Well, I think it’s fair to say that York is one of the prettiest places I’ve ever been, and that I didn’t have nearly enough time there.

It’s so full of beautiful old buildings, narrow cobbled streets, and enough cute little cafes and shops to keep you busy for days, amongst many other things.

My bestie Bee and I travelled up by on a Thursday afternoon, watching the world go by, catching up, and wondering what our time in York would be like. We hopped in a taxi when we got there, greeted by the friendliest Yorkshire man of all time. This was a very good start.

Over the next few days there was lots of wandering around, eating, and soaking in some knowledge and inspiration at York Literature Festival. I was absolutely not ready to leave on Saturday afternoon, as there was still so much I wanted to do there.

 

Where to stay in York

 

 

We stayed in the Monkbar Hotel (now DoubleTree by Hilton), which funnily enough is right by Monk Bar, the largest and most ornate “bar”, which is one of the gateways into the walled part of the city of York.

Our twin room was the perfect size for us, and we had sweeties waiting for us on the bed when we arrived. Little touches like that are special.

The hotel was a really good base for us to come back to and rest when needed, as it was only a very short walk into the walled city centre.

 

 

Where to eat and drink in York

We were recommended so many places to eat that we didn’t manage to get to all of them, but did snap a couple of photos of them as we made our way around the winding cobbled streets. Here are some of those places.

 

Ambiente Tapas

 

 

Ambiente Tapas was about 3 minutes from our hotel, and had been recommended by so many people that we had to go on our first night.

The food was amazing – it was really flavourful and tasty. I tried swordfish while we were there, and I would definitely have it again.

 

Café Concerto

 

 

A characterful little café-restaurant, perfect for a cup of tea or dinner, right by York Minster.

 

Shambles Kitchen

 

 

…for one of their famous pulled pork sandwiches.

 

Brew & Brownie

 

 

Sadly we couldn’t get a seat in Brew & Brownie, as it’s small and very popular, but it looked and smelled yummy.

 

Bill’s

 

 

We went to Bill’s for dinner one evening, as it’s an easy and reliable choice for easy cocktails and tasty dishes.

 

Where to shop in York

 

Although we didn’t buy anything, York is an amazing place to wander around and shop. There are so many independent stores as well as the big names.

 

The Shambles

 

 

The famous narrow, cobbled streets of York are full of amazing old wonky buildings, and little stores with tiny doors.

 

Pandora’s Box

 

 

A curiosity shop full of taxidermy, skulls, and weird stuff.

 

Bowler Vintage

 

 

A perfectly laid-out vintage shop – all the reasonably priced garments are arranged by colour.

 

Priestley’s Vintage

 

 

Priestley’s Vintage is not as reasonably priced, but they have some incredibly beautiful vintage pieces.

 

 

What to do in York

Visit York Minster

 

 

This huge cathedral took over 400 years to build, and you can see why when you look closely at all the stunning detail. It’s the largest gothic cathedral in northern Europe. I’m not one for religion, but I do like architecture. You can’t go to York and not see the minster.

 

Take the York’s Chocolate Story tour

 

 

We didn’t do much tourist stuff in York, although I wish we’d got one of those tourist buses…

One place we made sure we went was the Chocolate Story. York is the birthplace of loads of famous chocolates, and this place tells you all about the history of them. It’s way more interesting than I’m making it sound, plus you get to sample things and make your own chocolate lollipop at the end.

You don’t get to sample any Terry’s chocolate orange however, which I found heartbreaking.

 

York Literature Festival

The main purpose of our trip was to attend a few events at the York Literature Festival. This is on every year in March, and is a celebration of words in all their forms.

The York Literature Festival events we went to were:

 

Say Owt Presents: International Women’s Week Word Riot

There was open mic poetry, a spoken word show by Sophia Walker, and some special guest poets. Of course, the theme of the night was feminism. I’ve seen many poets perform before, but nothing has given me goosebumps like this. It really inspired me, and made me want to write more.

 

York St John Con

“A day of comics, video and board games, graphic novels and other sequential art.”

I am a big fan of zines, short comics and artist books, so this was right up my alley. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to attend any of the workshops or talks, but we spent a good while looking through all the gorgeous books in the foyer, and getting lost in the amazing university.

 

 

How Not To Submit Your Manuscript

I’ve not written a book, but I do like the idea of getting my work published one day. This talk was a pretty useful insight into the world of publishing by 3 literary agents – one of which has the same name as my mum, which was a little confusing and off-putting.

However, it felt really good to be learning again.

We were also meant to see Wendy Cope, however we had to catch our train home.

 

 

All in all, York is such a nice place for a short city break. It’s incredibly beautiful, and I hope to be back soon to meander through the ancient streets.