York! (York in General)

Member Name: stephbond89

Product:	York in General
Date:	26/04/09 (30 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lots to see and do, something for everyone and every budget!

Disadvantages: Lots of walking, very confusing!!!

I have been to York a few times, I think I went when I was young, but I don't remember that!! I then went at around 15 with my mum and dad and little brother, and then I went again last year for my honeymoon.

When I first went (or the first time I remember going!), we stayed in a kind of travel lodge, I think it was at a Sizzler pub if I am remembering rightly, and we used the Park and Ride sytem which York has in place, this is where you park your car and pay around £3, and then you get a buss pass which allows you to travel around the city by bus...this is because if you have ever tried finding parking in York.....you can't!!!

As we were staying around 3 miles outside the city walls, it wasn't really walk able, and so this was the best way to get around. Which was a little tiring as the buses were a bit confusing, and you had to run around trying to get the timing right etc. When I was there with my family, it was only for a couple of days, and we didn't really get round to doing much...because of the bus situation! But we did manage to visit the Jorvik Viking Museum and the National Rail Museum, and we did a nice bit of walking around the city.

When I went back for my Honeymoon a few years later, we decided to get a Guesthouse room close to the city, and we got the train from Warrington to York to avoid any car parking problems. The place we stayed was a cute little room in a family run Guest House, it was only a 2 minute walk into the town, and was perfect.

When I went with my new husband, we had alot more time, because there were no time restrictions on what we could do, which was great...I would definitely say if you wanted to stay in York, to do what we did, rather than stay far away.

There is sooo much to do in York, you would find it very hard to fit it all in in two weeks, let alone a few days like we had!!! So you need to plan your days before you even go really to make sure you get everything in which you want to!!!

We visited the Jorvik Viking Centre, The Castle Museum (which is a museum about the "olden days!"), the National Railway museum (because for some bizarre reason my husband is obsessed with trains! You'd think he'd get fed up of them living next to a railway wouldn't you!). We wanted to go to the Barley Hall, but on the day we planned to go, there was a private function (a wedding I seem to remember) so we couldn't go in. We also went on two Ghost Walks, these were really quite fun!!! But I'll get to those in a minute!

York is a beautiful city, there is so much to do, and not all of it you have to pay for, we took a day to walk around the city walls, which is tiring especially when your feet are blistered and bruised from all the walking, but its worth the walk!

I'd also recommend hopping on the city tour bus and having a run around on that, it takes around about an hour to do a whole trip in one, but the tickets last 24 hours, so you can hop on and off as you please, which can take you all day if you wish it to, and you can see everything there is to see! If you get this, you can also get the half price boat tour, which is also well worth it...even if its just for the sit down!!!!!!!!!!!! This is about a half hour trip up the river, with a commentary of what you can see, and some history to York. You can grab a drink, or something quick to eat, and although a little pricey it is a good idea!

Now, the Ghost Walks....!!! We wanted to do all of them, there are HUNDREDS of ghost walks in the city at night, and unless your there for 3 weeks you won'tbe able to do them all! Your feet won't allow you for a start!!! The best one we went on was the one where you meet at the Shambles...you'd know the one if you went to York, as they all have different meeting points. But this one was most definitely the best, the man is an award winning Ghost Walker, and he tells you the stories of the dead in such a way you can feel it! The ghost walks last around 30-45 minutes depending on who you go with, and the weather conditions.

There are also other tours, like the deadly disease tour, which we really wanted to do, but we just didn't have the time!!

There are hundreds and hundreds of places to eat and drink around the city, so your sure to find something for everyone, from fast food, up to fine dining. There is something for all tastes and budgets.

Now, as you will see I mention my poor little feet alot in this...if your doing what we did, and not taking a car and getting your hotel outside the city, make sure you wear THE most comfortable shoes in the world as your feet will be murdered by the end of it!!! Your on your feet all day, your walking around, you probably walk around 15-20 miles a day with all the zig zagging you tend to do, unless you know where your going and you know the best and fastest way to get from A-B rather than going from A-F-B-K-Z and back again!!!! Its a very confusing city! And if we didn;t have a sightseeing map, we wouldn't have had a hope in finding anything...let alone our way back!!!!

But, York is an amazing place to visit, there is so much to do and see, and there really is something for everyone!!!!!!! The best way to go about it, is to plan your whole journey before you go, and get a feel for where everything is by looking at maps online to ensure your not wandering all over the place!!! I would definitely go back, I had an amazing time the two times I remember going! And I'm planning on a return trip sometime in the near future!!!!!!!

Summary: Somewhere I love, and I would definitely go back!