York's picturesque,
quietly bustling city centre with its traffic-free streets and
enticing lanes and alleys has a civilised, privileged
feel, with a strong sense of its historic importance.
There's plenty of first-class sightseeing, and a big range of good
shops, including stylish fashions, bookshops and a colourful
little market, as well as numerous cafes and restaurants.
Don't
miss a stroll down The Shambles - one of the
best-preserved medieval shopping thoroughfares in Europe.
The name of York
derives from Jorvik, as it was called by the Viking
settlers who based themselves here in the year 875. But York's
history goes a lot further back than that. A large Celtic
settlement here was taken over by the Romans. Under the name
Eboracum, it was a substantial, fortified Roman
town by about 71AD.
Beneath the Minster are ruins of a Roman temple, and in 306
Constantine the Great was proclaimed Emperor of Rome right
outside its door - a sculpture marks the spot.
After the fall of the Roman Empire, York became the capital of the
Anglo-Saxon
Kingdom of Northumbria (which extended from the River Humber
to the River Forth), until the arrival of the Viking
invaders.
Under the Vikings and throughout the medieval period, York became known as the capital of
northern England, and its diocese second to Canterbury. The
city's national importance declined from the 17th century onwards
as London's increased, and regionally it was overtaken in the
19th century by the more industrialised town of Leeds.
These developments enabled York to preserve much pre-industrial
character and charm.
York expanded in the 20th century
and retains a role as a focal point of regional art, culture
and history. York's population
today is about 140,000.
York's
Visitor Information Centre is at 1 Museum St (near York
Minster). Or visit the York tourist office ('Visit York') website,
www.visityork.org.
Before seeing the sights, work out whether you'd benefit from buying a
York Pass, which gives free entry to 30 city attractions.
A 1-day pass costs £42, 2 days £60, and 3 days £70.
www.yorkpass.com
Walks and Guided
Tours
The classic walk is along the ramparts, with unusual
perspectives on the city and its evocative steps over the 'bars'
(gates). The total distance is just
over 2 miles (3.4km).
Visit York has created a wide choice of both guided and self-guided
themed walking tours of the city.
www.visityork.org/explore/tours-walks...
The
River Ouse runs through the walled city. Two
bridges cross the Ouse within the walls - Lendal Bridge and Low
Ousegate. The smaller river Foss also runs through the city.
The historic city centre lies on the left bank of the
River Ouse.
The main city-centre shopping streets include Davygate,
Coney St, Parliament St, Pavement and Coppergate indoor shopping
mall.
York Minster is in the north of the historic city centre.
Jorvik Viking Centre, York Castle Museum and
Clifford's Tower are in the
south of the historic city centre.
The railway station lies outside the walls on the right
bank of the river, a 10-minute walk from the city
centre.
On foot York city centre is small and can easily be
fully explored on foot.
By car Driving is difficult within the walled
city, with many pedestrianised streets. There are a dozen
council-run car parks in the city centre, including six within
the walls. It makes sense to use one of the six Park & Ride
services instead - park for nothing on the edge of the city, and
take the shuttle bus into town (£2.80 rtn).
Park & Ride information
Bus and taxi For journeys to other parts of
town, York has a good transport network.
Travel York information
Visit York travel information
The city's extensive
choice of
accommodation ranges from luxury hotels to
simple guesthouses, both inside and outside the walled centre. For the tourist office's
extensive selection with free online booking,
see:
www.visityork.org/book
Eating and drinking in York |
There are scores of both
chain and independent restaurants in York,
as well as plenty of tea shops and dozens of atmospheric pubs
serving Yorkshire ales and hot and cold food.
Among York's top names...
Betty's Café Tea Rooms (Davygate) - The
original Betty's (there
are now five of them in Yorkshire), this
handsome tea rooms and restaurant preserves an elegant
1930s interior. Traditional cream tea is supposed to be the
'must have', but in fact the house speciality is the savoury Yorkshire
Rarebit, and there are many other dishes on the menu.
The Terrier (Stonegate) - This traditional little pub
(one of 365 in the city, they say) offers a 'tasting tray' of
four of its own brews for ale buffs to sample. Otherwise, just
enjoy a pint from their York Brewery selection.
There is a modest nightlife
scene in York, with pubs, riverside bars and restaurants,
and a few late-night city centre clubs and dance venues,
mainly around Micklegate and Tanner Row.
There are several theatres, too. The
Theatre Royal (established 1744) puts
on big-scale productions, staging everything from cabaret
and comedy, to Greek tragedy and modern drama, musicals,
concerts and a famous annual pantomime.
The
Grand Opera House has an authentic pre-War feel and a programme of variety entertainment including
comedians and rock shows, as well as plays, opera and ballet.
Among smaller theatres,
Friargate Theatre puts on
a wide range of high-quality drama mainly during the summer.
By air -
Leeds-Bradford International Airport, 31 miles from York with
good road connections,
is the nearest major airport, with frequent international and
domestic flights. A direct bus service runs from York railway
station to the airport. Alternatively,
Robin
Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield, 39
miles from York, also has good transport connections to the city.
By road - major roads approach York from all directions.
The main direct access from north and south is on the A19, or on
the A1(M), with exits to York at the A59 and A64.
York approaches by road
By rail - There are frequent trains from London
(2hrs) and Edinburgh (2½ hrs), as well as
direct services from Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and the
South West.
Grand Central
run a comfortable, direct,
non-stopping train service from London to York.
••Yorkshire cheeses -
traditional cheeses from Wensleydale, Swaledale and others.
••Yorkshire ales - local ales; there are
TEN breweries around the city!
••Yorkshire pudding - a big tender 'pudding' of
baked batter served with roast beef and gravy... bigger and
better than Yorkshire pud elsewhere.
••Yorkshire tea - strong, quality tea as
it should be; Yorkshire Gold is a top brand.
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York Minster
Intricately carved
pale Gothic
stonework, superb medieval stained glass and majestic
proportions make the Minster among the most beautiful buildings
in Britain - as well as one of the largest and finest
cathedrals in Europe.
The first church on the site was built in 1080, but the present building was started
in 1220, and completed in 1472. It has a colourful history, best
appreciated on a guided tour.
Remains of the Roman and Norman buildings can be seen in the
Undercroft Museum,
while the 60-metre central tower (275 steps to the top!) gives
unrivalled views over town and country.
A huge restoration programme begun at the start of the 21st
century (and which formed part of the York Minster Revealed
exhibition from
2011 to 2018), will continue into
the next century. One of its greatest achievements to date is the restoration of the East Front, copied and replaced, piece by piece, by highly skilled
stonemasons from around Europe.
The huge Great East Window
(it's the size of a tennis court),
consisting of leaded pieces of beautiful stained glass telling
the whole Biblical story from Creation to Revelation, is being painstakingly restored and
repaired. In 2019 work began on the stone and glass in the
South Quire Aisle.
Prayer is offered in the Minster throughout every day, with traditional
services and on most days at least one service sung by the
choir.
www.yorkminster.org
York Castle Museum
Whatever your age,
childhood memories are likely to be poignantly awakened by a
stroll through this wonderful and fascinating museum of everyday life.
Among the displays
are a poky 1940s kitchen, a 1950s sitting room, a display about the 1960s,
and a 1980s kitchen with
early microwave oven.
Other displays show household interiors
from older periods, Edwardian, Georgian, Victorian, as well as a
complete Victorian street!
www.yorkcastlemuseum.org.uk
Jorvik Viking Centre
York's
most popular family attraction stands on the site of a genuine
archaeological dig, and aims to convey something of the
authentic experience of life in the original Viking settlement at York,
which they knew as Jorvik.
After the York floods of 2015, Jorvik Viking Centre had to be
reconstructed, reopening two years later with renewed galleries
and an updated 'ride back in time' to 10th-century York.
www.jorvik-viking-centre.co.uk
National Railway
Museum
The world's
most complete collection of historical trains and railway
artefacts, from the beginning of railways until the present day,
stands alongside York railway station.
Many iconic
engines are housed here, including the Mallard - the
fastest-ever steam engine. Gleaming Victorian and Edwardian
locomotives and carriages reveal much of social history too,
with the clearly marked class differences and luxurious touches
lacking in missing from modern trains.
Of special interest are
the royal trains, including Queen Victoria's own private
carriages, which are kept here.
www.nrm.org.uk
Clifford's Tower
A sturdy remnant
of York's medieval stone castle, the tower stands atop a low mound. A
flight of steps ascends to the tower, making an enjoyable climb
for thousands of visitors rewarded with wide views.
York's earlier wooden castle on the site was constructed in 1069 by William the Conqueror as a base for his violent campaign to subdue the North.
The fortress was rebuilt in stone during the 13th century and
was the site of many dramatic events during its history. Most of
it was destroyed in an explosion in 1684.
As recorded
by a plaque on the structure, Clifford's Tower was the site
of a notorious massacre of York's 150 Jews in 1190 by an anti-Jewish
mob - believed to be the only incident of its kind ever to have
occurred in England. Beseiged inside the tower where they
had fled for safety, some of York's Jewish families committed
suicide to save themselves from worse suffering while the others
were murdered.
www.english-heritage.org.uk/cliffords
Castle Howard
Possibly the grandest of Britain's aristocratic "stately homes"
is 15 miles (24km) from York, and well worth the journey.
This majestic early-18th-century palace in its extensive gardens
and parkland is still lived in by a branch of the Howard family,
yet has the feel of some great museum or academic institution.
In largely Baroque style, with a distinctive central dome, its
vast rooms and immense spaces (the Great Hall is 70 feet high)
are filled with gigantesque sculptures and pictures - as well as
exquisite treasures of Italy and the Classical world. Preserved
historical rooms in part of the house can be visited.
From
the 1960s onwards,
Castle
Howard has featured in several popular films. It became familiar as the setting
of both the 1981 television series and the 2008 film of Brideshead Revisited
(although the Brideshead of Waugh's novel is is fictional). Its
interiors doubled as Buckingham Palace in the 2016 ITV series
Victoria starring Jenna Coleman as the young Queen Victoria.
www.castlehoward.co.uk
••Gates and bars: York has many curious street names, such
as Whip Ma Whop Ma Gate. Strange too is that "gates" are
streets, while the old entrances into the city through the city
walls are called "bars", not gates. Narrow lanes and alleys are known
throughout Northern England (with different spellings and
pronunciations) as "snickets" and "ginnels", but in York
they are also known as "snickelways".
••Residents only!
York Residents' Festival, at the end of January and
beginning of February, is an opportunity for local
people to visit the sights - and even see behind-the-scenes
places not normally open to the public - all free of charge or
at discounted rates.
••When to go: As elsewhere in the UK, the weather is mild
but unpredictable, and all year round is generally cool and
liable to rain. There are brief very cold periods in January and
February, and a occasionally few very hot days any time from May
to August.
••The real Yorkshire: The county of North
Yorkshire was created in 1974, being part of the very much more
extensive historic county of Yorkshire, of which York is the
capital.
••York
Floods 2015: The town's two rivers burst their banks on
Boxing Day 2015, causing widespread severe flooding and damage,
which is still being repaired.
Jorvik Viking
Festival
February 2021 (dates to be confirmed)
A lively annual celebration of York's Viking heritage,
with thrilling full-scale re-enactments of battles.
www.jorvikvikingfestival.co.uk
York
Literature Festival
Normally held in March, this year's festival has been
postponed - 2020 and 2021 dates to be shown on the website
Two weeks of reading and writing, theatre, author
events, music, storytelling and poetry at this increasingly
successful event attracting well-known speakers.
www.yorkliteraturefestival.co.uk
York Early
Music Festival
9-11
July 2020 online
A leading early music festival of international standing,
with lunchtime performances, late-night candlelit concerts,
music workshops and lectures, in the city's churches, guildhalls
and historic houses, streamed online this year.
www.ncem.co.uk
••Where is it?
In North Yorkshire, in northern
England.
••International phone
dialling code:
00 44 (+ drop initial 0
from local number)
••Time zone:
GMT/BST.
••Money:
Pound sterling.
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