Though born on the wrong side of the Pennines in rival Red Rose Country, Raymond Williams has now lived in the capital of White Rose Yorkshire, "God's own county", for some thirty years. Having shown dozens of visitors round his adopted home over the years, he's keen to share some of the local knowledge he has gained, in the hope that information in this handy form will be of use to the many visitors who come to explore our city. After a working life in educational publishing, Raymond is now following in his son's footsteps, who – as an experienced travel writer – has encouraged and advised him.
A walk along the walls is a highlight for many visitors to York. The City Walls have been a feature of York since Roman times, though today’s date mainly from the Middle Ages. There are three main sections of wall, with interruptions between. This guided walk follows this division.You can walk all three sections in one go (reckon around 2...
For a small city, York boasts a large number of restaurants, cafés and snack bars to cater for its many visitors. Some are parts of large chains, some small and one-off, some ethnic. Most cafés serve meals, too, and these are covered in the York Café Guide. Add the many pubs serving food to this mix of places to choose...
Individual interests and enthusiasms of visitors vary, as does the amount of time available. What grabs one visitor’s imagination may bore the pants off another. The York experience is most successful when your itinerary takes personal inclinations into account. You’ll find a selection of highlighted experiences, some free, in our Top Fives Guide. Given the number of places of interest,...
A visit to the spectacular cathedral which is York Minster can be an overwhelming experience, especially if you try to take it in all in one go. After all, it took over 250 years to build, and restoration continues almost non-stop. However, this itinerary takes you on a walk of exploration round the building and points out its main features....
Everyone’s visit will be different, but here is a selection of top York highlights, rated by many visitors to inspire your own itinerary. 5 Free Experiences • Walls Walk Medieval Walls and gates • Rail Museum A fascinating national attraction • Footstreets Explore Shambles, Stonegate, Snickelways • Walking Tour With a voluntary local guide • Evensong Music in the Minster...
In one sense, the whole of York is a kind of museum, a living insight into the past that continues to be a thriving and evolving present-day city. So it is not surprising that the city is also home to a number of more conventional museums. York museums specialise in social history. They deal with the past in an accessible,...
Our One Day Itinerary offers a basic introduction to the feel and history of the city. With two days, you have the option of taking in more places, and to complement that with guided tours, according to taste. You can also, of course create your own individual York experience with the help of our Itinerary Building Guide. Day One in...
You have only one day in York? You don’t have time to plan your own itinerary? Yet you want to get an impression of the place? This typical one-day itinerary should help you with suggestions. But remember, York features oodles of official attractions, but the biggest attraction is the city itself, so when you think about what you might do,...
You can, of course, create your own tour of York, for example by following one of our itineraries, perhaps round the walls following the Walls Walk, York Minster following the Minster Tour or discovering the Snickelways. If you’d like a guide to show you York or parts of it, there are lots of possibilities both for general and themed tours....
There are plenty of things in York to stimulate and entertain children. Here are a few popular ones to choose from: York Minster The Minster is awe-inspiring on account of its sheer size, grandeur and decoration, but don’t forget the small details, such as the scurrilous carvings by cheeky medieval stonemasons (eg gargoyles outside, or in the Chapter House). A...
Yorkshire folk know the importance of a cup of tea to raise stamina levels or flagging spirits. There’s a large number of cafés all over the centre of York, catering for the many visitors the city has, as well as locals doing their shopping. It’s beyond the scope of any guide to provide an exhaustive list, and half the fun...
A long history and a location midway between London and Edinburgh combine to make York a convenient and popular destination for visitors to Britain. And excellent rail links add to its popularity and help make it a short break magnet for visitors from other parts of the country. For its size, the city contains a startling number of attractions and sights...
Cycling close by lurid-coloured snakes and brown bears on the Kettle Valley Railway Trail in British Columbia. Scarier even than sharing a tent with skunks.
Someone who stays calm and good-humoured, is knowledgeable, who can live in the present and is unflappable when things go belly-up. Sounds like my son.
Has to be the bicycle for sheer accessibility, practicality and environmentally-friendly versatility. It opens up so many possibilities and experiences. Coupled with a slow train for longer journeys.
Live adventurously.