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The JORVIK Group

Overview

JORVIK Viking Centre Learn about the past like never before - through sight, sound and even smell! When you arrive you'll meet one of our very own Vikings who will help to understand what we know about life as a Viking and the people who lived in those times. Everything within the museum has been careful researched and curated to be as historically accurate as possible. This experience is fun for the whole family. JORVIK DIG DIG is a hands-on archaeological adventure giving kids the chance to become trainee 'diggers' and discover the most exciting artefacts from 2000 years of York's history! DIG gives children the chance to learn through play and is ideal for ages 5-12yrs, with our Tiny Digger sessions twice a week for toddlers. Barley Hall This is a stunning medieval townhouse once home to the Priors of Nostell and Mayor of York. Until 10th July you will find our Magic and Mysteries exhibition here and then, this will be followed by The Bard, which explores the history of York through the drama of Shakespeare. City walking tours at Micklegate Bar This is our newest attraction and combines a tour of the city walls and our fantastic museum. Explore three floors of this important gateway and find out more about the historic walls surrounding the city of York. Housed in the gatehouse of Micklegate Bar, visit City Walls Experience to discover how York came to be a walled city and how the walls have evolved and changed since the first embankments were built by the Romans.

Contact details

19 Coppergate York North Yorkshire Yorkshire and the Humber YO1 9WT United Kingdom

https://www.jorvikvikingcentre.co.uk/visit/plan-your-visit/access/

lwood@yorkat.co.uk

01904 545406

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Access guidance

• We recommend booking all our attractions in advance to reduce the time you may have to queue. However, we understand, at busy times that may still be unavoidable so if this will present a challenge please speak to a member of the team and they can assist. We do offer queue jump for people who struggle to stand for a period of time, along with temporary seating we can provide.
• JORVIK Viking Centre Wheelchair and mobility scooter users must pre-book via phone (01904 615505) or email (jorvik@yorkat.co.uk). Please note, we are unable to offer online bookings for Wheelchair and mobility scooter users at this time. As most of the attraction is underground, wheelchair access to the JORVIK Viking Centre is restricted to one wheelchair user in the building at any one time. Your visit also allows use of our manual wheelchair if required. Mobility scooters cannot be used within the Centre. Our admissions and shop areas are both accessed from street level and our admissions doors are always open to allow easy access for wheelchair users and pushchairs. Our Admissions area is a flat smooth surface with a lower desk area to the right as you enter. There is a lift that will take you to the start of your visit. Our ride consists of moving capsules that transport visitors around to enjoy the sight, sounds and smells of Jorvik. One of the capsules is fitted with a modified space for wheelchair users to enjoy the ride without having to leave your wheelchair. Once you are inside the attraction, a member of our Technical team will come and talk to you about experiencing the ride and will escort you to the boarding point to provide assistance. Please note that large electric wheelchairs can sometimes struggle to get on our ride but we do have our own manual wheelchair which you can transfer into if you are able. Due to the limited space of our galleries and the use of a ride, we are unable to cater for mobility scooters. If you are able to walk there is a lift to use to get into the centre and all of our galleries are flat. If not, we also have a wheelchair you can transfer into. There is full wheelchair access throughout the rest of galleries at JORVIK Viking Centre. To access our gift shop at the end of your visit, you will need to go back up in the lift then leave through our admissions doors, re-entering the shop through the external door to the right as you exit the admissions area. JORVIK DIG There is full access for wheelchair users throughout DIG. Due to space restrictions on tours, numbers may be limited per tour if there are multiple wheelchair users, but there are no such restrictions when visiting the rest of the attraction. Our admissions area has a stone floor so it is not a perfectly smooth surface. There is an accessible-height section of the admissions desk with prices also at this level. There are ramps to access the dig pit area and the rest of the floors through the ground floor of the attraction are smooth surfaces. The lift to the first floor can only carry one wheelchair user plus an adult. Barley Hall Visitors who are wheelchair users should go to the main entrance to ask a staff member to let them in through the alternative entrance.
• JORVIK Viking Centre Making you way through the Viking Centre is broken up by our ride, which is entirely seated and there is seating in some of the galleries. We also have temporary seating/stools we can make available throughout your visit. JORVIK DIG There are plenty of areas with seating within DIG and we have additional seating and stools we can provide if needed. There is also a garden at JORVIK DIG with seating should you need a quiet place to sit for any reason. Barley Hall Seating is available in many of the rooms and visitors are encouraged to sit on the furniture. City Walls Experience at Micklegate Bar Seating is available throughout this experience. Please speak to a member of the team if you need additional support.
• JORVIK Viking Centre There is one standard accessible toilet in the first gallery of the attraction to the right as you exit the lift. A radar key can be obtained from the member of staff stewarding in that room. This toilet has: a right hand transfer space; support rails next to the toilet; emergency pull cord; and accessible height sink with lever taps. JORVIK DIG We have one standard accessible toilet located past the admissions desk towards the back of the building. It is only accessible with a Radar key, however the admissions staff can give you access to it. This toilet has a left-hand transfer space, support rails next to the toilet, emergency pull cord and accessible height sink with lever taps. Barley Hall Although Barley Hall is accessible on ground floor level, we do not have an accessible toilet. You should ask a member of staff for the closest toilet when you arrive. Some of our surrounding businesses are happy for our visitors to make use of their accessible facilities.
• Guide dogs and assistance dogs are welcome at all our attractions and can accompany visitors onto the ride at JORVIK Viking Centre if wished. Dog bowls are available as well, so please just ask.
• We are pleased to offer carers free entry to our attractions
• JORVIK Viking Centre There is an audio descriptive version of the commentary available on our ride experience. This describes, in full, your journey around the Viking city. Our Interactive Vikings are positioned throughout the centre to offer further information and assistance if required. JOrvik DIG The DIG tour is fully guided by a member of staff and very tactile. However, due to our new Covid-19 safety measures, this is currently not accurate. A large print guide of the exhibition-only area is available We do have a small number of ear defenders if it is a particularly noisy day at DIG. You can request use of these from the admissions desk. Barley Hall Our volunteers are generally positioned in the Great Hall to offer further information and assistance if required. City Walls Experience at Micklegate Bar Large print and braille guides are available at the admissions desk upon request.
• JORVIK Viking Centre Our ride is fitted with a hearing loop on all capsules. There is also an audio descriptive version of the commentary on the ride. We have a hearing loop fitted at our staffed areas of the galleries, where our interactive team are available to give you further information about the Viking-Age. Video interpretation is subtitled in our galleries. JORVIK DIG Some of our staff are trained in British Sign Language. Watch this video for a description of the site in British Sign Language. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eZ3viYOfFo&feature=youtu.be Currently, there are no additional provisions for visitors who are deaf or have hearing impairments at DIG. We would recommend visiting on a weekend out of the holidays as these are our quieter days. Barley Hall The museum is self-guided and the interpretation consists of displays to look at, read or touch (please note that we are currently asking visitors not to touch artefacts for hygiene reasons). We currently have no additional provisions.
• JORVIK Viking Centre We have provisions in place to support with the following: Autism A visual story is available to download from our website as a pre visit guide to what a typical visit should be like and what you will encounter. These are also available on request from our reservations department either by email or a printed version can be posted out to you. JORVIK Viking Centre operates a sticker system for visitors with autism should you wish to participate. If you are wearing a red sticker it shows you do not wish to be approached, a yellow sticker means you would like staff to answer questions when asked, green or no sticker means you are happy to be approached and spoken to. Please request one of these at admissions if this will benefit your visit. Sensory bags are available at all our admissions desks subject to availability on the day. They contain a set of ear defenders and various tactile & visual items, some of which can be bought from our attractions shops. We do not have a designated quiet area at JORVIK but if you do need to leave for any reason then you can. Your ticket is valid for 12 months so you can use this to return, but due to our social distancing and safety procedures, you would need to pre-book onto a time-slot. JORVIK also uses the Blue Assist system to help visitors have the best experience possible at JORVIK. Asthma Our ride experience includes several authentic Viking smells. If you have asthma and think you may be sensitive to the smells, please inform a member of staff when you board the ride or when you book so that we can monitor your ride capsule whilst you are on the ride experience. Groups with accessibility needs Information about booking for large groups can be found on our Groups booking page but please contact our Reservations Team on 01904 615505 if you wish to discuss any additional access needs that members of your group may have. JORVIK DIG DIG operates a sticker system for visitors with autism should you wish to participate. If you are wearing a red sticker it shows you do not wish to be approached, a yellow sticker means you would like staff to answer questions when asked, green or no sticker means you are happy to be approached and spoken to. Please request one of these at admissions if this will benefit your visit. A visual story is available to download from our website as a pre visit guide to what a typical visit should be like and what you will encounter. These are also available on request from our reservations department either by email or a printed version can be posted out to you. Sensory bags are available at all our admissions desks subject to availability on the day. They contain a set of ear defenders and various tactile & visual items, some of which can be bought from our attractions shops. We now have a large changing mat that is made to be used on the floor and can be used by both children and adults. The JORVIK Group aims to continually improve our facilities and access. If you have any feedback on how we could improve our access offer then please email us at access@yorkat.co.uk Barley Hall Autism A visual story is available to download on our website as a pre-visit guide to what a typical visit should be like and what you will encounter. These are also available on request from our reservations department either by email or a printed version can be posted out to you. Barley Hall operates a sticker system for visitors with autism should you wish to participate. If you are wearing a red sticker it shows you do not wish to be approached, a yellow sticker means you would like staff to answer questions when asked, green or no sticker means you are happy to be approached and spoken to. Please request one of these at admissions if this will benefit your visit. Sensory bags are available at all our admissions desks subject to availability on the day. They contain a set of ear defenders and various tactile & visual items, some of which can be bought from our attractions shops. We also use the Blue Assist system to help visitors have the best experience possible at Barley Hall. Barley Hall tends to be a quiet attraction; however, if you do need to leave for any reason then you can. Your ticket is valid for 12 months and you can return in that time. Groups with Accessibility Needs Information about booking for large groups can be found on our Groups booking page but please contact our Reservations Team on 01904 615505 if you wish to discuss any additional access needs that members of your group may have.