Get behind scenes at JORVIK this Tuesday evening!

To celebrate its 40th anniversary, JORVIK Viking Centre is extending summer hours and introducing VIP tours. Starting August 20, 2024, "JORVIK Lates: A Behind the Scenes Tour" will offer exclusive evening access to Viking-age Coppergate

Special talks introduced for the summer as part of JORVIK Viking Centre’s 40th anniversary celebrations are proving so popular that the ‘must-see’ York visitor attraction has extended its hours, and is introducing VIP tours, for the rest of the summer.

“We have been delighted with how popular the changes we have made to the visitor experience for the summer holidays have been” comments head of visitor operations Mark Jackson “This response meant we extended our opening hours, opening an hour earlier from Friday 16 August, to make sure no one missed out.”

Now the team at JORVIK is going a step further and adding special VIP Anniversary Tours for two Tuesdays, starting on Tuesday 20 August; JORVIK Lates: A behind the scenes tour.  “We will be offering visitors the very unusual opportunity to take a walking tour with our special guides around Viking-age Coppergate for just two special evenings in August,” adds Mark.  “This gives visitors a chance to enjoy seeing the Viking characters up close at a quieter time, though we have to caution that if you are seeing and hearing the Vikings up close, you’ll also smell them – and areas like the butchery, waste pits and, of course, our cesspit occupied by Bogar, are pretty vile.”

Tickets for JORVIK Lates: A behind the scenes tour are £20 per person, with sessions running each Tuesday evening at 18:30, 19:00, 19:30 and last admission is 20:00.  The dates co-incide with late-night opening at Clifford’s Tower, and will be a pilot for future evening opening initiatives.  “We know that there is huge potential to develop York’s early evening economy, particularly during the peak parts of York’s tourism season, so we will be very interested to see how our visitors react to this opportunity,” says Mark.  “We operated walking tours earlier in the year when our ride was out of action, and many people voiced disappointment when the ride reopened as they had been looking forward to visiting 10th century Coppergate on foot, so we are confident that this kind of tour is an experience that visitors want.”

As with all tickets to JORVIK, pre-booking this experience is essential. 

For more information, or to book tickets, please visit jorvikvikingcentre.co.uk