The JORVIK Viking Centre is a museum and visitor attraction in York, England. It was created by the York Archaeological Trust.

Travel back one thousand years and visit the Vikings of JORVIK. Journey through a reconstruction of the actual Viking-Age streets, complete with sounds and smells, exactly where archaeologists found the remains of the original city. See genuine Viking artefacts, meet the real-life JORVIK Vikings and learn about Viking life in our special exhibitions.

Cravens, a firm of confectioners founded in 1803, relocated from their factory in Coppergate, a street in central York, in 1966. Between 1976 and 1981, after the factory was eventually demolished, and prior to the building of the Coppergate shopping centre (an open-air pedestrian shopping centre which now occupies the enlarged site), the York Archaeological Trust conducted extensive excavations in the area. Well-preserved remains of some of the timber buildings of the Viking city of Jórvík were discovered, along with workshops, fences, animal pens, privies, pits and wells, together with durable materials and artefacts of the time, such as pottery, metalwork and bones. Unusually, wood, leather, textiles, and plant and animal remains from the period were also discovered, preserved in oxygen-deprived wet clay. In all, over 40,000 objects were recovered.

The Trust took the decision to recreate the excavated part of Jórvík on the site, peopled with figures and sounds as well as pigsties, fish market and latrines, with a view to bringing the Viking city fully to life using innovative interpretative methods. The JORVIK Viking Centre opened in April 1984.

An Jorvik short break provides the perfect chance for you and your family to discover the Viking history of ancient York. You can pick from a range of hotels near Jorvik, whether you want to be in the centre of York, or out in the green surroundings of the Yorkshire countryside. Our choice of hand picked hotels guarantee an enjoyable short break to suit your family's budget. We offer hotels with some great children's rates and a Jorvik short break delivers great family value making a memorable weekend break for the whole family. York offers so much more to see and do that a 2 day break gives you the opportunity to visit many more of the great attractions in the city.

In 2001, the Centre was refurbished and enlarged at a cost of £5m. Visitors are currently taken back to 975 AD in a time-capsule, and then embark on a tour of a reconstructed Viking settlement. Beyond this is an extensive museum area, which combines an exhibition of some 800 finds from the site with interactive displays and the opportunity to learn about tenth-century life and to discuss it with "Viking" staff. Among the exhibits is a replica of the Coppergate Helmet, which was found near the site of the Centre and is now in the Yorkshire Museum.

Opening Hours: Open from 10am to 4pm. (10am to 5pm School holidays).

Directions: JORVIK is situated in the Coppergate Shopping area in the centre of York.

Official site