York is such a stunning city, with loads of places to explore, eat and drink. I recently visited for a long weekend trip for my birthday and was determined to pack it out with plenty to do, and with so many great independent restaurants available – plenty to eat too!
I think I successfully squeezed lots into my long weekend in York, so I’ve created a guide to spending a weekend in York, with some great places to visit.
I’ve not visited every location on this list, but I have included links and photos from those I have visited. The guide is separated into different categories, but if you want to skip ahead to a different section click on the links below:
Where To Go For Breakfast
Brew & Brownie
If you’re looking for the best pancakes for breakfast you must try Brew & Brownie – their pancakes are the most incredible fluffy American-style pancakes with incredible toppings. They also do amazing french toast and full English options. The coffee is also incredible, and Chris claims he had the best white hot chocolate ever here! Read my full review
Robinsons Cafe
Robinsons Cafe is a local’s favourite in York, serving breakfasts, brunch, and lunch. I tried the sweetcorn fritters, and Chris had the Croque Madam, and both were incredible. I also highly recommend the hashbrowns, they have the perfect amount of crispness!
Other places for Breakfast:
- The Pig & Pastry – Breakfast sandwiches, fry-ups, variations of egg benedict, waffles, and things on toast. Described as one of the best places for breakfast in York!
- Partisan – serving all-day breakfast, coffee, and baked goods. Everything has been sourced from local ingredients.
- The Blue Barbakan – Serving Eastern European style breakfasts, and kids eat breakfast free!
Where To Go For Quick Bites
The York roast co
For something quick and filling it’s absolutely worth going to The York Roast Co for one of their yorkypud wraps. Made quickly in front of you with the choice of pork, turkey, ham, or beef. Read my full review
Shambles food court
If you head down to the Shambles try the Shambles Food Court. There’s a variety of street food stands, from burgers to greek food, to Indian street food, to Turkish – there’s bound to be something that will take your interest!
Brew & brownie bakeshop
A few doors down from Brew & Brownie cafe is their bakeshop – serving amazing cakes, brownies and coffee.
Where To Go For Afternoon Tea
Betty’s Cafe Tea Rooms
When it comes to afternoon tea in York, there’s one main answer for this – Betty’s Cafe Tea Rooms. Traditional afternoon tea of sandwiches, cakes, and cream tea costs £19.99, or have prosecco afternoon tea is £24.95, or champagne for £27.95. Read my full review
Other places to visit for afternoon tea:
- Impossible York – a fun afternoon tea with sandwiches, scones, sweet treats, and pastries. Served with either tea, prosecco, or champagne.
- The Grand York – prosecco, champagne, or gin afternoon tea available.
- The Ivy – afternoon tea with scones, cakes, and sandwiches. Served with tea or champagne.
Where To Go For Dinner
Burgsys
Burgsys claims to have the best burgers in York, and they are not wrong! We tried the Billy the Kid and the Buffalo Bill burgers and they were incredible! The burgers were huge, and full of flavour and came with fries and their own homemade ketchup.
Other places for Dinner in york:
- Skosh – a creative menu serving small plates and a seasonal cocktail menu.
- Tomahawk Steakhouse – serving steaks, wagyu, and other local meat, fish and vegetarian dishes.
- Roots – A Michelin-starred restaurant offering a tasting menu.
- Cut & Craft – Specialising in flat iron steaks and craft beers.
Where To Go For Drinks
Impossible York
If you’re looking for amazing cocktails, you need to visit Impossible York! We spent our first night in York here and made our way through the cocktail menu, everything that came out was amazing! My favourite was the mad quacker, which bubbled up in front of you.
Other places for drinks in york:
- Pairings Wine Bar – a wine and deli bar offering small plates paired with a great wine list.
- Rose & Crown – serving ales, world craft beers, and hand-pulled local beers.
- Star Inn The City – enjoy drinks sitting on the outside terrace overlooking the museum gardens.
- Spark – Spark is a community of small independent businesses including street food and bars.
- House of Trembling Madness – a quirky pub with a large collection of beers.
Things To Do
Jorvik Viking Centre
We spent a great few hours in the Jorvik Viking Centre as a bit of a last-minute decision and had such a fun time. It’s a hugely fascinating museum, with lots of recreated areas and models showing how the Viking era would have been. There’s also a small ride that you go on showing you around a Viking village, including lots of different sounds and smells!
The Hole In Wand
If you know me, you’ll know I’m a huge Harry Potter fan, and we just so happened to be in York on the day that this opened! It’s a Harry Potter inspired indoor mini golf course, with 9 holes. Each hole has a beautifully designed set, and you need to solve the mystery as you go around. I found it to be quite a difficult golf course, and although it’s advertised as great for children 3 and over, as two adults in their 30s we found it very challenging, maybe that says something about our mini golf skills!
Other things to do in York:
- National Railway Museum – learn about the engineering and history of rail transport in Britain.
- York Hop-On-Hop-Off Bus Tour – experience all of the landmarks of York with a hop-on-hop-off bus tour.
- York Dungeons – learn about 200 years of York’s dark history, with live actors and shows.
- The Original Ghost Walk of York – a walking tour through the streets of York all about spooky legends.
- York Chocolate Story – a tour around the history of chocolate making in York.
- York Cat Trail – a self-guided tour to find the 22 cat statues around York.
Other Places Of Interest
The Shambles
The Shambles is an iconic part of York and a must-visit! The beautiful old street dates back to Medieval times and is full of beautiful timber-framed buildings. Down The Shambles you will find an assortment of shops, cafes, and bars, great for a wander around.
The City Walls
York is surrounded by historical walls, which are free to walk around all year. Walking along the city walls is about 3.4km long, and will take around 2 hours with some stunning views over York.
York Minister
When visiting York you need to make a visit to York Minister, as it is truly stunning!
Museum Gardens
York’s Museum Gardens is a large botanical garden in the centre of York, which is completely free to visit. We spent a good hour here wandering around here, exploring the gardens and ruins, and just enjoying some peace in the middle of the city.
York Ghost Merchants
One of my favourite quirky places I visited in York was The York Ghost Merchants – selling the finest and original York ghosts. Each ghost is handmade and unique, ‘with a spirit all of its own’. If you purchase a ghost here it also has an opportunity to ride a train before you take it home!
York Map
I’ve created a map of everywhere mentioned in the guide for you to find your way around York!
How to use the map
You can save the map to your desktop or your Google Maps app, and it can be downloaded and viewed offline on your smartphone!
Everywhere I’ve recommended can be filtered by category, just untick the sections you don’t want to see on the map.
