two nights in

York

The ancient cathedral city of York has a history dating back over 2000 years. Romans, Saxons, Vikings, and Britons from all eras have each left their mark. Wikivoyage

Population 208,400 (Wikidata)

Live guide From your hotel

Before you go

Emergency numbers in United Kingdom

Visas and entry What your passport needs for United Kingdom

Getting there

Remembered in this browser only, with the last few you used.

Still gathering the markets around York. I'll let you know here when it's all in — or open the live guide.

Best-documented sights

All of them in the guide

Within a kilometre of the centre, ordered by how well documented each is — not by a "best" anyone decided. Each opens on the map in the guide. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited there.

Through the year

  1. Jorvik Viking Festival

    February

    A city-wide celebration of all things Norse; the largest Viking festival in Europe. There are 'living' Viking encampments, guided walks and talks.

    Official site

  2. York Literature Festival

    March

    Email via online contact form. Takes place annually for a week and a half in March. This city-wide festival promotes the arts in York, with an emphasis on literature, spoken word and poetry.

    Official site

  3. York Chocolate Festival

    April

    A city-wide celebration of the chocolate industry with a chocolate market, artisan chocolatiers and attractions which share a piece of York's chocolate history

    Official site

  4. York Festival of Ideas

    June

    Held at venues across the city, the festival encompasses talks, theatre, music and film, with innovation as the unifying theme

    Official site

  5. Day of Dance

    July

    Email via online contact form. A festival of traditional Morris dance in the streets of the city centre, with local and national groups performing in all their colourful regalia. anchor

    Official site

  6. York Early Music Festival

    July

    The York Early Music Festival is an English arts festival devoted mainly to classical music from the 18th century and earlier. It was established in 1977, and takes place in York each July, organised by the National Centre for Early Music, York.

    Official site Wikipedia

  7. York Beer & Cider Festival

    September

    Official site

  8. York Food and Drink Festival

    September

    The food element majors on Yorkshire food, while the drinks programme has a worldwide and wine-oriented theme. The range of events is very wide, with demonstrations, tastings, recipe hunts, markets and dinners everyday.

    Official site

Annual events from Wikidata and Wikivoyage (York); descriptions from Wikipedia where it has one, photos from Wikimedia Commons. Dates move year to year — check before you plan around one.

Eating nearby

All 88 places to eat

Somewhere to run

Getting around

More train stations: Murton Park 4.4 km, Poppleton 4.9 km

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Places © OpenStreetMap contributors, as of 9 October 2026. Description from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA). Events from Wikidata and Wikivoyage, population from Wikidata.