Family Day Out York | Discovering York’s Sightseeing Options
Imagine standing on the cobbled street of the Shambles in York….. having made your way through some of York’s main attractions including York Minister, York Chocolate Story, Cliffords Tower and the National Railway Museum…. So now’s the time to leave the crowds of tourists snapping away on the famous medieval cobbled street and head for one of York’s impressive sightseeing options.
But if you’ve never seen some of the above options, such as the impressive and free to enter National Railway Musuem…. then don’t miss the chance to get up close and personal with the Mallard (the world’s fastest steam loco) or the working replica of Stephenson’s Rocket. Or take your pick of the below options for a fun family day out in York….
But if you fancy treading in some historical footsteps enroute to the sight seeing options (boat/bus) near Lendal Bridge, you can try the streets of Petergate or Stonegate….. Now two of York’s busiest streets, just imagine 2000 years ago when they played crucial roles as (Via Principalis or Via Praetoria) linking the city to the impressive Roman headquarters where York minister now stands….
Grab a City Cruise York – you’ll love seeing york from the water
You might be in the place world famous for it’s confectionary (you can find out more about Terrys/Rowntrees on this interesting Chocolate Trail) but for us, we’ve headed to take advantage of the City Cruises York and a journey down the River Ouse.
Included in the York Pass or available as a separate purchase (click here) it offers an interesting commentary alongside some great views across the nearby St Peters School playing fields (alma mater of one of York’s most infamous residents – Guy Fawkes)… with perhaps the best views and commentary comes as you head back towards King’s Staith…
Escaping the city rush, you enjoy York from a different perspective whilst the friendly crew guide you along the beautiful River Ouse… our girls loved finding out more about York including stories about one of York’s most haunted pubs (the Cock and Bottle) or why some of York’s building have figures of cats on them!
The City Cruise lasts between 45mins to an 1hr and provides a welcome relief to enjoy the city. If you catch the right time of year, we’ve heard you can even see kingfishers darting into the Ouse too…
hop on a city sightseeing bus – you’ll love the commentary
Tf water sightseeing is not your thing, then another way to see the city is via the York City Sightseeing Bus. Easily accessed from 20 points across the city (see map), the whole journey lasts around an hour although you can always hop on or hop off where you like…
Having visited over 50+ European Cities on our European Roadtrip, we’ve decided that these offer the easiest way to see a city if you’re pushed for time… or if you enjoy hearing the anecdotal commentary rather than sifting through guide books… either way they were great value to us, as they were yet again included in the York Pass.
Both kids loved the language options onboard (you can hear it in ‘Yorkshire’!) and we found this one of the best commentary from any ‘Hop on, Hop Off’ bus…. Hearing all about why Daylight Robbery linked to window taxes or the humorous reason that Clifford Tower became a tower…. And we even shuddered a little at the story of the traitors at Mickelgate Bar or the last remaining complete barbican in Europe.
see the sights through your camera – just head for the city walls
Or if you fancy a different viewpoint, then York’s scenic cityscapes are best viewed from the impressive 3 miles of stone city walls that wrap around the historic city centre. And even better if you have your camera to hand (see these images)
Yet again, Lottie’s enjoyed taking hew new camera around York and whilst we understand not everyone enjoys photography. It’s been a revelation for us to try and find new views (through the lens) of all the cities we’ve visited in Europe and it’s certainly worth doing this at least once with kids on a city visit….
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