About
JORVIK Viking Centre in the heart of York is Britain's most visited attraction outside London dedicated to the Vikings, built directly on the archaeological site where York's Viking-Age city, Jorvik, was discovered in 1976. This groundbreaking museum revolutionised archaeological presentation when it opened in 1984 by reconstructing Viking-Age York exactly as it was in 975 CE, complete with authentic sights, sounds, and even smells based on scientific evidence from the Coppergate excavation.
The centre's famous time capsule ride takes visitors through meticulously reconstructed Viking streets populated by animatronic figures speaking Old Norse, surrounded by thatched houses, workshops, and the bustling riverside wharf. Every detail is archaeologically accurate - from the timber buildings and leather shoes to the food scraps and even the controversial authentic smells of a Viking-Age city. The ride passes through actual preserved archaeological layers, including the 1,000-year-old timbers of Viking houses still in their original positions.
Managed by the York Archaeological Trust, JORVIK displays over 800 Viking-Age artifacts discovered during the Coppergate excavation, including jewelry, tools, weapons, coins, leather shoes, and the only Viking-Age human feces (coprolite) on public display - which has become a surprising highlight for visitors. The galleries showcase the incredible preservation conditions that allowed organic materials like textiles, wood, and even food remains to survive for a millennium.
With its innovative combination of archaeology, entertainment, and education, JORVIK Viking Centre attracts over 400,000 visitors annually who come to experience Viking York as it was over 1,000 years ago, making it one of England's most popular heritage attractions.
Categories:
Annual Visitors (2019)
400,000
Plan Your Visit
⏱️ Recommended Visit Duration
📅 Best Times to Visit
Quietest: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday
Busiest: Saturday, Sunday
💡 Weekday mornings (10:00-11:00) or late afternoons (14:30-15:30) in off-peak months for quietest experience
💡 Visitor Tips
- Book timed entry tickets online at least 2-3 days in advance, especially for weekends, school holidays, and Easter-August peak season. Walk-up tickets rarely available during busy periods.
- The time capsule ride is 15 minutes but allow 90 minutes total visit time to see the artifact galleries, which are equally impressive and often overlooked by visitors rushing through.
- Be prepared for authentic Viking-Age smells as part of the experience - they're historically accurate but strong. Some visitors find them challenging. The smells are scientifically recreated based on archaeological evidence.
- Arrive at your timed entry slot (not earlier) as queuing space is limited. Late arrivals may not be admitted. The ride departs every few minutes so you won't wait long once inside.
- Photography allowed in galleries but not during the ride itself. The ride is dark and flash would disturb other visitors. Gallery artifacts photograph well and make great souvenirs.
- Combine your visit with other York Archaeological Trust sites using a Joint Ticket (JORVIK + DIG + Barley Hall) for better value - saves 20% versus separate admissions. Valid for 12 months.
- Visit off-peak (weekdays in November-February) for shortest queues and best availability. Peak times (weekends, school holidays, July-August) can mean 30+ minute waits despite timed tickets.
- The famous coprolite and Coppergate Helmet are in the main gallery - don't miss them. Children particularly love the coprolite, making it JORVIK's unlikely star exhibit.
Highlights
Time Capsule Ride Through Viking York
The centre's famous ride takes visitors in specially designed time capsule cars through a full-scale reconstruction of Viking-Age York as it was on October 25th, 975 CE. The ride passes through meticulously recreated streets with over 20 animatronic Viking figures who speak authentic Old Norse dialogue, surrounded by thatched timber houses, workshops, and bustling market stalls.
Every detail is based on archaeological evidence from the Coppergate dig - from the wattle-and-daub walls and leather-working workshops to the riverside wharves where Viking longships would have unloaded cargo.
The experience includes authentic sights, sounds, and controversial but scientifically accurate smells recreating the atmosphere of a densely-packed medieval city. The ride passes through actual preserved archaeological layers visible beneath glass panels, showing 1,000-year-old timber house foundations still in their original positions.
The Coppergate Helmet
One of only four complete Anglo-Saxon helmets ever discovered in Britain, the Coppergate Helmet is a magnificent 8th-century warrior's helmet found during the excavation beneath JORVIK. Made of iron with brass decorative panels featuring Latin inscriptions 'In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit and God: and to all we say Amen', this helmet predates the Viking settlement but demonstrates York's importance as a royal Anglo-Saxon centre before the Vikings arrived.
The helmet's exceptional preservation and craftsmanship provide crucial evidence about Anglo-Saxon metalworking technology and military equipment.
Original on display with detailed interpretation explaining its construction, religious significance, and discovery context. This helmet represents one of England's most important early medieval archaeological finds.
The Lloyds Bank Coprolite
The world's most famous piece of fossilized human feces, this 9th-century Viking-Age coprolite was discovered during the Coppergate excavation and has become an unexpected star attraction. Measuring 20cm long and 5cm wide, analysis revealed the Viking individual suffered from intestinal worms and had a diet rich in meat and bread with very little fiber.
The coprolite's exceptional preservation in York's waterlogged archaeological deposits allowed scientists to examine it in extraordinary detail, providing unique insights into Viking diet, health, and sanitation.
Valued at £20,000 in 1991, this unassuming artifact demonstrates how even the most unusual archaeological finds can reveal fascinating information about everyday life in Viking York. Children are particularly delighted by this exhibit, which proves archaeology isn't always glamorous.
Viking Leather Shoes and Textiles
JORVIK displays an extraordinary collection of Viking-Age leather shoes, textiles, and organic materials preserved for over 1,000 years in York's waterlogged soil conditions. The leather shoes show incredible variety in styles and sizes, from children's footwear to working boots, revealing details about Viking fashion, craftsmanship, and daily life that would normally be lost to decay.
Textile fragments include wool cloth in various weaves, silk imported from Central Asia, and even examples of tablet-woven braids used to decorate clothing.
These organic artifacts are exceptionally rare survivals - most Viking-Age sites preserve only metal, stone, and pottery. The collection demonstrates the sophistication of Viking textile production and the international trade networks that brought exotic materials to York.
Collections
JORVIK Viking Centre houses over 800 artifacts from the groundbreaking Coppergate archaeological excavation (1976-1981), one of the most important Viking-Age urban excavations ever conducted. The waterlogged conditions at the site preserved organic materials that normally decay - leather, textiles, wood, seeds, and even human waste - providing an unparalleled window into everyday Viking life.
Collections include the Coppergate Helmet (8th century Anglo-Saxon), Viking jewelry and personal ornaments, over 40,000 objects from domestic life including pottery, leather shoes, bone combs and gaming pieces, textile fragments, woodworking and metalworking tools, coins from the Viking kingdom of Jorvik, environmental evidence including insect remains and plant seeds, and the famous Lloyds Bank coprolite.
The collections represent five archaeological periods spanning 2,000 years but focus primarily on the Viking Age (866-1066 CE). All artifacts are scientifically excavated with precise archaeological context recorded, making them invaluable for research. The collection is owned and managed by York Archaeological Trust, with ongoing research constantly revealing new insights.
Time Capsule Ride Through Viking Jorvik
The centre's main attraction is a 15-minute ride in specially designed time capsule cars that transport visitors through a full-scale reconstruction of Viking-Age York on October 25th, 975 CE. The ride begins by descending through the archaeological layers visible beneath glass panels, showing how archaeologists uncovered evidence of York's past.
Visitors then enter the reconstructed Viking city with over 20 animatronic figures speaking Old Norse in domestic and workshop settings - craftspeople at work, families in their homes, traders at the riverside wharf, and residents going about daily activities.
Every detail is archaeologically accurate based on evidence from the Coppergate dig. The experience includes authentic sounds (conversations, hammering, livestock) and controversial but accurate smells recreating the atmosphere of a densely-packed medieval city. The ride concludes by returning through the archaeological layers to the present.
Commentary available in six languages explains what visitors are seeing and hearing.
📍 Lower ground floor
Artifacts Gallery: Life in Viking Jorvik
Main exhibition gallery displaying over 800 authentic Viking-Age artifacts discovered at Coppergate, organized thematically to tell the story of life in Viking York. Sections cover craft and industry (leather-working, wood-turning, metalworking, bone-carving), trade and economy (coins, weights, imported goods), daily life (clothing, jewelry, household items), diet and health (food remains, the famous coprolite, medical evidence), religion and belief (Christian and pagan artifacts showing the religious transition), and warfare and power (weapons, the Coppergate Helmet).
Highlights include exceptional leather shoes and textiles, the Lloyds Bank coprolite, coins of Viking kings, exquisite jewelry, and organic materials rarely preserved on archaeological sites.
Interactive elements explain archaeological techniques, Viking crafts, and life in the 10th century. The gallery demonstrates JORVIK's reputation as Britain's most important Viking-Age urban archaeological site.
📍 Ground floor
Coppergate Dig: Uncovering the Past
Exhibition explaining the 1976-1981 archaeological excavation that uncovered Viking York beneath a demolished sweet factory site on Coppergate. Displays show how archaeologists work, the excavation process that revealed five major archaeological periods including Roman, Anglo-Saxon, Viking, Medieval and Victorian layers, and the preservation conditions that saved organic materials for 1,000 years.
Visitors see photographs of the dig in progress, excavation tools and techniques, environmental archaeology methods that recovered insect remains and seeds, and how archaeologists dated and interpreted the discoveries.
The exhibition explains that JORVIK was built on the actual archaeological site - the reconstructed Viking street sits exactly where the original Viking street was discovered.
This connection between past and present makes JORVIK unique among heritage attractions.
📍 First floor
Themes
Time Periods
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.