One of the UK’s most historic and best preserved cities, York is absolutely packed with things to do, whether you want to visit museums and medieval buildings, go on some ghost walks or just chill in some characterful pubs.

I’ve visited York a couple of times, each time for 3 nights and stayed in Bootham just outside the city walls, only 10-15 min from the train station. The first time we stayed in The Minster Hotel and the second time across the road at Georgian House – both are basic B&Bs but were comfy and in such a great location. Most of the big hotel chains are represented in the city, along with lots of other little independent guesthouses and hotels.

Things to do

As I mentioned above, there is SO much to do in York for quite a small city, so it depends on where your main interest lies. I really love history, especially Tudor history, so focused more on those activities and walks, but there are plenty of museums, galleries and tours to choose from.

Here are few of my recommendations from what I did:

• Walk the medieval city walls (free) – a great way to see the city and marvel at the well preserved walls and city gates (called bars, eg. Bootham Bar, and many streets have the suffix ‘gate’ such as Petergate, both from old english). There are little plaques and signs all the way around to give you extra info about each section.

• Take in the architecture (and street names!) – York is a really beautiful city with a broad mix of medieval, Tudor, Georgian and Victorian buildings. There are lots of signs and plaques dotted around the city and on buildings to tell you more, so keep your eyes peeled.

• The Shambles – possibly the most famous street in the city, and it’s easy to see why as it is so cute and quirky, but it gets really busy, so try to go either early in the morning or early evening once the crowds have died down.

• National Railway Museum (free, donation optional) – seeing all of the trains close up was so impressive, it’s somewhere you can easily spend an hour or two. I wouldn’t bother with the VR experience though!

• Museum Gardens (free) – these pretty public gardens are situated in the grounds of what was formerly St Mary’s Abbey (dating from the 11th Century), now in ruins around the park. There are numerous other historic buildings including the medieval Hospitium, the Roman Multangular Tower and The Yorkshire Museum. The King’s Manor is also next door – a Tudor building which once hosted King Henry VIII. It’s now part of the university but you may be able to enter as part of a walking tour if you ask your guide nicely!

• White Rose walking tours (pay what you feel) – advertised as a free walking tour, this is one where you pay what you think it was worth at the end. The guides are all super passionate and knowledgeable and are flexible on the routes and information depending on your interests – we ended up walking around with our guide for over two hours and learned so much! You could make your tour shorter if you wanted, but make sure to pay your guide fairly, and ask lots of questions. A highly recommended experience if you want to learn a lot about the city and little bits of trivia that you can spot as you go around.

• York Minster – I missed out on visiting the Minster the first time I visited due to the entry price (as of Aug 2024 it’s £18 for adults and £16 for students/concessions, free for under under 17s – tickets are valid for one year after purchasing so you can visit multiple times if you wish). However, given that we did so many free or cheap activities on our second visit, we felt that we could justify the ticket price for the Minster and I’m glad we went as there is a lot to see, and it’s a key part of York’s history. There are free guided tours running throughout the day which I’d recommend, and you can also book a ticket to go to the top of one of the Minster towers for great views of the city for an additional cost.

• Jorvik Viking Centre – Another pricier attraction (£16 for adults and £11 for children aged 5-11 at the time of writing, under 5s go free), but we really enjoyed this museum which tells the story of Viking York and how people would have lived in an immersive ride through a reconstructed village. You also get to see some artefacts from the Viking Hoard that was unearthed in York in the early 2000s, which I thought was particularly amazing.

• York’s Chocolate Story – recommended by a friend, we had a surprisingly fun time at this chocolate museum despite both being adults! You’ll learn the story behind the famous chocolate companies which were founded in York (Terry’s and Rowntrees), get to sample a few different types and have a go at making your own chocolate lollipops. It’s a good one to know about if you’re looking for an indoor activity on a cold or rainy day, or have little ones with you.

• York Dungeon – if you’ve been to any of the Dungeon attractions around the country you’ll know what to expect, but if you like a bit of scare while learning some local history this could be worth a punt.

• York Gin – sample your way around their range of gin in the shop, and pick up some gift sets to take home. They also run gin tasting events and gin afternoon teas.

• Clifford’s Tower – you can walk all the way up to the entrance of this impressive and well-preserved Norman castle but have to get a ticket to go inside (£9.50 for adults, £8.50 concessions and £5.50 children), it’s next door to the York Castle Museum if you want to have a castle-themed day!

Other popular activities include one of the numerous ghost tours, the open top tour bus (we did that but it can’t go inside the city walls so you have to use your imagination at some points!) and river cruises (again we did the main one and it was pretty but you don’t learn much, so I’d go more for the scenery – you can also hire little boats to pootle up and down the river).

Oh and keep your eye out for cat sculptures around the city as part of the York Cat Trail – a fun one for kids and cat lovers!

Days Out

If you’re having a few days in York it could be worth planning a day trip – you can reach the coastal towns of Whitby and Scarborough by local bus, or the historic towns of Knaresborough and Harrogate by train.

Leeds and Sheffield are also quite close by train if you want to explore somewhere a bit bigger, but I think those probably deserve a trip in their own right!

If you have a car, you could explore the beautiful scenery of the North Yorkshire Moors, Yorkshire Dales or Peak District.

Food & Drink

As you’d expect from a busy tourist town with a large residential and student popular to boot, York has a varied food scene, with lots of well-known chains, international cuisines and street food, so you should be able to find something to suit your budget and tastes.

Some of my top meals and drinks were at the following places:

• Taas – a really understated Nepalese & Indian restaurant by Bootham Bar, but we absolutely loved everything we ate here, and it was such good value too!
• Pairings Wine Bar – I made a point of coming back for a second visit as we had so much fun the first time, you can either just pop in for a glass of wine from their extensive menu, or choose one of their wine tasting selections. They also do some tasty cheese & charcuterie boards.
• Spark: York – a selection of street food traders and a couple of bars set up in shipping containers, with plenty of outdoor seating. They have a big screen for live sport and were also using it for a live painting class when we were there! There’s plenty of choice from fried chicken to mezze, burgers or pasta.
• Shambles Market – a traditional market in the centre of town, this one has a selection of street food vendors but also local produce such as meat and cheeses, jams and chutneys and lots of other bits for you to stock up on.
• 22 Yards Wine Bar & Bistro – a slightly fancier affair than pairings, this wine bar near York Minster has a relaxed yet fancy feel – they have a huge choice of wines but helpfully put some top picks on the wall for you to choose from and are also happy to advise on what to order. They have a menu of sophisticated small plates to go with your wines too.
• Oscars Wine Bar & Bistro – a good crowd-pleaser as it has a menu of comfort food, isn’t too expensive and always has a fun vibe whenever we’ve visited. It’s a favourite of some friends of ours too before they go on a night out.
• Kapadokya – a large Turkish restaurant on the other side of the Ouse from the main old city, but good for a group or if you like this sort of grilled food, cooked over a large open barbecue.
• Sophie – a cute little cafe based in a historic tower next to the river, so you can enjoy great views from the little windows or riverside seats outside. They do a variety of cakes and snacks and great cocktails too!
• Bettys Tea Room – the famous tea room of York which I have on good authority from several people is worth the hype, but the queues have always meant I’ve been put off. Still, it’s an institution for a reason, so if you’re curious, get there early (or go to the one in nearby Harrogate as the queues aren’t as long).

Pubs

I’m dedicating a whole section just to the excellent watering holes in York, because it truly is a first rate pub city. From cosy little pubs which you can barely fit into, to grand inns and craft beer houses, you’re in for a treat.

• The House of Trembling Madness – one of the most-recommended pubs to me before I visited York, there are actually two Houses of Trembling Madness, one is a bottle shop downstairs with a cosy medieval hall feel upstairs on Stonegate (pictured below), and the other is a more spacious and light bar on Lendal nearer the station. Both have an extensive craft beer menu and great food options, from bar snacks to breakfasts and burgers.

• The Blue Bell – York’s smallest pub places great importance on being a ‘proper pub’, so doesn’t allow groups in, asks you to turn your phone noises off and to refrain from swearing. Other than that, it’s a characterful and relaxed boozer, which can be a hard thing to achieve in such a touristic city.
• Minster Inn – one of the few pubs we visited a few times, not only because it was near our hotel, but also a calm spot just outside the city walls to relax after a busy day of sightseeing. It’s down a side street in Bootham close to Museum Gardens and the river, but worth a detour to get away from the crowds.
• Walmgate Ale House – the place to come for traditional real ales, which you can enjoy with comforting French dishes or Sunday lunch if you decide to visit The Chopping Block restaurant upstairs.
• Pivni – a ‘real ale and world beer freehouse’ in a beautiful old building in the heart of the city, you’ll struggle to know what to order here as the selection is so exciting, but the team are always happy to give you some recommendations or samples. The pub has three floors to it so don’t be fooled into thinking it’s full when you walk past the crowded bar downstairs, you can almost always find a seat upstairs.

• Eagle & Child – a stylish yet traditional pub on Petergate, which does a menu of pub classics. I liked this one for its atmosphere mainly, friendly and fun but not too crazy!
• The Habit – a small but perfectly formed pub which manages to cram in a surprising amount of seats and a roof terrace with views of York Minster.
• The Market Cat – a more modern pub than many of the others on the list, but worth visiting for their upstairs seats which have fantastic views over the York rooftops. If you’re into ales or craft beers you’ll find a lot to like on the taps too (the place is owned by Thornbridge Brewery, so expect to see a lot of their range on offer too).

• The Exhibition Hotel – another pub we frequented on our way back to the hotel, this is another cosy locals’ pub with a surprising amount of room and a huge beer garden.
• Brew York – probably the best-known craft brewery in York, their brewpub has over 50 taps for ales, beers and ciders, plus street food and regular brewery tours.
• Golden Fleece – the outside sign claims it to be the most haunted pub in York, but it’s also one of the smallest, although it does go back quite far – you may have to squeeze past a few folks when looking for a seat!
• The Snickleway Inn – this Grade-II listed pub has parts of it dating from 1500, and is also supposedly haunted. It has been kept simple and traditional inside, and is another pub that feels quite authentic and local, with regular live music and open mic nights.
• Valhalla – I love a gimmick, and this Viking-themed pub is a lot of fun, from the decor and rock music to the excellent selection of beers on tap. Their food menu looks really good too.

Let me know if you end up visiting York and what you get up to, especially if you do something I’ve recommended – I love being nosey! If you found this post particularly useful/entertaining, you can buy me a coffee or a glass of wine to say thanks.

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