National Railway Museum York With Kids

The National Railway Museum is in York, England. If you are looking for a great family day out in York, then you must visit the National Railway Museum. Both my boys love trains and although when I visited I only had my eldest son with me, I would definitely go back again so both boys can enjoy a fun family day out.

National Railway Museum, York

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Getting To the National Railway Museum

You can reach the National Railway Museum in a number of different ways. We walked from our hotel. However, it is roughly a 10-minute walk from the town centre.

If you are driving you can see about parking below. Check out the main website for up to date directions and visitor information.

York Railway Museum parking

The nearest car park is the museum’s visitor car park on Leemans Road which has a chargeable day rate. There are other car parks in the surrounding areas which may well be cheaper. I expect it depends on how close you want to be parked.

National Railway Museum York Tickets

NRM York is free! Yes, you read correctly its free. Although donations are welcome. When we arrived at the National Railway Museum York we were asked for a donation or we could buy a guidebook. I decided to get my son an activity book.

As the museum is free to get into it makes it a great day out in my opinion. We made our way into the main hall and that’s when we realized just how big the museum was.

National Railway Museum York Exhibits

My son’s eyes lit up with the number of trains that were there. He ran around shouting “there’s Thomas, there’s Edward…that’s Stephen!” We must have taken his picture with pretty much every train in there while making our way around the buildings.

While there we heard we would be able to see the turntable move which was in the main hall (I don’t think you would miss it). We thought this was awesome and quickly found a place to stand and watch. There are many areas to the museum, some areas my son wasn’t too interested in but for the older children they may like these areas. Your feet will hurt by the end of all the exploring so make sure you wear good footwear!

Food & Drinks at the York Railway Museum

Inside the NRW Museum, you will find a cafe in the great hall and also a restaurant. We went to the main cafe in the great hall for lunch, as per normal at any tourist attraction the food was pretty expensive so might be best to bring a picnic along if you don’t want a big bill for lunch. Although as the entrance is free, I suppose you have to expect the cafes etc to be more expensive.

Outside Areas at the Train Museum in York

After lunch, we looked around a bit more and we also tried out the miniature train outside. You have to buy a ticket before you go on from the little machine. Again expensive for how long you get…which isn’t very long! But my eldest son loved it so it is worth the ticket price to see his face light up. There is also a play area outside for the kids to play on which is a good place to get them to let off some steam (no pun intended).

Overall Verdict

Overall this is a fantastic place for kids and big kids (grown-ups ups) that love trains. The entry fee is free to the National Railway Museum which is just ideal for a family day out in York. If you don’t want the expense of lunch, then take a picnic with you, which there are facilities where you can eat this onsite. We didn’t get around the whole place so you can definitely be sure that it is well worth a visit too.

Do your child love trains? If they do then you should really make sure to check out the National Railway Museum.

Make sure to check out the National Railway Museum website for full details on a great family day out in York.

Things to do near York Railway Museum

If you are in York for a bit longer, then why not check out the surrounding area with some top Yorkshire farms to visit with kids. There are plenty of great days out to be had and I’m sure you will find many ideas to keep your tots entertained while staying in York.