A day trip to York (2023): a one day itinerary in the historic city

If a day trip to York, England is all you can manage then you’ll be pleased to know that it’s still well worth visiting even if you have limited time here.  

As part of a larger UK trip or just a day out from your regular routine, York really captures the hearts and minds of all who visit.  Why?  Well, I guess many reasons, but for me it was the wealth of history that the city has that drew me to visit.  There’s also a faint smell of chocolate – that’s quite tempting too!  More about that later!

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I love hearing about people who go on a York day trip after reading this post – let me know in the comments what you thought of it and if you recommend any new attractions!  

Our Top Pick

river ouse cruise in York

York River Cruise

A cruise on the River Ouse is a must on a day trip to York. It gets you away from the crowds and you can enjoy a really different view of the city!

Personal recommendation: Save money with the York Pass.

We used the York Pass to gain entry to all the attractions we mentioned on this page (plus it includes a lot more) and it really helps to save money. If you only have a day and are planning to make the most of it by visiting everything I highly recommend it!

For 2023 the cost is £55 for adults and £32 for children.

Alternatively you can book the attractions separate:

A note from the writer: Hey! I’m Kirsty and I’m a UK travel expert. Although I live here I still travel around England as a tourist every year – there’s so much to see! Shout (or comment below) if you have any questions about your trip and I’ll get back to you ASAP.

York doesn’t feel like a city.  It’s not sprawling and it’s not hard to get around.  In fact, get there early enough and you’ll enjoy a sense of peace and serenity that I never associate with cities.  The compact feeling is amplified by the fact that the city is surrounded by medieval walls and most things a day tripper will be interested in is within them.

There’s so much history in York that it’s both hard to get away from it yet it’s also hard to understand what went on here – I knew that it was a city full of historic sites, but I’ll be honest, I felt a bit overwhelmed by what was around.  Where do you even start?  Do you go and enjoy each time period, or try and cram them all in?  If you’re limited by your time in the city then you’ll likely want to do the latter!

Need a hotel on your trip? For an extra special weekend away definitely consider booking The Grand for a 5 star (but still quite reasonable) experience

Or check out these unusual places to stay in Yorkshire

Coming from London? Check out the best ways to get from London to York

What to do on a day trip to York

So, my itinerary for you here takes into account a bit about each part of history that the city of York is famous for, so if history is your thing you’ll love it, but really when we did it it was just enjoyable itself.  James isn’t quite as into history as I am and he had a really fun time so I hope you do too.  It, of course, doesn’t cover everything history wise, and certainly not all there is to do in York but it’s a pretty good introduction.

First things first is that you should consider getting yourself a York Pass for the day.  It’s especially good if you’re visiting the area for a few days as you can also get one that covers the city centre attractions and also some surrounding sights too.  If you really only have a day in York then you can still get your money’s worth with the one day city pass that they do.

Be aware it works on a calendar day and not 24 hours so don’t start using it one day and thinking you can finish up seeing sights the next morning unless you go for the two-day option.  You can get the pass here or I’ve linked to each attraction individually if you want to pick and choose.

About the York City Pass – you get a couple of options:

The City Pass is available in a single 1 day card or you can also get a 2 day card.

You can buy it online in advance here and pick it up at the Visit York Information Centre (just down from York Minster – 1 Museum Street, YO1 7DT) or just get it on the day from there. 

An early morning at York shambles on our day trip
Our York day trip started with a trip to the empty Shambles street just as the shops were starting to open

For early birds:

My top tip for you if you can manage it is to get into York early and just wander around the streets, or maybe do the city wall walk while the city is just waking up and before lots more tourists spill on to the streets.  This is what we did and we found the Shambles, the famous medieval street in York, deserted!  No, we couldn’t look round the shops, but we did lots of window shopping and returned later for another look around.

york pass for a day trip to York, England
Our York Pass for the day in York

Go to the York Visitor centre to get the York pass

The tourist information office opens at 9 am, so head there straight away to get your pass and you’ll be ready for the day ahead.  They’re really friendly there too so if you have any questions about your day they’ll be able to point you to where you need to go.  You do get a small booklet with a map in with your passes to help you navigate the city.

*feel free to do things in your own order – this is pretty much how we spent our day, but any order is fine.  Some attractions can get busy in the summer months e.g Jorvik, so perhaps aim to get that done early if you’re worried about queues*

york minster and sign on a quiet morning of a York day trip
York Minster – now, where to next?

Start the day at York Minster

York Minster completely dominates the city landscape so you’ll definitely want to take a peek inside.  Going early means that it’s very peaceful and not busy at all.  You can look around in your own time and really take in the beauty of the building.

I personally was in awe of the Minster and couldn’t believe that it was built 800 years ago – just how did they do it?  Ok, it did take them 250 years to complete it fully, but the architecture and skill were immense.  There’s actually history that goes back even further on the site too and you can learn about that in the Undercroft museum which goes under the Minster (opens normally around 10 am).

You can also get a guided tour of the Minster (included in the York Pass) and there’s a chance to go up the tower too for an additional admission fee.  Apparently you get excellent views over the city but we couldn’t partake as James forgot to bring his asthma inhaler!  One for another time.

Monk Bar, one of the old gates to the city is quite close to the Minster if you want to head on over there while in the vicinity.  You can learn about one of the old kings here as well if you want to go inside the gate to the Richard III experience.

If you have time and it’s a nice day you might like to head close by to the York Museum Gardens which house St Mary’s Abbey – a medieval ruin in the city! Yorkshire has so many abbeys but you can see one right here in the centre of York.

york chocolate story
My favourite part of the day involved chocolate…

Head over to the York Chocolate story

Update for 2023 – this attraction is no longer covered by the York Pass. If you want an alternative that is included then the York Cocoa Works could be good for you!

It’s about a 5-minute walk to the next attraction from the Minster and if I’m honest, this was one of my favourite parts of the day and it was only partly because we got to taste chocolate!

York’s Chocolate Story is an attraction that combines the history of some of the most famous names in chocolate, who came from York, with information on how chocolate is made and of course, some chocolate tasting too.  The lovely smell of chocolate hits you as soon as you walk through the doors here and it stays as you head on through the tour.  There are some lovely tastings to be had, and some not so nice ones too – there’s a reason chocolate has sugar in it!

The history of the companies of Rowntree’s and Terry’s was really interesting and it was such a big employer of the city in the late 19th and early 20th century.  The tour ends with a quick making of a chocolate lolly that kids will love (ok, I did too) and a demonstration of how handmade chocolates are made.

If you want more chocolate there’s cafe too and if you want more than that there a lot of independent chocolatiers all round York too.  There’s even a chocolate trail that I may have to do myself one day too!

Pub with roman bath house remains in York
An unassuming attraction with an interesting history

Visit the Roman Bath house

Just around the corner, there’s time to fit in another little attraction before lunch.  This is such a quirky little place and I really loved the story of how the ruins of this place were found.

Roman York actually lays about 4 feet under the ground you currently walk on in York so there are actually pretty few Roman remains to be seen in the city, even though we know that the Romans were here.  The fort in this area was called Eboracum.

The bathhouse remains were found in 1929 when the building, which was (and still is) a pub, had a big fire.  That fire gave them the chance to dig and get a bigger cellar, but they found a little more than they bargained for!  What they found was the corner of the fort and the remains of the ancient bath house the legionnaires would have used.

It’s only a small attraction and doesn’t take too long to get around, but the man on the desk was really friendly and knowledgeable if you want to know more about what’s around.  Plenty of dressing up opportunities for the kids too!

inside roman bath in york
Inside the Roman Bath House in York
shopping in York on a day trip
Beautiful buildings in York

Lunch & shopping

(if you like your lunch a bit later you might like to add in Jorvik beforehand – see how you’re doing for time.  This is what we did.)

Time for some food and also take some time to wander around the shops.  The Shambles is one not to miss, even though it’s super touristy and will be very busy by now.  Another street that is extremely pretty is Stonegate (above) so add that one on your list.  One of the buildings there dates back to the 1400s which is quite mind-blowing!

The Shambles actually dates back to medieval times, although the shop fronts aren’t from that era.  Narrow streets like this were actually designed like that to keep the sunlight out because it would have been used by butchers selling meat from the windows.  No sunlight meant the meat was less likely to go off!

It’s thought that the Shambles is actually one of the inspirations for Diagon Alley in Harry Potter (alongside Edinburgh) and there’s plenty of Harry Potter inspired shops there nowadays too.  If you have some HP fans you can even take a dedicated tour!

clifford tower in york uk

Clifford’s Tower

Clifford’s tower is currently closed until Summer 2021 – check here to see if it’s open before visiting.

In the afternoon take the 8-10 minute walk to the south of the city walls to Clifford’s Tower which is the only remaining piece of York Castle from medieval times to still be standing.  You can get amazing views of the city from the top but really there’s not a lot to do in the tower and you can be done in a short time.  Max 30 mins I’d say.

There are a couple of museums around here too if you like those – the York Castle Museum and York Army Museum are right next to Clifford’s Tower.

Clifford’s Tower is an English Heritage site and is free if you have membership – check details here.

Is Medieval England one of your interests? See our guide to visiting Sherwood Forest and find where Robin Hood was supposed to have hid out!

york jorvik attraction inside viking village

Go back in time to see the Vikings at Jorvik

York is very proid of their viking heritage and I’d heards loads of good things about Jorvik but wasn’t exactly sure what happens when you get there.

There was a little bit of a queue to get in, but as we were out of season it didn’t take long to get to the front.  I’d be aware of queues if you’re there in high season.  Once you’re in you’re greeted with a glass floor where you can see the archaeological remains from the Viking settlement that have been found.  You can watch some videos about the stories of the excavations too.

Once you’ve had your fill of that you can go on the ‘ride’ which takes you through the Viking village reconstruction.  I say ride because you sit in a chair that is moved around, a bit like an extra slow rollercoaster!  There are speakers that will guide you and let you know what you’re seeing as you go round and they can be in lots of different languages too.  I really loved seeing the reconstruction and I think the models were really well done – some of them I really thought were real people!  It’s fully interactive with your senses as well with lots to see, hear and smell!

After the journey through Jorvik, you’re led to a museum area where there are all sorts of collections of Viking artefacts found on site, skeletons of some of the people you saw in the village and some people in costume demonstrating things too and on hand to ask about.

After Jorvik we took a little breather and headed for a little stroll to the riverside before our last attraction of the day:

the york dungeon

Finally, finish on a fun note by visiting the York Dungeon!

Personally, I wasn’t too bothered about doing the York Dungeon, but James really did want to do it.  I’ve seen the chain of attractions in lots of cities – Edinburgh has one as does London and actually there’s a few worldwide now too, but I’ve never actually been there.  I was a little worried I wouldn’t like it but actually, it was a heap of fun and I’d definitely recommend it.

What you need to bear in mind is that it’s an interactive attraction and they may well pick on you to be part of it and be ok with that – I’m not so good with this kind of thing, but I was lucky and didn’t get picked on!  James did though!

You’ll get led round different rooms, each with a different time period and you’ll hear stories.  The actors are really brilliant and we laughed out loud so many times.  I liked that they kept their stories to things that York is famous for, so Viking, medieval times, Guy Fawkes makes an appearance as does the story of Dick Turpin.

We enjoyed it so much we’ll definitely consider visiting next time we see one!

An alternative idea… for your day in York might be a self guided city sightseeing treasure hunt like this one.  Really good idea if you struggle keeping kids engaged on a day out or just if you enjoy a challenge!

 

Was the York Pass worth it for a day?

When planning our day in York I knew that I wanted to take in as many of the historic attractions as possible and straight away I started wondering if a York Pass would be worth it.

Interested in the York Pass? We wrote a full review of it and how it works here.

If you do the places in this itinerary you’ll find that you save money on buying the admission for each attraction individually.  For us, it was definitely worth it as there was no wondering whether each place would be worth the price – we could go in, spend as little or as long as we wanted there and not worry.  I actually like having the freedom to do that and there are so many attractions in York if you found something lacking you could definitely find something else to fill its space.

Get your York Pass in advance here

A general note if you’re visiting York in winter.  Many of the attractions in York run a reduced set of hours in the low season.  

We visited in January and so we couldn’t use the Sightseeing bus as it didn’t run and the city cruise schedule was limited too.  Both of these are included in the York pass but we couldn’t take advantage.  

Most of the attractions don’t open until 10 am and close between 3 pm and 4 pm too so bear that in mind when deciding your timings.  On the plus side, queues weren’t long at all!

Evening in York

If you still have the evening to enjoy in York there are quite a few ghost tours that we saw advertised around the city (or you could arrange a private evening walking tour) and of course there’s plenty of pubs, both historic and not, to enjoy a meal and an evening’s entertainment in.  I’m afraid we didn’t have time for any of them this time.

York City Cruises also does evening trips which are worth thinking about if you happen upon some lovely warm evenings.

Want to explore around York?

There’s a lot to do around York from seaside towns to train rides. Here are some must do trips around the area:

Haworth & Yorkshire Dales
Heartbeat TV Locations Tour
Steam Train, Whitby & North Yorkshire Moors

You can also check out my guide to 21 of the best day trips from York.

Where to stay in York

If you’re looking for somewhere to stay overnight in York you’re in for a treat as there are loads of independent and quirky hotels in the area.  The Grand Hotel is a 5-star Edwardian era hotel if you’re looking for something special.  

Another option might be The Guy Fawkes Inn which is reportedly the birthplace of the man himself – it’s a little smaller and right next to York Minster.

Check out this map for much more options!

How to get to York

York is really easy to get to.  It’s situated in the North of England and if you’re coming by car you’ll find it’s just 20 mins from the M1 motorway.

There are parking options in the city but I recommend the park and ride option which is what we did.  It means you don’t need to navigate around the city at all – parking is free and you just need to pay for the bus journey in and out which was £3.50 return per adult (correct Dec 2022).  Check out the park and ride sites here.

The train is also really easy and we had planned to do this until our local connection was cancelled.  You can get to York in 2 hours from London and about 2.5 hours from Edinburgh so if you’re arriving in the country and basing yourself in any of those places you can totally add York to your vacation easily!  Check out Trainline for times and costs for getting there.

Private tours to York:

If you’re wanting the convenience of a private tour that takes in some of Northern England and the City of York too then take a look at the following with many departure points across the UK:

London:
5 day Heart of England, North Wales and Yorkshire tour

Edinburgh:
Best of Northern England – 5 day tour from Edinburgh

Manchester:
3-day Yorkshire Dales and Peak District Tour

Disclaimer: Thanks to VisitYork for providing us with a YorkPass each for the day so we could review whether it would be worth it for a day trip.  

What next?

Look for hotels in York – check booking.com
Want a holiday cottage or apartment? – check VRBO.com
Check out tours in York – Get Your Guide or Viator

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🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England Travel FAQ 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Do I need insurance for traveling to England?

YES! I always recommend people take travel insurance when exploring the world!

Check Travel Insurance Master for quote comparisons from different providers.

Do I need a car for visiting England?

YES – If you’re wanting to explore England fully then a car is worthwhile. It will get you to all the small villages, countryside sights and all on your own timetable

I recommend DiscoverCars to compare car rental prices in England

How to book accommodation in England?

For hotels I recommend Booking.com

For apartments and cottages check out VRBO

Will my phone work in England?

Perhaps – it depends if you have roaming enabled and beware this can be an expensive way to use your phone.

If you need a SIM for use in the UK I recommend GiffGaff which you can get and set up before traveling.

What’s the best guidebook for England?

I really like the Lonely Planet Guidebooks

Where to get flights for England

Skyscanner is my first port of call for finding cheap flights to England.

Do I need a visa for England?

Many countries don’t need a visa for visiting England as tourists (USA, Canada, Aus, NZ and Europe) – it’s always best to check first though.

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Kirsty Bartholomew

Kirsty Bartholomew is a travel expert and has been getting lost around the world for over 30 years and writing about it for over 10 of those. She loves to help people explore her favourite places in Scotland, England and beyond. She cannot stay away from historical sites.

6 thoughts on “A day trip to York (2023): a one day itinerary in the historic city”

  1. Fabulous and informative. I am planning on doing a one day tour of York from London (part of a bigger trip to Scotland) and this article was very helpful. Keep it coming!

    Reply

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