Must-See in York

York Minster, of course. The Shambles. Walk the city walls. And we really enjoyed the York Castle Museum.

Thx. We left our RS books at home.... primarily because this York trip is what I consider a "short two day trip" from our AirBnB in Marlow.
Appreciate your response!

The National Railway Museum.

Dinner at the Golden Fleece or Guy Fawkes Inn.

It all depends on wht sort of things you like... as well as the above, there is also Clifford's Tower, Museum Gardens, boat trip on the river, ghost tour, afternoon tea in Betty's tea room, the delightful Holy Trinity Church tucked away behind Goodramgate, still with its C17th box pews gently subsiding into the nave.... Have a look here for more information and ideas.

If they still have it, the free walking tour was worth doing. If not, a walk along at least part of the wall.

2nd vote for the free walking tour done by Association of Voluntary Guides to the City of York (AVG) . Really good and free. They would not take a tip.

The above comments pretty much have all of the major things to do covered. As far as food, for a quick lunch I would recommend The York Roast Co., a counter service place that does meat and veggies on top of giant Yorkshire puddings or in a pudding wrap. I also recommend a stop at Thomas the Baker. Lots of atmospheric pubs. Too many to name, but if you see a beer called Threakston Old Peculier anywhere and you enjoy beer, then check it out. Also enjoyed one called 1872 Porter by Elland Brewery while I was in York.

No one seems to have mentioned the Jorvik centre. Worth a visit in my view

We were there about 2 weeks ago for a week and could have spent more. Definitely take the free (really, no tips allowed) walking tour sponsored by the guides’ association. (Book early as the limit numbers.) Your York Minster tickets are good for a year, so I’d plan to go on the first day. That way, if you don’t get a tour (or a guide you can actually hear) or enough of it on the first day, you can always go back. I used my ticket to go in on another and take sunny-weather photos and revisit the Chapter House to chat with a congregation member who loved talking about it and clearly didn’t get a lot of visitors. We visited the Shambles, but it was a total zoo, mostly souvenirs and Harry Potter stuff. If you can avoid the weekend, I think that might be a little easier. We tried weekend and weekday visits, and although I wouldn’t go back, the weekday seemed less congested. We thought Betty’s was a £50 a person (plus a tip, which was “encouraged”) rip off. The piano player was a nice touch, but the selection of sandwiches and sweets was limited and pre-selected for you, although seconds on sandwiches and sweets and tea were free. Honestly, I’d look elsewhere. We didn’t think we’d enjoy Jorvik as much as we did. Book your tickets for early admission if you can. That time frame was more manageable than dealing with the long lines in the afternoon. The wall? Eh, obligatory but not worth the time to walk more than one section. The Train Museum is under renovation, but the wheelhouse main exhibit is worth seeing. Unfortunately, the other items like furniture, dining and other historical memorabilia was crated and stored in a nearby room. You can go in and see the potential, but very little of what they have. It is an easy walk from the train station. The churches mentioned above are all worth the effort as is the York Roast Company. There is seating upstairs. The York Castle Museum was really interesting but does take a bit of time. With only two days, I’d definitely prioritize and plan as early as you can. We loved York pretty much from the moment we arrived. It’s a gem.

We were in York a couple of weeks ago. The minster, of course, was the highlight of our visit. Though I've been several times, it never fails to move me. Allow lots of time and don't miss the undercroft. Our second favorite site was the Yorkshire Museum, but we are history buffs so it might not appeal to everyone. The Roman Britain section is outstanding. We also loved the Railway museum. I visited Jorvik many years ago, and once was enough.

We had a lovely lunch and cappuccino at the Merchant Adventurer's Hall cafe. We didn't tour this medieval guildhall, but enjoyed eating amongst all the amazing timber framing- very atmospheric. Another favorite eating spot was the Minster Inn (24 Marygate). Reservations a good idea.

Have fun!

The Minster offers some very interesting small group “hidden minster” tours as well. The meet the masons/ scaffolding tour is not being held currently, but there are a couple of others that may be of interest:

https://yorkminster.org/visit/plan-your-visit/hidden-minster-tours/

Also, a church friend of mine just got back from York a couple of weeks ago and went to see the Bar Convent Living Heritage Center. She found their exhibition about the reformation to be fascinating. Here is the link for more information:

https://barconvent.co.uk/the-exhibition/

Thank you everyone! I'm not the op but am going there in a few days and am really being helped by your suggestions!

I suppose "must-sees" are different for everyone. In my case, some of the sights that I really enjoyed were.....

• York Minster. Attend an Evensong service is possible.
• The National Railway Museum - that was one of the highlights of the visit for me.
• A walking tour with a local guide, which includes a visit to the Shambles and a walk around the walls.
• Visit Eden Camp if you're interested in the history of WW-II.

Of course two nights is only about one full touring day. Is there any way you could extend your visit there?

A few different things to consider:

1. Cold War bunker which is a bit over a mile from the National Theatre;
2. look for the cats on the building walls within the walled town (ask at the info centre for a map);
3. At minimum wall the town walls between Bootham Bar and the end of that stretch near Foss Bank (fun to see backyards; bit of roman ruins; memorial to the Jewish cemetery);
4. wander down alleys/lanes like Peter Lane.

thanks for these suggestions. recommendations for guest houses??

If you are going soon, keep an eye out for Ghosts in the Garden. There are 3D wire mesh ghosts scattered all over the old part of the city in various gardens. There was even one in the entrance hall of the train station. Just a fun thing to watch for as you amble around town. Apparently the York Museum has arranged for an illuminated night tour of some of them on several nights in early November.

We are planning a trip to York in early July 2025 before we join our church's choir trip in Edinburgh and from then going to Durham. I appreciate all of the great suggestions for York. If we want to get out of York and spend some time (maybe a couple of nights) in the Dales, where would you recommend? Older forums had good things to say about both Malham and Grassington as bases. We like to walk, shop in local shops, learn about local foods/gins/ales/farms. Any suggestions? Also suggestions in York for foodies?

@loisross-

Do you intend to drive, or to use public transport?

Malham is a bit awkward to both get to and get around from by public transport, due to spartan services other than a Saturday or Sunday when there are walkers buses.

Grassington would be good any day by transit. But Sunday is the best day to make the transfer when there is a direct York to Grassington bus.

From Grassington you could then do bus to Skipton Station, train over the Settle line to Carlisle, train to Edinburgh (ie- no need to return to York).

If going up to the Dales by bus on a Sunday then Hawes would be another possibility, as there is then a connecting bus at Grassington for Hawes. On your way to Edinburgh you would then bus to Garsdale for the same train.

Other days you would really need to drive to Hawes.

If driving I would suggest a one way car hire with Enterprise, pick up in York, drop off in Penrith. Then train direct from Penrith to Edinburgh.

Any other company you rent from in York, drop off would be Carlisle, for the train to Edinburgh, otherwise drop off the car at Edinburgh airport.

PS- There are quite a few questions here. This would be better on your own post rather than piggybacking here. Otherwise it could get rather confusing for both you and this thread's OP.