York's chocolate history is about to look a little different. York's Chocolate Story, sitting on the western side of King's Square at the top of the Shambles, has unveiled its biggest rebrand in 14 years, and the full effect lands on 21 October. The most obvious change is the frontage: the old white exterior and Smarties-inspired colours are gone, replaced by a deep burgundy red with a gold logo, with nods to Harry Potter and Willy Wonka worked into the design. Behind that new face is a six-figure investment that adds a revamped chocolate shop and a new hot chocolate hub to the mix.
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For now, the place is running in two halves. The guided tours and the Tour & Truffle Rolling experience carry on as usual upstairs, while the ground-floor shop and café are closed for refurbishment. Once everything reopens, the new hot chocolate hub will be the takeaway arm, serving drinks based on different chocolate origins and seasonal themes — Halloween is the first, with KitKat and Chocolate Orange versions on the menu — while the main shop keeps its focus on treats made in-house.
None of that changes what the place actually does. It's a fully guided, interactive, indoor experience that walks you through 4,000 years of York's chocolate legacy, with immersive tours, tastings and hands-on chocolate making. The Classic Guided Tour runs about an hour to an hour and a quarter; the Tour & Truffle Rolling adds another fifteen minutes or so; the over-18s Gin & Rum Tours take around an hour and a half; the VIP Masterclass for over-16s is about two hours; and there's a Family Masterclass during school holidays. Children's birthday parties and private hire masterclasses are also on the list. It opens every day from 10:00 to 17:00, with extended hours on bank holidays, and shuts on 24, 25 and 26 December and on 1 January.
Autumn and winter bring the seasonal additions. The Guided Tour & Halloween Truffle Rolling runs from 24 October to 1 November, the Halloween Chocolate Masterclass from 26 to 31 October, and the Trick or Treat Trek — a family Halloween ghost tour hosted by Miss Terry and Count Fectionary — on 29 and 30 October. From 28 November to 23 December, the Christmas programme takes over, with a Santa's Christmas Tour, a Christmas Family Masterclass, an adults' Christmas Masterclass and the Christmas Truffle Rolling.
On the practical side, York residents get 30% off admission every Sunday with proof of address, and booking ahead is worth it since there are fewer slots while the work is ongoing. The whole thing is indoors and wheelchair accessible on the guided tours via a lift, though the downstairs masterclass room isn't; VIP masterclasses on the first floor are. There are disabled toilets, baby changing and hearing-impaired facilities, and dietary needs — nuts, soy, gluten, dairy and vegan — can be accommodated. Dogs aren't allowed except guide dogs, and prams are fine on guided tours when it's quiet. Tours are aimed at children over four, with under-fours free with a ticket.
It's about fifteen minutes from York station, and the Shambles Q Park is the nearest car park at roughly five minutes away. Disabled badge holders can park on the yellow lines on Goodramgate or Colliergate for up to three hours, with Bootham Row free and with no time limit beyond that. Pedestrianisation restrictions apply Monday to Friday 11am to 4pm, Saturday 10.30am to 4.30pm and Sunday 12pm to 4pm.
Published Date
15 October 2026
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