Ten Best Things to Do in York
Top Visitor Sites in Historic Yorkshire City of Minster and Museums
York Minster Cathedral is one of the finest in England, but the ancient city also has Viking connections, some major museums, fine city walls and the historic Shambles.
York is one of the most attractive cities in England, with the vast York Minster Cathedral as its highlight. It also has the National Railway Museum, which is fascinating, and several other very good museums, Viking remains, impressive city walls, and plenty of family-friendly things to do.
York was voted the Best UK City by readers of Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper in 2007, and it makes a great weekend getaway break. Overseas visitors can make a day trip to see some of the highlights, as the journey only takes two hours, with frequent trains from London's King's Cross station.
The Ten Best Things to Do in York, in alphabetical order, are:
Bars and Pubs
York has more than its fair share of bars, as the gates in the old city walls are called bars, such as Bootham Bar and Micklegate Bar. But there are plenty of good traditional pubs too, for those who are thirsting for history. Try the 16th-century Black Swan on Peasholme Green, which is the oldest in the city, the Old White Swan on Goodramgate, which isn't quite as old as the Black Swan, and the venerable Snicklegate Inn, also on Goodramgate.
City Walls
York has some of the finest-preserved city walls in Britain, nearly three miles of them, and you can walk almost all the way round. They mainly date from the 14th century but some parts date back to the Normans.
Simulated archaeological dig is great family fun, as you learn what the work of archaeologists is all about.
Take a ride in a "time capsule" through York's Viking past and see (and smell!) a reconstructed 10th-century Viking settlement.
Allow lots of time to see Britain's finest railway museum with historical engines like the Flying Scotsman and the Mallard, royal railway carriages, and fascinating historical films. Here you'll also find the Yorkshire Wheel, York's version of the London Eye.
The Shambles
The best-preserved of York's medieval street is the Shambles, lined with half-timbered houses – just the kind of scene that visitors to England expect to see everywhere, but is rather rare. York's is a fine example, though the shops today tend to be suvenir shops rather than the butcher's shops that once lined it.
Has changing exhibitions and a good permanent collection of mainly British and northern European artists.
There's not much left of the castle, which is one of only two built by William the Conqueror, though you can visit Clifford's Tower, which was added in the 13th century. Nearby is the enjoyable Castle Museum, which has a large collection of everyday items that are not always preserved for posterity – toys, clothes, household gadgets. There are also two reconstructed streets, and dungeons to visit too – always good family fun!
One of Europe's finest cathedrals, which is worth the journey to York alone. One part dates back to 1220, and the whole building took 250 years to complete. There are 128 stained glass windows, including the magnificent 15th-century Rose Window and the five 13th-century Five Sisters windows.
Yorkshire Museum and St. Mary's Abbey
The ruins of St. Mary's Abbey, which dates to about 1080, lie within the gardens and in the basement of the Yorkshire Museum. The excellent museum tells the story of the county with many archaeological finds, its star exhibit being the Middleham Jewel, a huge 15th-century diamond-encrusted sapphire which was found in the Yorkshire town of Middleham in 1985.
