So me and the OH are heading over to York weekend after next for a weekend away. This will be the first weekend away without the kids in nearly 4 years since the birth of our 1st. It’ll also be the 1st time we can wake up together in the morning as were always taking it in turns to get up… any way I digress.

Kids are over to my Mum’s then my Bro’s over the weekend, due to travel distances and the fact that the OH has never been to York we thought it a good place to hit. I’ve been a couple of times over the years but nothing recently.

So we will have two full days (arriving late Thurs eve & leaving early Sun) and no plans at all. Some of the sight seeing things would be cool like Clifford Tower if the weather behaves but what magical places have the people of STW found?

Dont do the Viking tour its crap.

Betty’s Tea Room!

Don’t queue at Betty’s save your money and go to Cafe Harlequin for the best coffee in York 😀

….also don’t bother with Jorvik, unless it’s raining and you need to shelter.

I think I had a pretty good time at Stone Roses bar, but it turned out someone had spiked my drink and my memories of the rest of the evening are pretty hazy.

I can tell you all about repeatedly throwing up in the York Hilton though!

+1 or perhaps -1 on the Jorvik VIking Centre. Was pretty disappointed with it for the price.

Clifford’s Tower takes about ten minutes. The museum is okay though.

There is also the train museum and (as above) the Jorvic.

A nice long walk around the walls is great fun and there is the art gallery if you like that kinda thing.

Of an evening you have some nice pubs/bars to hit. My faves are:

Yorkshire Terrier
Evil Eye (cocktail-tastic)
The Maltings

You could also take a boat trip but the sights are a bit boring really.

And a visit to the Minster is worthwhile.

march up to the top of the hill and march back down again

Dalby is about 45 minutes away by car… 😉

Go up the top of the Minster and walk round a bit of the walls if the weather is good. The railway museum is supposed to be fun, but that might be more of one to save for a day with the kids. Loads and loads of shops to keep your OH happy (if she likes shopping). Have a pint in the Kings Arms, that’s the pub that gets flooded when the Ouse breaks its banks, it has markers on the wall showing the different heights the water reached in the past. Cafe Concerto on Petergate near the Minster is nice.

This is all pretty old info so sorry if it’s out of date, I’ve not lived there for years and years…

I’m live in York so know a thing or two!

Have a walk around the Bar Walls as it’s a good way to see the city, don’t bother with the tour buses. If you want to go to Bettys go to the less well known one down Stonegate called Little Bettys, much shorter ques and as good. Cliffords Tower is ok but after 15 minutes you’ve seen it, like other people have said The Viking Centre is ok if it’s wet, it had a large refit a few years ago and supposed to be better (not been though so can’t judge) York Minster is an impressive building and well worth seeing. If you like trains The National Railway Museum is only 10 minutes walk from the city centre. The best advice is just wander about it’s a compact City. Look for a book called Snickleways of York. These are medieval alleys around the city worth exploring.

For a good restaurants try Fossgate there are quite a few nice ones down there, or go to The Go Down on Clifford Street as favourite of ours. Evil Eye is worth going to for drinks on an evening, huge cocktail menu for you and a good selection of beers for the missus 😉 if you’re into nightclubs go to Toyko on Toft Green, avoid all the others.

Mr_Mojo – you have just re-written my post 😉

Great minds think alike! 😀

Oh, and while the King’s Arms is a great ‘history’ pub, it serves Sam Smith’s beers, spirits and mixers so it is very much an acquired taste.

I like it/them though 🙂

there’s a bread bakery on (in?) the shambles, called ‘via vleccia*’ or something.

simply.
the.
best.
bread.
ever.

get there for about 11am ish, your mouth will love you forever. i would suggest a ‘Sicilian’ loaf for your first experience.

(*’road of meat’ – the shambles used to be mostly butchers shops)

don’t bother with betty’s.

Stone Roses bar +1

there’s a bread bakery on (in?) the shambles, called ‘via vleccia*’ or something.

Go to Via Vecchia at 8am when it opens, it’ll be sold out at 11am.

It is the best bread in York though. I love the cheese one!

I used to work in an office that had a view right down The Shambles from my drawing board. We would sit in the window of a lunch-hour eating ice creams and watching the world go by.

Them were the days.

If you’re there on the 6th be ready for some traffic delays and road closures.
It’s ATC* Sunday and it’s the 70th Anniversary this year, so there’s a large Wing Parade of 28 Squadrons of Cadets and Staff going through York ending with a service in the Minster.

* The Air Training Corps, a youth organization linked to the Royal Air Force, was formed on 5th February 1941. The Wing that York falls under has it’s Headquarters at Linton On Ouse, just down the road, so that’s why York is used for parades and suchlike.