Things to Do in Yorkshire, England: The Best Experiences, Picked by a Local

If you’re looking for things to do in Yorkshire, you’re going to have a hard time narrowing it down.

Yorkshire is massive. You’ve got medieval cities, seaside towns, two national parks (plus a corner of a third), tiny villages, castles, abbeys, waterfalls, some very good pubs and enough walking routes to keep you busy for years.

I live in the Yorkshire Dales and I’ve spent a fair amount of time exploring the rest of the county. One thing I’ve learnt is that you don’t need a big itinerary. Some of the best days are simply picking somewhere you’ve never been, getting in the car and seeing what you find.

So this isn’t a list of 30 places I’m telling you that you must visit. It’s the stuff I’d actually recommend if a friend came to Yorkshire.

This guide is about things to do. If you’re still deciding which towns and areas to base your trip around, start with my guide to the best places to visit in Yorkshire.

The Best Things to Do in Yorkshire

If you’re visiting Yorkshire for the first time, I’d start with a combination of York, the Yorkshire Dales and the coast.

That gives you a good introduction to what makes Yorkshire interesting: the history and architecture of York, the huge landscapes of the Dales, and then the completely different atmosphere of the Yorkshire coast.

From there, you’ve got plenty of options depending on what you’re into.

Explore Yorkshire’s Great Outdoors

Yorkshire’s two national parks, the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors, are both worth visiting, for completely different reasons.

Walk in the Yorkshire Dales

The Yorkshire Dales is probably the first place I’d take someone who’d never been to Yorkshire before.

There’s no single attraction you need to tick off. It’s more about the landscape, the villages, the little roads and the walks.

Grassington, Hawes, Reeth and Leyburn are all good starting points (my guide to the best Yorkshire Dales villages covers them all), but don’t feel like you have to visit every one. Each has its own charm. I particularly like the Leyburn area, but I might be biased as I’ve lived there for a while.

Pick an area and explore it properly.

And if you’re not a serious hiker, don’t worry. You don’t need to tackle a 15-mile walk to enjoy the Dales. There are loads of shorter routes where you can get out for an hour or two and still see beautiful scenery.

No car? Let someone else drive on this full-day Yorkshire Dales tour from York.

Explore the North York Moors

The North York Moors feel very different from the Dales.

It’s much more open and wild, with huge stretches of moorland and, towards the end of summer, the famous purple heather.

It’s a great place for walking, but I’d also recommend simply driving through it. Some of the roads are an attraction in themselves, particularly when you get up onto the moors and suddenly realise there’s basically nothing around you.

That’s one of my favourite things about Yorkshire: you can be in a busy town one minute and completely in the middle of nowhere half an hour later.

Discover Yorkshire’s Waterfalls

Yorkshire has a ridiculous number of waterfalls, particularly around the Dales.

Aysgarth Falls is one of the easiest to visit, while the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail makes a proper day out if you fancy a longer walk. There are also plenty of smaller waterfalls scattered around the Dales. My guide to the best Yorkshire Dales waterfalls covers my favourites.

Just check the weather before setting off. Yorkshire has a habit of turning an easy countryside walk into an unexpected mud-based endurance sport.

Oh, and wear proper shoes. Trust me.

Walk the Yorkshire Three Peaks

If you’re after something considerably more challenging, there’s the Yorkshire Three Peaks.

The route takes in Pen-y-ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough over roughly 24 miles. It’s a proper day out and not something I’d treat as a casual afternoon walk.

If that’s a bit much, there are hundreds of shorter walks throughout the Dales that give you plenty of scenery without destroying your legs.

Discover Yorkshire’s Historic Cities & Towns

One of the things I like most about Yorkshire is how quickly the landscape changes. You can spend the morning walking through a medieval city and be surrounded by open countryside by lunchtime.

Walk York’s Medieval Streets

York is the obvious one, but there’s a reason it’s so popular.

Walk a stretch of the city walls, go inside York Minster (worth it even if cathedrals aren’t usually your thing), and wander down the Shambles and the snickelways, York’s tiny medieval alleyways.

Then stop following a map. Seriously. Some of the nicest bits of York are the streets you end up on when you’re not trying to get anywhere.

If you’re staying longer, there’s plenty more: museums, pubs, restaurants and river cruises on the Ouse (see my guide to the best things to do in York). For a first trip to Yorkshire, York is one of the easiest places to start.

Seeing several paid sights? The Visit York Pass covers the Minster, Jorvik and more than 30 other attractions.

Slow Down in Harrogate

One of my favourites. Harrogate is where you go to slow down, and it’s a little more polished than most Yorkshire towns, in a good way. It’s also a great base for day trips.

Have a wander around the centre and the Valley Gardens, then go for afternoon tea (Bettys is the famous one). If you book ahead, you can also try the Victorian Turkish Baths.

You don’t need to be into spas or gardens to have a good time here. And if you’re into cake, you’re in the right place. Have I convinced you? I wrote a guide on where to stay in Harrogate.

Explore Haworth and Brontë Country

Haworth is famous for its connection with the Brontë sisters, but you don’t have to be a big literature fan to enjoy it.

The village itself is worth wandering around, but I’d make time to get out onto the surrounding moors too. The landscape is a big part of what makes the area interesting.

If you’ve read Wuthering Heights, you’ll probably appreciate it even more.

Wander Yorkshire’s Market Towns

Some of my favourite places in Yorkshire aren’t the big tourist destinations at all.

Leyburn, Richmond, Skipton, Helmsley, Knaresborough and Grassington are all worth exploring in their own right. They’re good places to slow down for a few hours, find a café or pub, and use as a base for exploring the surrounding countryside.

You don’t need to arrive with a ten-point itinerary.

Explore the Yorkshire Coast

The Yorkshire coast is completely different again.

And yes, it can be absolutely freezing, but when the weather is on your side, it’s brilliant.

Climb the 199 Steps in Whitby

Whitby is probably my pick for a Yorkshire seaside day out. Locals love it too: I regularly hear neighbours in our local pub talking about their day out in Whitby.

Have fish and chips by the harbour (watch out for the gulls), wander around the old town’s shops, then climb the 199 steps up to Whitby Abbey for the view. Here’s my full guide to things to do in Whitby.

You’ll also find Dracula references approximately everywhere, but that’s part of Whitby’s charm.

Without a car, this small-group day trip from York to Whitby and the North York Moors covers the highlights, with three hours in Whitby.

Do the Seaside Classics in Scarborough

Scarborough is classic British seaside: two sandy bays, arcades, fish and chips, ice cream, and the ruins of Scarborough Castle on the headland above.

It’s particularly good for a family day out, and it’s one of the easiest parts of the coast to reach without a car, with direct trains from York.

Is it polished and sophisticated? Not particularly. Does that matter? Also not particularly. It’s fun.

Walk Down to Robin Hood’s Bay

Robin Hood’s Bay is tiny compared with Whitby and Scarborough, but that’s exactly why it’s worth visiting.

The old village runs steeply down towards the sea, with narrow streets, little shops, cafés and pubs.

Just remember that every step down towards the beach is a step you’ll have to walk back up.

Road-Trip the Rest of the Coast

Don’t stop at Whitby and Scarborough.

Filey, Staithes, Sandsend, Runswick Bay and Saltburn are all worth a look. Saltburn is my personal favourite, with the best fish and chips I’ve ever had. You’ll know exactly where to get them: there usually is a queue, especially in good weather and in summer.

If you’ve got a couple of days, I’d drive along the coast and stop at several places rather than spending the whole time in one town. The character changes surprisingly quickly as you go.

You’ll want a car for this: compare car hire on Booking.com.

Visit Yorkshire’s Castles, Abbeys & Historic Houses

Yorkshire has more historic buildings than you can realistically visit in one trip.

Explore Yorkshire’s Castles

You’ve got Middleham Castle, Bolton Castle, Scarborough Castle, Helmsley Castle and plenty more. See my guide to castles in Yorkshire.

Some are grand and remarkably intact. Others are basically ruins in the countryside.

Personally, I quite like the ruins. There’s something about wandering around an old castle with very little around it that makes it easier to imagine what the place was like hundreds of years ago.

Discover Yorkshire’s Abbeys & Ruins

Fountains Abbey is one of the big ones, while Jervaulx Abbey is a lesser-known one I’d put on the list. Both are in my guide to the best abbeys in Yorkshire.

And then there’s Whitby Abbey, which gets bonus points for the location. If you’re already exploring the coast, it’s an easy one to add to a Whitby day.

Visit Yorkshire’s Historic Houses

If you’re more interested in grand houses than crumbling castles, you’ve got plenty of options too.

Castle Howard is the obvious example. It’s enormous, the grounds are huge and you can easily spend several hours there.

Take a Ride on a Yorkshire Heritage Railway

You don’t have to be a train enthusiast to enjoy Yorkshire’s heritage railways.

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway is probably the most famous, running through the North York Moors between Pickering and Whitby. It’s particularly good if you’re visiting with children, but I’d happily spend a day on it as an adult too. Check the timetable before you go, as services vary by season.

There’s also the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway in West Yorkshire, which stops at Haworth.

If you’re already visiting the areas they run through, they’re a fun way of seeing the countryside without having to do the driving yourself.

Find Yorkshire’s Film & TV Locations

Yorkshire turns up on screen surprisingly often.

Goathland station on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway doubled as Hogsmeade station in the first Harry Potter film, and Malham Cove appears in Deathly Hallows. Grassington plays Darrowby in the recent All Creatures Great and Small series, and Brontë Country is everywhere in Wuthering Heights adaptations.

If you’re a fan of a particular show, it’s worth checking where it was filmed before your trip. You might find you’re already planning to visit somewhere that happens to be a filming location.

All Creatures Great and Small fans can see Grassington, the real “Darrowby”, on this Herriot and Yorkshire Dales day trip.

Experience Yorkshire’s Food & Drink

I’m not going to pretend Yorkshire invented every food known to humanity.

But we do have some good stuff. Obviously there’s the Yorkshire pudding, but there’s also Wensleydale cheese, local beers, traditional pubs, farm shops and some very good restaurants.

And one of the easiest ways to experience Yorkshire food is to find a decent village pub after a walk.

Visit a Traditional Yorkshire Pub

This is less of an activity and more of a rule.

If you’ve spent three hours walking through the Dales and there’s a pub at the end of the route, you go in.

Ideally it has a fire. Ideally there’s a dog asleep somewhere. And ideally the menu has something involving gravy.

That’s basically Yorkshire sorted.

Stop at a Yorkshire Farm Shop

Farm shops are dotted all over the county and are worth stopping at when you’re driving around. They’re particularly handy on a road trip if you fancy putting together a picnic.

Just don’t go in hungry. You’ll spend £40 on cheese, cakes and chutney when you went in for a loaf of bread.

Things to Do in Yorkshire with Kids

Yorkshire is a great place for a family trip because you can mix proper attractions with things that don’t cost anything.

The coast is an obvious choice, as are places like The Forbidden Corner, Eureka! The National Children’s Museum in Halifax and the heritage railways.

But don’t underestimate the simple stuff. A picnic, a short walk, a village and an ice cream can make a better family day than an expensive attraction.

And if you’ve got kids who complain about walking, bribery via a pub lunch has been known to work. (Yes, kids are allowed in most pubs, especially if they serve food.)

Free Things to Do in Yorkshire

You don’t need a huge budget to explore Yorkshire. Some of the best things to do cost absolutely nothing.

Go for a walk. Explore a village. Spend the afternoon on the beach. Walk York’s city walls. Visit the National Railway Museum in York, which is free to enter. Take a picnic.

The Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors are particularly good if you want a day out without constantly getting your wallet out.

Frequently Asked Questions

You might still have questions. I’ll have the answers.

What is the best thing to do in Yorkshire?

It really depends on what you’re looking for. For a first visit, I’d combine York, the Yorkshire Dales and the Yorkshire coast. That gives you a good taste of the different sides of Yorkshire.

How many days do you need in Yorkshire?

I’d give yourself at least three days if you want to see a few different areas. A week gives you much more breathing room and means you can explore the Dales, the North York Moors and the coast without spending your whole trip in the car.

If you want a head start, my free trip planner has ready-made routes for 3, 5 and 7 days.

What is Yorkshire famous for?

Its countryside, historic towns and cities, the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors, the coast, York Minster, traditional food, and its connection with writers such as the Brontë sisters

What can you do in Yorkshire when it rains?

Plenty. York has the Minster, the Jorvik Viking Centre and the National Railway Museum. Harrogate has the Turkish Baths and Bettys. Stately homes like Castle Howard are just as good indoors. Then go and find a pub with a fire.

What are the best free things to do in Yorkshire?

Walking, exploring villages, visiting beaches and exploring the countryside are the easiest free things to do. York and many of Yorkshire’s towns are also great to explore on foot without paying for an attraction.

So, Where Should You Actually Go?

If you’re completely overwhelmed by all of that, here’s what I’d do.

First time in Yorkshire? Go to York.

Want countryside? Go to the Yorkshire Dales.

Want a seaside trip? Go to Whitby and explore the coast around it.

Want dramatic landscapes? Head to the North York Moors.

Want a relaxed weekend? Try Harrogate.

Want a proper adventure? Pick a Dales walk and find a pub at the end of it.

And if you don’t know what you want? Just pick somewhere on the map and go.

That’s probably the best way to discover Yorkshire anyway.