Holiday apartment in York: City Walls, Minster and JORVIK

York’s historic City Walls make more than 2,000 years of urban development in York visible. Their circular walkway runs elevated around the city centre and is freely accessible on foot all year round. Fishergate Postern Tower is opened to the public on selected days of the year; there is also an audio trail app for York’s City Walls.

Culture and history

York Minster offers insights into its Roman roots and its role in Viking-era York through its cathedral spaces and medieval architecture. Guided tours reveal stories in the cathedral’s stonework and stained-glass windows. York Minster’s Tower Challenge involves climbing 275 steps to the highest point in York and offers views over the city and the surrounding regional landscape.

The JORVIK Viking Centre stands on the site where archaeologists uncovered houses, workshops and backyards from the Viking-era city of Jorvik. At the Centre, reconstructed Viking-era streets bring the life of 10th-century York to life. The Yorkshire Museum’s archaeological collection comprises almost one million objects and ranges from the earliest prehistoric finds to the 20th century. Most of the Yorkshire Museum’s Roman, Anglian, Anglo-Saxon, Viking-era and medieval objects come from York and Yorkshire.

The Yorkshire Museum stands among the ruins of St Mary’s Abbey and preserves medieval architectural and monastic materials from the abbey, including life-size statues from the 12th century. York Minster, JORVIK and the museum therefore provide different approaches to Roman, Viking-era and medieval traces, without the individual sites losing their own perspectives.

Nature

The York Museum Gardens were established in the 1830s. They include collections of trees, shrubs, herbaceous plants and bulbs alongside the medieval ruins of St Mary’s Abbey. Various plant species, wildlife and historic attractions are also among the features visitors can explore.

Experiences

The National Railway Museum in York presents the past, present and future of the railway. It offers insights into more than 300 years of railway history, as well as family-friendly science shows, storytelling events and an indoor play area. York Art Gallery has internationally significant collections spanning more than 600 years, as well as a major collection of British studio ceramics.

York’s Chocolate Story presents York as the United Kingdom’s historic home of chocolate and offers tastings together with master chocolatiers. The York Sightseeing Cruise offers an informative journey through the centre of York with live commentary from local boat guides.

Getting around

York city centre can be crossed on foot in around 20 minutes, and York is considered particularly easy to explore on foot. The York to Riccall Path was converted from a former railway line into a shared walking and cycling route.

York has six Park and Ride services. Visitors can leave their car free of charge in secure car parks and continue their journey by bus into the city centre.

You can also compare included services, individual price components, as well as booking and cancellation terms. Pay attention to the specific details stated for each offer, without assuming additional features. This allows you to base your selection on the information that is actually available for your booking decision. You can then compare the offers for York with one another.

Other places on this page: Hessay, Knapton, Huntington, Copmanthorpe, Acaster Malbis, Rufforth, Holme-on-Spalding-Moor, Strensall.

To the higher-level travel overview: Yorkshire And The Humber.