9 Best Places To Visit In North Yorkshire

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The ruins of Whitby Abbey overlooking the North Sea (Wenzlerdesign/Pixabay)

From the Yorkshire Dales’ heather moorlands to the North York Moors’ misty cliffs, the places you should visit in North Yorkshire are varied (and very much worth your time). These nine must-see spots include ancient abbeys, sandy beaches and river-carved rock formations. 

And there's more beyond those big sights, so we’ve also included some lesser-known alternatives to each destination for repeat visitors, travellers taking a longer break or those that like to get off the beaten track.

Fancy exploring the whole lot? Pitchup has a great range of campsites across the region for visitors looking to organise a North Yorkshire outdoor holiday – they cover all price points and luxury levels, from basic wild camping set-ups to holiday parks with hot tubs, swimming pools and nightly entertainment.

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Fountains Abbey

The impressive ruins of Fountains Abbey, along with the surrounding Studley Royal Park, were one of the UK’s first historic hotspots to make it onto the UNESCO World Heritage Site. You can easily spend a day here wandering among the relics of one of England’s most striking abbeys, along with the Jacobean-era Fountains Hall, the mini neo-Gothic masterpiece of St Mary’s Church, the water gardens and a deer park. 

 Other key religious attractions to visit in North Yorkshire include: 

Harrogate

The elegant spa town of Harrogate became a byword for wellness in the Victorian era thanks to its 88 natural springs. Nowadays, you can still make the most of the healing waters by booking a treatment in the late 19th-century Turkish Baths, admireing the glazed tile-work and painted ceilings in the restored Moorish-style interiors as you chill out.

Alternatively, stroll streets edged with Georgian mansions, high-end shops and verdant parkland before roaming around RHS Garden Harlow Carr, a manicured green space on the outskirts of Harrogate with colourful borders and sub-tropical plantings (plus a branch of the tempting Bettys Café Tea Rooms for tasty treats).

 Other grand gardens in North Yorkshire include: 

Ingleton Waterfalls Trail

The 4.5-mile/7.25-km Ingleton Waterfalls Trail, running through old oak woodland towards whooshing waterfalls, makes for a fantastic family day out. Wander in limestone glens past wildflowers, moss and ferns, and across bridges into open moorland. Thornton Force is the mightiest cascade on the route – it rushes over a 46-foot/14-metre cliff laid down as moraine in the last Ice Age. 

Can’t get enough of waterfalls? Here are more North Yorkshire waterfalls to visit:

  • Janet’s Foss near Malham, which spills into a pond formerly used by farmers for sheep dipping  

  • The triple flight of waterfalls at Aysgarth Falls on the River Ure

  • With the UK’s biggest single drop of 100 feet/30.5 metres, Hardraw Force sits in private land behind an historic pub; there is a small charge to visit

The towering cliffs at Malham Cove (David Roberts/Pexels)

Malham Cove

The steep cliff edge of Malham Cove, carved out during the Ice Age by a rushing river, is in the beautiful countryside of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Every day, climbers attempt to scale the looming 230-foot/70-metre limestone crag, while spelunkers go underground in a cave system stretching for at least a mile/1.6 kilometres and as yet not fully explored. 

Have a gander at the gorgeous Gordale Scar limestone ravine nearby too, a favourite landmark of the artist Turner and poet Wordsworth, along with Malham Tarn, the highest lake in England. 

More natural landmarks to visit in North Yorkshire include: 

  • Brimham Rocks, formations in shapes so odd that local legends reckon Druids carved them

  • The 400-foot-deep Hole of Horcum, a natural amphitheatre said to have been created when a giant scooped up a handful of earth

  • Gaping Gill, an enormous cave that could fit an entire cathedral inside

Robin Hood's Bay 

A swathe of red-brick cottages spilling down to the sea is what makes Robin’s Hood Bay so eye-catching – and the soaring cliffside surroundings don’t hurt either. This eye-catching little village also has a family-friendly beach (dogs are welcome too) with endless opportunities for rockpooling as well as hunting for fossils among the shingle. This stretch of coastline is one of our eight best beaches to visit in North Yorkshire. 

Keen on the coast? You should also take a look at: 

  • The double-harbour fishing village of Staithes 

  • Runswick Bay’s scenic curve of sand 

  • The 300-strong seal colony at Ravenscar

Scarborough

Family-friendly Scarborough – probably the best place in North Yorkshire for eating fish and chips on the coast – is a sprawling town set across rocky limestone cliffs dipping down to its pair of sandy beaches. It has a host of handsome Victorian houses sitting high above the sea, a hallmark of the era when it first became a tourism hub. Promenades were created between North and South bays and above the South Cliff in the 1800s; they are still pleasant places for a seaside stroll today.

Down by the seafront, there’s more excitement to be had. Flock to the fairgrounds, doughnut stands and 19th-century spa complex along the prom or grab the bucket and spade and spend a full day on the sand.

More top towns in North Yorkshire include: 

  • Knaresborough, straddling the River Nidd and offering gorge walks, the soaring viaduct and Mother Shipton’s Cave

  • Pickering, for the Beck Isle Museum and its authentic recreations of Victorian shops

  • Richmond, with its cross-section of architecture from the medieval castle to the Georgian Theatre Royal, one of the oldest UK theatres still in use

Whitby Abbey and the 199 Steps

Get one of the best views in North Yorkshire by climbing Whitby's famous 199 Steps, meandering stone steps stretching from the River Esk estuary to the clifftop above the Yorkshire coastline. After taking in the panorama over Whitby and its busy harbour, you’ll be in prime position for a wander around the town’s Gothic abbey – a mystical set of ruins linked to author Bram Stoker’s most notorious character, Dracula. 

Encircling a former whaling harbour, the older eastern bank of the river is full of fishing cottages transformed into independent shops, pubs and cafés. The seaside resort also has a couple of sandy beaches and a museum dedicated to the explorer Captain Cook.

Loved the 199 Steps? You might also like:

  • Ribblehead Viaduct, an enormous Grade II-listed structure stretching across the fabulous Batty Moss moorland 
  • Scar House Reservoir’s dam with its vertigo-inducing viewing platform
  • Rosedale Bank Top, with its gorgeous views down the dale and the kiln ruins along a former industrial railway line

York Minster 

York’s massive 13th-century Gothic cathedral is a must-visit place in North Yorkshire. Admire the medieval stained glass and octagonal Chapter House, or clamber up 275 steps to the top of the Central Tower for exceptional views over the city’s red rooftops to the River Ouse.

It’s also worth strolling York’s Roman/medieval walls, which form a walkway flanking the oldest part of the city; entry is through several mighty gates known as ‘bars’. Don’t miss the National Railway Museum either, where you'll see the luxury interiors of trains used by England's royal family, or The Shambles, a topsy-turvy row of shops full of Harry Potter-inspired shops. 

More striking structures in North Yorkshire include:

Part of the Three Peaks Challenge, Pen-y-Ghent in the snow (Tom Wheatley/Unsplash)

Yorkshire Dales’ Three Peaks 

One of England’s most spectacular national parks, the Yorkshire Dales has a trio of fells to climb – and many people attempt to tackle them in one day as part of the infamous Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge. This 24-mile/37-km hike, taking around 12 hours, takes you up (and down) the Pennine peaks of Pen-y-Ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough. If you’d rather roam in a more sedate manner, you can of course scale any of the mountains separately.

For more unusual places to hike in North Yorkshire, try: 

  • Hackfall Wood for tree-lined treks to 18th-century follies on the edge of the Nidderdale National Landscape

  • Sutton Bank escarpment for views over crescent-shaped Lake Gormire

  • The family-friendly and accessible paths in Dalby Forest, including the Malton Sculpture Trail

You can explore more of North Yorkshire on foot by checking out Pitchup’s detailed guide to the county’s nine best walks. If you’re extending your trip to Northumberland or the rest of Yorkshire, take a look at our North East Area Guide for an in-depth intro to this whole fascinating region.

And don't forget that Pitchup offers a fantastic range of outdoor accommodation across the region, from family caravan parks with restaurants, bars and clubhouses to dog-friendly wild pitches on remote farms. Prices per night for a stay in a North Yorkshire campsite start from as little as £20 per night.

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