Address: 19 Coppergate, York, YO1 9WT, United Kingdom
Phone: +441904615505
Rating: 4.6
based on 683 reviews.
Experience & Atmosphere
Pros:
"Dive into an authentic recreated Viking settlement in York City centre."
"The staff are excellent and really add to the experience, guiding and providing interesting details."
"A really amazing experience, our son of 4 was captivated in a way we hadn't seen before."
"Going through time and different houses of Viking tomes was memorable and very educational."
"The immersive experience is incredibly detailed from the crafted smells, to the tattoos on some of the wax works."
"The ride is delightful, and gives a vivid insight into what life was like in York during the Viking period, with engaging sights, smells and sounds!"
"Once inside, the live robots, the smell, the sounds, the lights...all of these together will transport you to a different era."
Cons:
"Would I go again? No, would I recommend it to others? No."
"The ride did seem to have specific smells as well which is immersive but, be warned, they aren't always 'nice' smells."
"Staff didn't care either. Horrid place."
"The scent used during the ride was so overpowering and unpleasant I was nauseous."
"However, if you don't really like historical stuffs, you will be bored there."
"I have wanted to visit for years, always hearing about the realistic mannequins and the smells. However, I found the experience went very quick, the mannequins were ok but there were no smells."
"The scents used during the ride were border line making me nauseous."
Accessibility & Facilities
Pros:
"Booked online before the visit, definitely recommended due to the queueing system outside the venue."
"The exhibit has a ride that goes around the manikins and explains the history of the exhibits. This lasts around 5-10 minutes and there are wheelchair accessible carriages too."
"There is lift access and the cars that take you round fit 6 people."
"On arrival we were offered a fidget/sensory tool box for each child to use on their journey around the centre."
"Wow! The ride was amazing. I was able to stay in my own wheelchair and take part on the ride."
"The staff where so accommodating, obviously we booked on advance, but nothing was too much trouble and using the wheelchair accessible ride was absolutely amazing."
"There is a lift here. There are interactive guides."
Cons:
"Accessibility - there is one flight of steps down at the beginning and one up at the end with a few steps in between."
"Queued to get in, queued when we got in, then queued for the single inadequate toilet for the number of visitors."
"I would say it's not disabled friendly as unless there's an accessible carriage to take wheelchair users around (which we didn't see) then there's no way you could get around."
"It was raining but we were not offered umbrellas, even though they had lots to give out in the gift shop which we realised at the end of the museum."
"We came here yesterday on a school trip.. my daughter is a wheelchair user.. she can manage a few steps..we was made to leave her chair on entry as one wheelchair user was already inside."
"The ride is fun, but short, a bit too short for the price you pay for the ticket."
"The rest of the museum is literally one room so don't go dashing off expecting to come back and read later as you will find yourself in the gift shop wondering why the museum went so fast."
Value & Ticketing
Pros:
"Ticket lasts a year so worth it just for that."
"Also quite like that the museum will let you go back all year with one ticket."
"The ticket lets us go back as many times as we want within the next 12 months!"
"All tickets include free return for a year after your initial visit."
"Students could get in under the concession price of £12.50 and we could return at any time for free throughout the year."
"For £15 this experience is amazing and well worth the money for the experience you receive."
"It can seem a little expensive, but bear in mind that once you've paid you can visit again as many times as you want in a 12 month period."
Cons:
"The gift shops prices are a lil extortionate though! Especially since you already spend a fortune for admission."
"Really good experience though quite short for the price."
"It's a hell of a lot of money for thirty minutes."
"Only thing I think is the price of the gift shop is expensive for what you get."
"Good to see how vikings lived in the past. The ride was a nice and educative experience. But given there’s not much things to do/explore after the ride, it is too overpriced."
"Glad I got them discounted, don't pay full price you'll be disappointed."
"I enjoyed the experience and the ride, only negative would be that I felt it was over priced for the duration of the experience."
Staff & Interaction
Pros:
"The staff at Jorvik Viking Centre are knowledgeable, friendly, and passionate about their subject matter."
"The effort and enthusiam of the staff was really great."
"Staff are really friendly."
"The staff were fantastic - knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and helpful!"
"The staff are very knowledgeable and interesting to talk to."
"We loved that every staff member we spoke to was so enthusiastic and well informed, it really made the experience."
"The staff are so informative and had soo much time for my young kids (4yo & 9yo) explaining all the artifacts."
Cons:
"There were staff around but no real talks or interaction."
"Prior to our arrival this member of staff had already started talking to another couple, and we only really got half of the story."
"I think there could have been more interaction from the guides."
"Staff controlling the crowds need to be sensitive to other cultures, and not complain about being photographed when dressed in costumes."
"Lots of staff in the 'exposed floor' pre-carriage bit, could do with more staff in the mini exhibition."