york England travel guide York travel blogger

10 Things That Make York Special

10 THINGS THAT MAKE YORK SPECIAL York England travel blogger

We had an amazing time in York! It was a quick visit as it was just a 48 hour stop on my way to Manchester from London but I’d go back in a heartbeat! There was so much to see and do! I loved York and I know you will too!



Check out 10 reasons to love York!

  1. York is home to the largest Gothic cathedral in Northern Europe: York Minster. This massive structure took 250 years to build, from 1220 until its consecration in 1472.
  2. York is home to the largest railway museum in the world, where visitors can book rail trips on the iconic Flying Scotsman and view the only Japanese Bullet train outside of Japan.
  1. The best racecourse in Great Britain is right here in York. York Races run from May to October and attract thousands of visitors each year. Did you know the Romans started racing in York in 208 AD?
  2. The biggest Festival of Food and Drink in Great Britain takes place for ten days here in September.
  3. You can visit JORVIK – the only attraction of its kind that is based on a real archaeological dig. York was the trading hub of the Viking world and the authenticity of JORVIK makes it unique. It attracts millions of tourists and has become one of Britain’s top visitor attractions.
  4. Britain’s Home of Chocolate has a long history of chocolate making since 1725. Both Rowntree’s (now Nestlé) and Terry’s (now owned by Mondelēz International) started here, and Kit Kat is the biggest seller, with around 5 million Kit Kats being produced in York every day. Visit York’s Chocolate Story to find out more!
  5. We have two of the country’s most beautiful national parks right on our doorstep – the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors. The North York Moors Steam Railway at Goathland was the location for the first Harry Potter film.
  6. The Treasurer’s House in York was in the Guinness Book of Records for having the ‘Ghosts of Greatest Longevity’. Built over the main Roman thoroughfare leading into York, the house was the site of a remarkable apparition in the 1950s when ghostly centurions wandered through the cellar along the Roman road. This is just one of the sightings in York and it’s been named Europe’s most haunted city. There are a number of ghost walks to choose from.
  7. York has the longest and best preserved city walls in England.
  8. Finally don’t forget there are a lot of new things in the city. If you haven’t visited for a year or two you will find a multitude of new bars, cafés and award-winning restaurants.



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