The city of York is packed full of history and is the perfect mix of a bustling city and historic fix. With trains running consistently and the station being a five minute walk from the centre it’s very accessible and easy to travel to by both train and car. It’s a great place to spend a day wandering where you’ll bump into something new at every turn.
Often regarded as the most haunted city in the world, with over 504 recorded hauntings! Mainly due to its gruesome history involving Vikings and Romans, this the best place to undertake a ghost walk. Situated at different spots around the city you’ll travel through York’s history going from the most haunted pub in the world to York Minister this is a great way to explore the beautiful city at night, if you’re brave enough!
York is surrounded by walls, with more intact than any other UK city they were used to defend York many times over the years and is a perfect way to see the city from a bird’s eye view. The full length of the walls are 2.6 miles however there are many ways to get up and down the walls as you go, along with benches dotted on route, so you can walk along for as long as you like. The trail is free so is a great budget activity that still allows you to be immersed into York’s history.
Another famous site to stop by is York Minster, northern Europe’s oldest Gothic cathedral! Although only free for services and prayer, there is a small area before the ticket desk where you can take in the expanse of the interior without paying the entrance fee, so is still budget friendly and student accessible.
Rumoured to be an inspiration for the infamous Diagon Alley in Harry Potter, you’ll certainly feel like a student at Hogwarts when you walk through the shambles. This collection of cobbled streets is filled with historic Tudor style buildings now housing many independent shops. One of these is the iconic York Ghost Merchants. Built in 1780s the store makes and sells original York Ghosts, so you can take a little piece of the city with you as a souvenir.
Although days out can quickly become expensive, equipped with wikipedia and some good trainers York can be extremely accessible and a place where you don’t have to miss out on anything.
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