York

[Minimatronic]

anyone got any tips for places to go/see/eat in York for 3 18 and 2 16 year olds without a huge budget?

we're planning to check out the university, and there's the obvious places like the minster, but this is a city with fantastic history! any unsung treasures that ABers would recommend?

[jno]

The Jorvik 'dark ride' is good, through a mock up of Viking York. It's hardly unsung, though, but kids should enjoy it and last time I saw it it wasn't hugely expensive.

[ipek]

The National Railway Museum is just behind the station (oddly enough) and I believe it's now free admission.  Maybe not an all-day event for teenagers, but could keep them amused for a couple of minutes.

There are some brilliant 'ghost walks' at night see http://www.britannia.com/tours/york/york41.html but I'm not sure how much they cost.

[Gef]

Why not have a look at http://www.york.gov.uk/visiting/index.html

Did the bus tour a few years ago and it was well worth it. You can get on and off as often as you like.

[ianess]

The Yorkshire Aircraft Museum is a gem of a place to visit, as is Eden Camp....assuming you have your own transport.  York is a beautiful city and full of interesting things to see and do......but with teenagers who knows how to please them??

[deathofadisc]

York Part 1                                                          Being a 20 year old from york, I have probably had to endure every type of 'attraction/museum/gallery' that exists here thanks to lazy ex-teachers who couldn't be bothered to take us to london for class trips like every other school. so hopefully I may be able to tell you which are the better ones. And also, the best places to go out for younger people.

Obviously, as you said, the minster is worth a visit. I would maybe only go inside if you want to go up the hundreds of stairs to see the view of york. this can be quite busy around this time of year, and I think that it's almost as good to just look from the outside.

The York Dungeon is a lot of fun; scary and gruesome tales about york; at the moment there's a dick turpin exhibition that's supposed to be great. my friend from uni went there for the first time recently and loved it. The Jorvik viking centre (as jno mentionned earlier) is ok, that gets SO busy in the summer though. it's quite interesting, although the only thing people seem to remember is the smelly ride at the end (if you've been this may be the same for you). think it may be a bit expensive too. as far as museums go, the best is the Castle Musuem, next to Clifford's tower. It's full of really interesting objects of daily life from the victorian era onwards, from early irons to crazy 60's clothes, to victorian fire engines. it's a bit hidden too, so not as busy as Jorvik and (in my opinion) 10 times better.

[deathofadisc]

York Part 2

During the day it can also be nice to walk around the city walls, you get a great view of the whole of york and there are information plaques along the way. Also, there are big boats that travel along the river and give trips which point out a lot of the attractions as you go. Another popular activity is the Ghost walks in the evenings. I remember going on one when I was about 10 and it was SO scary! there were people dressed up and wailing and jumping out at you and stuff, although I heard that they're not allowed to do that anymore ( for medical reasons apparently-eek) anyway, they're always good fun.

as for going out; if you are there on a sunny day/ evening, the King's Arms at King staith's bridge is a must. right in the centre next to the river, everyone goes there when it's warm to enjoy the cheap beer and sunshine. another nice riverside place is my fave bar at the moment, Orgasmic Cafe Bar. Ok, I know the name sounds dodgy, but i assure you it's a very nice place. it's got the best beer garden in central york, overlooking the river, the staff and decor are lovely and the food is totally wonderful. you can go there for lunch, dinner, a snack, or just a drink. the pizzas and wild mushroom risotto are especially good. yum! i love it there, everyone i know loves it too. It's definitely worth a visit, whether it's for a drink or a meal, or a great night out. another nice place for food and drinking is Victor J's art bar, as is Oscar's (big portions, nice courtyard atmosphere).

[deathofadisc]

York Part 3 (sorry!!)

For eating there's a good mexican, and all general highstreet resaurants. Other good bars/ pubs after Oscars (in Little stonegate) and in order of location (so you could do a bit of a bar crawl if you wanted!) are Bobo los Lobos (swanky latino cocktails) Kennedy's (smart bar, open until 2 on wknds), evil eye (indie, brahma beer loungey place) orgasmic (see before!), Barfly (small, quiet, intimate, but nice), Ha Ha (just a quick one in here for me, I'm not a fan, but my friends are), Stone Roses (indie pub, live bands some nights, The Lowther (scruffy pub, great people, open until 1 and cheap.) Unfortunately, York is rather challenged when it comes to clubs, the Gallery is the best (good indie mon and wed downstairs and northern soul/motown/funk thurs and sun downstairs.) can also get a student discount and so during the week can be pretty cheap to get in (around �2) other clubs are not recommended unless drunk or with fun company (especially ziggy's!) obviously that all applies to the 18 yr olds! in general, york welcomes under 18s in bars and pubs during the day so the 16 yr olds will be fine.

anyway, hope this helps and have a great time! x

[Minimatronic]

thank you for all the responses!  you've been fantastic.

our shoestring budget is such that we're in a youth hostel, and are planning to walk *everywhere*.  so anywhere free, like the railway museum ty ipek, is great.

deathofadisc, your comprehensive guide is great, and it helps to confirm all the propaganda i've been seeing on various tourist sites.  one question about the clubs...are there any where they aren't too strict on id, ie the 16y/os would be able to get in?  naughty i know, but it seems cruel to exclude people.  so if you give me any tips, that'd be great...

[deathofadisc]

during the week the clubs aren't too strict and the gallery isn't too bad for getting in. if you go on a weekend, ziggy's is probably the best one to try as Toff's tends to be full of older people. there are also a few bar/clubs in the micklegate area which are open until about 2 and have a dancefloor, one's called Nexus, although I wouldn't recommend it unless it's a last resort, as they're a little bit cheesy.

hope that helps, good luck!

[ipek]

You might find this a good starting point to get your bearings around the city:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/northyorkshire/out_about/walks/york/index.shtml

I love visiting York and never tire of it's atmosphere - it's great at Chritmas time too!