York is a place with a remarkable historical and cultural heritage, which is beautifully preserved in its medieval city. Popular for its churches, pubs, the city also has several other museums and ancient structures that include the York Art Gallery, Merchant Adventurers’ Hall, the Museum Gardens, Yorkshire Museum, Barley Hall, Jorvik Viking Centre, Treasurer’s House, the National Railway Museum and more. Here are some of the best tourist places to visit in York.

York Minster’s one the largest gothic structures in Britain, extending from York’s labyrinth of age-old streets with its three strapping towers. The building work started in 1220, and the cathedral has taken over 250 years to finish construction, making it Europe’s finest medieval structures. The Minster has been a significant part of the Christian culture in Northern England since the 7^th century and is by far one of the most thriving cathedrals for a daily ritual of reverence and prayers. From the attractive handcrafted stone to the unequaled assortment of primitive stained glass, every part of the Minster defines its stories of Jesus Christ and the church continues to be a crowd puller till date.

Another famous tourist attraction in the city of York is The Shambles, a tapered cobblestoned street that’s lined with an attractive ensemble of well-maintained Elizabethan structures. Albeit, in the modern day you will find the street crowded with a mix of restaurants and shops, for decades The Shambles was a street where butchers ran their business and locals came to purchase meat here. Owing to a long past of brawn, sinew and bones, the street gets its name! Until about 1872, the street had nearly 26 butcheries of which there remain none now. Now the street is abundant with souvenir shops, chocolatiers, bakeries and taverns.

A museum and a popular tourist attraction, the Jorvik Viking Centre offers realistic figurines and full-size dioramas that represent the city’s Viking life. Established by the York Archeological Trust in 1984, the center’s name is inspired from Jórvík, a north German language known as the Old Norse, used for York city. Designed by John Sunderland and inaugurated in 1984 the Jorvik Viking Centre has attracted over 20 million visitors since its inception. The center holds the unearthed parts of Jórvík on site, colonized with sounds, smells and figures, in addition to the fish market, pigsties and latrines, from a perspective of bringing the Viking city alive using state-of-the-art informative methods.

People visiting here are taken back in time to 975 AD in a time capsule, where they embark on a journey of a recreated Viking community including voices speaking in Old Norse and the fragrances, figurines crafted by the use of laser technology. The museum also exhibits over 800 treasures with an interactive display and an opportunity to become familiar with life in the 10^th century.

One of Britain’s regal homes in North Yorkshire, 15 miles to York’s North, Castle Howard is a private residence which has been home to the Howard Family’s Carlisle Branch for over 300 years. The construction of this castle began way back in 1699 and has taken over a hundred years for completion in line with Sir John Vanbrugh’s design. The house is encompassed with a large parkland which during the presence of the 7^th Earl of Carlisle spanned 13,000 acres and also included the villages of Slingsby, Coneysthorpe, Bulmer, Terrington and Welburn, served by a rail station as well, from 1845-1950.

Set on the Howardian Hills, the way to Castle Howard is as mesmerizing as its entrance. The glorious 18^th house is abundant with theatrical décor and popular artifacts. The 1000 acre estate presents a blend of lakeside promenades, stunning landscapes, temples, woodlands and formal gardens. The 18^th century walled garden offer an alluring view of heritage roses known for their beautiful colors and strong fragrance; a stroll through the gazebos of white & blue delphiniums, a carp pond and herbaceous edging make for a breathtaking and tranquil experience. The striking Atlas Fountain looms dauntingly over the south parterre with an extraordinary assortment of lead figurines, patios and lakes with a 360-degree view of the neighboring monuments and hills at the Temple of the Four Winds. There’s a water’s edge playground where the kids can enjoy themselves.

The York Castle Museum is situated in York, North Yorkshire, onsite the York Castle. One of Britain’s leading museums that reflects its everyday life, the York Castle Museum presents the ancient way of life by exhibiting scores of domestic items and recreation of rooms, streets, shops and prison cells. Named after the original York Castle, the museum opened for visitors in 1938 and is popular for Kirkgate, its refashioned Victorian Street with a blend of real shop fittings and inventories with latest light & sound technology to recreate the Victorian effect. Other exhibits include armor, weapons, printing presses, farm equipment, ancient toys, tools, cooking vessels and more!

York’s National Railway Museum is a significant part of Britain’s Rail Service and its impact on society. With its distinguished array of awards, the museum exhibits a diverse collection of significant & historic rail vehicles in addition to an assortment of other relics and records, both in pictures and in writing. With over a 100 locomotives on display and approx. 300 items of rolling stock, most of which was either built or ran on Great Britain’s railways, the museum, spanning 20 acres, also holds other chronicles of artistic, technical, historical or social interests, through the 3 large halls of a past motive power depot neighboring the East Coast Main Line, closer to the York Rail Station.

Once residence to York Minster’s age-old possessions, the Treasurer’s House is actually an anomaly. Bought in the 19^th century as part of some rundown properties, by Frank Green, a Yorkshire Industrialist, the building was reworked on for years to make it look the way it was, in its original form. However, in the absence of any reference to a specific era, the house ended being an assortment of realistic rooms spanning the primitive era to the 18^th century! The house also is popular for its continuing tales of Ghost Hauntings.

An impressive semi-wooded structure and one of the oldest guildhall of its kind in Great Britain, the Merchant Adventurer’s Hall was built nearly 650 years ago and implies to revolutionary business exploits that resulted in abundant riches whilst the fraternity continued experimenting with their wealth in the overseas markets during York’s significant position as an international port. The hollow first floor is the Great Hall made with a majestic oak-beam ceiling, while the ground floor represents the history of the building’s functioning as a hospital from 14-20^th centuries. There’s an interactive game that’s played here, in which you can evaluate the primitive market forces at work and explore business prospects overseas by trading goods like wine, wool and cloth.

A refurbished townhouse from the medieval era, the Barley Hall is set down an alley and was the residence of York’s Lord Mayor at one time. Barley Hall conducts an ongoing exhibition of life as it was during the reign of Henry VIII and the centerpiece is a twin-tiered banquet hall adorned with the Yorkshire Rose.