After our 5 nights in London, we boarded the LNER (London’s Northeast Railway) for a two-hour train ride to York. York is halfway between London and Edinburgh, Scotland, so it was a perfect stop if doing a multi-city trip through the United Kingdom. We had two nights in York, and we were glad we chose to stay there.
York is a city where every cobblestone seems to whisper a story. Surrounded by ancient walls and steeped in history, it’s a place where Vikings once roamed, merchants traded along the Shambles, and time feels beautifully preserved. From exploring the Jorvik Viking Centre to walking the centuries-old city walls, York offers a journey through England’s living past — one step at a time.
And while planning our trip, I watched a video where a vlogger called York the most medieval city in the world. At first this statement sounds and feels accurate, but upon exploring the history of York, the city goes beyond medieval. The significant history in York begins during the Roman Empire, and this is seen in the stone walls (the Roman Walls or York City Walls) surrounding the city. York or Jorvik was also a Viking settlement and had further medieval history in the Shambles, a famous neighborhood where we stayed. York Minster, a famous Cathedral, also dates back to the 600’s but was rebuilt in the 1200’s. So to say the least, York is a small city with a large history. Much of this can be explored by a quick stroll through and around (on the walls). And if you want to explore the history in further depth, through the JORVIK Viking Centre.
We only had two nights in York, which wasn’t bad, but to slow things down even more it would have been nice to stay an extra night. Even though we could have used another day, it was still a nice and relaxing experience after a jam-packed tour through London. The beauty of York is that it’s small; you can explore all the major tourist attractions by foot, so there isn’t a lot of time and energy lost in transportation. We stayed just outside the Shambles at the Hampton, by Hilton. It was a nice stay and somewhere I’d recommend staying. To read about my review click here.
Day 1 – Exploring the Shambles and Trying Different Foods
After arriving we were exhausted. London was hot and tiring. After our train ride we checked into our hotel and prepared for a couple of slower paced days. In the next two days, we had to explore the Shambles, meet some friends for dinner, walk the Roman Walls and head to the JORVIK Viking Center. We were starving so we headed to the Shambles to explore and find somewhere to eat. To our pleasant surprise we found the Shambles Market. A market with history dating back to the Middle Ages and a whole lot of options for food… yum! I had sour dough pizza from a Sicilian pizza place; I know totally native to York… but it was damn good.
We wandered around the medieval streets of the Shambles and were in awe of how magical and medieval it felt. Super narrow cobblestone streets, drooping buildings, potion shops, alchemists and much more are synonymous with the Shambles. I was slightly disappointed by the size of the neighborhood though, it is small, and you can walk through it in about 10 minutes. But still it is one of the coolest neighborhoods I’ve visited.
We headed back to the hotel and relaxed after the short walk. That’s the beauty of York; it is walkable and easy to go from point A to point B. We then headed to a Michelin Star restaurant, The Star Inn. It was an excellent meal in a charming restaurant adjacent to the city walls. After we ate it was dark and we headed through the Shambles back to our hotel. There is no wonder why there are several ghost tours offered in York; magical by day but mysterious and spooky at night.
Day 2 – A Whole lot of History and the JORVIK Viking Center
‘The next day was our activities and learning day. We headed off to the JORVIK Viking Center, where instead of purchasing tickets for just the Viking Museum we booked the entire Pastport Experience. I will talk about this in more detail in a review later this week. But the experience included the JORVIK Viking Center and museum, The Barley Hall, a townhouse reconstructed to represent the original townhouse from the Middle Ages and DIG, an archaeological experience. It was a day packed with history and learning.
We then strolled past York Minster, a monstrous and gorgeous cathedral which dates back close to 1000 years. It was amazing from the outside, but I don’t know what it looks like from the inside as they charge £20 to enter. We took a few photos and kept on strolling. After a few beer and food stops we headed to the York City Walls. The York City Walls are also called the Roman Walls because the walls began construction during the Roman Ages, but with the different historical periods of significance in York, the walls were added to, modified, etc. There are signs to read throughout, views of York Minster and the city and we even found a medieval themed play structure that we stopped at along the way. And as I began to tire after carrying the stroller, walking along the walls, it was like God answered my thirst… I saw a pub beside the walls with a sign “are you thirsty?” I stopped in admired the historic pub, had a beer and kept moving. The final stop after traversing the walls was Clifford’s Tower, the remnants of York Castle, overlooking the city. It was late so we couldn’t enter, but we never planned to. I walked the hill that the Tower sits atop, looked around and we headed home for the night.
York is small, so there isn’t a ton to do so we crammed most of it in in the two days. The only major thing we missed was the ghost tour. Being a small city adds to the charm of York; it is slower paced than London and has a more relaxing feel. The city has a cool ambience about it. There is even a carousel in the middle of the city center; it was cheap, and it was a lot of fun going on it with our baby girl. We also added this in on our second day. It was really cool being on (a very fast moving) carousel it in a plaza in a medieval city. In addition to the atmosphere and cool activities we ate a lot of good and tried a famous restaurant on the second day.
The Food Scene
Like London, pub food is excellent. Pubs serve hearty, home-style cooking. The food is similar to London’s, fish and chips, stew, meat pies and everything served with gravy and mushy peas. The Shambles Market has lots of delicious options too, the sour dough pizza was excellent and the wife had some Thai food. I was surprised, like London, there was quite a variety of multi-cultural restaurants throughout the city.
Still we had been in England a week and we couldn’t leave without a Sunday Roast… a hearty meal with roasted meat (chicken, beef or pork), potatoes, gravy, roasted veggies and of course, Yorkshire Pudding. On our last day in York, we came across The Yorky Pud, a restaurant that went viral with their unique take on Sunday Roasts. They have Sunday Roast Wraps, classical Sunday Roasts and Sunday Roasts served inside a massive Yorkshire Pudding. We went with the Roast Beef in tje Yorkshire Pudding and let me tell you it was excellent. I’m not a fan of roast, but my mouth was watering at the taste. And then there was the other restaurant I already talked about, The Star Inn which was excellent. The Star Inn served modern British cuisine with some infused Indian flavors and dishes. I had the slow cooked Ox Cheek and Yorkshire Pudding, it was quite good.
Final Thoughts
York is often overlooked, it’s smaller and much less popular than London and is skipped by for Edinburgh which is only a couple hours north. But if you like history and really want to be transported back in time, York is a must visit. Roman, medieval and gothic history all packed in York, a small city that packs a large punch. York is perfect pairing if you are heading to both London and Edinburgh as it is located between the two cities. All you need is 2-3 nights, but the memories you make in York will be unforgettable.
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