York Minster
York is a fantastic weekend destination from the North or South of the United Kingdom. Situated in the heart of the railway line between Edinburgh and London means that even if you have less than 48 hours then you can still enjoy all York has to offer.
We recently visited York for a one night trip from Edinburgh, catching the 7.30am train to arrive at 10am before departing the following day at 6pm.
Day 1
10am – After an early start you might want to grab a steaming cup of coffee in one of the old City wall tower Cafes so that you will be refreshed enough to hit the tourist trail. And what a trail it is. With 2.5 miles of 2,000 year old city walls surrounding York it is the best place to start your exploration. With various breaks where the wall has been removed then there are ample opportunities to rest and explore different areas around the City.
The wall is also interspersed with a number of Bars (gatehouses not literal ‘bars’) that allowed access into the City during medieval times or as defensive positions during times of war. The Bars are perfect stops during your walk and provide snapshots in history that will keep old and young busy during the 2 – 3 hour stroll. It is definitely not hard-work and is worth the effort.
York City Wall
1pm – For lunch just follow the crowds and your nose to the local market stalls. A gathering of smells from around the world will assault your senses with Noodles from Asia, Pancakes from the Netherlands, Meatballs from Morocco, Sausages from Germany and Paella from Spain to name but a few dishes. The small dishes for £4 will satisfy your hunger. Just try to leave room for the delicious home-made pastry and cake stalls dotted throughout the market.
2pm – Your next stop should be the building that you would have seen towering above the City skyline; York Minster. It is one of the most well-known Cathedrals in Europe and provides some fantastic photo opportunities from the City walls. Take note that it only opens at 12pm on Sundays due to services in the morning. Every other day it opens from 9am. £9 for adults gets you a free guided tour (optional) and entry to the Undercroft, Treasury and Croft. An extra £5.50 is required if you want to tackle the 275 steps to the top of the Tower. Excellent for checking out the entire City and surrounding countryside.
5pm – By now your parched throat might be reaching a peak and you are in need of a pint. You are in luck. They say that York has one pub for every day of the year so you are going to find a few good ones. However we went to a couple of different pubs during our stay but unfortunately I wouldn’t rave about them. I am not going to do them injustice by mentioning their names on here and will let you try and find the better ones.
7pm – What I will do is recommend heading to Ask Italian restaurant for a cheap and delicious meal. The restaurant is situated in the old York Assembly Rooms which makes the dining area GIGANTIC. There is nothing flash about it apart from the food. It is also extremely well priced, with the entire meal including drinks for 3 costing £55 all up.
9pm till Late – With over 365 pubs and bars in York its up to you to decide how you want to spend the rest of the night.
View from York City Wall to the Minster
Day 2
If you want a cheap place to stay for your 1 night then you can’t look past the local YHA. It’s situated a 20 minute walk along the river or a 5 minute taxi ride. Just a quick note; We were told by the staff at the YHA not to walk along the river at night, I expect it can get a bit rough and seedy down there. The YHA does a breakfast buffet that will fuel you until lunchtime for £4.95. Plus you get the added bonus of sneaking pastries into your handbag on your way out for mid-morning snacks.
11am – Jorvik Viking Centre should be your first stop this morning. It is the site of one of the most famous and astounding discoveries of modern archaeology that creates a groundbreaking (sorry no pun intended) visitor experience that enables you to experience the every day life of a Viking in York 1,000 years ago. What is amazing is that the site is laid out below your feet under a pane of glass.
If you travel with kids (or big kids like myself) then they will love it as you can race around the floor with a map in hand finding all the objects exactly as they lay when they were found.
There is also a roller coaster back to the future type ride. I say type as it is not quite as exciting as a full on roller coaster, and actually felt a lot like Jurassic Park. I kept waiting for the T-Rex to jump out and eat the goat tied to the stake. The kids will love it though.
1pm – By now you should have burned off that big brekky so navigate your way back to the markets and get stuck in again. Make sure you do get the pancakes this time if you didn’t before. De – li – cious.
2pm – Meander your way through the cobbled lined streets of the Shambles and marvel at the maze of tightly lined alleyways full of crazy angled boutique stores and shops that look like they are about to topple over. I seriously don’t know whether they originally built them like that out of whatever length of wood they could find or if they have slowly subsided over the last couple of hundred years.
York Museum and Gardens
3pm – With your shoes worn out and your knees aching its time to rest them in the relaxing grounds of the Yorkshire Museum and Gardens. If you picked up a few snacks from the market then this is a perfect place to stretch out for the afternoon and enjoy the ancient ruins around you as well as the fine Museum before you jump back on your train.
Final Tips
With this fantastic guide there is no need to hit the Tourism Information Centre but if you do want to then its just around the corner from the York Minster at: 1 Museum Street, York, YO1 7DT.
Super helpful staff and I do actually recommend popping in first thing.
Our costs per person for our 2 days in York are outlined below. You can definitely do it a lot cheaper than we did as well:
- Train ticket = £35 return from Edinburgh
- Hostel = £33 a night for a private room
- Food = £31 per day
- Alcohol = £8 per day
- Attractions = £25 total