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York was once known as the chocolate city with Terry’s, Rowntree’s and Craven’s all having their roots in the city.

York’s Chocolate Story is an attraction in central York that takes you back in time to learn about York’s chocolate history and how chocolate is made. And then best thing about it is there is free chocolate!

What to expect:

The entrance to the Chocolate Story is to the right of the Chocolate Story cafe and shop, from here you take the lift up to the top floor to meet your guide.

The journey back in time starts at the shops that sold some of the first chocolate bars, from here you journey back in time to meet the Rain Forest Tribes that first turned the Cocoa Bean in to a drink and then finally meet some of the important members of the famous York chocolate families.

The tour is a mixture of information from your guide and information on the screens which means you also have the opportunity to ask any questions. Photography is not allowed in this part of the tour.

The second part of the tour is in the chocolate workshop where you are taken through a demonstration of how chocolate is made including the opportunity to smell and taste some of the raw ingredients. The tour ends with some free time to look at some of the historic chocolate adverts and spotting the adverts you remember from your childhood is a real blast from the past. We also watched some of the chocolatiers making raspberry filled chocolates before having a go at making some lollipops ourselves.

The tour takes about an hour and finishes back in the cafe and shop where you can treat yourself to all kinds of chocolate.

Tickets:

Tickets and booking information can be found here. York residents can get 20% off on the door admission rates on presentation of proof of residence on Sundays.

Location:

York’s Chocolate Story is located in King’s Square, at the top of the Shambles. There are usually street performers in King’s Square. There is no parking available at York’s Chocolate Story.

Accessibility:

York’s Chocolate story is fully accessible for those who can’t manage steps and there is also an accessible toilet.

Our thoughts:

We really enjoyed the tour and thought it very child friendly. Groups are small and there was a mixture of adult couples, family groups and family’s with young children. The tour takes about an hour but is split in to different rooms and activities to hold interest. Pip’s favourite part was the chocolate tasting and making her own chocolate lollipop at the end.

We visit in March 2022 when Pip was 9.