York is a beautiful city with over 2000 years of history packed into its compact space, a good indicator of which are over 30-odd museums enabling visitors to familiarise themselves with the local history. While culture steals the limelight on York tours with the Minster undoubtedly setting the example, York also owns a pub for each day of the year and is a fabulous place to shop. 'The Shambles' in particular, is a popular choice with hordes of people flocking to one of Europe's best preserved medieval shopping streets to peer into its original shop fronts.
Towering above everything else in its path is the York Minster which is the largest Gothic cathedral in northern Europe and the largest of its kind in England. At least two million people walk under its gothic archway every year to admire the dizzyingly high ceilings, over 100 striking stained glass windows and to climb the Central Tower affording awe-inspiring views of the city below.
Another place to visit on your tour of York, which will suit families, is the Jorvik Viking Centre which is actually built upon the remains of Viking York and offers visitors the chance to step back in time when Vikings ruled in England. You can walk down reconstructed Viking streets and take in the sights, sounds and (horrible) smells of a 10th century Viking city. The gallery here contains over 400 authentic Viking artefacts and at some point you will come face to face with a Viking.
York's City Walls are a must-see attraction as they coil around the city for at least 2 miles and are apparently the longest intact medieval town walls in England. You can stroll around the city walls and take in the views, the stretch from Monkbar to Petergate is particularly picturesque. As you walk around you will come across the Micklegate Bar Museum, which presents the history of Micklegate's sentinel.
When you have had your fill of sightseeing, meander through the twisting, atmospheric cobblestone streets of 'The Shambles' on your York city break before resting those tired feet in one of the charming culinary establishments. No city break to York would be complete without sampling the sumptuous afternoon tea presented at the world famous Betty's Tea Rooms but if this is too upmarket for you, there are plenty of traditional English pubs to frequent offering great value food and drink to tickle everyone's taste-buds!
York coach holidays typically include; return coach travel, accommodation in good standard hotels, meals and a variety of included or optional excursions so you can really get a taste of what life is like in beautiful historic city.
Tourist offices
For further information about York, you can visit the official tourism website at Plan Your Visit to York | Visit York