Jorvik Viking Centre

We were visiting with a disabled family member so checked their website, booked, checked on the morning and all was good so toom a 50 minute drive into York. We arrived at the attraction 20 minutes early to check that all was still okay and no one said anything was a miss. We were told to come back in 10 minutes so we did. We were guided to the queue for pre booked tickets, in the rain, after 20 minutes I heard grumbling from a family in front of us. I asked a staff member if there was a problem only to be told at that point that the ride had been broken for most of the day and although it would be fixed later they could only let people who have booked for those times in. When I asked about refunds a man in character told us to phone a number and leave a 'Very clear message.' All it needed was a post on their website, or to be told when we called in to check. Instead we drive for 50 minutes, paid York parking charges, were drenched in the rain waiting and webstill don't have our money back. Poor show. We won't be visiting again.

We came to York for the weekend and my partner really wanted to go here so we visited. I paid £27 for 2 tickets so I thought that it would be quite good. We went in and got on the 5min buggy ride that was man made, then afterwards had 2 rooms of things they found on display and then a gift shop. That was it. Definitely not worth the money at all and my partner actually felt the need to apologise for wanting to go.

I was a little disappointed in the Viking centre as it cost us approximately £14 for a trip out that lasted 45minuets. The fact that the museum is a ride was a great surprise, made the experience more exciting and you chose which language you received commentary in. When the ride is over there are a few artifacts in showcase cabinets but then that's it. I was under the impression this was going to be an afternoon out. Your ticket does allow free returns throughout the year which is great and feel more like value for money. Would only recommend to school children learning about Vikings as part of curriculum.

The museum advertises ‘fast track’ the queue when you pre-book however we were still queuing for 20 minutes or so, there was a slight delay also however a friendly staff member did apologise for this which we appreciated. We were already annoyed prior to even queuing though as I tried to ask the security guard/bouncer where to queue if you had pre-booked and he was incredibly rude and dismissive and got us off to a bad start. Not a way to treat paying customers.
Once in the centre, it felt a little disorganised, staff seemed a little fed up and could be overheard talking loudly about when their breaks were. The guy who started talking to us when we first walked in was very informative however it was hard to hear him. Perhaps COVID adjustments can allow for things being a little unorganised.
The actual experience of the ride was incredible. It was incredibly immersive and educational, we LOVED it. The gallery afterwards was fascinating, full of tons of artefacts and information.
We would recommend to friends and family.

Initially pre-booked but got there a little earlier than usual, we were front of the queue but then realised we were 20 minutes early.

This is a very good experience but only for 10 minutes on the ride, the museum is great but needs to have some form of arrow system in place.

I felt the price you pay to get in is little too much as you are not in there for long.

I love history and would have wanted to see more but that’s me, kinda felt rushed.

Overall experience is good and it is worth the visit but please sort out your prices for the time you actually spend in there.

The experience is essentially a 10 minute automated ride through a series of animatronic based scenes with a commentary and a small museum of Viking artifacts. Both the ride and museum are good quality with some interesting features but compared to the entrance fee this really left us feeling a little ripped off.

At £12.50 for around a 25 minute experience this is one to miss unless you have a YorkPass when it becomes slightly more palatable.

Having queued to get in we finally got down the stairs to where the tour begins. There was only one family in front of us and they were getting a one on one with the guide who was telling them all about the findings in the dig area. We walked round to where they were but we're pretty much ignored so patiently waited several minutes for our turn at a one to one as we thought that's how it must work. Apparently not, she then began to address everyone else as a group but as we had been waiting so long whilst the family in front got a one on one the other guide came and ushered us along to the next bit before the guide had finished doing their talk and had no chance for us to ask questions like the family before us who had been given considerable time from the guide. Obviously this had caused a backup of people trying to get in so we were simply pushed along. After paying over £30 for a family of 3 I was more than a little pee'd off about it. The ride was good but overall I don't feel it was very good value for money at all and my son said out of all the things we did in York that this was the one he liked the least.

Wandering around York on a sunny morning I realised it had been more than 15 years since I visited Jorvik. Studying the prices I discovered that a ticket is available which covers all five exhibitions that Jorvik manages, excellent value whoever you buy this to cover. Wandering in the staff are so helpful and clearly love their roles. The ride which is what you will do First is excellent and really takes you back and gives you a sense of what life was like. Strange to imagine that this is all at the level you are riding through. The glass floor which you walk over as you enter is amazing with the funds below.
The ride is easy to access, slow and takes you right into the heart, smells and feel of this wonderful city.
Take time to talk to the guides and see the artefacts when you finish you will realise just how clever these Vikings were !

I paid for fast track Pastport tickets, so my daughter (9) and I got in very quickly when our time slot came around. We arrived a few minutes early, so stood chatting to the Viking at the door, who was very friendly and even suggested a name for my daughter's newly purchased Viking bear!

When we went in, we went downstairs to the glass floor area, where we could see the dig that had taken place, which was very interesting. There was also a lady in the corner, displaying artefacts in a variety of trays (glass, metal, etc). The majority of the crowd dispersed very quickly, which was wonderful, as we had been near the back and my daughter had missed most of what was shown, so the lady kindly went through all of the trays with us, allowed us to handle some items and answered our questions about everything. She explained things very well and did not talk down to my daughter in any way at all (sadly, the same could not be said of the guide we later encountered at DIG).

Curiosity satisfied in this room, we joined the queue for the ride, which was great, my daughter absolutely loved it. It was lovely to see the recreations and imagine what life must have been like.

Once we left the ride, we went through the museum room, where lots of artefacts are on display. This was very crowded (it was residents weekend, so probably extra busy), so a little difficult to get close to the glass cases to view things but we managed and my daughter took her time, viewing the items that caught her eye. There was a "viking" in a corner here, too, so we went over to see him and he talked to us about amber, ice-skates and how archaeology involves detective work. Both my daughter and I found this very interesting. Once we had finished looking around here, we went up the stairs, which led to the shop and exit.

All in all, a very enjoyable visit and we will definitely try to return before the 12 month ticket expires.

Visited this attraction two weeks ago. Plenty of information given if you need it whilst looking around. There is a ride at the end showing a typical Viking village with moving robotic lifelike characters. In total it all lasts about 30 mins to look round and complete the ride. Pensioners get a reduction and can visit again free within the next twelve months.