A Guide to York, England

With summer quickly approaching, we have been reminiscing last summer's European adventures. We have great news that we will be back in the UK this summer for a Scotland/Northern England expedition! Between now and the end of July, we will also be posting travel blogs on the lovely cities of Chester and Liverpool. So stay tuned for more awesome UK cities!

Last summer we spent a day in York wandering the historic Shambles and cobblestone streets. The weather was so very "British" that day and we were so cold (and wet) that we actually bought hats! Besides the typical English weather, York was completely charming. This was not our first trip to York as we have thoroughly enjoyed visiting a few times before! We put together some of the best places to stay, eat, drink, and play for you all to check out!

xxx Ivy & Eve

Post Updated in 2024!

Map of some of Yorks best from The Perky Peacock https://perkypeacock.co.uk/

Stay:

The Royal York Hotel - $$$$: This five-star hotel is the perfect place to enjoy a luxurious stay in York. Book a spa treatment for extra R&R time. 

Hotel du Vin & Bistro $$$: If you're looking for a great hotel, but not looking to completely splurge on a room, this is the place! Hotel du Vin is located down the street from the York train station and just out of the busy hustle and bustle of downtown York. We love the tasty smorgasbord breakfast buffet, beautiful bar, and in-room Nespresso machines!

The Trembling Madness Apartments $$-$$$: If you are looking for somewhere to stay in the city center and are up for a spooktacular night, we recommend trying one of the apartments at the Trembling Madness (not all rooms are claimed to be haunted). Bonus: they have a lovely pub and bottle shop attached to the building! See the Eat & Drink section below for more! 

Holiday Lets $-$$$$: There are some amazing deals for holiday rentals in York like this apartment with beautiful views of the Minster. These flats are perfect for families or groups traveling together. To get you started: Holiday Lettings, York Boutiquelets, Skyes Cottages, and Visit York.

Eat & Drink:

The Perky Peacock - $$: After our hour train ride from Manchester we wanted a little pick-me-up and stopped in this cute coffee shop. Situated right along the river in a tower, there are only a handful of cafe tables inside. If the weather is nice they have tables along the river to sip espresso and nibble on a toasted and buttered teacake (or more substantial breakfast items) before heading off for some York mayhem. They also have adorable logo mugs and totes available for sale!

Bettys Cafe Tea Room - $$$: Bettys is famous in York for your classic afternoon tea experience, however, you have to make reservations in advance so make sure to plan ahead! When we visited we just ordered a cream tea (this includes a pot of tea, a scone, and clotted cream) since we wanted to go grab lunch later and a full afternoon tea leaves you stuffed for hours. Tip: We find a full afternoon tea is simply too much food. We suggest ordering cream tea and bubbly for the fancy effect of the afternoon tea without feeling overly stuffed plus its much more affordable!

Trembling Madness $: For a late afternoon lunch, we stopped in this medieval pub. Also known as Delirium Tremens (DT's), this pub has been open since drinking became a thing, and it has seen its fair share of disaster and death within its walls. The rear end of the building was first built in 1180AD, people were drinking there 312 years before Columbus sailed over our way. We were pleasantly surprised with how cool this place was! On the first floor of the building is a bottle shop where they sell beer, scotch, cider, and more. On the second floor is the pub. We hunkered down in an alcove off to the side of the main dining area. The interior of the pub was fun with mounted animal heads mounted all over the place, and other hidden preserved animals (a baby alligator) were around the room. The beams of the pub are from an ancient ship that last set sail over 800 years ago! We ordered some hardy medieval-inspired fare of a classic cheese board (cheese, bread, and assorted accouterments), and a steak and ale pie, all washed down with real ale and some cider.

The Refectory - $$$$: Looking for the fanciest place to dine for dinner? Then look no further than the Refectory. They serve dishes made from delicious local ingredients and delightful cocktails made to order. They also serve a magical Champagne Afternoon Tea that includes a glass of our favorite bubbly...Lanson.

Love Cheese - $$: This cheese shop has a large selection of Yorkshire, British, and Continental cheeses for sale. In their shop, they also have cheese boards available to pair with a glass or two of wine. 

LICC (Luxury Ice Cream Company) - $$: For a bit of heaven, head to LICC for some divine "lux" ice cream. You won't be sorry!

Play:

York Jorvik Viking Center -$$: This museum tells the story of York's rich Viking history. This is truly an immersive experience where you smell the odors (good and bad) of a Viking town, sample the food they ate, and even get to try your hand at blowing a Viking horn!

Shambles Market - Free: Wander York's most famous street- the Shambles, and visit its market full of local produce, goods, and souvenirs. 

York Minster - $$: Visit the largest Gothic cathedral of Northern Europe. This place is visible from many points in the city, seemingly popping out from around each corner.

Antique Shopping - Free: There are a bunch of lovely shops to fix your antique needs. We really like the Red House Antique Center  right across from the Minster. 

W. Hamond - $$$-$$$$: If you're looking for a pretty souvenir, we suggest heading to W. Hamond. This jewelry shop on the Shambles is tiny but packed with lovely treasures. Whitby Jet is one of the local stones of Yorkshire (found on the coast) and W. Hamond has a great selection of the slightly Gothic yet completely chic stone jewelry. 

York Museum Gardens - free: If you like English gardens, then the York Museum Garden is the perfect place to visit. Surrounded by St. Mary's Abbey, these gardens are filled with botanical wonders and over 30 species of birds. Be sure to stop in the York Museum as well which is rich with some of England's most precious archaeological treasures. 

The Original Ghost Walk of York - $: This tour claims to be the first of its kind in the world! Held nightly, this tour will surely satisfy anyone's appetite for scary stories as York has been named the most haunted city in England, and possibly Europe! 

York Pass - $$-$$$: If you are planning to visit more than two of York's attractions in a day, then the York Pass is a great bang for your buck. With this pass, you have complete access to over 30 fantastic attractions in York (York Minster, Clifford's Tower, Castle Museum, York Brewery, York Art Museum, and York Dungeon to name a few) and includes some great discounts on a number of other places. 

Seemingly, all roads lead to York Minster

One of the Gatehouses of York

Exploring one of the many tiny passages

Part of the Roman Wall surrounding York City

Playtime in Park City, Utah

A while ago, Eve went away on a long weekend trip with our mom to Park City. They felt like getting away to somewhere they could breathe fresh air, enjoy a new view, and relax. While looking at places to go, flight prices to Salt Lake City were really low so they decided to head to Park City, where we have spent many days on the slopes, skiing with our family growing up. This time though, there was no snow, only crisp mountain air, and sunshine (and a little….no, a lot of shopping).

xxx Ivy & Eve

Stay

Washington School House Hotel- This 12-room boutique hotel is in an old converted school house dating from the late 1800’s. Located a block off Main Street, you’ll enjoy a little peace an quiet (Main Street can be a bit boisterous at night) while still being close to all the action!

The Caledonian- This trip, we stayed at The Caledonian condos located right on Main Street. Most condos have balconies and hot tubs to enjoy post-hiking or while enjoying your morning coffee. Each condo is privately owned so they all have their own homey feeling. We loved being able to use a kitchen to prepare pre-dinner drinks and appetizers to enjoy on our balcony. We would definitely stay here again!

Deer Valley Resort- For a more luxe “resort” experience stay at any of the Deer Valley lodges or condos. Our family has stayed at several of the lodges and condos over the years as they are all ski-in ski-out locations which is REALLY important for us when we go skiing. There is a plethora of restaurants, bars, shops, and the Deer Valley spa, which we highly recommend post skiing. There is a free shuttle service offered to town which is just a short trip down the hill.

Eat and Drink

Atticus Coffee and Teahouse- Part cafe, part bookshop, Atticus was our go-to for breakfast and pick-me-ups during our trip. They have delicious custom tea blends (that you can also buy to take home) and coffee drinks as well as the most delicious peanut butter oat bars. The best part about ordering your drink is that they come in three unique sizes: Willow (small), Alice (medium), and Hagrid (large).

Collie’s Sports Bar- For casual dining, we’d recommend Collie’s. Perfect for drinks, lunch, or food while watching a game on TV. This place serves up lots of local beers and what we would call “fresh” bar food. The salads we ordered were delicious and wings in Collie’s “Bobby-Q'“ sauce were SO GOOD.

No Name Saloon- THE classic Park City establishment. Famous for their Buffalo Burger and strong drinks, this place is perfect for a drink and bite on their heated rooftop patio or grab a seat at one of their several bars. Perfect for people watching! (21+)

Fletcher’s- Delicious food all around. We went here for our last night’s meal and it definitely was the send-off we were hoping for. They have an extensive wine list with great bottles for all budgets and tasty cocktails to go alongside fresh, local dishes. The standouts of the night were the Short Rib Grilled Cheese, Grass Fed Beef Carpaccio, and the Blueberry Bread Pudding.

High West Saloon- High West is Utah’s first legal distillery since prohibition since they opened back in 2009. While the distillery is outside the city, the saloon is located just off Main Street and is the perfect place for a bite to eat, and lots of whisky! We had lunch and whisky tasting on our first day and came back for drinks again during our stay! Beware: the Bacon Caramel Cashew Popcorn is highly addictive! (21+)

Shabu- Self-proclaimed as “Freestyle Asian Cuisine”, Shabu serves up delicious sushi, Japanese, and Asian inspired dishes. The waitstaff was very friendly and guided us through the menu to help craft the most delicious and memorable meal! Standout dishes were the Jalapeño Yellowtail, Blistered Green Beans, and Chef’s Selection Hot Pot! They also have a great selection of sake!

Harvest- We wish we had gone here for breakfast earlier on during our trip because this place is SO good! Owned by Emma who hails from Australia, Harvest’s menu consists of on-trend Aussie dishes. Ivy can attest that Aussies are OBSESSED with breakfast foods (she recently visited friends there). This place makes breakfast feel like a happy, healthy, pretty, celebration on a plate! We loved our Avocado toast, Corn-Zucchini Cakes, Coffees, and warm Golden Mylk (coconut milk with turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, and pepper).

Play

Hiking- Many of the ski hills turn into the perfect summer hiking trails. We took the ski lift From the Park City Mountain Village up the hill and hiked back down. You can also stay on the ski lift for a scenic view ride. There is also a lift up the mountain from right on Main Street for even more convenience!

Outdoor pursuits- There are many outfitters that you can hire for fishing, horseback riding, and other outdoor adventures. There are also loads of biking trails that you can (and should) take advantage of!

Shopping- Main Street is packed with outdoorsy shopping establishments like Patagonia, Gorsuch, and a plethora of ski shops. There are also loads of cute boutiques. Our personal favorites are Mary Jane’s and Olive and Tweed. Both had cute and relatively affordable women’s clothing, accessories, and shoes. We left with much heavier suitcases!

Park Silly- Durning June-September, every Sunday Main Street turns into a giant market full of artisans, food vendors, music, and even a Bloody Mary bar!

Egyptian Theatre- This small historic theater plays host to many well known musical acts, comedy acts, and plays. We happened to come into town when Al Jardine was playing so we (of course) bought tickets and sang along to our favorite Beach Boys songs all night long!