"Historic York" York by zadunajska8

York Travel Guide: 1,617 reviews and 3,908 photos

Compact City

I found that one of the best things about York was how compact the city centre is. And since this is where most of the sights are that meant that we didn't actually have to travel anywhere except by foot for our entire stay in the city.

We stayed in a hotel in Mickelgate which is just a short walk from the main part of the city centre and is still within the historic city walls itself.

Surprised at what was best

York Castle Museum

When we decided to go to York we had certain ideas about what the key attractions would be. Some of these turned out to be right, some turned out to be very wrong.

York Minster was clearly on the list to visit and didn't disappoint. But the Jorvik centre was also high up our list of priorities and we left there feeling very let down.

The York Castle museum and fairfax House however only really featured on our 'to do' list because they were close to other attractions we planned to visit and they turned out to be real jewels.

Young and Vibrant City

The shambles at night

One thing we had not expected was how young and vibrant York would feel, particularly after dark. For an English provincial town it really does have quite a buzz about the place and isn't at all the fusty old place that many historic towns in the UK can be. We found a lot of very trendy and lively modern bars and restaurants to pass the evenings.

Pros and Cons

Pros:Comapct and pretty historic city centre
Cons:Being Northern England, the weather may let you down.
In a nutshell:More than just the Minster and Vikings!

Last visit to York: Nov 2010
Intro Written Nov 5, 2011
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Reviews (12)

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Comments (2)

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spidermiss May 25, 2012 at 3:08 AM

Will have to visit Richard III Museum on my next trip to York. Thanks for sharing:D
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hunterV Feb 19, 2012 at 10:57 AM

Troy, I've heard the Yorkshire accent and I would say the difference between the Southerners and the Northerners is very subtle...The city sights are splendid and would make a great visit I am sure...