Run out of summer holiday stuff to do already? Look no further. Each and every year, TripAdvisor digs into thousands of reviews left on its site and reveals the world’s top-rated attractions and experiences in its Travellers’ Choice Awards: Best of the Best Things To Do. The awards are split into categories, like the best food and drink experiences, the best bucket-list experiences and the best nature excursions. And there was one category in which a UK-based experience was named the very best on the planet.
Gather your brood and head up north for TripAdvisor’s best family-friendly experience in the world for 2025: The Wizard Walk of York.
The Wizard Walk is just over an hour-long tour of York created specifically for kids, led by an eccentric magician. It promises comedy, close-up magic, and a ‘search for mythical creatures at interesting locations’.
The experience sets off from York’s historic Shambles, taking the group by Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma Gate (York’s shortest street), then down to the York Sweet Shop, past York Minster, by Bedern Hall, then looping back to where it started.
One recent TripAdvisor review of the experience says that ‘the jokes are so bad they are funny, the magic is excellent, and the non-stop banter is amazing’. One person called it ‘a perfect blend of fun and silliness to appeal to all ages’ and another said that the ‘hilarious magician’ had kids of all ages ‘captivated’.
Out of 761 reviews, 737 have given the Wizard Walk five out of five bubbles (TripAdvisor’s version of stars). It beat the likes of Legoland California, Mount Etna family tours and snorkelling in the Dominican Republic. The only other UK-based experience in the top 20 was the Iconic Sights of London: High-Speed Boat Trip, an exhilarating and informative 35mph ride down the Thames. It landed in 11th place. See more of the very best boat trips in London here.
Read more about the TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards, including the best thing to do in the UK in 2025, here and find out the best overall experience in the UK here.
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