The Best 12 Things to See and Do in Yorkshire

Don’t miss Yorkshire Sculpture Park, an open-air gallery close to Wakefield in West Yorkshire. It’s easy to spend an entire day here, exploring the vast grounds and discovering intriguing sculptures by the likes of Henry Moore, Andy Goldsworthy and David Nash. Alongside the permanent works, expect exciting temporary exhibitions by the likes of Kaws and Tony Cragg.

If you’re at your happiest exploring the great outdoors, make a beeline for the Yorkshire Dales to discover beautiful waterfalls, exciting caves and some of the best walking trails in the county. There’s plenty to discover over an entire week spent in this area, but if you only have a couple of days, make Malham Cove, Ingleton waterfalls and White Scar Caves your first ports of call.

While in York, don’t miss out on visiting the Minster, one of the most impressive religious structures in the whole of Yorkshire. This impressive Gothic building is one of the largest Minsters in Europe and features an impressive collection of beautiful stained glass windows to admire. It’s worth paying to climb the winding steps that lead up to the top of the tower, offering unparalleled views over the city.

Another impressive area of breath-taking natural beauty is the North York Moors, sprawling across the north-eastern part of the county. Explore rugged coastlines, dense forests, heather-covered moorland and luscious green dales, ensuring that you include a visit to possibly the most iconic town in the area, Whitby. Here, you can sample the best fish and chips in the region and visit the dramatic abbey that looms on the cliffs above the town.

The third National Park on this list, the Peak District spreads out into other counties, but the Yorkshire section of the park is one of the most scenic areas of the entire county. Again, there’s too much to see in just one trip, but plan in at least one walk around the Dark Peak to enjoy uninterrupted views of the area.