Best things to do in York for couples
Looking for the best things to do in York for couples?
I’ve collated the best fun things to do in York for couples including the most suitable York attractions plus unique, free and budget friendly activities. Each suggestion is based on my experience of living in and exploring York with my husband.
York breaks for couples are a perfect choice. There is so much to do in the city to suit all interests and ages.
Plus, as the city is so small, getting around York on foot is easy so there’s no need to waste precious time or money using local transport.
Days out in York for couples are varied, fun and affordable. Nights out in York for couples are even better!
Best things to do in York for couples
Enjoy a panoramic view of York
York is famed for its historic and characterful architecture so why not enjoy it from a great viewpoint? My top two recommendations are the 360 degree views from the York Minster’s central tower and from the top of Clifford’s Tower.
York Minster tower
Climb the 275 steps of the Minster’s central tower and you will have reached the highest point of York city centre. One of the interesting facts about York is that no other building inside the city walls is allowed to be taller than York Minster.
There is a fabulous 360 degree view of the city, the surrounding countryside plus an up close view of the Minster gargoyles.
You will feel as if you are stepping back in time climbing the narrow, winding stone steps. It only takes around 10 minutes to reach the top however, if you don’t like confined spaces, the climb is not for you.
I hate heights but felt safe on the rooftop. For me the worst part of the climb was walking along the gangway from one part of the tower to another. The views from the top made it worth it!
Numbers for each tower trip are limited and all participants must descend before the next group goes up.
As you also have to pay to enter York Minster, I recommend allocating time to explore the rest of the Minster or to take one of the free guided tours available.
Opening hours – York Minster opening hours are Monday to Saturday 9.30am – 4pm and Sunday from 12.45pm – 2.15pm. Tower trips run at specific times during the day and can be booked once inside York Minster. Normal York Minster admission fees apply.
Tower trips have a limited capacity and all participants must descend the tower before the next group is allowed up.
Cost – Combined York Minster and tower tickets cost £22. Note that the tower is closed in bad weather.
Clifford’s Tower
This iconic York landmark is the remains of a Norman keep siting on an artificial hill in York city centre. Clifford’s Tower recently had a multi-million pound makeover and now boasts more exhibits and better access within the tower.
Climb to the rooftop deck for a fantastic 360 degree view of York.
Opening hours – Everyday from 10 am to 4 pm in winter and till 5 pm in summer.
Cost – Adults £8.50
Explore The Shambles
This narrow, cobbled shopping street dates back to medieval times. It’s said to be the inspiration for Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter movies and has been voted ‘Best Street in Britain.’
It’s lined with lopsided, overhanging wooden buildings and, if you look closely, you can still see the wooden ledges and meat hooks on the shop fronts where medieval butchers displayed their meat.
The Shambles gets very busy so visit early or late to enjoy this romantic place in York without the crowds.
Walk the walls
One of the best free things to do in York for couples is to walk York’s medieval era city walls. They are the longest city walls in England and a full circuit will take around 2 hours but you can exit the walls whenever you want at one of the four gateways (called bars).
York city walls are one of the best free things to do in York. You get great views of York and can escape the busy city centre.
Highlights along the wall include Monk Bar, a 14th century, four storey fortress with a narrow stone entrance way. It still has its portcullis, medieval arrow slits and murder holes. Another highlight is Walmgate Bar which still has its original barbican section: it’s the most intact barbican anywhere in the world.
If you only want to walk a short section of the walls, walk from Monk Bar to Bootham Bar. I think it’s the most scenic and interesting section of the wall.
Opening hours – Everyday from dawn till dusk. Note that the walls are closed in icy weather.
Ride a little red boat on the Ouse
City Cruises offer 45 minute sightseeing trips on double decker boats along the River Ouse. However, one of the fun things to do in York for couples is to hire your very own little red boat .
The small boats don’t travel very fast and are easy to drive. There’s a pedal, a throttle for speed and a steering wheel – and that’s it! You don’t even need to show a drivers license.
The boats take a maximum of 8 passengers but they’re small so 2 people is a lot more comfortable! The front window is low down so if you are tall you will find it difficult to squeeze into the drivers seat. My 6 ft 5 husband did!
A one hour rental is plenty of time to cruise the Ouse and enjoy the York city skyline.
Opening hours – Every day from mid February to mid November. Pre-booking advised.
Cost – Hire prices start from £35 per boat for one hour hire.
Visit a museum
There are lots of things to do for couples in York who like history as the city has some fantastic city centre museums.
The brilliant Yorkshire Museum charts York’s Roman and medieval past and has a section about Yorkshire’s Jurassic coast.
York Art Gallery has two floors of painting and sculptures plus temporary exhibition spaces (and an excellent cafe).
York Castle Museum follows York through the ages. The highlight is the fully recreated Victorian street ‘Kirkgate’ where there are shops, a police station and a school you can enter and chat to the people that ‘live’ there. The museum was once York’s principal jail and you can tour the cells where Dick Turpin was imprisoned. Hologram actors tell you what prison life was like in during Victorian times.
Jorvik Viking Centre is one of the most popular museums in York; pre-booking is essential if you want to avoid queuing. Its highlight is a historical ‘cab ride’ through a recreated Viking settlement. A visit to Jorvik will take around 1 hour.
Alternatively, if you love trains, head to the free National Railway Museum behind York rail station. It is packed with train engines and carriages from different countries and periods of history.
Opening hours and cost – Yorkshire Museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday 10am – 5pm, cost £9.50pp. York Art Gallery is open Wednesday to Sunday, 10am – 5 pm, £7 pp. York Castle Museum is open everyday 10am- 5pm, cost £14.50. The free National Railway Museum is open everyday from 10am – 5pm.
Jorvik is open everyday from 10am – 4pm in winter and from 10am – 6pm in summer, cost £15pp.
Tour a historic house
In addition to museums, York has a several historic houses to visit.
There is the Victorian era Mansion House (easily spotted with its pink facade on St. Helen’s Square) or the medieval Barley Hall off Stonegate.
For a couples trip to York, I recommend either The Treasurers House behind York Minster or the Georgian era Fairfax House on Coppergate.
The Treasurers House is an eclectic 20th century house built in the unusual style of a Victorian/medieval manor. It is full of surprises, including the basement which is reputedly haunted by a marching Roman legion. Plus, the scones at the Treasurers House cafe have been voted the best scones of all the National Trust properties in England.
In contrast, the pink Fairfax House is a lavishly decorated Georgian era townhouse. Each fully furnished room offers an insight into wealthy life in the Georgian era. Don’t miss the basement kitchen which often puts on cooking demonstrations.
Opening hours and cost – Treasurers House: seasonal opening hours apply so check website in advance of your visit, cost £9.50pp or free for National Trust members.
Fairfax House is open Monday to Sunday, 10.30 am to 4.30 pm, cost £9.00pp.
The York Dungeon
One of the darker but highly entertaining York things to do for couples is The York Dungeon.
Prepare yourself for a 90 minute immersive and interactive journey through 2,000 years of York history. 10 live actor shows will bring to life gruesome real-life characters and stories. It’s lots of fun and I guarantee you will laugh – and scream!
Opening hours – Open everyday from 11am – 4pm in winter and until 6pm in summer.
Cost – Walk-in prices £25.00pp. Online advance booking is much cheaper at £18.00pp.
Have a picnic in Museum Gardens
If the weather in York is fine, one of the best things to do in York city centre for couples is to enjoy a picnic lunch in Museum Gardens. These beautifully landscaped gardens have plenty of space so you can easily find a quiet leafy corner for a picnic.
The gardens are also home to the 12th century ruins of St. Mary’s Abbey, a 19th century observatory, the 15th century Hospitium and the Yorkshire Museum. You can also visit the Roman era Multiangular Tower and the Edible Wood, packed with edible (and poisonous) plants.
It’s pretty, relaxing and an ideal activity if you are visiting York on a budget. On a summers day it’s one of the most romantic places to eat in York.
👉 Local tip – Get your picnic food from Sainsburys on Davygate, Tesco’s on Skeldergate or from Marks and Spencers on Parliament Street. York is also packed with quality bakeries; Cooplands and Thomas The Bakers are my favourites.
Opening hours – Everyday from dawn till dusk.
Enjoy an afternoon tea
If you want a cosy afternoon tea for two, you have lots of options to choose from.
The most popular afternoon tea in York is at Betty’s Tearoom, a beloved 100 year old York tea room. It has a classy Art Deco vibe, a classical pianist and uses china crockery so eating at Betty’s feels like a real treat!
You can also enjoy an afternoon tea at The Ivy, Dean Court Hotel, The Principal Hotel and the 5 star Grand Hotel.
👉 Local tip – If you are short on time I recommend paying a little extra to pre-book an afternoon tea at Betty’s in the Belmont Room. You can just turn up for afternoon tea if you want but you must be prepared to queue.
Opening hours – Betty’s is open Monday to Friday 9am – 5:30pm, Saturday 8:30am – 6pm and Sunday 9am –5:30pm.
Cost – Yorkshire Cream Tea £14.95, Afternoon tea with Prosecco £34.95, pre-bookable afternoon tea £39.95.
Things to do for couples in York at night
York has a thriving nightlife with lots of things to do whatever the weather or the month you are visiting York. There are even things to do if you are visiting York on a budget.
Take a ghost tour
York is considered to be one of the most haunted locations in England. As a result, there are several night time ghost walks to choose from.
The highly rated Original Ghost Walk of York departs from The Kings Arm pub near Ouse Bridge at 8pm and lasts around 1 1/2 hours.
Cost – £7.50pp
The award winning Ghost Hunt of York starts every night at 7.30pm from The Shambles; you can’t miss the guide as he wears a black top hat. This self rated ‘PG’ tour is highly entertaining and last around 1 1/4 hours.
Cost – £10pp
The Ghost Trail of York starts every night at 7.30pm from outside the west entrance of York Minster.
It’s an entertaining, award winning tour lasting around 70 minutes. Groups are kept small so places are limited. I advise pre-booking online to avoid disappointment.
Cost – £5pp
The Bloody Tour of York is one of the more adult orientated ghost tours. It’s led by the award winning and entertaining Mad Alice and is based on a real life York character.
This 90 minute tour starts at 6pm from St William college at the back of York Minster. There is an additional 8pm tour from April to October.
Cost – £12pp
Cosy up in a pub
Allegedly, there is a pub in York for everyday of the year – my husband and I are working our way through them!
If you want something full of character head to the lively Cosy Club on Fossgate, Lendal Cellars on St. Helen’s Square, The Guy Fawkes Inn on High Petergate or The Botanist on Stonegate.
Pubs with quiet booths for couples include the Golden Slipper on Goodramgate, The Fat Badger next to Bootham Bar and the candle lit Pivni on Patrick Pool.
York’s smallest pub – The Blue Bell on Fossgate – dates back to 1798. It’s the perfect place to cosy up as groups are banned from the tiny pub.
If you prefer cocktails, I recommend the Evil Eye on Stonegate.
For something entirely different, grab a communal pew at the convivial House of Trembling Madness on Stonegate (not its more contemporary sister pub on Lendal). The Stonegate branch is on the first floor of an original medieval ale house; think long benches, real ale and beamed ceilings. It is one of the more unique things to do in York for couples.
Enjoy a cocktail on a rooftop bar
If you want a drink with a view, head the the 7th floor Sora Bar on the roof of the Malmaison Hotel.
The outdoor bar offers cosy tables, cocktails and snacks and the views of York are amazing, especially at night. It’s a popular spot so pre-book if you can.
Other ‘drinks with a view’ options include The Fat Badger beer garden and The Judges Lodging bar terrace.
Have a go at axe throwing
Fancy a couples night in York with a difference? Go axe throwing at The Hilt on Goodramgate.
You will get a short 10 minute training session from staff, before 50 minutes of axe throwing with your partner.
I know it doesn’t sound romantic but it’s lots of fun and its guaranteed to be a date to remember. I think it’s one of the best things to do in York for young couples who like to have fun.
Opening hours – Tuesday to Friday 2pm – 7pm, Saturday 11:30am – 8pm, Sunday 11:30am – 4:30pm. Sessions must be pre-booked within these times.
Cost – £25pp
Challenge yourselves to an escape room
York has several themed escape rooms to choose from. All escape rooms in York offer a 60 minute experience.
GR8escape on Colliergate has three rooms including a Wizards Room and an ultra violet room. Prices for 2 start from £48 per room.
Can You Escape on Micklegate has three spy and science themed rooms with prices starting from £50 per room.
Locked in Games on Museum Street has three murder mystery rooms with prices starting from £54 per couple.
Watch a movie at the cinema
York has two city centre cinemas to choose from, both of which offer something special for couples.
York Picturehouse on Coney Street has several big screens, an excellent cafe and bar plus a basement comedy venue. I’ve seen some big names here on pre-Edinburgh festival gigs.
Everyman on Blossom Street is the ultimate cinema for a date night in York. You can enjoy delicious food and drink served to your seats whilst cuddling up on a velvet sofa to watch a movie.
Go to the theatre
Watch a musical, concert or drama production at one of York’s three theatres.
York Barbican, York Theatre Royal and The Grand Opera House offer a constantly changing programme so you are sure to find something you like when you are visiting York.
Catch a live gig
Watching a live band and rubbing shoulders with the locals can be one of the most fun cheap things to do in York for couples.
Several pubs in York offer regular live bands (check out The Fulford Arms) but two of the most popular dedicated music venues are The Vaults on Nunnery Lane and The Crescent off Blossom Street. Both venues are a few minutes walk from Micklegate Bar and York rail station.
The Vaults offer several free gigs a month and their ticket prices start from as low as £3. Tickets at The Crescent start from around £6 depending on the gig.
There are so many new, fun things to do in York for couples that you will find it impossible to fit it all in on a weekend break to York.. You will just have to visit our beautiful city again!
If you are visiting York for a romantic break, check out my articles on romantic things to do in York, best romantic restaurants in York and best romantic hotels in York.
