I'm returning to the UK in the middle of March and want to visit York especially after reading the threads in this forum. I want to go to services at York Minster so either I take a day trip on a Sunday or take the train from London on Saturday and stay overnight. Not sure if I can afford to do the second option.
If I stay overnight, I want to stay within shot walking distance to York Minster and to town. I am looking for a place under £70 with a private bath/shower and is safe for a woman traveling alone. B&B's look lovely but I haven't found one that isn't pricey or one that has guests sharing bathrooms. Please advise!
I can't help with the your accommodation question but I notice you are fast approaching the ~12 week time window when cheaper advance purchase rail tickets are released.
Yes, definitely get the train booked as soon as the tickets get released, and try and get a cheapie first class. Both East Coast and Grand Central are good.
York is quite expensive for accommodation at the best of times, but a weekend in spring is going to fill up quickly. Perhaps I should explain York on a Saturday night...
One of the common factoids about York is that it has roughly 365 pubs within the city walls. One for each day of the year. I'm not sure if it's true, but the concentration of them, together with the general atmosphere of the city, means that they do a BIG Saturday night out. And not just people from York, people from the surrounding villages and town too. Oh, and cities - people up from Leeds and Sheffield, down from Tyneside and Teesside... They all come to York.
And it's a real, Northern night out. Plenty of stag and hen dos (bachelor/ette parties) in evidence, minimal clothing in minimal temperatures and fancy dress. But York seems to keep people in check. It's happy-drunk, not fighty-drunk. Expect to see a bouncer on every pub door. Don't be alarmed by this - they are all linked by radio, and good at stopping any trouble before it starts.
It's quite something to witness - something very typical of the UK (and the Northern half of it in particular) - and York is a safe place to do so. But this shouldn't put you off visiting, just make sure you book somewhere to eat or eat early.
(One of my guilty pleasures is going to Betty's - an old-fashioned tea room - on a Saturday evening and watch everybody steadily arrive and grow drunker outside while having Claydermanesque tunes played to you on a grand piano. And then, going to join them outside...)
But, what this also means is... When you choose your accommodation, ask for a quiet or top floor room.
The Premier Inn York Centre is the only Premier Inn accessible by foot (there's one out past Clifton on the bus, but it's a bit of a pain, and the others are really car-only). It's a decent place, particularly for the money, 5 minutes from the station and just outside Micklegate Bar (one of the city gates - Micklegate used to be famous for being one of the rowdier centres of entertainment of an evening, but this seems to have died down recently). But if you want to stay there on a weekend, ask for a top floor or quiet room, and bring some earplugs.
If you don't fancy all of this (and I stress that it is good fun), another alternative is to come up early on the Sunday and either go to Matins at 11:30 or Evensong. Sunday night will be dead in town and lacking some of the atmosphere, but you will be able to get some better hotel deals. For example, the excellent Hotel du Vin has a Sunday night offer where the room rate is £25 if you spend £75 in the brasserie (which is also a rather good place to eat). If you don't spend £75, you can always take a decent bottle of wine away with you...
York is actually very safe to walk around and has a good local bus service. Not that I ever used it because I had a car and was a local
As stut says, bouncers are prevalent, but also must be licensed and have done training by the city council. I frequently walked through York late at night by myself (for one address, I'd even walk home, stopping at the fish and chip shop on Gillygate!).
Anyway, while I can't recommend a particular B&B, you are probably best looking in the Marygate or Botham area for B&Bs as there is quite a cluster there and they are all walkable from the city centre.
Have you tried the visit York website? It gives a number of B&Bs, some of which are within your price range (for example, the Brentwood - £50 for a single ensuite room, and will be 10-15 mins from the Minster, and 15-20 mins from the station). The area is quieter, but fine to walk to and from.
ISTR taxis in York aren't too expensive either (unless it's a race day!). Taxis from the station are provided by Station taxis, who also provided our corporate taxis and were my go to company of choice.
I can't help with the your accommodation question but I notice you are fast approaching the ~12 week time window when cheaper advance purchase rail tickets are released.
Read stut's excellent FAQ here UK and Ireland Rail FAQ, particularly the advice in this post [url="http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/8695592-post4.html"]http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/8695592-post4.html[/URL
I read that yesterday and was overwhelmed by the breadth of information! UK rail has complicated options in terms of getting the cheapest price.
I am coming to the UK in under 12 weeks. I can book online from the US? Am I printing tickets here in NYC? I've bought tickets on the Deutsche Bahn from home; all I had to do was go to a DB machine when I arrived and use the same credit card to print the tickets. Is that how East Coast Rail is?
Also, last night I saw fares of £14.60 each way for a Sunday leaving London on the first train of the day and leaving York after 7pm. Now I can't find those fares. It will still be winter.
stut, your description of York at night sounds fun. I read about Betty's and like their menu. I saw the £70/night at the Premier Inn (they tack on £2 for using a credit card).
Holgate Hill Hotel quoted me £56 in an email. I believe it's a B&B. How would you compare that with the Premier Inn? Which would you prefer or is better for a woman traveling alone?
York is actually very safe to walk around and has a good local bus service. Not that I ever used it because I had a car and was a local
As stut says, bouncers are prevalent, but also must be licensed and have done training by the city council. I frequently walked through York late at night by myself (for one address, I'd even walk home, stopping at the fish and chip shop on Gillygate!).
Anyway, while I can't recommend a particular B&B, you are probably best looking in the Marygate or Botham area for B&Bs as there is quite a cluster there and they are all walkable from the city centre.
Have you tried the visit York website? It gives a number of B&Bs, some of which are within your price range (for example, the Brentwood - £50 for a single ensuite room, and will be 10-15 mins from the Minster, and 15-20 mins from the station). The area is quieter, but fine to walk to and from.
ISTR taxis in York aren't too expensive either (unless it's a race day!). Taxis from the station are provided by Station taxis, who also provided our corporate taxis and were my go to company of choice.
It's been your description of York that has me really interested in going.
I went to the visit York website and found that many of the B&Bs require a 2 night stay. The Holgate Hill, which I mentioned in a previous post, does not and was wondering if that were a good option.
I read that yesterday and was overwhelmed by the breadth of information! UK rail has complicated options in terms of getting the cheapest price.
I am coming to the UK in under 12 weeks. I can book online from the US? Am I printing tickets here in NYC? I've bought tickets on the Deutsche Bahn from home; all I had to do was go to a DB machine when I arrived and use the same credit card to print the tickets. Is that how East Coast Rail is?
Also, last night I saw fares of £14.60 each way for a Sunday leaving London on the first train of the day and leaving York after 7pm. Now I can't find those fares. It will still be winter.
You should buy the tickets online from something like www.eastcoast.co.uk - they will sell on any operator but when paying, select 'collect tickets at station'. You then pop the same credit card into a ticket machine at Kings Cross (or any station except Heathrow to be honest) and it'll spit out your tickets. Probably won't even need to enter the booking number.
Not many operators seem to do the print at home versions.
The fares are all capacity controlled (as opposed to being strictly seasonal) so the £14.60 ones may well have been snapped up by someone else. Just make sure you're looking at all operators incase they're being hidden from view.
You should buy the tickets online from something like www.eastcoast.co.uk - they will sell on any operator but when paying, select 'collect tickets at station'. You then pop the same credit card into a ticket machine at Kings Cross (or any station except Heathrow to be honest) and it'll spit out your tickets. Probably won't even need to enter the booking number.
All East Coast bookings now need you to input the booking number, so you need it handy. Thankfully, the new concourse at King's Cross has a huge number of ticket machines (there are some near the lower barriers and platforms 9-11 if the main office looks overwhelmed).
I think East Coast now do print-at-home tickets for journeys that are entirely on East Coast (which would include London-York).
I'd just as soon print my tickets at the ticket machine at King's Cross. While looking at the Visit York website, I found Galtres Lodge which seems to be perfectly located. The reviews are mostly good but there are some concerns about cleanliness from a few people. That concerns me. I noticed that the Holgate Hill is on the other side of the river. I think I'd rather be within a few minutes walking distance to the York Minster, Bettys and the like. But if the walk from Holgate Hill is a quick one (and safe), that might be something to consider. Any inside info? Holgate seems to have nicer rooms.
It seems like the longer I plan this, the higher rail fares become.
It's been your description of York that has me really interested in going.
I went to the visit York website and found that many of the B&Bs require a 2 night stay. The Holgate Hill, which I mentioned in a previous post, does not and was wondering if that were a good option.
It seems to be a small scale hotel rather than B&B (differences are whether it is licensed or not, although it does get blurred at the bottom end). I'd be concerned it only has two English rosettes frankly and they have no photos of the bedrooms on the websites. With experience of how bad provincial small hotels can be, those ring slight alarm bells for me. It could just be a poor website, or it could be there is a reason why you don't see the rooms. Tripadvisor reviews are generally positive, but there are a couple citing poor decor - more recent reviews seem to be better though.
Premier Inn is a brand I use fairly regularly for work. They are the best of the budget hotel chains so while the room will be fairly basic and chintz, it will be fairly nicely decorated (so long as you like purple!) with fluffy towels and freeview TV as standard. Personally, I'd probably go for the Premier Inn, because I know what I'll be getting and it would be perfectly acceptable, but breakfast will be additional, while the Holgate will likely include it.
For one night, Holgate might be worth a try.
just seen previous post - north/south of the river is less of a concern. The Blossom St area is a little bit more down at heel (but we used to go to the cinema there no problem), and on the 'hilly' side of York, while Marygate and Bootham is prettier and flatter. Galtres Lodge is very well situated, within the walls and about 5 mins from the Minster. It will be noiser, but way more convenient (and close to my favourite cafe in York, Cafe Concerto!) and while there are some pubs in Petergate, not as many as say on Micklegate (which opens out onto Blossom St so more potential for disturbance from drunken revellers).
Are you sure? I thought it was only if you had more than one booking associated with the card.....
Don't have the link right now, but they changed it towards the end of last year. You will always need a booking ref, and always need to use a machine (unless there's a technical fault).
Don't have the link right now, but they changed it towards the end of last year. You will always need a booking ref, and always need to use a machine (unless there's a technical fault).
Whilst we're getting some way off course with this , when I picked some tickets up on Dec 27th (not East Coast) I'd been told I would need the reference number, but as soon as I put the credit card in, the tickets were churned out.
Premier Inn is a brand I use fairly regularly for work. They are the best of the budget hotel chains so while the room will be fairly basic and chintz, it will be fairly nicely decorated (so long as you like purple!) with fluffy towels and freeview TV as standard. Personally, I'd probably go for the Premier Inn, because I know what I'll be getting and it would be perfectly acceptable, but breakfast will be additional, while the Holgate will likely include it.
There seems to be more than one. The North and South both seem to be on Blossom Street but I think the Premier Inn South is closer to York Minster. There's no safety issue with my walking alone to/from the Premier Inn to Bettys or that vicinity? Also, can I assume that the Premier Inn could store my pullman bag on the day I checkout? I want to take an evening train back to London and would prefer not toting it with me.
Quote:
just seen previous post - north/south of the river is less of a concern. The Blossom St area is a little bit more down at heel (but we used to go to the cinema there no problem), and on the 'hilly' side of York, while Marygate and Bootham is prettier and flatter. Galtres Lodge is very well situated, within the walls and about 5 mins from the Minster. It will be noiser, but way more convenient (and close to my favourite cafe in York, Cafe Concerto!) and while there are some pubs in Petergate, not as many as say on Micklegate (which opens out onto Blossom St so more potential for disturbance from drunken revellers).
Noise never bothers me. I'm accustomed to it plus I travel with ear plugs. I'll avoid the drunkards.
Still haven't chosen a hotel/B&B. Still haven't bought train tickets. Decisions, decisions.
Analise — Choose wisely; treat kindly 
, when I picked some tickets up on Dec 27th (not East Coast) I'd been told I would need the reference number, but as soon as I put the credit card in, the tickets were churned out.
