York Tourist and Travel Information Guide

York Tourist and Travel Information Guide

York is a city in North Yorkshire, England, at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss. The York urban area has a population of 137,505 whilst the entire unitary authority has a population of 184,900.

York is the traditional county town of Yorkshire, to which it lends its name.

For nearly 2000 years York has been the North's capital. The city's position, at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss was central to York’s development and position in the British history. The city was founded in AD 71, and has a rich Roman, Saxon and Viking history. York is a great city with a spectacular Gothic cathedral, medieval city wall, and a network of intriguing, historic streets full of interesting shops and a colourful variety of restaurants, bars and cafés.

The best way to enjoy the City of York is on foot, travel the two miles of city wall and imagine the city of York through the eyes of your medieval ancestors, meader along the river ouse and rest in the peaceful parks and gardens. you can shop in the maze of streets and narrow snickleways which make up the shopping quarter with its assortment .

York lies right in the centre of the United Kingdom, equidistant from London and Edinburgh, and handily positioned on the main east-coast rail-line. It is an ideal for a day trip destination, except that you will really need to stay for a few days to really discover this fascinating city.

Clifford's Tower:
York's centre is enclosed by medieval walls. The entire circuit is about 3 miles. The principal castle was begun in 1068, as part of a campaign to subdue anti-Norman sentiment in the north. Its wooden defences focused around and atop the motte; they were destroyed during a local rebellion the following year, but rebuilt by the Normans after suppressing the rebels and taking harsh reprisals on York. In 1190 the wooden keep was again burned down, during a siege by citizens of the Jewish community which had taken refuge there. In the latter half of the thirteenth century, the keep was rebuilt in stone. It was given a quatrefoil plan, of which there is no other example in England. The keep later became known as Clifford's Tower after Roger de Clifford, who was hanged there in 1322.

The Shambles:
The Shambles is a narrow medieval street, lined with shops, boutiques and tea rooms. Most of these premises were once butchers' shops, and the hooks from which carcasses were hung and the shelves on which meat was laid out can still be seen outside some of them.

The street also contains the Shrine of Margaret Clitherow, although it is not located in the house where she lived.
Today the Shambles is Europe's most visited street, attracting tourist, shoppers and business clients.

Another feature of central York is the Snickelways, narrow pedestrian routes, many of which led towards the former main market-place.

York is also noted for its wealth of churches and pubs. Many of the remaining churches in York are from the medieval period.
It is said that York contains one pub for every day of the year, and that there is no point within the city walls where one can stand and not be able to see at least one pub and at least one church, but these claims are exaggerated.

The city has many museums, including the Castle Museum, Yorkshire Museum & Gardens, JORVIK Viking Centre, the York Art Gallery, Richard III Museum and the Merchant Adventurers' Hall.

York Castle Museum:
York Castle Museum is a representation of everyday life and extraordinary objects, covering recent history of the last 400 years. It is housed in two converted 18th century prison buildings and includes a reconstruction of Victorian Kirkgate, complete with cobbled street, shops and merchandise. A second full scale street called Half-Moon Court has been built in the former debtors prison, representing life in Edwardian York. The museum is famous for some of the finest collections in the country including the military collection, the social history collection and the costume collection.
Explore the this amazing museum of everyday life and find authentic household room scenes, toys and clothes from the past, Civil War and Second World War galleries and the Condemned Cell where highwayman Dick Turpin spent his last night.

JORVIK Viking Centre:
The Jorvik Viking Centre is an award-winning museum where you can explore Viking history on the very site where archaeologists discovered the remains of the Viking city of Jorvik. Meet resident Vikings (staff), and see 800 of the items found during the dig. You can even journey back to a reconstruction of York in the year AD 975, complete with the sights, sounds and smells of the Viking-Age!

The Jorvik Viking Centre can be combined with a visit to its sister attraction DIG, where you will get a chance to take part in the excavation of York's two milleniums of artifacts.

York Minster, the largest Gothic cathedral in northern Europe, stands at the city's centre.
The first Minster was built for the baptism of the Anglo Saxon King, Edwin of Northumbria in the year 627. Originally a small wooden church This small stone church rebuilt on the same site survived through the Viking age in York but was badly damaged by fire in the year 1069 when the Normans finally took control of the city of York.

Once the Normans had taken control of the city a decision was taken to build a new Minster on a fresh site to replace the old fire damaged Saxon Minster. Around the year 1080 the Norman Archbishop Thomas of Bayeux started building a cathedral that in time became the Minster we have today. This vast Norman church was completed around the 1100.