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Why we love York

Small and mighty – York is the medieval walled city that really packs a punch. Its backdrop of medieval lanes, Snickelways, and even a shopping street that dates back to the Domesday Book, means this compact city is packed with stuff to see.  Check out the impressive 2,000-year-old Gothic halls of its cathedral which could fit in the Leaning Tower of Pisa, or the ridiculously pretty 13th century timbered streets of The Shambles. Take a punt on the horses at its world-famous race course, check out its masses of museums and sample a food scene that spans from Michelin stars to shipping containers. Wash it down with the world’s first carbon-negative gin, or escape to nearby sites as awesome as the city itself.

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Carbon-negative gin tour

Explore the world’s first carbon-negative gin distillery and take a tasting tour at York’s Cooper King .

natalieandtheloves

Bring out the train driver in you

See the world’s fastest steam locomotive, the Mallard. Discover how high-speed rail travel began and experience the tough life of a working station at York Railway Museum .   

Scare yourself silly at York Dungeon

Discover a grizzly 2000 Years of York’s darkest history as you see, hear and smell the cities murky past. Come face-to-face with Vikings and their Saxon enemies in an adult theatrical tours.

Things to do in York

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Jorvik Viking Centre

Journey through Viking past and discover what life was like in 10th century York at Jorvik Viking Centre.

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York Minster

Marvel at one of Britain’s most majestic cathedrals, York Minster, a medieval masterpiece.

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The Shambles

Walk around York’s famous Shambles, the medieval shopping street that looks like it’s straight out of Harry Potter.

National Railway Museum York

From steam locomotives to the dawn of diesel, interactive family-fun and more, discover how the railways shaped modern Britain.

York City Walls

Follow a trail along York’s famous Roman City Walls – the longest town walls in England and take in views of this historic city.

VisitBritain/Andrew Pickett

Roots, York

Tuck into a tasting menu from a twenty-acre farm.

York's Chocolate Story

See expert chocolatiers at work, and have a go at creating your own cocoa masterpieces too!

York Castle Museum

Covering 400 years of history, this living museum offers craft workshops, theatre shows and more.

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Unique York Walking Tours - Invisible Cities

This fantastic social initiative has transformed countless lives, and is a great way to get to know York.

The York Dungeon

With ten live-action shows, professional storytellers and atmospheric sets, this is like travelling through time!

Yorkshire Photo Walks

Sharpen your photography skills while exploring York’s history, nature and neighbourhoods on these expert-led workshops.

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McArthurGlen Designer Outlet York

Love designer fashions at discount prices? Browse Levi’s, Coach, Paul Smith, Ted Baker and more.

McArthur Glen York Designer Outlet

Antiques Centre York

This incredible emporium features more than 120 antiques dealers and traders – all under one roof.

Maybe you’ll climb the ‘Volcorno’, hit the ‘Cobstacle’ Course, or go climbing on the ‘Corn-wall’?

Rowntree Park

This picturesque city-centre park is ideal for picnics, and is free-of-charge to enjoy.

Ian Lamond / Alamy Stock Photo

York Racecourse

Horse racing highlights include the Dante Festival (May), John Smith’s Cup (July) and the season finale (October).

Holy Trinity Church

Look out for the plaque commemorating 19th-century diarist Anne Lister, who was known as “Gentleman Jack”.

Ian Roscoe / Alamy Stock Photo

York Art Gallery

Maybe you’ll join a photography walk, give painting a go, or try a life-drawing workshop?

Merchant Adventurers' Hall

An atmospheric setting for live music and entertainment, which offers guided behind-the-scenes tours too.

Merchants Hall York

Hidden Gems Food Crawl

A must-try for all foodies, and a great way to get under the skin of this vibrant city.

Tours in a Dish

Raise a pint or two with friends, and check the website to see what’s on during your visit.

Matthew Curtis

Yorkshire Heart Vineyard & Brewery

Sip wines made from grapes grown in Yorkshire, and beers brewed from quality local hops and malts.

Yorkshire Heart Vineyard

Original Harry Potter Locations Tour - York

Explore the real-life inspiration behind Diagon Alley, and visit a Potter-themed potion shop…

Getty Images/Joe Daniel Price

Science Museum Group/Eleanor Bentall

The biggest LGBTQIA+ event in North Yorkshire, this annual festival takes place every June.

Grand Opera House York

From West End musicals and opera performances, to world-famous ballets: this historic theatre has it all.

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York Early Music Festival

Discover the sounds of days gone by, with soul-stirring historic concerts and choral ensembles.

Ben Puch/National Centre for Early Music

The Bloody Tour of York

With “Mad Alice” as your tour guide, you’ll learn all about York’s fascinating and ghoulish history.

Clifford’s Tower

Old meets new at this York heritage hotspot, with incredible rooftop views over the city skyline.

English Heritage/Dominic Lipinski

The Ghost Bus Tours York

A horror-themed bus trip with plenty of laughs: this is one ghoulish city tour!

Paul Ridsdale / Alamy Stock Photo

Breezy Knees Gardens

Enjoy a walk in this spectacular garden, with its statuesque fountains, flowering borders and towering conifers.

Breezy Knees Garden

River Ouse Cruise

See York from a fresh perspective on a 45-minute sightseeing cruise along the peaceful River Ouse.

Sergii Figurnyi / Alamy Stock Photo

Maybe you’ll catch an outdoor film screening, join a craft workshop, or try a reflexology treatment?

Robert Lazenby / Alamy Stock Photo

Coppergate Shopping Centre

This central retail quarter features the likes of Primark, The Body Shop, Fenwick and Flying Tiger.

Goodramgate

Known as the “independent heart of York”, this vibrant quarter is home to boutique shops and quirky cafés.

Jack Cousin / Alamy Stock Photo

Askham Bryan Wildlife & Conservation Park

Meet meerkats, tortoises, alpacas, otters and more – and get even closer on a wildlife experience day.

Planet Food

Love food, but hate waste? So does this weekly community café, which offers a ‘Pay-As-You-Feel brunch / lunch.

Matthew Lightfoot

Featured things to do

Up to the heights

Discover the newly reopened Clifford’s Tower after its £5 million facelift to transform this 800-year-old landmark and drink in the 360-degree views of the city.

Whether you take a river boat cruise and enjoy afternoon tea or hop onboard a Red Boat and become the skipper of your own boat, the River Ouse is a pretty relaxing way to take in the city.

invisiblacitiestours

Take a walking tour

Walking tours run by homeless people who literally know the streets inside out, means you can give something back. All money raised from Invisible York Tours helps support the homeless.

Discover the history of chocolate

Learn how three clever families of Rowntree’s, Terry’s and Cravens made York a chocolate capital, create a bar of your own at York’s Chocolate Story.

Places to stay in York

City centre.

This is the best part of town and the centre of York’s beauty, but you’ll have to compete with other visitors for a spot in this small and popular city.

Perfect for reaching the nearby attractions - and the best museums, landmarks and activities long with a good choice of pubs and places to eat are all here.

This is great for those on a budget, it’s largely residential area, and relatively quiet. You can easily walk to the centre from here - and more likely to experience the locals going about their everyday lives.

Explore nearby

A hotbed for shopping and the arts, you’ll find lots to explore in Leeds.

VisitBritain/Thomas Heaton

Yorkshire Dales

Proof that perfection can’t be rushed, the Yorkshire Dales was millions of years in-the-making.

VisitBritain/MattCant

North York Moors

Rugged yet beautiful, wild yet welcoming – the North York Moors National Park is full of surprises.

Getting to York

Located in the heart of North Yorkshire, York’s nearest airport is Leeds-Bradford. Located 30 miles from the city centre, the airport operates flights to and from 70 destinations worldwide.

Getting around York

York is easily accessible from around Britain. Hop on a direct train from London, Manchester or Edinburgh, and be there in just two hours. It’s absolutely best explored on foot, or bike, but the city does have excellent public transport connections. Check out iTravelYork’s handy guide gives you all the information you need on travel within the city

It takes just 20 minutes to get from the outskirts to the city centre by bike, making cycling one of the easiest and most fun ways to access places to visit in York. You’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to the choice in bike tours. 

York’s winding cobbled streets are best explored by foot. In fact, it takes just 20 minutes to walk from one side of the city to the other – a small city with an eyeful of sites. There’s also lots tours and guided walks .

First Bus run regular services throughout York and offer a range of money-saving tickets in addition to accepting contactless payments on all routes, for fast and convenient travel.

Outside of York

Looking to visit attractions outside of York? Coastliner operates regular services to nearby destinations including bustling Leeds and the quirky coastal town of Whitby.

Want to know more?

Check out Visit York for top insider tips and travel inspiration.

The 11 best things to do in York on your next visit

Jan 1, 2022 • 7 min read

A narrow laneway of 'The Shambles', which is a centre piece of historic York © Chris Lawrence Travel/Shutterstock

With its Roman and Viking history, and hurly-burly medieval core, York is one of England’s must-see cities. Don’t be fooled, though, this isn’t a place stuck in the past. Its walkable center is filled with indie restaurants , quirky shops and inventive drinking dens – a testament to York’s vibrant present-day pulse.  

Arrive at the handsome station (it’s around two hours from London) and dive into our suggestions of the best things to do in York; you’ll soon be swept off your feet by the city’s picture-postcard sights as well as its fun, maverick side. 

Let York Minster draw your gaze towards the heavens

One of York’s great treats is how often, when turning a cobblestone corner or squeezing down an age-old alley, you bump into its soaring cathedral, York Minster . Renowned as one of the world’s medieval Gothic masterpieces, it’s worth getting up close to the interior craftsmanship. Here you’ll find 700-year-old vaulted ceilings and nose-picking gargoyles illuminated by the building’s 128 stained-glass windows.

A trip to the interactive museum in the undercroft reveals details of York’s 2000-year-old history and its tower reaches dizzying heights above the city's rooftops. You can climb to the top for some stunning views of York but be warned – the ancient stairwells are claustrophic and those with a fear of heights should probably stick to admiring the stained-glass windows from the inside.

Step back in time in the Shambles

One of the best-preserved medieval streets in Europe, many of the Shambles’ wonky timber-framed houses date back to the 15th century. Despite its much-photographed charm, this street once housed the city’s butchers and slaughterhouses. The overhanging buildings, which in places almost kiss above the narrow cobbled lane, were designed to shelter shelves of meat from the sun. Nowadays, it’s worth visiting to briefly become part of the hubbub and browse the eccentric collection of independent shops. Slip down an alleyway for lunch in Shambles Market .

Hunt for ghosts

With a centuries-old history littered with turmoil and treachery, it’s little wonder York has a penchant for ghost stories. Even skeptics will be hard-pressed not to enjoy one of the city’s highly rated ghost walks. Led by knowledgeable performers, The Bloody Tour of York , Shadows of York , and The Deathly Dark Ghost Tour all promise plenty of macabre fun. Like your phantoms a little more tangible? As an antidote to mass-produced knickknacks, York Ghost Merchants sell diminutive handcrafted spooks from its theatrical shop on the Shambles.    

Spot trains at the National Railway Museum

Until the 1960s, the vast exhibition halls of the free-to-enter National Railway Museum were part of York’s busy railway works. Now they tell the story of extraordinary engineering feats and house gleaming locomotives and plush royal carriages. Young rail enthusiasts will delight in discovering you can climb aboard many of the exhibits, including a Japanese bullet train. For a small charge, take a ride on the world’s fastest steam locomotive. You can explore more of North Yorkshire and beyond by train if the idea of gazing upon beautiful countryside from the comfort of a reclining seat is right up your track.

Head down the pub for a quick drink (or two) 

Famed for its diverse drinking dens, it would seem rude not to pop into one of York’s many pubs. Some of the city’s oak-paneled taverns have been serving up booze since Tudor times, although if you want to time warp back to the 12th century, take a pew at the House of the Trembling Madness on Stonegate. For a more contemporary feel, and a selection of 40 taps, there’s Brew York’s mural-festooned beer hall. Fancy a pint with a view? At the Lamb and Lion Inn , you can spy the Minster from the beer garden; the King’s Arms overlooks the meandering River Ouse. 

Walk the city walls

Perfect for history buffs, couples and snoopers alike, a stroll along York’s City Walls allows you to peer down onto timeworn snickleways (alleyways) and courtyard gardens from atop the longest medieval ramparts in England. Free to walk, and containing four grand ‘bars’ or gates to the city, these 13th-century fortifications are, in fact, the new kids on the block; the Roman walls lie underneath, protruding briefly in York’s tranquil Museum Gardens . 

It takes a couple of hours to wander the 3.4-kilometer loop, peeping through arrowslits and digesting information boards. You can even pause for a flat white at the cafe within the cannon-scarred Walmgate Bar. Alternatively, ramble a shorter section; the portion between Bootham and Monk bars has superb Minster views. 

York Art Gallery offers Old Masters, modern wonders and ceramics

York Art Gallery offers a welcome respite from the city clamor. The main exhibitions are free to admire; in The Burton Gallery, artworks by Italian Old Masters rub shoulders with 20th-century abstract paintings. Look out for L.S Lowry’s depiction of York’s handsome Clifford’s Tower surrounded by his distinctive matchstick mob. The real draw, though, is the gallery’s Centre for Ceramic Art . Here, prehistoric pots through to glazed delftware are curated to form a 17-meter-long ceramic rainbow. 

Learn more about Vikings and Victorians at York’s museums

Championing immersive experiences long before that was a thing, York’s museums excel at transporting you into the past. At the JORVIK Viking Centre , you’re treated to a smells-and-all ride through the cultural melting pot that was 10th-century York. The animatronic dioramas are based on evidence unearthed while excavating the Viking settlement below the building. 

At the York Castle Museum , visitors are likewise encouraged to see artifacts in context: cue a stroll down a dimly lit Victorian Street and hear what life was like for captured highwayman Dick Turpin in the cell that held him (the building was once York’s notorious prison). 

For a more refined slice of history, the Fairfax House is a rarified gem. Padding through this restored Georgian townhouse gives a glimpse into the lives of 18th-century gentlefolk, as well as a few lessons in interior design. Touring the Treasurer’s House , on the other hand, feels like falling down a rabbit hole into a curious oversized doll’s house, filled with furnishings through the ages.

Enjoy afternoon tea

York has no shortage of places to dine on dainty sandwiches and cream-laden scones, washed down with a fragrant brew. At The Grand , tiers of nibbles are served in 5-star surroundings, whereas afternoon tea at Forest at Galtres Lodge involves a tea pairing menu and miniature Yorkshire puddings. It’s even possible to enjoy a sophisticated cuppa aboard a restored train carriage at the National Railway Museum. 

Most locals, though, would cry sacrilege if Bettys wasn’t on your list of locations to sate a mid-afternoon peckishness. Be prepared to queue, but wolfing down one of their fat rascal fruit scones amid scurrying, white-aproned staff is something of a York rite of passage. 

Get a taste for York’s chocolate past

While other northern cities were busy with textiles and steel, York’s Victorian industrialists were building confectionary empires; Kit-Kat and Terry’s Chocolate Orange were both created in the city’s sweet-smelling factories. 

While not inexpensive, York’s Chocolate Story does a good job at immersing visitors in this history: the interactive tour includes plenty of toothsome treats. At York Cocoa House there are workshops and tasting tours. This independent factory aims to carry the baton for York’s chocolate heritage, with a modern-day focus on eco-conscious and fair-trade practices. 

Sample street food at Spark:York

It’s hard not to fall for Spark:York’s inclusive community feel. This split-level market, created from brightly daubed shipping containers, brings together local indie restaurants and bars on a once disused civic space. Groups can mix and match their orders, choosing from hand-stretched pizzas, incredible fried chicken, and plant-based tacos and burgers. Kids will love the ice-cream cookie sandwiches served by Melk ; their parents may opt for a craft beer. 

You might also like:  Yorkshire's best castles, cathedrals and stately homes Gin, rum and vodka: Yorkshire’s best distillery experiences Say cheese! How the Yorkshire Dales are reviving cheesemaking traditions  

This article was first published Oct 11, 2021 and updated Jan 1, 2022.

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Visit York Information Centre

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VISIT YORK INFORMATION CENTRE: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

• Sun - Sun 10:00 - 16:00
• Mon - Sat 09:00 - 17:00
• (0.01 mi) Stylish and most centre 2 bed city centre apartment
• (0.10 mi) The Fort York
• (0.07 mi) York - Popeshead Court A Gem in the Heart of York!
• (0.06 mi) Judges Court Hotel
• (0.08 mi) Beautiful Loft apartment in the city centre, perfect location for visiting York
• (0.00 mi) Patisserie Valerie
• (0.01 mi) Costa Coffee - Parliament Street
• (0.01 mi) Wine Stories
• (0.02 mi) Stam and Maria Greek Corner Cafe
• (0.02 mi) Pizza Express

York Travel Guide (including essential travel tips, itinerary + map)

By: Author Tracy Collins

Posted on Last updated: December 6, 2022

Our York Travel Guide includes recommended places to visit and things to do, accommodation options, tips and more for one of the most beautiful of England’s cities. Everything you need to plan your visit and essential reading for any visitor to York!

PLAN YOUR TRIP TO YORK

Located in the county of Yorkshire York is a popular city for visitors from around the globe. With a historical legacy from the Romans and Vikings and medieval streets of cobblestones, this walled city is the perfect place for a weekend visit or to break the journey by train from London to Edinburgh .

If you are visiting York you will find everything you need to plan your trip in this guide plus information about the county of Yorkshire.

What you will find in this complete York Travel Guide

Map of York

Things to do in York (and Yorkshire)

Discover the best things to see and do in York with my guide to the city, itinerary suggestions plus guide to the best day trips from York.

THINGS TO DO IN YORK

YORKSHIRE TRAVEL GUIDE

BEST DAY TRIPS & TOURS FROM YORK

Places to visit in York include

York Minster

The Shambles

National Railway Museum

JORVIK Viking Centre

Clifford’s Tower

York City Walls

York Castle Museum

York’s Chocolate Story

Bettys Tea Rooms

Listen to our Podcast about visiting York

Accommodation in york.

BEST PLACES TO STAY IN YORK

Find more accommodation options in my Accommodation Guide for England.

How to get to York from London

York is easily accessible from London. If you are based in the capital there are a number of options to get to the city.

Option 1 – By car

York is located 200 miles to the north of London.

Plan at least 4 hours to drive between the 2 cities (this will vary depending on traffic but it can be a busy route). Other English cities you will pass along the way are Leicester, Nottingham, Sheffield and Leeds.

Directions can be found here.

If you are planning a short day trip to York I recommend parking in one of the Park & Ride car parks and taking the free bus into the city.

Option 2: By train

York is easy to reach by train from any major city in the UK.

York train station is a 10 minute walk from the centre of the city.

The trip takes an average of 3 hours from London and 2 hours from Edinburgh

It is possible to take a direct train from London to York. Click here for train times and tickets.

Option 3: By bus

It is possible to take a bus from Victoria Coach Station to York. The journey takes approximately 6 hours.

This is the cheapest way to travel to York from London though so if you are on a budget this may be your best option. Click here for coach times and prices from National Express.

Read more – Complete transportation guide to the UK

Experiences, tickets and tours in York

With so many things to do and places to visit in York I recommend planning your itinerary and purchasing tours, tickets and experiences as soon as you can to avoid disappointment especially during the busy summer months.

A York city pass is a great option and includes entrance to 25 popular York attractions including the JORVIK Viking Centre, York Minster, York Castle Museum, York’s Chocolate Story. Click for more information about the York City Pass.

• River Ouse City Cruise – Spend a relaxing hour on the River Ouse and see the sights of York from a different perspective.
• York’s Chocolate Story: Guided Tour – Explore York’s chocolate history and learn about the origins of chocolate and about York’s founding confectionery families.
• York Minster and City Walking Tour – This 2-hour walking tour provides you with fantastic insights into the most historic and world-famous sites in York. Start with the Romans then explore the ‘Snickelways’ of York and complete your tour at the magical York Minster.

> Click here for more tickets and tours in York

Best Yorkshire day trips from York

York is the perfect base to explore the surrounding Yorkshire countryside, seaside towns along England’s eastern coast, areas of natural beauty and places of historical significance.

The Yorkshire Dales, the coastal town of Whitby, the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Saltaire, Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden are all easy day trips from York.

If you are considering hiring a car and taking a day trip from York these are my top 5 destinations to consider:

• Castle Howard
• Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden

Read more: 10 best places to visit in Yorkshire

If you prefer to join an organised day trip from York these are just some of the destinations you can explore. *

(*Find more suggestions in my article which focuses on ALL the best day trips and tours from York)

• The Yorkshire Dales day tour from York
• The Bronte’s Parsonage Tour
• Steam train, Whitby and North Yorkshire Moors

Where to eat in York

There are many wonderful teahouses, cafes, gastropubs and restaurants in York.

Betty’s Tea Rooms

No visit to York is complete without a visit to Bettys Tea Rooms. Open since 1936 the beautiful interiors are inspired by the Queen Mary liner.

Visit for afternoon tea and sample the delights of Bettys for yourself.

Where – 6-8 St. Helen’s Square York YO1 8QP

Shambles Market

Enjoy York’s growing street food scene at the Shambles Market. There are plenty of options to suit all tastes including Indian, Thai, Mexican.

Don’t miss the burritos from Smokehouse which are priced from just £6.50.

Where – The Shambles Market, 5 Silver St, York YO1 8RY

Tips for visiting York & Yorkshire

• If you want to see the highlights of York consider joining this best of York guided walking tour or take the hop-on hop-off bus around the city.
• If York is just one of the places you wish to visit in Yorkshire don’t underestimate the size of the county! It is England’s largest county and is roughly half the size of Belgium. It can be divided into 4 smaller areas – North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, East Yorkshire and South Yorkshire.
• There are are some large cities in Yorkshire such as York, Leeds, Sheffield, Bradford and Ripon but also lots of charming towns and villages too.
• The Yorkshire Dales National Park covers thousands of square miles (in fact most of the county) and includes moors, valleys, hills, waterfalls and villages within its boundaries.
• There are numerous hiking trails in the park including the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail, Yorkshire Three Peaks and Malham Cove and Gordale Scar. If you are planning a hike ensure you prepare thoroughly.
• There are two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in North Yorkshire which are the Howardian Hills and Nidderdale.
• Our guide to 19 of the best day trips in Yorkshire has lots of great ideas too.

Tips for driving in Yorkshire

• If you are planning to hire a car and drive in Yorkshire it is important to pick the right rental car. In rural areas the roads may be single lane with no central line so don’t choose a large SUV or saloon car if there are only 2 of you.
• If you wish to stop to admire the views ensure it is safe to do so.
• In winter the weather conditions can change rapidly and snow can often make the roads impassable. There may also be no mobile signal in more isolated spots so ensure you share your travel plans before setting out.
• If you prefer to avoid driving there are a number of tours which you can join to enjoy the sights of the Yorkshire Dales.
• While there are 15 public car parks available around the city of York I recommend accessing one of the 6 Park & Ride services which allow you to park for free in a secure car park and complete your journey into the city by bus. You can find out more about this scheme here .

Books to read about York

More uk travel guides.

• 10 Places to visit in Yorkshire
• Things to do in Whitby
• Peak District Travel Guide
• Chester Travel Guide
• Liverpool Travel Guide
• Durham Travel Guide

Looking for more inspiration for your travels in England? Check out my England Travel Planning Guide which has loads of ideas, tips and resources to plan your itinerary.

York in the Palm of Your Hand

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25+ York & Beyond Attractions

York has attractions for all tastes, from family fun to spooky scares! venture beyond York to explore more of Yorkshire

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Top york & beyond attractions.

York Cocoa Works

Bedern Hall

Golden Tours York

Van Gogh Immersive Experience

Yorkshire Museum

The Yorkshire Arboretum

Yorkshire Allied Air Forces Memorial Museum

York Minster

York Cold War Bunker

York Castle Museum

York Army Museum

Treasurer’s House

The York Dungeon

Scampston Walled Garden

The Roman Bath Museum York

The City Walls Experience

North Yorkshire Moors Railway

National Railway Museum – Road Train

National Centre for Birds of Prey

Merchant Adventurers’ Hall

York Mansion House

JORVIK Viking Centre

Fairfax House

DIG: An Archaeological Adventure

Clifford’s Tower

York City Sightseeing

City Cruises York

Castle Howard

The Bar Convent

Captain Cook Museum Whitby

Beningbrough

Barley Hall

Suggested itineraries​.

Iconic York One Day

Only in York for the day? York’s iconic attractions are all just a short walk from each other – marvel at the magnificent York Minster, discover York’s fascinating Viking legacy at the JORVIK Viking Centre and tour the city with City Sightseeing.

York's Grisly Past Two Day

Staying a bit longer & live and breathe over 2,000 years of York’s darkest history at York Dungeon! Enjoy Georgian York whilst exploring Fairfax House and, then, spend the afternoon just outside of the city at the Yorkshire Air Museum

Travel Beyond York Three Day

On your third day in York take a trip beyond the city to Castle Howard. Here you will find a magnificent Historic House, stunning landscaped gardens, large children’s adventure playground, cafes and a shop.

What People are Saying

Please note that attraction opening hours may vary across the winter period – full details are available on the relevant attraction pages

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Come and Dream in the City That Never Sleeps

“The City that Never Sleeps” is a city that needs no introduction, of course. The Statue of Liberty has not moved, Central Park still stretches from 59th street to 110th Street (between Fifth and Eighth Avenues), and the Museum of Natural History still stands more or less across the park from the Guggenheim Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in Upper West and Upper East sides respectively, and the Empire State Building is still there, towering over Fifth Avenue at 34th Street.

However, even for regular visitors, things do change …

Editors’ Hotel Picks

Five Star Hotels

Luxurious Hotels. These are hotels that offer only large, luxurious to elegant guest accommodations and the pinnacle of service by any standard, often with opulent restaurants. Most Ritz Carltons, Conrads, and Four Seasons.

Four Star Hotels

Deluxe Hotels. Full-service hotels (with bellmen, concierge and room service) and palpably well-appointed rooms and gourmet restaurants. Most Hyatts and Marriotts.

Three Star Hotels

First Class Hotels. Mid-level properties with clean but basic furnishings and facilities and restaurants that serve three meals per day. Holiday Inns, Hampton Inns.

Two Star Hotels

Moderate Hotels. Usually clean, adequate, smaller hotels that may or may not have restaurants, but may serve extended continental breakfasts in the public areas. Days Inns, LaQuintas.

One Star Hotels

Economy Hotels. Often independent hotels without bellhop or room services, sometimes with exterior access to guestrooms. Econolodges, Motel 6.

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Chacarita Is Buenos Aires’s Quirkiest Neighborhood. Get There Soon.

Strolling through this once-traditional nook of the Argentine capital, the author found Art Deco houses on cobblestone streets, decadent churros and pizza slices, and whimsy around every corner.

By Seth Kugel

To become a city’s coolest new neighborhood, there are certain prerequisites: a crop of cafes that toe the line between cozy and snobbish, chefs combining the innovative with the Instagrammable, and shops so sincere that they are doomed to close when rents rise, which they inevitably will.

But then it must also have quirks. Chacarita, long seen as a low-slung, low-profile neighborhood in north-central Buenos Aires, has plenty.

There’s the cafe that doubles as a museum of photography and triples as a jazz club. Two cavernous, mysteriously indistinguishable pizza halls, both opened in 1947, stand side by side near a subway stop and serve thick-crusted slices draped with mozzarella and onions. And then, in Chacarita’s southwest flank, a cemetery has elegant monuments to the 20th century tango legend Carlos Gardel and the pioneering aviator Jorge Newbery amid vast fields of simply marked, working-class graves. It plays a pretty good second fiddle to Recoleta Cemetery , one of the top 10 tourist attractions in Argentina and housing the pantheon of the country’s revered former first lady, Eva Perón.

Just a 10-stop subway trip from the Obelisk downtown — the fare recently raised to 125 pesos is still under 15 U.S. cents even at the official market’s rate of 878 Argentine pesos to the dollar — totally walkable Chacarita is one heck of a great place to shop, eat and simply wander for a few days, which I did earlier this year, both on my own and with my (then) 19-year-old nephew, Leo, who was studying, or more accurately, “studying,” in Argentina.

Irresistible shops

Chacarita, which means “small farm,” is so-named because its land once served as a kitchen garden and recreational site for Jesuit school students. It eventually became a transportation hub and working-class neighborhood, roughly 100 square blocks. I was utterly charmed by Chacarita’s cobblestone streets, lined with colonial-style single-family homes with interjections of Art Deco and Brutalism. They were the very opposite of late-game Monopoly board monotony, with heavy wooden doors featuring old-fashioned mail slots labeled “CARTAS” and wrought-iron window guards framing the snouts of pet dogs and cats variously curious and agitated by infrequent passers-by.

Though many commercial streets still have a working-class vibe, Jorge Newbery Avenue does not. The street, named for the aviator, is the hipster center of gravity, with shops, cafes, vermouth bars and one vegan restaurant, Donnet , serving a tasting menu for about 19,000 pesos per person that revolves almost entirely around mushrooms.

Several Newbery shops are irresistible. What I thought was a bakery because the name means the Pastry Chef’s Boutique, La Botica del Pastelero turned out to be a delightfully mammoth bakers’ supply shop, selling artsy marble-cutting boards, creative cookie cutters and lots of utensils.

While La Botica is a baker’s dream, Facón is a tourist’s. The shop’s owner, Martín Bustamante, has set out to show that Argentina is much more than Buenos Aires (and the vineyards of Mendoza and the penguins of Patagonia), offering items that are sourced from local masters as well as some high-design items. For 60,000 pesos, I took home a soulful yet playful scarlet-red wooden horse with a wispy mane created by Juan Gelosi , an artist from north-central Tucumán province.

(Others will want to stop by Falena, a buzz-to-enter bookstore and wine bar hidden behind brick walls and an ancient-looking wooden door. Alas, it was closed for vacation when I was in town.)

Slightly more hidden spots dot the side streets. I wandered through the open doors of a large warehouse space run by LABA , an arts and culture center. Inside I found young people splayed out Vitruvian-man-style, rolling around inside large wheels. It was a class of what in Spanish is known as “German wheel,” but we know (to the extent we know) as wheel gymnastics.

On one corner, I caught a glimpse through ground-level windows of a basement stuffed floor-to-ceiling with racks of used clothing. Had I discovered a sort of speakeasy vintage shop?

No. After I rudely peered in the window to catch someone’s attention, I was told it was a business that rented out costumes for film productions. Down another block, I saw a poster for a business called Fina Estampa which, when I looked it up on Instagram , turned out to be an engraving workshop that gave classes and housed a tiny shop, which was opened only on Tuesdays. Good luck, it was Tuesday! And a print of a gin and tonic in a glass — that also appears to be a tiny swimming pool — now adorns my wall at home.

Burned onions and dulce de leche

The old school side of Chacarita is worth a wandering, for its more down-to-earth vibe and cheaper eats. Santa Maria’s fugazzetta slice, draped with mozzarella and just slightly burned onions, is 1,600 pesos and well worth it; a churro filled with dulce de leche from Fábrica de Churros Olleros — around 60 years old and looking its age — is only 350. But I particularly enjoyed my steak and fries lunch, costing 3,400 pesos, at Colonia 10 de Julio, the sort of place where the floor looks grimy even after it’s just been mopped.

I only went to one place twice, the cafe photography-museum jazz club called both Bar Palacio and the Museo Fotográfico Simik . On an afternoon visit, I peered at the cabinets full of ancient cameras, and then ordered a coffee and a traditional sweet potato-and-cheese dessert from a table that served as the base of a Durst M605 photographic enlarger, a hulking machine of the sort formerly seen only in the eerie red light of 20th-century darkrooms. The next day, I came back with Leo and some friends to hear jazz amid Kodak Instamatics older than me, and daguerreotype machines older than any person alive today.

My dinners in Chacarita were hit and miss: the first night, Leo and I were rejected from a just-opened artisanal pizzeria shop called Culpina . The owner was pulling delicious-looking small pies from a stone oven, but only for family and friends. So we crowded into the last remaining sidewalk table of Sifón , a spot named after reusable seltzer siphons that to a New Yorker looks like something from the Tenement Museum but are still in wide use throughout Buenos Aires to add your own spritz to wine-based drinks like tinto de verano. That was the best part of our meal, which consisted of rather mediocre polenta and arancini.

Our best dinner was at Lardito, a legitimately ballyhooed spot with an around-the-world-in-small-plates vibe. At communal tables festooned with lavender and white wildflowers, Leo and I ate beef tataki (thin slices of lightly seared sirloin with oyster vinaigrette and topped with an egg yolk and cauliflower foam) and ceviche for 45,000 pesos. The price did not include wine, which diners choose in the restaurant’s mini wine shop — perfect for those who are better at selecting cool labels than obscure grapes.

Battling against developers

But there were plenty of signs the neighborhood might already be on the road to post-hipster glass-and-steel condos — literal signs. Dozens of “NO AL NUEVO CÓDIGO URBANÍSTICO” (“No to the new zoning code”) — posters hang on residences in protest of a 2018 zoning code overhaul that facilitated the building of apartment buildings in residential neighborhoods, among other things.

My final morning, I met María Sol Azcona and Laura Nowydwor, two women with the organization, Amparo Ambiental Chacarita , which, loosely translated, means “Protect Chacarita’s Environment.” We met in a fancy cafe, which they were quick to point out was overpriced and dotted with foreigners.

Listening to them detail their battle against real estate developers was both hopeful — they helped introduce new legislation last year that would scale back the 2018 code — and depressing. The pair showed me how easy it was to use the city’s 3-D online app to seek out what blocks of the neighborhood were ripe and legal for building.

Ms. Nowydwor, who studied geography at the University of Buenos Aires, has mapped out 300 construction projects in the neighborhood, including 15 houses that have been demolished. Real estate developers have joined tourists in wandering residential streets.

“You see them walking around, ringing doorbells,” said Ms. Nowydwor, “telling the residents ‘We’ll pay you three million dollars’ for a 150-square-meter property,” the equivalent of about 1,600 square feet. “Then they build 40 apartments and sell them for $200,000 each.” (Properties in Buenos Aires are often sold for cash in American dollars.)

Luckily, they did not throw me and other visitors under the bus.

“The problem isn’t tourism in and of itself,” Ms. Azcona said. “It’s that a big part of the city is being thought of and planned for the sake of businesses. And tourism is a kind of business.”

Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram and sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to get expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places to Go in 2024 .

Seth Kugel is the columnist for “ Tripped Up ,” an advice column that helps readers navigate the often confusing world of travel. More about Seth Kugel

Open Up Your World

Considering a trip, or just some armchair traveling here are some ideas..

52 Places:  Why do we travel? For food, culture, adventure, natural beauty? Our 2024 list has all those elements, and more .

Mumbai:  Spend 36 hours in this fast-changing Indian city  by exploring ancient caves, catching a concert in a former textile mill and feasting on mangoes.

Kyoto:  The Japanese city’s dry gardens offer spots for quiet contemplation  in an increasingly overtouristed destination.

Iceland:  The country markets itself as a destination to see the northern lights. But they can be elusive, as one writer recently found .

Texas:  Canoeing the Rio Grande near Big Bend National Park can be magical. But as the river dries, it’s getting harder to find where a boat will actually float .

Trump trial schedule: Latest on the trial and what you should expect this week

Former President Donald Trump 's hush money trial is on break Monday, but court will reconvene Tuesday morning .

Although the jurors and lawyers typically gather on Monday mornings, Judge Juan Merchan ruled last week that there would be no proceedings Monday, April 29.

Monday is part of the last two days of the Jewish holiday of Passover . Court also let out early on April 22 and April 23 to allow people to travel for religious gatherings.

Trump faces 34 counts of falsifying business records to disguise the hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels that allegedly constituted an illegal campaign contribution.

Here is what to know as Trump's trial continues into Week 3:

Prep for the polls: See who is running for president and compare where they stand on key issues in our Voter Guide

Trump trial live updates: Testimony to continue on Cohen hush money recording

Trump trial schedule

The tria is expected to last six to eight weeks, according to a media advisory .

Proceedings typically start at 9:30 a.m. local time and run through the business day. Court is on break on Wednesdays .

Trial is not televised, but you can read transcripts

New York City Criminal Court is publishing the trial transcripts and copies of evidence shown to the jury.

Transcripts of proceedings aren't always available, but officials decided to make them available because of "unparalleled public interest."

Monday, Tuesday and Thursday's transcripts are available now on the New York State Unified Court System's media website. Evidence shown to the jury, including texts, emails and photos , also are available from last week's proceedings.

Week 2 ended during third witness testimony

Jurors heard from three witnesses last week.

First, David Pecker, former head of the National Enquirer’s parent company, testified about how he used the publication to write positive stories about Trump and prevent negative stories about him from coming out during his 2016 presidential campaign.

His testimony and cross-examination spanned three days. He also said his editor-in-chief believed Stormy Daniels' story about an alleged sexual encounter in 2006, which Trump denies.

Trump's former executive assistant Rhona Graff made a brief appearance on the witness stand Friday. When court wrapped for the week, the prosecution was questioning Gary Farro, former senior managing director at First Republic Bank. Farro, who was former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen's banker in 2016, could be used to bring in email evidence about the payment to Daniels. CNN reported Cohen used money from his home equity line to cover Daniels' payment, and an email from a First Republic Bank employee confirmed the transfer.

Leaving the courthouse Friday, Trump challenged President Joe Biden to a debate.

“We’ll do it at the White House,” Trump said. “That would be very comfortable, actually.”

Contributing: Bart Jansen and Aysha Bagchi

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Things to Do in York

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Things to Do

Our city is built on 2000 years of incredible history and has more attractions per square mile than anywhere else in the UK. York is home to many world-class museums, art galleries and other fun filled experiences for you to enjoy. Discover York's tales on one of our fascinating walking tours, finding out about the city's past as you wander through the streets and snickelways. Sample York's spooky and sinister side on one of the many thrilling ghost walks.

There's plenty of other entertainment on offer too, with a host of theatres, cinemas and music venues ready to round off your evening with a touch of culture at a premier show, concert or screening. If you want to get active, there are plenty of activities in York to satisfy you, from bike hire to trampolining.

Looking for more inspiration? See the winners of the Visit York Tourism Awards to see the best of the best in York!

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York Castle Museum

YORK CASTLE MUSEUM - Read more Welcome to the award-winning York Castle Museum - come and immerse yourself in over 400 …

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York Minster

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The City Sightseeing York tour will capture the hearts of all ages! With so many things to do and attractions to see, Y…

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Spot the L.S. Lowry’s, Turner or Hockney and surround yourself with some of the best ceramic art in the world at one of…

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Yorkshire Museum & Gardens

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Ampleforth Abbey

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Reporting by Mehnaz Yasmin, Arasu Kannagi Basil and Granth Vanaik in Bengaluru, and Echo Wang and Doyinsola Oladipo in New York; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar and Vijay Kishore

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Fed's Williams says 2% inflation target 'critical'

The U.S. central bank's 2% target for inflation is key to achieving price stability and essential for ensuring economic prosperity, New York Federal Reserve Bank President John Williams said on Friday.