The grounds and interior spaces at Rievaulx Abbey are open. You don't need to book your visit in advance, but you will always get the best price and guaranteed entry by booking online ahead of your visit. The prices shown here include a discount. The admission price will be higher if you choose to pay on the day you visit.
Kids and Dog friendly place with the remaining structure of Abbey. For the kids there's lots of fun finding little figurines of monks and near the museum there are tiles to be discovered and ticked off on detective spreadsheet kids getting at the entrance;) If you are there for some hike as well park near the hedge free of charge ;) There is a bridge near by where you can have picnic and dip your feet.
Lovely 11th century abbey located in a wooded valley outside Helmsley. Attractive modern visitor centre with shop and cafe, as well as a modern museum up near the abbey itself. The abbey itself is a beautiful partial ruin, and has a nice peaceful and tranquil feel.about it. We visited towards the end of a weekday, so it was even better as it was lovely and quiet and we could really soak up the atmosphere of the place and it's history.
Superb abbey , guided audio helps to understand the design. Great museum too with artefacts from the site. Wonderful visitor centre with cafe. An amazing set of buildings , well worth a visit. This should be a world heritage site. Highly recommended . English heritage have done a wonderful job in presenting and preserving this ancient monument .
If ambient monuments are your thing then this is an absolute must do if you're in the area. It's beautifully kept by English Heritage, a great visitor experience and a chance to get up close and personal with the monastic life and the masonry skills of the time. My wife uses a mobility scooter and while we couldn't get everywhere with it the access was far better than expected. The signs encouraging you to walk on the grass helped. If recommend taking the free loan of an audio guide and looking out for the numbers that correspond to the audio. I'm no history scholar so this really added depth to the experience. As you would expect there's car parking, toilets, a gift shop and cafe. We bought a guide to the abbey and some very fancy socks. The medieval tapestry cushion covers were admired but didn't come home with us. Note that the car park is locked at five so, if like us you fancy a hike around the valley after your visit leave the car park and park on the road. It was late afternoon for us and no problem finding a safe place on the road.
Ticket price: Join the English Heritage and ticket entry is free! Parking: Plenty and the drive there is beautiful, Staff: All amazing really friendly and approachable, The place itself: beautiful and well looked after, Dog friendly, has picnic tables and onsite cafe. Gift shop: loads of wonderful trinkets purchased ourselves some lovely mead! Not sure if disabled friendly, the shop and the path leading up to the abbey is accessible, think there are steps that prevent access through the but not 100% sure.
This place is amazing and so well worth the drive. The drive itself was so beautiful with very narrow and winding roads, but then you come around a corner, and there it is in all its glory. It's so unreal that it actually reminds me of something you see in Lord of the Rings. I would suggest using Greg the tour guide we used, as he was very knowledgeable and even had an extra large umbrella for all of us to share when the rain started to fall. Very considerate of him. The staff and everyone in the concession area were so friendly and welcoming. Thanks for a great visit.
On-site services
Wheelchair-accessible car park
Wheelchair-accessible entrance
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Kids and Dog friendly place with the remaining structure of Abbey. For the kids there's lots of fun finding little figurines of monks and near the museum there are tiles to be discovered and ticked off on detective spreadsheet kids getting at the entrance;) If you are there for some hike as well park near the hedge free of charge ;) There is a bridge near by where you can have picnic and dip your feet.
Lovely 11th century abbey located in a wooded valley outside Helmsley. Attractive modern visitor centre with shop and cafe, as well as a modern museum up near the abbey itself. The abbey itself is a beautiful partial ruin, and has a nice peaceful and tranquil feel.about it. We visited towards the end of a weekday, so it was even better as it was lovely and quiet and we could really soak up the atmosphere of the place and it's history.
Superb abbey , guided audio helps to understand the design. Great museum too with artefacts from the site. Wonderful visitor centre with cafe. An amazing set of buildings , well worth a visit. This should be a world heritage site. Highly recommended . English heritage have done a wonderful job in presenting and preserving this ancient monument .
If ambient monuments are your thing then this is an absolute must do if you're in the area. It's beautifully kept by English Heritage, a great visitor experience and a chance to get up close and personal with the monastic life and the masonry skills of the time. My wife uses a mobility scooter and while we couldn't get everywhere with it the access was far better than expected. The signs encouraging you to walk on the grass helped. If recommend taking the free loan of an audio guide and looking out for the numbers that correspond to the audio. I'm no history scholar so this really added depth to the experience. As you would expect there's car parking, toilets, a gift shop and cafe. We bought a guide to the abbey and some very fancy socks. The medieval tapestry cushion covers were admired but didn't come home with us. Note that the car park is locked at five so, if like us you fancy a hike around the valley after your visit leave the car park and park on the road. It was late afternoon for us and no problem finding a safe place on the road.
Ticket price: Join the English Heritage and ticket entry is free! Parking: Plenty and the drive there is beautiful, Staff: All amazing really friendly and approachable, The place itself: beautiful and well looked after, Dog friendly, has picnic tables and onsite cafe. Gift shop: loads of wonderful trinkets purchased ourselves some lovely mead! Not sure if disabled friendly, the shop and the path leading up to the abbey is accessible, think there are steps that prevent access through the but not 100% sure.
This place is amazing and so well worth the drive. The drive itself was so beautiful with very narrow and winding roads, but then you come around a corner, and there it is in all its glory. It's so unreal that it actually reminds me of something you see in Lord of the Rings. I would suggest using Greg the tour guide we used, as he was very knowledgeable and even had an extra large umbrella for all of us to share when the rain started to fall. Very considerate of him. The staff and everyone in the concession area were so friendly and welcoming. Thanks for a great visit.
