An extensive itinerary for York: our favourite English city

Whether you visit York for its incredible attractions, the friendly custom, the history or just an epic pub crawl, I can almost guarantee that you’ll fall in love with it. I’ve been considering doing a series called ‘Not Just London’ as a bit of an ode to the other less-visited places in the UK, and there’s no way I can leave York off the list of places I’ve already covered. Accessible from the Midlands in only an hour and a half, now we want to tell you what worked for us and hopefully inspire your next (or maybe first) trip to York.

Locations mentioned on this itinerary:

---

The City Walls / St. Mary’s Church

However you travel into the city, you’re more than likely to come across the old City Walls. They are free to walk and less arduous than Dubrovnik Old Town, or even Chester, however you don’t get quite the same view. Be sure to do it if it’s on your bucket list, but if it’s not, don’t worry! Go through the city gates and a few streets further you’ll find St Mary’s Church. Before lockdown it was the host of the Van Gogh: Immersive Experience which for me was something that I just could not miss. If you’re planning on doing a Ghost Walk, you might find yourself back here later!

The Shambles

 I was very excited to pop into some Potter-inspired shops at The Shambles, especially The Shop That Must Not Be Named and The Potions Cauldron. If you pop in the latter and ask about discounted admissions you can buy cheaper tickets to some local attractions like York Dungeon, which is well worth doing. Also down the street you’ll find at least one host handing out Ghost Walk leaflets – take one for later!

York Minster

The Gothic Minster occupies the space where the Roman Headquarters used to stand, so it might not come as a surprise to learn you’ll find a statue of Emperor Constantine here, too. Constantine was made Emperor after his father’s death in York, and was eventually the first to unite the Roman Empire under one leader. He was a Christian Emperor who ordered the production of some of the first Bibles, so perhaps his statue has a double meaning in this spot.

I have a portrait print of York Minster available for purchase on RedBubble

Clifford’s Tower

Our taxi driver must have thought we were mad when we asked to go to Clifford’s Tower in the pouring rain, but that’s exactly what we did. If you’d like to learn more about the history of Clifford’s Tower, please visit this link from English Heritage which explains the awful reason why it has no roof. Many people know it as the largest remaining section of what once was York Castle. As with Chester Castle, it was William the Conqueror who first established it.

The York Dungeon

York Dungeon is an experience hosted by trained actors whose job it is to scare you whilst teaching you some history. I won’t give the game away but I definitely couldn’t look at times! You do get photos taken at the beginning but if you want to keep or share them on social media keep in mind that you will have to pay £15 plus. Ours were incredible so I couldn’t help myself.

The Original Ghost Walk of York

After viewing their website a few days in advance and watching a snippet of this Unilad YouTube video, we decided the Original Ghost Walk of York was for us. The walks run every night without fail, you don’t have to book at all, and the prices are very fair being £5 for adults and £4 for children, students with valid cards and concessions. You will meet outside the Kings Arms pub at 8pm beside the River Ouse, which is rather beautiful at night. 

---

PUBS & RESTAURANTS:

The York Roast Co.

The Golden Fleece

The Old White Swan

The Old White Swan Pub & Restaurant serves warm pub grub in a cosy and romantic Tudor setting. The ‘Nicholson’s’ pub chain is very prevalent in York as well as in the wider North, and we’ve found that you can’t go wrong with them.

The House of Trembling Madness

If you think the name sounds alternative, it definitely is. If you love indie alcohol then you’ll love this place. We discovered it on our first trip and fell immediately in love when we learned that they stocked our beloved but elusive Thistly Cross Whiskey Cask Cider. You can even head to the bar upstairs and drink it on the premises!

The Punch Bowl (Nicholson’s)

There are two ‘The Punch Bowl’s in York, one being a Wetherspoons. While it’s probably cheaper, it’s not necessarily better! We recommend that you try out Nicholson’s Punch Bowl. It’s tiny, supposedly haunted, and has a great cosy feel to it.

SEASONAL: Thor’s Tipi

Thor’s Tipi is a well… tipi…. bar that pops up in different cities across the UK. It’s free to get in and they’re always in beautiful locations (York’s is usually in the gardens of the very swanky Principal Hotel). The dates for Thor’s Tipi 2020 are of course yet to be confirmed so keep an eye on their website for their return!

There’s still so much to explore in York so I can’t wait to spend a very long time there as soon as I’m able!

• Goodreads
• Twitter
• Instagram
• Pinterest

*Title image by aspasciuto on Flickr.

READ NEXT: Exploring Chester: Britain’s most Roman town