BLOG: YORK

Süreyya Güvene Sakallıoğlu

York, which is in the north of England (United Kingdom) in the Yorkshire and Humberside region, is also at the point where Ouse and Foss rivers cross. There are three bridges on the Ouse River: Lendal, Ouse and Skendergate, and if the weather is good, you can enjoy boat tours on the river. The city is surrounded by city walls and there are four gates: Bootham Bar, Monk Bar, Walmgate Bar and Micklegate Bar. I particularly recommend that you see the Clifford’s Tower, from which you can catch an amazing view. The biggest university in this city is the University of York.



You can travel around the city with the Pullman Bus Tour, but I would recommend that you walk, in order to take in the ravishing atmosphere and history closely. You can easily travel all around the city in one day, and if you don’t have a map in hand you can just get one from the touristic stands.

Of course, New York was once called New Amsterdam before being changed after conquest by the English in 1664, in honor of the Duke of York at the time.



As we were traveling with our own vehicle, we started our trip by visiting the York Minster, which is Northern Europe’s biggest cathedral of the medieval age. Construction of this cathedral was completed between the years of 627 and 1472. York experienced its golden years during the Medieval Age thanks to such magnificent architecture; today, it is the second most popular tourist attraction in the country.



If you travel by train, you can start by visiting the National Railway Museum, near the central station. The museum enlightens the history of railway transportation, and is also the biggest museum of England in its field. What’s more, visitors can also see Harry Potter’s famous Hogwarts Express there.


Your second stop will be the York Castle Museum, where you can mostly see the lifestyle of the medieval age. There is also a Museum of Horror called the York Dungeons in the city center. Such museums can only be found in a few numbers of cities in England, and there are performers in every room you enter. Still, I can easily say that it was not as scary as we expected. However, you can alternatively take The York Ghost Walk Experience, which runs between 19:00 and 21:00 every evening.

Our last museum stop is the York Museum Gardens - a great botanical garden on the riverside, which includes many structural ruins and the Yorkshire Museum. If you are lucky, you can also have fun in the museum’s special Vikings activity. If you plan to stay for a few days, the Jorvik Viking Centre is also one of the places that should be visited, while if you have children you can also enjoy a picnic in the York Maze.

One of the must see locations in York is the Street of Little Shambles. On the cobblestone pavements of this street there are still the crooked and skewed buildings of the Medieval Age, which include small shops, cafes, etc. Don’t forget to take plenty of photos. You can also visit the streets of Oppergate, Castlegate Stonegate and St. Duncombe. After then you can take a break at Betty’s Cafe Tea Rooms: A classic thing to do. I can also recommend the restaurant “Rustique.”

If you still have time, I suggest you stop by the Homestead Park in the city center - one of York’s unique parks. However, it closes at 18:00 - early closing in England is an unfortunate reality.