Days in York England

All good suggestions so far. I might add going to Evensong services to really enjoy the Minster on a different level.

Hi Mary, I had only a few hours on my visit to York and loved the National Railway Museum. Someday I'll be back for a much longer visit. Here's a nice video from Visit York to help you visualize that museum and 9 other terrific things to do in York: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D52LkAHmQ14

Visiting York Minster should be high on your list. Also, you can walk the walls which is interesting and visiting the Shambles is fun. I did visit the Jorkvik Viking Centre. I found it a bit of a hoot, but other dismiss it as tourist tat. I also did a walking which I enjoyed. There is good website which you should explore if you haven't already. http://www.visityork.org/ Pam

I recommend the guided walks offered by the volunteer guides. They are offered twice daily and provide a great orientation to the city.

I love to wander The Shambles. There are some interesting shops (woodworking and similar crafts). They also have a decent market in York. Our favorite restruant there is Gert and Henery's. It is in a half-timber house just at the edge of the market and The Shamble. Excellent traditional English food. We like to stay at the Royal York Hotel. It is attached to the train station and very convient - on ly about a 5-10 min. walk into the heart of York. And they have a beautiful flower garden at one side of the hotel.

Walk the walls, Shambles. York Minster, wander around town- anywhere within the walls is interesting (well signed, almost impossible to get lost for too long). You can also get tours to surrounding countryside if you run out of things to see. Nice flea market near Shambles. Whichever Museums interest you. Hotels between the station and the walls are close enough to stroll into the town.

Catch the bus in front of the train station to Castle Howard and spend a half-day there. Beautiful gardens and building. Evensong at York Minster is nice. We also went on a ghost walk that left from the front of the Minster around 8 p.m. It was silly, but a lot of fun and the guide shared a lot of history about York that wasn't in the guidebooks. A really good way to see parts of York that you would otherwise miss.

I second (or third or fourth) walking the walls. The York Minster is very impressive, and of the museums, I enjoyed The Castle Museum which has interesting displays of everyday objects from different periods in history. For example, they compare what kitchens were like in medieval times, Victorian times, mid-twentieth century, and present day, etc. More interesting than it might sound:) And, yes, it's corny, but I liked the ghost tour I went on. York is said to be the most haunted city in the UK so there are several such tours - they vary from fairly serious to silly, but fun. And like Brian said, just wander around; it's a beautiful little city.

The walls have a couple of different sections. The best part is accessed by York Minster, you then walk towards the east. We also walked a section heading the other direction from there but that section isn't as interesting. Lots of information about the different wall sections on the internet...... Don't miss the park just on the other side of the wall from York Minster. There's a ruined abbey there and the multiangular tower which has Roman connections.....We had lunch in a very old pub, the White Swan. One of their rooms ( I think it's the one that allows smoking) has an ancient hammer beam ceiling........York Minster has a fascinating crypt. We also climbed the tower which I did not think was worth the effort since lots of the view is blocked by fencing......If you enjoy reading a book to get you in the mood for the place, try to locate a copy of The Apothecary Rose by Candace Robb. Lots of medieval York atmosphere.

All these suggestions sound great. I am looking forward to York.
Thanks

York is great, you are going to love it. Some things that we did and that I highly recommend: Tea at Betty's - wait the extra few minutes to eat upstairs so you can people watch on the square. Visit the York Minster - excellent church, an obvious choice. Ghost walk tour - there are several of these, but I'd recommend historical York ghost walk (not positive of name, but it's in Rick's book), as you get a bit of history along with it. Walk the wall - it's not complete any more, but it's fun Wander through the Shambles - stop for some tea to savor the area
Visit the York Castle Museum - one of the best museums that I've been in Europe. Especially loved Kirkgate

Almost forgot! Go to an evensong in the Minster. I went to an evensong everday for 3 weeks in England and the Minster's was beautiful.

Mary, Two places in York that I feel get slighted in the Rick Steves' guides are Clifford's Tower and the Merchant Adventurers' Hall. At least when I last checked, Rick gives them so-so reviews, but I really enjoyed both. We had the Great Britain Heritage Pass so admission to both was free for us, which may have influenced my opinion. The tower is empty inside, but we enjoyed climbing the interior stairwells for a great view of York, and the tower ruin itself is interesting. The Merchant Adventurers told the story of traders and merchants in medieval York and displayed some of their gold and fine goods from that era. It had an interesting audio guide. Check the websites for both places. If the subjects interest you, I recommend checking them out if you have time. York is simply an amazing city for tourists. You can see and do a lot in two days and just about everything is worthwhile. Enjoy.

I'm a big fan of Richard III, thanks to Josephine Tey's wonderful book The Daughter of Time, and I enjoyed the Richard III Museum, in the Monk Bar gatehouse. The building itself is interesting too. And if you go you can get half-price offers for other museums in "York's Hidden Secrets" - including the Merchant Adventurers' Hall, recommended by another poster. Check it out at http://www.richardiiimuseum.co.uk/main.html . And have a great trip!

I also very much enjoyed the evensong.

The railway museum is great, but you probably aren't paying for a trip to York to learn about the history of British railroading. Mark it down a a half-day filler.

These are a few of my favorite things.
The National Railway Museum, The Minster and Evensong at the Minster, The Shambles, The Castle Museum, Walking the walls, A ghostly walk (this was really fun), tea at Bettys. There are two locations in York. I like the one at Stonegate. AND just walking around this beautiful city. The romantic in me once said I could happily end my days in York.

All these replies have me really excited about York. It sounds wonderful. Thanks for all the suggestions. I haven't written them down to take with me.

I HAVE written them down!