FAQs during closure

Due to COVID-19, some teams at the JORVIK Group of Attractions are temporarily away.

JORVIK Viking Centre, Barley Hall and DIG: An Archaeological Adventure will re-open on 11th July, but some teams will remain unavailable for a few weeks.

On this page we have listed answers to questions you may have during this time.

When will the attractions re-open?

JORVIK Viking Centre, Barley Hall and DIG: An Archaeological Adventure will re-open on 11th July. The Richard III and Henry VII Experiences will remain closed for the foreseeable future.

We have new social distancing and safety policies to make sure future visits will be safe and enjoyable for all our visitors and staff, including restricting the number of people in the attraction, ensuring social distancing and extra hygiene precautions. You can read more about these new policies here for JORVIK Viking Centre, here for Barley Hall and here for DIG: An Archaeological Adventure.

We will only be accepting visitors who have booked in advance. You can currently pre-book tickets for timeslots from 11th July.

I have a booking for one or more of the attractions in the next few weeks. What should I do?

We have contacted as many people as possible regarding bookings until the end of June. Due to new restrictions on travel, our reservations team are no longer able to service our phone and email booking lines. If we had not reached you yet, you can:

• Change your booking online, if you set up an online account when you originally booked. Booking slots currently open again from 11th July. You are not able to request a refund using our online system.
• If you haven’t got an online account, we will contact you when we are able to access our phone and email lines again. We will offer you the opportunity to change your booking, or we can give you a refund. We will need to speak to you to process a refund, because card details are not stored in our system for security reasons.

I had visited previously and wanted to make use of the 12 months’ free entry. Will this be extended?

Yes, if you still have your receipt we will be extending the period for which you can get free entry by 4 months, to 16 months from the date of your receipt.

I have an urgent query, how can I contact the JORVIK Group of Attractions?

Please email jorvikgroup@yorkat.co.uk and if your query is urgent, one of our team will respond as soon as they can. If your query is not urgent,  it may be some time before we are able to reply.

How can I support York Archaeological Trust?

The coronavirus crisis is causing unpredictable and significant concerns for JORVIK Viking Centre, our sister attractions and York Archaeological Trust as a whole. Our staff and visitors’ safety is our top priority. However, making our attractions safe has incurred unexpected costs, and combined with the severe ticket income loss, our future plans are under threat.

We would be hugely grateful for your support helping us raise £30,000 to cover our unexpected costs, so we can more confidently continue to offer world-class visitor experiences and a range of charitable activities that benefit our community.

How can I make a booking for private hire of JORVIK Viking Centre or Barley Hall?

Our attractions are closed for private hire for the foreseeable future. The hospitality team are currently unavailable, but if you email eventsandhospitality@yorkat.co.uk they will reply as soon as possible when we re-open. If you have an urgent query, please email jorvikgroup@yorkat.co.uk.

Can I still apply to volunteer?

We have currently placed our volunteer applications on hold. We will post further information about our next intake later this year. 

Can I still apply to undertake a placement?

We have currently placed our placement applications on hold. We will post further information about our next intake later this year.

I have a research question relating to your attractions / the Vikings – who can I contact?

Please submit your question to jorvik@yorkat.co.uk. We will respond at the earliest opportunity, but be aware that there may be a delay of several weeks before the relevant department can respond.