York UK Accommodation

Mallard, the world's fastest steam engine at York's National Railway Museum

York River Trips along the River Ouse

Specialist Shopping in York

York City Walls, Constantly added to, the walls' roots are Roman but most of what you see is Medieval

National Railway Museum York Shopping Shambles York Boat Trips York UK

It's free admission to the world's largest railway museum - the National Railway Museum (NRM) here in York. Take a journey through the definitive history of British Railways from the early 19th century through to the present at this outstanding museum. The railway collection here includes over 100 locomotives and 750,000 railway artefacts. The NRM is a top York attraction for families and includes on-site mini railway and Railway themed kids playground. A visit to York has to include a boat trip down the River Ouse. Daily city boat trips are around 45 minutes and include live commentary throughout.

York is a positive feast for shopping, and the city is largely pedestrianised making York shopper friendly territory. A mix of York shops are on offer including fine specialist shops and market stalls on York's narrow medieval streets (including its most famous street The Shambles) and a superb choice of unique boutiques and modern high street names. Likewise York restaurant, cafe and tearoom and pub and chic bar choice is outstanding.

National Railway Museum (NRM) York

The UK's National Railway Museum and indeed the world's largest railway museum is here in York. A mecca for railway enthusiasts and a superb family attraction, the National Railway Museum doesn't just trace the history of Britain's railways from the early 19th century through to the present, it also digs deep into the international history of rail. Alongside historic British steam locamotives in the museum's Great Hall such as the Mallard and an exact replica of Stephenson's Rocket (from which all locomotives can trace their roots) you'll also find a Chinese Locomotive built in Britain and a Japanese Bullet train.

Daily talks, workshops, demonstrations of railway turntables and an exciting line-up of exhibitions including The Flying Scotsman Story and British Rail Story from Nationalisation to Privatisation are all part of the National Railway Museum experience.

Move to The Warehouse via the Great Hall to view over 750,000 railway artefacts. Guided tours of the Warehouse run daily from 12noon to 14.10. You'll need several designated hours to explore the museum's extensive collection which includes over 100 locomotives dating from 1813, a vast collection of railway models, signalling and telecommunications equipment, railway road vehicles, Royal rail carriages, historic railway posters and numerous fascintating photography depicting railway travellers, locamotives and railway stock and the railways within landscape scenes. Around 1.4 million images are held here, and for researchers a new Library and Archive Centre is now on-site. Younger visitors are well taken care of with on-site NRM kids playground with of course a railway theme. A miniature railway also runs daily. Disabled access is good, with ramps and chair lifts affording access to most of the museum and free disabled parking is situated near the museum's entrance. A railway gift shop and aptly named Brief Encounter restaurant or Signal Box Cafe are also inside the NRM.

National Railway Museum, Leeman Road, York YO26 4XJ. Tel. 08448 153139.
Open Daily 10am to 6pm. Admission is Free! www.nrm.org.uk

York River Boat Trips on The River Ouse

Voted Tourism Experience of the year 2007 by the Yorkshire Tourist Board, YorkBoat Boat trips along the River Ouse are one of York's top attractions. (buy tickets on-line via the weblink below).

Choose from a mix of daytime city cruises, floodlit evening cruises, summer nights afloat, private parties boat hire or even hire one of the self drive Red Boats for an hour and explore York from the River Ouse at your own pace.

The popular Daytime City Cruise, a guided YorkBoat River Trip, operates at least 4 times daily from February to November. Boat Trips depart from York city centre landings at King's Staith (southern end of the city centre near Clifford's Tower) and Lendal Bridge (northern city centre landing just down from York Theatre Royal). The cruise lasts around 45 minutes with live commentary throughout. Together with York Sightseeing bus tours, York River Boat Trips are a great way to get your bearings in the city and receive a fine introduction to York early on in your visit.
www.yorkboat.co.uk

York River Boat Cruises t/a YorkBoat, The Boatyard, Lendal Bridge, York, YO1 7DP. Tel. (0044) (0)1904 628324.

York Shopping Guide & The Shambles

Shopping heaven is often applied to York and it's an accurate description. York is easily one of the UK's best shopping cities offering the full range of designer, high street stores and fashion, antique shops, specialist gift shops like the Cat Gallery (a well known cat lovers magnet), and specialist shopping, market stalls and off the wall boutiques around the Quarter and the narrow Medieval streets of York - most famously along York's celebrated street - The Shambles. Historically a street of butchers shops, The Shambles dates back to the Medieval Times. The street today is one of the UK's most visited and photographed. Don't miss Stonegate too, which ranks in beauty to the Shambles and dates earlier to the Roman period when it served as Roman throughfare.

York has numerous specialist arts and craft shops, restaurants, pubs and antique shops. Many of the streets are pedestrianised, making browsing around the York shops a real pleasure. Self-contained tasteful modern shopping centres are here too, notably the Coppergate Centre above Viking city which is home to Fenwicks, Marks & Spencer Home Store, Topshop, an array of shoe shops and some fine specialist shops including The Whisky Shop.

Parliament Street serves as main hub for department stores including Brown's and York holds its daily market beside the fountain here. The Quarter, around the Stonegate area, offers a charming choice of narrow streets with unique boutiques and contains numerous chic bars and eateries. On Stonegate you'll find a superb choice of designer and specialist shops. For jewellery, more designer clothes and gift shops browse round High and Low Petergate.

Find Past Images on The Shambles, a Period Photographic Emporium where you can be taken back to the medieval, Victorian or York's Viking era to create a truly different and fun photographic experience. They can even turn you into one of York's most famous Ghosts. All the shops in this busy street are open 7 days a week. Past Images Period Photographic Emporium Past Images A selection of webguides for some of York's finest shops are listed to the right. Find York's famous Designer Outlet complex with 50 percent reductions on all labels just south of the city centre.

York Restaurants, Cafes, Tearooms & Chic Bars

As well as shopping mecca, York is an outstanding city for its choice of restaurants, bistros, atmospheric town pubs, chic bars, tearooms and cafes. Many are situated in the heart of York city centre. (see York Restaurant weblinks right for a sample of the city's huge choice of restaurants and bistros).

York restaurant choice covers the full range of cuisine from fine dining top luxury restaurant hotspots such as The Blue Bicycle, Maxis fine Cantonese and The Olive Tree affording great views of Clifford's Tower to charming cafes like Cafe no 8 Bistro with its heated garden area. Classic York pub choice is likewise superb, with character pubs like Punchbowl (Stonegate) and Cross Keys on Goodramgate with York Minster views serve up fine Yorkshire real ales and extensive food menus. Indian, Turkish, Mediterranean, Italian and French restaurants are all here in York. Pick up a restaurant guide from York's Tourist Information Centre for full listings.

York tearoom and cafe choice is superb. Checkout The Earl Grey Tea Rooms and Gift Shop on The Shambles or the Blue Fly Cafe Bar on New Street. If you want to grab a sweet treat head for La Cremeria on High Petergate near the Minster. Fine Italian ice cream, coffees, homemade cakes and light lunches are on offer here.

York Tourist Information
De Grey Rooms, Exhibition Square
York Railway Station
Tel:01904 550099
www.visityork.org

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