FromAtlanta

The problem with planning well in advance (My trip is in May) is that the more you research, the more you find things you want to do.

Now I am determined to miraculously find a few days to visit York. The town itself is very small (all though packed with attractions) so not having a car is no problem there ... but I keep reading about this Castle Howard. Could I get there by bus? Is it really worth it?

I also hear York is famous for its tea rooms. Which one shouldn't be missed?

Eloise

Here's a link to a fairly recent thread about getting to Castle Howard:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...p;tid=34513551

Kayb95

Castle Howard is a very nice tour. Here's what they say about getting there on their website <b>www.castlehoward.co.uk</b>

<i>HOW TO FIND US

By Car ? Easy Access from the A1, M1 and M62. 15 miles north-east of York, just off the A64. Follow the brown and white tourist signs By Bus ? Public transport with Yorkshire Coastliner (01653 692556), the Moorbus Network (0870 608 2608), or with eddie Brown Tours (01904 640760) By Train ? From York or Scarborough to Malton. Taxis available at the station (01653 696969)</i>

FromAtlanta

Thanks!
Believe it or not, I DID do a search on here for York (So I'm glad no one rolled their eyes at me and told me I should do a search LOL!) ... That is why I wrote this thread in the 1st place. I read the first 15 threads and they all mentioned Castle Howard! (But didn't read any threads about how to get there -except the one that said &quot;if you rent a car...&quot

Anyway, I really appreciate your help! I am glad I can get there easily. Looks very nice!

Now, if you want to give me advice on York itself, that will be nice too. (How many days do I need? Is 2 enough?)

usbeauty

I will be in York August 29-30, so will give logistical details in my trip report.

jay

Do you have a place to stay? We stayed at the York Backpackers hostel which was very nice and very inexpensive. The train museum is also cool. York is a very cool city. I think we also did the viking museum and i remember that to be pretty hoaky. have fun.

Elizabeth

I went to York this May and I loved it.

Tea Rooms - Betty's is the famous one and so maybe you'd like to see it - though it's expensive - I think it's worth a visit if you're content to pay to enjoy the atmosphere. Otherwise I'd ask a gueathouse proprietor.

I stayed at the Warrens and I completley recommend it. I found out about it here. Bed and breakfast, not expensive, in walking distance of the town, and the proprietors are great and know anything you'd want to know.

Most people don't put the Viking place high on their list, unless maybe you've got kids to entertain.

I think 2 days is fine, one for doing things on foot in York itself, the other for going out to Castle Howard. You also might want to visit a ruined abbey, like Fountains Abbey (I saw that one) or Rievaulx (some people's favorite.

If I were going again and without a car, I'd look for day-trips to take me to a few places in Yorkshire, including C. Howard, as it's wonderful.

I do think Castle HOward is worth it. Rent Brideshead , the British TV dramatizaion of the novel, to get in the mood (it was shot there).

USNR

A number of years ago, I played hooky from a boring lineup of business appointments in London and took a cheap return ticket out of Euston Station to York.

York gave me of the brightest memories I have of that lackluster business trip and one I will always treasure.

Wandered from the railway station over to the wonderful nearby British Railways museum for an hour, walked the ancient walls 'round the center of town, had lunch in a pub, spent another hour in the Cathedral (Minster) with its enormous stained glass wall, walked through The Shambles, the oldest section of the city. Did not have time to go out to Castle Howard but it's only a short bus ride or cab away. To me, it represented architectural ugliness and runaway personal excess in a time when most people in England were being semi-starved by the Industrial Revolution's impact on rural life. &quot;Brideshead Revisited&quot; glamorized the building but told the audience nothing of its true cost.

Since I was there, an entire Viking village has been discovered and excavated within the town of York -- and I understand it is extremely worthwhile.

York is a lovely place and I guarantee you will have a great time if you just slow down and soak in its atmosphere.

If you can, check around and see if there is a tour of the Yorkshire Dales. You may have seen that countryside in &quot;All Things Great and Small&quot; on TV.

FromAtlanta

I am getting some good replies!

I couldn't sleep last night and I was thinking about Castle Howard...I don't think I'm going to go. I looked at their website and they kept stressing how this is an actual family home...and then you read that they have 2 cafeterias inside the &quot;castle.&quot; I don't know many people who have restaurants in their home - it kind of turned me off. I am sure it is beautiful and all that, but to be honest, that really isn't my thing anyway. (although the pictures did look very lovely)

I want to spend most of my time walking around and just soaking up the city (like USNR) - I know I DEFINITELY want to go to the Castle museum (that IS my kind of thing!) and I want to take a boat ride. The Shambles sound great (and I see they have some street markets! )

LOL! Thanks for the heads up on the Viking Museum (Jarvik?) I looked it up online and it reminds me of this really stupid place I went to in London (Tower Hill) I'll pass. I'm sure I can find more deserving places to waste my money

Good recommendations on B&amp;Bs. Thanks. Can anyone recommend any other tea rooms besides Betty's? If York is famous for its tea rooms, why is it that I ONLY hear about Betty's (I was looking at a Rick Steves book from 2002 and he did the same thing. Only Betty's is mentioned) In my experience, once a place gets that much recognition, the service suffers. I want the real deal - not just a touristy place.

I am getting excited now. I am glad I decided to go to York!

RB1

I think you will enjoy York, it is a wonderful small town - if you plan it well, you can accomodate most of the attractions (I never say all, although we did enjoy all the attractions on our list), including walking and as you said &quot;soaking up the city&quot; in one day. We even got to see the viking village and the Tower - quite a walk from the Minster (which we climbed). We got a restaurant recommendation from some locals we met on the way as a great place, and had a lovely time in the evening. (It is extremely helpful to have a list of all the must-sees, the second tier attractions and all their hours). I would second the recommendations to see Castle Howard and Fountain Abbey on the second day. We have the most amazing memories from there. We rented a car and got to Castle Howard early, as the gardens open before the house. It was the most beautiful day and the grounds were so lush! I remember being amazed from the vivid colors and beautiful surroundings. Just getting to the countryside and exploring rural England was a welcoming change. They do have a cafeteria inside the house, we bought our lunch and enjoyed it outside, as we watched the peacocks walking by (I had the best salad there). The house itself I remember less vividly, but I don't rememeber being disappointed. Of course, it also depends on the weather and your mood at the time. You could keep it as an alternative plan for day two, if you feel like exploring the countryside that day.

SELees

I haven't been to York in many years, but our time there is etched in my memory. This, for me, was REALLY England. The minster is amazing, th tour was good, and we made a point of going to the Evensong service - the entire service is sung by the boys choir. Having been raised Episcopalian, it was meaningful. My husband, the agnostic, appreciated the music, history and surroundings. We stayed in a B&amp;B in one of the &quot;bars,&quot; which is part of the wall itself. It may have been the Monk Bar B&amp;B, I'm not sure. Very quaint and good value. We had tea at a place right outside the minster - a great place to people watch. The York Castle Museum was interesting, too. We went out to Castle Howard and wouldn't need to do that again. Hope this helps - it really brings back great memories!

m_kingdom2

Go to Harrogate - the original, and best Betty's Tearooms is there - charming spa town, awful shops, but let's face it, you're not there for shopping!

janis

FromAtlanta - you really need to re-think your ideas. Almost EVERY stately home, castle, museum, historic monument, park and tourist area in the country has at least one restaurant on the premises. Otherwise where would expect to be able to eat? You can't just step out the front door of Castle howard and walk into a nice little tea shop. It is a long ways from the nearest village and your visit will take a long time. You'd starve if there wasn't a cafe/restaurant.

It is not as though there is a Denney's sitting in the front garden or anything

Kayb95

I can't think of any castle, manor house, National Trust property, etc... that doesn't at least have a cafe. True, a traditional manor house wouldn't have had a restaurant for tourists, but some things had to change when they opened the houses to the public.

The cafes and restaurants are usually discreetly tucked away at the backs of the houses. Afterall, many of the houses are still occupied by the families and they don't want to spoil the ambiance of their homes. It's definitely not like having the golden arches in the front yard.

FromAtlanta

Janis,

I understand what you are saying ... but it isn't just that. There are a lot of other reasons. - In short, I just don't think I want to spend the money on something I might not enjoy that much. I mean yes, the grounds look GORGEOUS, but I have been to Hampton Court and Buckingham Palace ... it's just not me. - I might change my mind.

mkingdom2, I have never heard of Harrogate. Is it near York? (I guess I better do a web search) - I just don't want to go somewhere for a tearoom.

m_kingdom2

It's relatively near, same county, same motorway etcetera. In my opinion it's more interesting than York. It's a town built around it's healing waters. Lot's of pleasant architecture, and historic places to visit. The tearoom there is far superior to the one in York. The area itself is more attractive too. Besides its Minster, York isn't worth bothering with.

FromAtlanta

Has anyone stayed at the Avondale Guest House?

looks great!

Fi_UK

FromAtlanta, please disregard m_kingdom2?s comments ? if you are not to have a car, it will be a drag getting to Harrogate, although I agree it is an interesting little town. However not nearly as much to see or do as York, as you are probably already aware of and hence why you want to come here to this wonderful city.

As for tea rooms, I have a few different suggestions, the first is a tiny tea room to the rear of a gorgeous little gift/card shop called Daisy Taylors in Kings Square. Not expensive and fairly ordinary but a nice setting in a tiny courtyard in the rear of the shop and also a good excuse for browsing the shop on the way in and out.

The other is a tea room in the famous ?Shambles.? I think its called something like the English Tea Room. A new shop just opened in the Shambles is a chocolate shop where you can see them making the chocolates in the room behind which has a window onto the street - seems very popular with lots of tourists lining the window drooling! Final suggestion is the National Trust Tea Room, Goodramgate (briits located practically in the shadow of the Minster and has a pretty good National Trust gift shop on site also)Hope this helps some.

Fi_UK

Sorry, started add comment then forgot to edit - meant to say brilliant location, its practically in the shadow....

Hosehead

Don't think I did Castle Howard (I enjoy castle ruins and am less inclined toward &quot;stately homes&quot.

Have to agree that Jorvik was not as much as I had hoped but is quick and you can see actual lumber supports from an old viking village.

What I remember enjoying the most was walking the anchient city walls. I also quite enjoyed the yorkshire museum.