JORVIK Viking Centre York

School trips

Take your pupils on a school trip to Jorvik. Built on the very site where archaeologists discovered over 40,000 Viking-age objects, a visit to JORVIK Viking Centre gives students the opportunity to learn about the real Viking settlement that was once in York.

Friendly Viking guides will deliver interactive talks and activities on a variety of Viking topics – where else can you meet a real Viking? The ride experience transports visitors back to 10th-century York to meet exciting characters, including blacksmiths, traders, weavers, fishermen and their families, before digging deeper and seeing incredible artefacts up close.

If you would like to find out more about visiting JORVIK Viking Centre, please contact our reservations department directly by phone (01904 615505) or email (schools@yorkat.co.uk).

Virtual Outreach

Can’t visit in person? With York Archaeology learning virtual outreach, you can invite a Viking into your classroom via videoconferencing. Your students can spend 45 minutes discovering what life was like in the Viking Age from the perspective of different 10th-century inhabitants of the city of Jorvik. All you need to take part in a webcam, microphone and access to a videoconferencing platform.

JORVIK Viking Centre York / school workshop Yorkshire / educational school tour Yorkshire / viking workshop Yorkshire / historical heritage Yorkshire

School Trips

With a ride experience through a recreated Viking settlement (complete with smells) and galleries showcasing a unique collection of 1,000-year-old artefacts, JORVIK Viking Centre enables visitors to discover York’s fascinating Viking legacy. Visitors travel around 10th-century York and experience the sights, sounds and smells of the Viking age in remarkable detail. A school visit to JORVIK is the perfect fit for Key Stage 2 history topics on Anglo-Saxon and Viking England. Your school visit to JORVIK is hosted by friendly Viking guides, who will deliver interactive talks and activities on a variety of Viking topics.

Extend your school visit to JORVIK with a 45-minute workshop sessions, specially designed to spark your pupils’ interest in the past by exploring a variety of fun and interesting themes. Designed with Key Stage 2 in mind, but suitable for all key stages, the York Archaeology learning team are happy to discuss your specific learning aims. Viking workshops take place at DIG, just 5 minutes’ walk from JORVIK Viking Centre.

Virtual Outreach

York Archaeology learning’s award-winning school workshops have been adapted for access online. Wherever you are in the world, they can deliver a digital history lesson straight to your classroom with our live virtual outreach sessions. Your students can spend 45 minutes discovering what life was like in the Viking Age from the perspective of different 10th-century inhabitants of the city of Jorvik. So, do you want to meet with the settlers living in the Viking city, marvel at goods from distant lands, or hear tales of warriors, gods and giants? The choice is yours.

JORVIK Viking Centre is an accredited museum.

School Trips

Your school visit to JORVIK Viking Centre is hosted by friendly Viking guides, who will deliver interactive talks and activities on a variety of Viking topics. Your group will have the chance to explore the Viking streets of Coppergate on the ride experience, see how it was discovered and investigate the evidence left behind.

York Archaeology learning recommend combining your visit to JORVIK Viking Centre with a tour of DIG and with a workshop.

JORVIK Viking Centre is also an ideal school trip for students studying GCSE and A-Level history units on Viking history. The impact of Viking migration to Britain can be traced through the fascinating archaeological discoveries on display at JORVIK Viking Centre.

Virtual Outreach

Students can meet a historical character who will tell stories, show you prized possessions and maybe even guide you through doing some Viking activities yourselves. Or experience a Viking encounter like no other with a bespoke Q&A session – pupils can enhance their history studies or develop ideas for literacy work by interviewing a Viking. Find out more about the range of virtual outreach options on the website.

School Trips

JORVIK Viking Centre can accommodate groups between 15-35 people, including teachers/leaders. Larger groups can be split down into multiple timeslots.

Please be advised that the maximum capacity for Viking-themed workshops taking place at DIG is 32 for groups of under 12s and 22 for groups aged 13-18. Different capacities apply for our archaeology-themed workshops, please see the York Archaeology learning website for details.

Virtual Outreach

York Archaeology learning recommends virtual outreach sessions for class sizes of up to 40 children, so that all pupils have the opportunity to interact with the virtual host, but you can discuss your exact requirements when placing your booking.

Teachers interested in booking a trip to JORVIK Viking Centre can find all the necessary information in their handy teachers’ guide.

Their website also has a selection of free-to-access Viking-themed resources, such as factsheets, activities and videos. Their fun and informative vodcast series ‘Shaking Hands with the Past’ helps pupils investigate Viking-age artefacts and are ideal for watching in the classroom.

You can bring the Viking Age to your classroom with York Archaeology learning loan boxes. Put history in your students’ hands by hiring these exciting collections of real and replica objects that can be used to complement a visit to JORVIK Viking Centre and to aid a study on the Vikings at school.

You can also order souvenir gift bags for pupils to take home as a memento of their school trip.

Visitors are welcome to create photographs and films at the attractions however the use of flash photography, lighting, tripods and selfie sticks are prohibited within the museum

Mobile phones may be used, but please be respectful of other visitors – turn off the flash before taking photographs, and use silent mode whilst visiting

Please be considerate of your fellow visitors and avoid obstructing their view or including them when creating your photographs and films

You may not make any recording or take any photograph of any person without the authorisation of that person.

Content cannot be used for commercial purposes.

Risk Assessments for visiting JORVIK Viking Centre and York Archaeology learning workshops are available on their website.

A free familiarisation visit for up to 2 members of staff can be arranged at time of booking via their Reservations Team.

For any educational enquires please contact our reservations team via schools@yorkat.co.uk or by calling +44(0)1904 615505.

Attraction Visit Prices

York Archaeology is proud to offer educational visits to three of our attractions in York: JORVIK Viking Centre, DIG, and Barley Hall. If you wish to visit more than one attraction, you can save on admission costs with our joint attraction tickets.

*One teacher free with every 6 child places booked.

**Schools do not have to visit all three attractions on the same day.

Prices may be subject to change. Please contact our Reservations team to confirm prices at the time of booking.

Workshop Prices

Workshops are charged in addition to attractions admission.

All workshops cost £3 per child, with teachers attending free.

Please note that the workshop price grants admission to the classrooms only at DIG or Barley Hall.

Payment Options

The following payment methods are accepted:

• In advance: over the phone with our Reservations team

• On arrival: by cash, card or cheque

• By invoice: after your visit (UK addresses only)

Please bring your booking confirmation with you when you arrive for your visit.

New for school visits in 2024/25: the Sheldon Memorial Trust has partnered with York Archaeology to offer a new bursary scheme to contribute towards the cost of visits to York Archaeology’s attractions for local schools. Applications are now open until 4th July 2024. Visit this page to find out more.

They have qualified first aiders at all York Archaeology learning sites; however, they do recommend you have a first aider as part of your group.

Male, female and accessible toilets are available at JORVIK Viking Centre. These are located before the ride and are limited to one facility of each type. It is highly recommended that you make alternative arrangements to use public facilities ahead of your entry to JORVIK so as not to impact on your visitor experience. If you have a booking at DIG more comprehensive facilities are available there.

Unfortunately, there are no storage facilities at this site and personal belongings should be kept with their owners at all times.

School groups visiting JORVIK Viking Centre are welcome to use a lunch space or garden at DIG for no additional cost. The inside lunch space at DIG has space for 35 people.

Please note that pre-booking is essential.

JORVIK Viking Centre is completely accessible for people who are wheelchair users although fire regulations require that we permit no more than one person who uses a wheelchair into the building. It is essential for you to inform us of any pupils or staff who are wheelchair users in your group when you are making your booking so that we can guarantee access and support on your arrival. Please let our Reservations team know of any additional access needs your group may have as we have a range of resources, we can supply should you require them.

You can learn more about our access provision at JORVIK Viking Centre here.

When making your booking with the reservations team, you will be offered a schedule with a time of entry to JORVIK Viking Centre. School visits schedules are currently being offered between the times of 10am and 3pm.

You must arrive 10 minutes early to allow time to complete paperwork and for the friendly Viking guides to introduce your visit.

“JORVIK Viking Centre always has the WOW factor! My class couldn’t stop talking about it all the way home!” Teacher from Worksop, England

“A fantastic day- a great hook into our Vikings topic. Staff were welcoming and knowledgeable and our pupils had `the best day ever`. Great workshops and content coverage with great opportunities for hands-on experiences. We will be back!” Teacher from Chesterfield, England

“We thought the visit was great. The children loved the ride and were really engaged with the demonstrations/talks afterwards. All the staff were fantastic.” – Year 3 Teacher from York

School visits are booked through JORVIK Viking Centre’s reservations team.

They can be contacted via email: schools@yorkat.co.uk or telephone: 01904 615505.