yearCastle · English HeritageClifford's Towerin townMuseumYorkshire Museumin town · 164K visitors a year (2019)MuseumYork Castle Museumin town · 284K visitors a year (2013)FortYork city wallsin 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

The map view

The map ends at Yorkshire Air Museum, 8.7 km out.

1234567891011121314151617181920

The dashed line is York’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

What kind of places

There are more museums or galleries (22) than anything else, then castles or historic places (13).

Museums & galleries 20 museums · 2 art galleries19 in town · 3 nearby
Castles & historic places 3 castles · 3 forts · 2 historic houses · 2 historic sites · 1 church · 1 abbey or priory · 1 ruins12 in town · 1 nearby
Gardens & estates 2 gardens2 in town
Zoos, theme parks & days out 2 theme parks · 1 zoo0 in town · 3 nearby
Other attractions 6 attractions4 in town · 2 nearby

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

4 places are cared for: 2 by English Heritage and 2 by the National Trust (Clifford's Tower, Treasurer's House Garden, Goddards Garden and York Cold War Bunker).

Every place

Every place to visit

46 places in all: 37 in town and 9 within 5 km of its edge.

The 37 inside York 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.

1,271 listed buildings and 16 scheduled monuments are on York’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in York →

Big names nearby

The wider area

Out of town, Castle Howard (22 km) leads 12 names to know.

Historic houseCastle Howard22 km northeastAbbey or priory · English HeritageFountains Abbey36 km northwestGarden · National TrustStudley Royal Park36 km northwestHistoric houseHarewood House30 km westCathedralRipon Cathedral34 km northwestHistoric house · National TrustBeningbrough Hall & Gardens11 km northwestAbbey or priory · English HeritageRievaulx Abbey Museum33 km northCastle · English HeritageSpofforth Castle24 km westCastleKnaresborough Castle26 km westCastleCawood Castle14 km southCathedralLeeds Cathedral35 km southwestCastlePontefract Castle32 km southwest

Places well known beyond York (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.

York, answered

What are the main attractions in York?

The best known inside York’s built-up area are York Minster, National Railway Museum, Clifford's Tower and Yorkshire Museum. In all, 37 places to visit are mapped inside the town, and 9 more within 5 km.

Does York have a museum?

22 museums and galleries are in or within 5 km of York: National Railway Museum, Yorkshire Museum, York Castle Museum and York Art Gallery.

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

Yes. In or within 5 km of York, 4 places are cared for: 2 by English Heritage and 2 by the National Trust (Clifford's Tower, Treasurer's House Garden, Goddards Garden and York Cold War Bunker).

What are the best-known days out near York?

Within 40 km: Castle Howard (22 km), Fountains Abbey (36 km), Studley Royal Park (36 km), Harewood House (30 km).

Where are York’s historic buildings listed?

York has 1,271 listed buildings, 64 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 York 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 (36)

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.