York Hotels and Day Trips - Summer 2023
Oct 30th, 2022, 06:08 AM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 204
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
York Hotels and Day Trips - Summer 2023
We will be first time travelers to York, England and and looking for suggestions on hotels, city sights, and day trips.
Hotel: We'd like a hotel that is easily walkable to the train station and city sights. Prefer no more than 400 GP per night including at least a light breakfast.
Sights: We'll enjoy the historic architecture, and I'm aware of the Railway Museum, the York Castle Museum, Jorvik Museum, and the Chocolate Museum. We'll do some walks and hope to experience the city at a relaxed pace, maybe do a river cruise. I would appreciate any insight as to how many days to allot for the city sights,
Day Trips: Please nominate any "must do" day trips. We'll be traveling by train from London, heading to Edinburgh as our final stop, so mainly interested in recommendations from York by train, small group (mini-bus), or possibly private tours. We've watched "All Creatures Great and Small" which is set in the Yorkshire Dales. I know Saltaire is a UNESCO site but not sure what there is there that is open to visitors. Other suggestions are welcome.
Hotel: We'd like a hotel that is easily walkable to the train station and city sights. Prefer no more than 400 GP per night including at least a light breakfast.
Sights: We'll enjoy the historic architecture, and I'm aware of the Railway Museum, the York Castle Museum, Jorvik Museum, and the Chocolate Museum. We'll do some walks and hope to experience the city at a relaxed pace, maybe do a river cruise. I would appreciate any insight as to how many days to allot for the city sights,
Day Trips: Please nominate any "must do" day trips. We'll be traveling by train from London, heading to Edinburgh as our final stop, so mainly interested in recommendations from York by train, small group (mini-bus), or possibly private tours. We've watched "All Creatures Great and Small" which is set in the Yorkshire Dales. I know Saltaire is a UNESCO site but not sure what there is there that is open to visitors. Other suggestions are welcome.
Oct 30th, 2022, 06:46 AM
#3
Saltaire, there is the main mill which is full of shops, art galleries. There is the church, then the streets and lots of pretty shops. Then there is the canal and the river. You can catch a canal boat up to Bingley 5 locks which can be a blast.
Oct 31st, 2022, 08:51 AM
#4
Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 1,635
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Bilbo has mentioned Fountains Abbey. The Estate is a World Heritage site and includes Studley Royal Water Garden. It's the uniqueness of the Water Garden that gives the place its UNESCO listing. The Abbey itself is beautiful, but there are lots of beautiful abbeys in North Yorkshire!
The Estate is huge as it also includes a Mill, Tudor Fountains Hall, Victorian St Mary's Church etc (there's a mini bus that gets you round the grounds if you need it).
You'd need several hours to do it justice.
Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden | National Trust
All Creatures Great and Small is currently filmed in and around Grassington, a lovely small town in Wharfedale that doubles up as Darrowby.
The original series was filmed in a different part of the Dales - Askrigg in Wensleydale.
The Herriot Museum is in Thirsk, a bustling market town not actually in the Dales - it's where James Herriot actually lived.
Thirsk has a small railway station which is a good mile away from the town centre where the museum is located.
World of James Herriot - Multi award winning visitor attraction
Another lovely place that would be easy to visit by train is Durham.
The Official Tourism Website for Durham | An Amazing County (thisisdurham.com)
There are many good places to eat in York. We are 'locals' but we love Bettys (sometimes dismissed as a tourist trap). It always seems special to me. You can book an afternoon tea, but for anything else (breakfast, brunch, lunch or something lighter) you join the queue. Their small shop sells great gift ideas like beautifully packaged tea, coffee, biscuits etc.
There used to be two Bettys in York, but there's just the one open now.
Bettys York
If afternoon tea interests you I can also recommend tea on one of the old trains in the Railway Museum.
Countess of York | National Railway Museum
The Estate is huge as it also includes a Mill, Tudor Fountains Hall, Victorian St Mary's Church etc (there's a mini bus that gets you round the grounds if you need it).
You'd need several hours to do it justice.
Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden | National Trust
All Creatures Great and Small is currently filmed in and around Grassington, a lovely small town in Wharfedale that doubles up as Darrowby.
The original series was filmed in a different part of the Dales - Askrigg in Wensleydale.
The Herriot Museum is in Thirsk, a bustling market town not actually in the Dales - it's where James Herriot actually lived.
Thirsk has a small railway station which is a good mile away from the town centre where the museum is located.
World of James Herriot - Multi award winning visitor attraction
Another lovely place that would be easy to visit by train is Durham.
The Official Tourism Website for Durham | An Amazing County (thisisdurham.com)
There are many good places to eat in York. We are 'locals' but we love Bettys (sometimes dismissed as a tourist trap). It always seems special to me. You can book an afternoon tea, but for anything else (breakfast, brunch, lunch or something lighter) you join the queue. Their small shop sells great gift ideas like beautifully packaged tea, coffee, biscuits etc.
There used to be two Bettys in York, but there's just the one open now.
Bettys York
If afternoon tea interests you I can also recommend tea on one of the old trains in the Railway Museum.
Countess of York | National Railway Museum
Oct 31st, 2022, 09:25 AM
#5
"Hotel: We'd like a hotel that is easily walkable to the train station and city sights. Prefer no more than 400 GP per night including at least a light breakfast. "
Except for a posh property in London or in Edinburgh during your time in August you'll have to try quite hard to spend as much as £400 per night. The best places in York will cost MUCH less. Central York is very compact so almost everyplace will be w/i walking distance or a very short cab ride of the station and most sites.
The grandest hotel in York, the. . . . Grand
is probably the most expensive. It is the only 5 star that I'm aware of. Its rates are very date specific but in mid August their (mostly huge) rooms run from about £195 to a bit over £300. Anyplace else will cost less.
There is a very nice hotel actually at the station - the Principal. It's upscale regular rooms (deluxe Kings) will run maybe £175, Junior Suite less the £200 and it biggest suites about £240 -- bust some nights in August are already booked up.
Except for a posh property in London or in Edinburgh during your time in August you'll have to try quite hard to spend as much as £400 per night. The best places in York will cost MUCH less. Central York is very compact so almost everyplace will be w/i walking distance or a very short cab ride of the station and most sites.
The grandest hotel in York, the. . . . Grand
is probably the most expensive. It is the only 5 star that I'm aware of. Its rates are very date specific but in mid August their (mostly huge) rooms run from about £195 to a bit over £300. Anyplace else will cost less.There is a very nice hotel actually at the station - the Principal. It's upscale regular rooms (deluxe Kings) will run maybe £175, Junior Suite less the £200 and it biggest suites about £240 -- bust some nights in August are already booked up.
