Travel

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 http://perkypeacockcoffee.co.uk

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!

Perky Peacock

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.

Trembling Madness

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

Seemingly, all roads lead to York Minster

Eve wandering the Shambles
One of the Gatehouses of York

One of the Gatehouses of York

Exploring one of the many tiny passages

Exploring one of the many tiny passages

Part of the Roman Wall surrounding York City

Part of the Roman Wall surrounding York City

The Best Luggage, Bags, and Backpacks for Travel

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As you know we are avid travelers. We love a good weekend getaway, but also cant get enough of our international travels, and we have come to realize, good luggage really is essential. For the holidays this year, we are headed to the UK with the whole family! Since this in not our first rodeo, we know what to pack, and how best to pack. With England’s (like most of Europe) busy and cramped public transport we always like to use the smallest luggage as possible. Over the years we have found some really great products that do the job, are good quality (you don’t want anything falling apart mid-trip!), and stylish. We have gathered them up for you here so you can be best prepared (and most stylish) on your next travel adventure!

Bon voyage!

xxx Ivy & Eve

  1. Away carry-on suitcase $$$- Away carry-on suitcases are great for traveling to Europe where luggage space on public transport is slim, and great for weekend getaways! We love our bags for a number of reasons, they come with a battery that can charge your phone up to 4 times (amazing!), they are built to last a lifetime of travel, and they are stylish!

  2. Lo & Sons camera bag- $$$ Eve has this pretty camera bag! It’s the perfect size for her camera and still fits all the essentials like her iPad, wallet, lip gloss, wine opener (wink wink) etc. Eve loves this bag because she can use it as either camera bag or purse.

  3. THEIT Colt camera bag $$$- Ivy has this gorgeous bag and uses it for her large DSLR camera. The interior padding keeps her camera safe while still allowing her to carry a ton of other goodies! See our previous post with more details & photos of THEIT camera bag here.

  4. Lo and Sons Catalina deluxe tote $$- Eve uses this tote most often along with her Away bag as her personal item. This bag has a trolley sleeve which slips over the handle of her suitcase so its secure while shes running through the airport or walking to the train station. It has a room for all her airplane essentials (see post here) and room for all her goodies she picks up on the trip!

  5. Amazon Fashion tote & packing cubes $ -This very large sized tote and packing cubes are stylish and matching! This tote is great for travel with its suitcase trolley sleeve for comfort (give your shoulders a rest!). Plus it has a separate shoe compartment to keep all your clothes dirt free! We also love using packing cubes for organizing our suitcase, so this purchase was a no-brainer!

  6. Imoshion weekender Bella $79- Perfect for a quick trip, this bag is roomy and stylish! We love how it comes with a shoulder strap too! (to purchase contact via DM on Instagram)

  7. Target duffel bag $- Another great option for traveling. This duffel has a unisex color and style so you can surprise any of your travel friends with it! This bag also has a shoe compartment.

  8. Lily & Drew backpack $- Ivy uses this backpack for all her travel trips now. This backpack is perfect for fitting her laptop, chargers, books, and other travel essentials (see her list here). Ivy has the 16” size for her huge laptop, but they also have a 13” and 15”. They are purchased through Amazon and available on Amazon Prime for speedy delivery!

  9. Imoshion backpack Leslie $49- This gorgeous backpack is perfect for weekend getaways or trips when we don’t need our laptop or big camera. The details on the bag are amazing, and the quality is great! We have several Imoshion backpacks and love them all! (to purchase contact via DM on Instagram)