York Minster
The largest medieval gothic cathedral in Northern Europe, York Minster is over 500ft (152m) long and 100ft (30m) wide, containing some of the oldest and finest stained glass in the country. A campaign to raise £30m over 10 years was launched in 2005 to finance essential restoration work, particularly on the East Front and the Great East Window, the largest piece of medieval art in the world.

College Street
Tel: (01904) 557 216.
Website: www.yorkminster.org

The Shambles
Hordes of people flock to The Shambles, one of Europe's best-preserved medieval shopping streets, to peer into its original shop-fronts. Now filled with whimsical cafes, restaurants and boutiques, it was once a busy street full of butchers. It is also the home of the Shrine of Margaret Clitherow, a 16th-century Catholic who is York's very own saint.

The Shambles
Tel: (01904) 676 167.
Website: www.yorkshambles.com  

York Castle Museum
York Castle Museum is famed for its huge array of displayed costumes and social and military documents, spanning over 400 years of history. There is even a recreated Victorian street, Kirkgate, to explore. The street reopened, much improved and with many exciting new features, in April 2006 after a major makeover.

Castle Area, Eye of York
Tel: (01904) 687 687.
Website: www.yorkcastlemuseum.org.uk

City Walls
Stone walls coil around York for 3.5km (2 miles) and are the longest intact medieval town walls in England. The stretch from Monkbar to Petergate is particularly picturesque. New interpretive panels were put up at 16 key points along the route recently, in order to give visitors more information about the walls and their surroundings. On the actual walls are the Micklegate Bar Museum, which documents the history of Micklegate's sentinel, and the Richard III Museum, which examines the character of the House of York's last king.

Website: www.york.gov.uk/walls

Micklegate Bar Museum
Micklegate
Tel: (01904) 634 436.
Website: www.jnmedia.net/micklegatebar

Richard III Museum
Monk Bar
Tel: (01904) 634 191.
Website: www.richardiiimuseum.co.uk

National Railway Museum
This is the largest railway museum in the world and it has a broad range of railway icons and artefacts, from Mallard, the world's fastest steam engine, to the legendary steam locomotive Flying Scotsman. The museum is also home to the Yorkshire Wheel, which opened in April 2006. The 54m (177ft) wheel has 42 enclosed capsules carrying up to eight people each, and offers great vistas over the historic city. Built at a cost of £3.6 million, the wheel is expected to attract large numbers of visitors to York in the years ahead.

Leeman Road
Tel: 0844 815 3139.
Website: www.nrm.org.uk

JORVIK
Created by York Archaeological Trust on the site of a famous Viking Dig, JORVIK demonstrates what life was like when York's name was indeed ‘Jorvik'. State-of-the-art flying capsules whiz visitors back in time to the sights, sounds and (horrible) smells of a 10th-century Viking city. The magnificent gallery of some 400 authentic Viking artefacts has been enhanced by interactive multimedia installations to increase visitors' enjoyment and comprehension of the exhibits.

Coppergate
Tel: (01904) 543 400.
Website: www.jorvik-viking-centre.co.uk