My wife and I are going to England in the summer and plan to spend a couple of weeks outside of London. (by car) I've noticed a lot of comments citing York as a great place to visit, but little information on what there is to do or see. I'd appreciate some feedback on what makes York such a great place to visit. Thanks!

Hi
I live a few miles away from York, and will try and answer your question.
For practical reasons York has good rail links with London (my husband works at least 2 days in central London, travels by rail from York and finds it works very well). Road links aren't bad either - straight up the Great Northern Road.
York is in North Yorkshire (stating the obvious maybe) but Yorkshire is beautiful and of great historic interest. If you travel by car do visit Fountains Abbey (www.fountainsabbey.org.uk) a World Heritage site and just amazing, and a short drive from York. York is a very good base to explore this part of the country, especially the Dales.
York itself has the Minster - to say this is an amazing building is an understatement. There are boat rides on the river, several very good museums to visit including a superb Railway Musuem (free entry!), tiny alleyways full of shops to explore, some first rate restaurants etc etc. York is easy on the eye, geared up for tourists and compact and therefore accessible by foot.
Yorkshire people are very open and friendly, and the food is wonderful (Yorkshire Pudding etc).
If you like horse-racing there are regular meetings at York racecourse.
The Yorkshire Tourist Board site is very good too.www.york-tourism.co.uk
Hope this helps.

1)The Cathedral is one of the best in the UK
2)A walk around the historic City walls is very enjoyable
3)It was once the capital of Viking England – check out the Jorvik Centre (sp)Although it origins are pre Roman
4)The historic centre offers numerous interesting buildings
5)Lots of other stuff

Try
www.york-tourism.co.uk
www.york.gov.uk
www.yorkshirevisitor.com
www.cityofyork.com
www.castlehoward.co.uk

You've forgotten about Betty's ;-)

Didn't mention Black Sheep beer either!!
www.blacksheepbrewery.com
Worth the trip for a pint of that.
M

York is one of my favourite towns in England. It is charming, beautiful and historic. The centre of town is surrounded by walls and 'gates' which are very interesting. Apart from the famous Minster I love the narrow streets where the top stories of buildings lean out over the lanes, the Jorvik centre, the castle ruin, the museums housed in the old prisons are very, very good and there is lovely atmoshere about the streets. We really enjoyed the shopping too.

All true - but you hear so much about York because it's an alleged "must see". People following the must see route taking advice from similar. There are loads of other places worth your attention - especially if you have wheels and 2 weeks.

I enjoyed the York Castle museum where you can walk down a Victorian Street and see fasinating exhibitions of everyday life from the past. Nearby Castle Howard is very impressive and the Yorkshire Dales and North York moors have some pretty villages and beautiful countryside.

..I think Morgana summarizxes my thoughts but I would add 2 of my other favorite things. One is to walk around the old walls in the am before breakfast. Secondly, York is near Durham. I think Durhasm is well worth the trip. The old city is lovely and compact and although the minster is magnificant, Durham Catherdral blew me away.

I agree with everyone else except to say that I think the Minster (cathedral) is one of the most impressive buildings I've seen anywhere, not just in the UK. Actually, I like it better than Westminster Abbey, which is what everyone says it is "second" to. Because the center is so well preserved you really get a sense of history there. Just very nice to spend several days walking around/ And York makes a good base for some nice day trips. We went to the coast - Robin Hood Bay and Whitby which were interesting, and the drive (at least in August) was through blooming heather as far as you could see. A lot of people mention Fountains Abbey but there is another huge abbey ruin, Riveaux Abbey that we visited as a day trip from York that was spectacular.

We liked basing ourselves in York and doing day trips rather than staying in some of the smaller towns around because when you got back to York at night there was more to do. It's certainly not like London, but there are plenty of pubs and restaurants and the town (and Minster) are beautifully lit at night making walks around the town after dark very pleasant.

Rievaulx Abbey and Terraces are in the care of the National Trust, as is Fountains Abbey. Fountains is very popular as the site also incorporates Studley Royal Water Gardens. The National Trust site (www.nationaltrust.org.uk) will give you full details of what properties they have in the York area, including the City itself.
As I live near York I sometimes go to concerts and recitals in the Minster. I recall going to Elgar's Dream of Gerontius - to listen to such wonderful music in such perfect surroundings is out of this world. Concert tickets are very cheap - Yorkshire County Council has a policy of keeping prices down for such events (unlike some other places I could mention!!). I don't think we paid more than £7 each. Maybe that is something you would be interested in? The Opera House in the city centre also has a varied bill.
M

Apologies - Rievaulx Abbey is owned by English Heritage. Rievaulx Temple and Terraces are National Trust.
M

Our family just visited York for the third time and spent a week there due to business. I agree with the previous posts and would add that it is a wonderful tourist destination within what seems like a real city. It combines these elements seamlessly. It also has some great pubs - The Maltings (with Black Sheep on handpump) was our favorite and we ate some excellent ethnic food as well including tapas at Jacks, Thai, and Italian. Over the course of 7 days we didn't get bored but continued to discover hidden attractions within the city. We also love the North York Moors and the villages north of York and on the Yorkshire coast.

I'm not going to get into this general discussion because, frankly, if some one can't figure out for themselves why York is worth visiting, they probably won't appreciate the place.

I am surprised that people are pushing Black Sheep beer as a York attraction. I agree it is a fine beer, but it is brewed in Masham and is widely available throughout northern England, if not farther afield. I first enjoyed it in its real beer form at a pub in Corbridge, and I can buy it bottled in my local liquor stores, some 3200 miles west of York.

York Brewery is located within the walls of York, and offer an excellent tour, with the opportunity to try a couple of their fine beers (Yorksire Terrier, Centurion's Ghost)in the brewery pub. They also have a couple of other pubs around town, including The Last Drop Inn and The Three Legged Mare.

My tongue was firmly in my cheek when I mentioned Black Sheep beer - but if you look at my post again I referred the original poster to the website itself. They do a very interesting tour of the brewery (with sampling of course!) and the food in the Bistro is very good too. Plus Masham is a nice small town and is close to Jervaulx Abbey and Middleham Castle, as well as being near Ripon and Fountains. A tour of these places would make a lovely day out and gives chance to see a bit of the beautiful Yorkshire countryside.

Isabel I agree with you about the MInster,,,she is my very favorite building too! We went to Evensong there and it was THE highlight of my trip! I just LOVE York!!!!! Don't forget the gorgeous Castle Howard as a day trip as Jim steel said.

Well if we're going to mention beer, I prefer Theakston's Old Peculiar (not a reflection on my character, I hope) - tongue firmly licking lips!!

Although I grew up in England, we'd never been to York till our daughter was doing a year at the Uni there.

We loved York: most memorable moments, in different ways, include a walk round the city walls with a local guide who was a history buff; tea at Betty's; and best of all, Sunday Evensong in the Minster -- listening to the wonderful choir singing Psalm 150 as they processed out, the sound fading gradually away. We were all spellbound by the simplicity and beauty of that moment.

Gee, I was hoping I would be the first to mention the York Brewery. The beer is excellent. The Stocking Filler Christmas Ale this year was fantastic.

Let's not forget that other little brewery right up the road, Samuel Smith's in Tadcaster. It's a shame that you can't find the Taddy Porter on tap anywhere. I bought a bottle at the small shop next door and it was wonderful.

Every time I've walked the streets of York there is a feeling of going back in time. Walking through the Shambles and stopping at the end to have a pint at the Golden Fleece (built in 1503 I think) is a great experience. Of course, be sure to hit the Last Drop Inn for some of the good stuff from the York Brewery.

Bill

Wow, I forgot to mention that our flat was 2 blocks from the York Brewery original tap. We also visited all their tied pubs in York and enjoyed a fair amount of York beer in other York pubs. We've been fans of their beer since our first visit to the brewery pub back in 98.

And you're right, I can get Blacksheep Ale in the States, but it's harder to get some of their other flavors and as my husband says it just tastes better in England.

While we're talking about Yorkshire breweries, we also enjoy the Cropton brewery. We can occasionally get it in the States, but again, nothing like sitting at the New Inn in Cropton.