SteveYork is a great place to visit in the UK for many reasons. With foreign travel quite restrictive for us at the time of writing, we decided to visit York for a short break. With so many things we found to see and do, is it worth visiting York? Read on below to find out!
Getting to York
York is located in the North of the UK and is actually well served by fast motorways and ‘A’ roads. Assuming the infamous A1 is running well that is! This means it is not too hard to get to York from most parts of the UK. It was easily worth visiting York for us as it only takes around 2 hours in a car.
The city is also easy to travel to by rail because York’s train station is located centrally. From what we saw this seems a very popular option for day-trippers and weekenders. An alternative option is the popular park and ride service. The centre of York can get jammed up easily, and there are not too many cheap car parks either. The park and ride service removes these hassles. For us, we chose a hotel with its own car park that was offered at a reduced rate.
York is quite a compact city within the walls, making it easy to walk around. No need for any trams or underground metro services here!
What to do in York
What follows is not an exhaustive list, merely things we’ve seen and done that we think is a good start to a weekend in York. Most visitors only spend a day or two in York, and there is plenty to keep you busy! Especially if you like old stuff!
York Minster
You can’t really miss York Minster. It dominates the middle of the city and can be seen peeking above buildings from almost anywhere. The cathedral was completed in 1472 although construction started several decades earlier. The Minster is well maintained, and stunning to see from the outside as you can see from the pics!
Just peeking from an alleyway Plenty of these signs in the city so you don’t get lost!
At the time of writing tickets to enter the Cathedral must be booked in advance. Tickets cost £12 for an adult, and concessions are available for students and children. In fact, children under 16 can enter for free with a paying adult. You can also top up your ticket with a visit to the tower, and this costs an extra £5 per adult and child. Click here to purchase tickets.
York walls
The medieval York walls surround the old city, and it is possible to walk completely around them in under a couple of hours (allowing for lots of photo taking!). The walls are about 2 miles long and were constructed in the 13th century.
The best thing about the walls is that they are free to walk around! In most parts, they are elevated with some barriers to stop accidents. Along the way, you can see small turrets and gateways that have been preserved to this day.
The walls are open from 8am until dusk every day except Christmas day. Occasionally they may also be closed due to dangerous weather conditions like ice or high winds.
The Shambles
Aside from York Minster and the medieval walls, the small street called The Shambles is one of the most widely known places to see in York. The Shambles is in the centre of the city and is actually a very old narrow street that retains many of the original buildings from centuries ago.
You will see many overhanging buildings here whilst treading on old cobbles. It’s also very busy at most times of the year, so if you are not keen on crowded areas (Covid etc) then I’d suggest visiting early in the morning.
There are many artisan and quirky shops here, including a Harry Potter-themed shop as well called ‘The Shop That Must Not be Named’. There are usually long queues to get into the shop at the weekend! I guess there are plenty of Harry Potter fans out there!
It won’t take long to check out The Shambles, and there is a nice market to explore just around the corner. In my option exploring this alone is worth a visit to York!
Jorvik Viking Centre
Jorvik Viking Centre is a large attraction and museum in the centre of York. Within, you will learn about what life was like in York during the Viking times. In fact, York was derived from the old Norse name Jorvik! It is believed the Vikings came to York in the year 866 and liked it so much they decided to stay there!
Inside the attraction, there are motorised pods that take you around the different areas showing what happened and what life was really like. You probably only need a little more than an hour to experience the attraction, so it won’t take up too much precious time. Tickets cost £12.50 for adults and £8.50 for children.
York Old Town
Exploring the old town/city of York is a delight! Best of all, it is completely free! The actual centre of the city is a bit of a maze of narrow, old-fashioned streets that date back centuries. Don’t forget to keep an eye out for the hidden alleys – you never what you might find at the end of them!
It’s not just about really old streets, there is some other old stuff in amongst the city. Ye Olde Starre Inne for example is believed to be the oldest pub in York. Dating back to 1644, it’s got to be worth a visit for a pint as you wander around!
The other great thing about wandering the streets is there are so many amazing photo opportunities if you can avoid the crowds that is!
York Gin
Gin, it’s all the rage now, isn’t it? York has its own Gin makers in the city, and they have a shop you can check out in the centre. You can buy York Gin in many of the bars and restaurants in the city, and it is pretty damn good!
York Gin produces six different types of Gin that should cater for all aficionados. It’s worth finding a bit of time to visit the shop when in York!
Cliffords Tower
Cliffords Tower, like many other attractions, is located in the centre of York. It is supposedly all that remains of York Castle that was constructed by William the Conqueror around 1068.
Unfortunately when we visited York the tower was closed for renovations as you can see from the picture above! A bit of a shame, as we do like to see a bit of history. The Tower had been used as a jail over the centuries, so perhaps it will be open by the time we visit again and we can explore it properly.
Eating and drinking
Where do I start? There is an abundance of pubs and restaurants in York. So much so you are literally tripping over them. From the favourite ‘chain’ bars and restaurants to the smaller, quirky niche places. When we visited we needed to book into a couple of places beforehand as we knew they would be popular. Because we visited when there were still a few Covid restrictions in place, we also had to bear this in mind. For instance, some of the bars we visited would only allow seated guests.
York gets very busy on a weekend. Not only is it a great tourist destination, but it is popular with the local region for a weekend out. We saw loads of people getting off the train and heading into town to party. It made for a brilliant atmosphere everywhere but did make it a tad awkward getting into particular places due to their popularity.
There are a handful of pubs looking over the riverbank as well that are perfect for a sunny afternoon. One of my favourites is The Star Inn The City. Ideal for a Sunday morning brunch as well – booking advised!
So is it worth visiting York?
As briefly as possible – yes! It is worth visiting York! Loads to see and do, and plenty of places to be fed and watered. In case you were wondering that I’ve not mentioned shopping, whilst there are plenty of shops in York we didn’t really want to waste our time in them. It’s amazing how fast time flies when you are only there for a short time!
Don’t forget to check out my other posts about the UK!
