Rick Steves - Rick Steves Snapshot York

Rick Steves

This Snapshot guide, excerpted from my guidebook Rick Steves England, introduces you to YorkEnglands most entertaining city outside of London. Its towering Minster, or cathedral, is one of the countrys best and most interesting to visit. Its wide range of fascinating museumsincluding the Castle Museum, telling the towns story; the National Railway Museum, a paradise for trainspotters; the Yorkshire Museum, reaching back to Yorks archaeological foundations; and the hokey but informative Viking-themed Jorvik exhibitwill keep even the busiest sightseer happily engaged. And its cobbled-and-quaint town center itself, with evocative old half-timbered buildings leaning precariously toward each other across narrow alleys, will transport you back to the Middle Ages.

To help you have the best trip possible, Ive included the following topics in this book:

Planning Your Time, with advice on how to make the most of your limited time

Orientation, including tourist information (abbreviated as TI), tips on public transportation, local tour options, and helpful hints

Sights with ratings:

Dont miss

Try hard to see

Worthwhile if you can make it

No ratingWorth knowing about

Sleeping and Eating, with good-value recommendations in every price range

Connections, with tips on trains, buses, and driving

Practicalities, near the end of this book, has information on money, phoning, hotel reservations, transportation, and more.

To travel smartly, read this little book in its entirety before you go. Its my hope that this guide will make your trip more meaningful and rewarding. Traveling like a temporary local, youll get the absolute most out of every mile, minute, and dollar.

Happy travels!

Historic York is loaded with world-class sights. Marvel at the York Minster, Englands finest Gothic church. Ramble The Shambles, Yorks wonderfully preserved medieval quarter. Enjoy a walking tour led by an old Yorker. Hop a train at one of the worlds greatest railway museums, travel to the 1800s in the York Castle Museum, head back 1,000 years to Viking times at the Jorvik Viking Centre, or dig into the citys buried past at the Yorkshire Museum.

York has a rich history. In A.D. 71, it was Eboracum, a Roman provincial capitalthe northernmost city in the empire. Constantine was proclaimed emperor here in A.D. 306. In the fifth century, as Rome was toppling, the Roman emperor sent a letter telling England it was on its own, and Yorknow called Eoforwicbecame the capital of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria.

The citys first church was built here in 627, and the town became an early Christian center of learning. The Vikings later took the town, and from the 9th through the 11th century, it was a Danish trading center called Jorvik. The invading and conquering Normans destroyed, then rebuilt the city, fortifying it with a castle and the walls you see today.

Medieval York, with 9,000 inhabitants, grew rich on the wool trade and became Englands second city. Henry VIII used the citys fine Minster as the northern capital of his Anglican Church. (In todays Anglican Church, the Archbishop of York is second only to the Archbishop of Canterbury.)

In the Industrial Age, York was the railway hub of northern England. When it was built, Yorks train station was the worlds largest. During World War II, Hitler chose to bomb York by picking the city out of a travel guidebook (not this one).

Today, Yorks leading industry is tourism. It seems like everything thats great about Britain finds its best expression in this manageable town. While the city has no single claim to fame, York is more than the sum of its parts. With its strollable cobbles and half-timbered buildings, grand cathedral and excellent museums, thriving restaurant scene and welcoming locals, York delights.

After London, York is the best sightseeing city in England. On even a 10-day trip through England, it deserves two nights and a day. For the best 36 hours, follow this plan: Arrive early enough to catch the 17:15 evensong service at the Minster, then take the free city walking tour at 18:45 (evening tours offered June-Aug only). Splurge on dinner at one of the citys creative bistros. The next morning at 9:00, take my self-guided walk, interrupting it midway with a tour of the Minster. Finish the walk and grab lunch near The Shambles. To fill your afternoon, choose among the towns many important sights (such as the York Castle Museumopen until 17:00; or the Railway Museumopen until 18:00). Spend the evening enjoying a ghost walk of your choice (they depart at different times between 18:45 and 20:00) and another memorable dinner.

This is a packed day; as you review this chapter, youll see that there are easily two days of sightseeing fun in York.

York has roughly 195,000 people; about one in ten is a student. But despite the citys size, the sightseers York is small. Virtually everything is within a few minutes walk: sights, train station, TI, and B&Bs. The longest walk a visitor might take (from a B&B across the old town to the York Castle Museum) is about 25 minutes.

Bootham Bar, a gate in the medieval town wall, is the hub of your York visit. (In York, a bar is a gate and a gate is a street. Blame the Vikings.) At Bootham Bar and on Exhibition Square, youll find the starting points for most walking tours and bus tours, handy access to the medieval town wall, a public WC, and Bootham Street (which leads to my recommended B&Bs). To find your way around York, use the Minsters towers as a navigational landmark, or follow the strategically placed signposts, which point out all places of interest to tourists.

Yorks TI, a block in front of the Minster, sells a 1 York Map and Guide. Ask for the free monthly Whats On guide and the York MiniGuide, which includes a map (Mon-Sat 9:00-17:00, Sun 10:00-16:00, 1 Museum Street, tel. 01904/550-099, www.visityork.org). The TI books rooms for a 4 fee and has an Internet terminal (1.50/30 minutes). A screen lists upcoming events.

York Pass: The TI sells an expensive pass that covers most sights in York, along with a few regional sights, including the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and Castle Howard; it also gives discounts on the City Sightseeing hop-on, hop-off bus tours. Youd have to be a very busy sightseer to make this pass worth it (36/1 day, 48/2 days, 58/3 days, www.yorkpass.com).

By Train: The train station is a 10-minute walk from town. Day-trippers can store baggage at the window next to the Europcar office on platform 1 (5/24 hours, baggage window open Mon-Sat 8:00-20:30, Sun 9:00-20:30).