- York
- (23)
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United Kingdom
Tips by utterinertia all seem to recommend establishments owned by one company. By no means am I suggesting that they are poor examples of what is available in York, but I have my suspicions about how impartial the reviewer may be.
I would highly recommend the Guy Fawkes Inn in York. Being right beside the Minster, this hotel surely has to have the best location of any in the city. Following recent renovations, the hotel is also now very stylish and, probably more importantly, I found the staff to be friendly.
On the downside, it is not cheap and the hotel does not have its own car park. However, the Guy Fawkes Inn is certainly not the only York hotel to suffer from these problems.
25 High Petergate
York, YO1 7HP
0845 460 2020
www.guyfawkesinn.co.uk
Accommodation directory for anyone wanting to book their hotel or B&B before they get to York. Also some local information on travel and attractions in York.
As far as I know, this is a new York hotel (at least I've not seen it previously). It's rather small with around 10 rooms, but is extremely comfortable and luxurious. It has the feel of a guest house, rather than a hotel, and also benefits from being right in the centre of town.
2-4 High Petergate
York
North Yorkshire
Y01 7EH
08454602020
www.fourhighpetergate.co.uk
York is a must-see. There's something for everyone.
All the family will love a trip on your very own time-capsule at the Jorvik Centre - a thousand years of sights, smells and sounds of English history. Don't forget to have your camera at the ready for that must-have souvenir pic.
For those who like a bit more blood and guts, thrills and spills, the York Dungeons is an absolute must-see. The team there will educate and, above all, thrill you with an altogether more personal view to two thousand years of York's gory past with all its gruesome hands-on detail. This tour is first class, although only suitable for horror loving teens and parents brought up on Boris Carloff or Peter Cushing! The York Dungeon is pretty expensive so my tip is get the York Pass, which allows entry to a huge number of attractions in York at a modest cost.
The pass is also valid for the York Riverboat Cruise, where the adults can enjoy the captain's commentary while the youngsters can check out the river wildlife and take in the many interesting things to see along the river bank.
To make the most of York it's best to go mid-week, unless you enjoy milling your way through large crowds with plenty of hustle and bustle. A four day trip is probably ideal. Buy a two day York Pass, check out the Minster and few other attractions of your choice, and still have plenty of time to visit the character shops in all the old streets in the city walls.
There are plenty of things to buy for all depths of pocket and interest. For those who like a bargain
(and help others too), the city is well endowed with every conceivable charity shop under the sun. Eating out can be budget or haute cuisine. A good place to feed a hungry family at a modest price is Jumbo in Hudson St. This is a buffet-style Chinese, eat as much as you like of the very wide selection of good quality oriental dishes for every palate, at difficult to beat prices.
Why not try a stay at a B&B? I have no hesitation in recommending The Apple House (74-76 Holgate Rd) where Pamela will make sure you have a very comfortable room with all mod cons and supply you with a full English breakfast (or continental), all at a very reasonable price.
Finally, don't take the car. You'll see more and feel all the better by walking everywhere in the city. Great access and views can be had by walking the ancient city wall. Be warned, many areas along the wall are open at one side. Children and elderly, not to mention those who value life and limb will find it a bit daunting - take care and keep an eye on the children at all times.
If traveling in the UK, then the best way to get to York is by rail. York Station is convenient for the whole city. A first search on the internet will throw up some frightening prices but don't give up. Try National Express East Coast. Book a little in advance and you’ll think there is a mistake in the price you are offered. With a family you can book a seat with a table and have a little more comfort for reading and eating. These trains also serve hot food and drinks at reasonable cost and even have power points at the seats where the kids can hook up their DVD players or game consoles. Don't forget to take earphones or you'll have a lot of angry passengers for your trip.
Take a camera, get the York Pass and don’t over-crowd your time with too many museum and attraction visits. Leave time to enjoy the city, have a carefree coffee and find those serendipitous places that make your trip so special.
www.nationalexpresseastcoast.com/
www.yorkpass.com/discountattractions.html
www.visityork.org/
Small, intimate venue, with superb atmosphere: you could almost be on stage with the band. Close to the heart of York, but worth a visit from anywhere in the UK just to catch a special set in a unique venue.
While we're at it: catch the Tivoli in Utrecht, NL, before it disappears! (Zeche, Bochum, D, is probably Europe's finest: it's got everything.)
www.fibbers.co.uk/
Fibbers is situated in The Stonebow on the Minster side of the River Ouse
Another place I'd recommend in York is Monty's Grill. I also mainly does steak and seafood, but it's not as up-market as Harvilles. I haven't been at the weekend, but apparently their Sunday lunch is particularly good.
St Peter's Grove, York.
www.montysgrill.co.uk
Harvilles is a steak and fish restaurant in York. I was visiting the city for a business trip this week and found Harvilles by chance. To say the least, I was very impressed!
The restaurant is very stylish (1920s decor) and the food is exceptional. I'd highly recommend it to other business travellers. It has to be one of the best restaurants I've been to outside of London.
Fossgate, York.
0845 4 60 20 20
www.harvilles.co.uk
This is a tiny shop (you probably couldn't fit more than five people in there at once) in The Shambles that has an extensive menu of great sub-style sandwiches that all cost only £1. It's the perfect place to pick up lunch to eat in a park on a sunny day.
The Shambles, York
York Green Festival is a one-day free festival in Rowntree Park, 11am til 5pm, with bands, stalls, children's activities and more.
Rowntree Park, South Bank, West of the River Ouse, York.
ygf2007.blogspot.com/
or www.myspace.com/yorkgreenfestival
Marmadukes Hotel is a great hotel in the city of York. My wife and I stayed there last summer and always recommend it to our friends whenever they visit. It used to be a Victorian gentleman’s town house and they have re-created it into a beautiful four-star hotel with handcrafted beds and Georgian and Victorian antique furnishings. Amazing service to boot. Perfect place to stay in York!
St Peters Grove
YORK
North Yorkshire
YO30 6AQ
www.marmadukeshotels.co.uk
The Jorvik Viking Centre in York is a great attraction for all ages.
You travel back to the year AD975 and discover what life was like in Britain at the time of the Vikings.
You may even come face-to-face with a Viking!
There is also a shop and many other activities, including brass rubbing and writing your name in Jorvik!
Telephone (booking): 01904 543402
(general enquiries): 01904 543400
JORVIK Viking Centre, Coppergate, York, Y01 9WT
A great travel website I'd recommend is National Geographic Traveler:
www.nationalgeographic.com/traveler/extras/blog/blog.html
A takeaway that always serves FANTASTIC fish and chips, big fish and lovely mushy peas. Get the fish and chips and sit opposite the Windmill and eat with the ducks near you. The place is the best in York.
Down the A19 from York, next to Dunnington, Stamford Bridge is a good day out.
What is it? A bar that serves food and fantastic cocktails and also has an internet cafe and a shop selling all the booze you've just drank in the bar. But that doesn't do it justice.
It's simply the best bar I think I have been in for a very long time (besides one in Prague and I'm not telling you where that is because it's mine. ALL MINE. OK?).
Spread over 3 floors, the ground floor is home to the shop, internet lounge and the bar itself. To describe it as 'a bar' is an understatement on a parallel with the Hanging Gardens of Babylon being merely a garden. This place is a mecca to booze. I counted 17 seperate types of Absinthe on the wall. 17!
The first floor is home to another room, decked out with comfy seating where you can spread out and lounge around, also a couple of raised bed/seats with curtains and a shedload of fabric in general, along a Thai type theme.
The third floor has yet another room with large sofas and chairs, and as an added bonus it's non-smoking. You do feel a bit detached from the rest of the bar but get enough of your crowd in there and it's more or less all yours.
Food, although I haven't tried it, looked tasty (spying on the plates as they came out) and entirely Thai.
It's worth taking a stool at the bar and watching the lads behind it create cocktails from the mammoth list.
In a word: quality.
42 Stonegate, York, YO1 8AS 01904 640 002
Online since 2001 and produced by residents of the city of York, this online tourist brochure gives you a great amount of detail on what to see and do while you are in York.
A good list of the main tourist attractions that will not cost you a fortune to see as well as those you just have to take in and are free.
This is one of THE places to eat in York. Fabulous service, great food and a good atmosphere. It was originally a couple of Victorian terraces houses that they have knocked into one place. It does have a bit of a feel of someone's front room to it but if you can put up with that you will not be disappointed.
www.york-united-kingdom.co.uk/restaurants/meltons/
7 Scarcroft Road,
York,
Telephone: 01904 634341
An ersatz, tatty pub but with an ever-changing selection of well-kept real ale to die for. The food is usually good as well and the helpings are generous.
At the foot of Lendal Bridge, a three-minute walk from the railway station.
The Maltings, Tanners Moat, York.
Tel : 01904 655 387
www.maltings.co.uk
York was designed for walking, so if you come by car use one of the many park & ride buses and read the free guide as you ride! The museum gardens by the river are great for a picnic, and it's only a short step to the museum's excellent Roman & Viking exhibits. When walking through York don't forget to look up - and whatever you do, don't forget your camera.
York is one of the finest towns I have visited in England and Europe, and I've been travelling around Europe for 35 years now.
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