Throughout my childhood, my parents would take us on Yorkshire holidays. Whitby, Scarborough and Filey were all places we'd frequent, and there's just something about this coastline that brings back those childhood memories for me. One place we'd never actually visited before though, was York city centre.

Rob and I always enjoy taking a short UK city break somewhere for birthdays and special occasions, so with my 27th birthday back in April, we figured that this would be the perfect time to visit York and see what the city had to offer.

We didn't stay anywhere particularly fancy, but the Ibis hotel was right near Micklegate and had car parking spaces too. There are lots of gorgeous boutique hotels in York, but whenever we're on a city break, we never spend any time in the hotel anyway so the cheap and cheerful Ibis was more than sufficient.


Drink all of the beer...

When we arrived on the Friday, we ditched our bags at the hotel and set out to get some lunch. The first place we stumbled upon was BrewDog on Micklegate, so we popped in for a beer and some 2-4-1 pizza; if you've never tried BrewDog food before, it's an absolute must (side note: the wings and burgers in the Birmingham branch are the absolute bomb). After our hungry tummies were satisfied, we wandered through the cobbled streets, trying to get our bearings. The great thing about York is that it's pretty compact, and within an hour or so, we'd already familiarised ourselves with the city streets.

We happened to stumble upon a beer bottle shop, which naturally attracted us both, and it wasn't until we noticed the signs saying 'pub upstairs' that we realised we were in the House of Trembling Madness, which was on my list of pubs to visit for the weekend. This place is an absolute must if you're in York - there are two; we visited the one in Stonegate, as the other didn't look quite as fun and novelty. The ceiling was covered in taxidermy, and again, the atmosphere was so friendly and laid-back, with everyone chatting to each other. You must pop in to try their food too - we tried to go back on the Sunday but it was at full capacity. The bar is really small and fills up quickly, so try and get there early to avoid disappointment.



Wander through the Shambles

After we were suitably fed and watered, we simply had to head to the infamous Shambles. We wandered through the market, admiring the beautiful blooms and delicious scents from the food and coffee vans, and headed up to York Minster to have a look there too; it's such an incredible building and can be seen from so many great locations around the city.

Because it was early evening, just as the shops had started to close, we managed to catch Little Shambles at an almost-tourist-free time to catch a photo, and obviously we had to enjoy a flight of Shambles ales in Shambles Tavern...



Book a Brewery Tour at Brew York

Feeling peckish again, we started to wander on the other side of the river, which is where we'd been told we could find some nice tapas bars and independent bistros. We decided to stop at Brew York for a quick drink, but upon arrival, discovered just how amazing this place actually was. With some great keg lines downstairs, you sit in the brewery itself, admiring the craftsmanship of how the Brew York beers are made. We were so gutted that the brewery tours for the following day were fully booked, so if that's something you plan to do, make sure you pre-book beforehand!


We'd enjoyed one pint, but the best was yet to come. I had spotted people heading upstairs, and coming back down with delicious food, so I went to explore. What I found was a huge beer hall, serving 40 beers and some delicious street food from Born to Lose Burger Kitchen.

You know I'm a sucker for a dirty burger, so we decided to make an order and stay here for the night. We ordered the Experimental Chorizo burger, kimchi fries, and sesame & chilli wings. DEEELICIOUS!


Breakfast

After waking up on the Saturday for our first morning in York, we ventured to Partisan for breakfast, which was just a short walk away from our hotel, and recommended to me by one of my followers on Instagram. When we got there, an incredible spread of cakes and pastries lay on the counter. Mouth watering already, we were led by a friendly staff member onto a table in the back - it was busy, but the good kind of busy. We were served pretty quickly, and our food came in the perfect amount of time, allowing for us to enjoy a coffee before it arrived.



I opted for the vegetarian breakfast (A skillet of fried eggs, tempeh, mushroom, vine tomatoes, home made smoky beans, fried potatoes, avocado, feta & Salsa Verde) which was absolutely delicious, and Rob chose Eggs in Purgatory (baked eggs in a spicy Nduja sausage infused tomato and pepper sauce, topped with fresh basil and parmesan and served with bread for dunking). He enjoyed it, but said it could have done with 'more sausage', so maybe ask for extra if you're ordering that dish! A super laid back, friendly atmosphere really set us up for the rest of the day.


Walking the City Walls

With Partisan being just a stones' throw away from Micklegate, we hopped onto the city walls and decided to go for a wander around the city. During March and April, you can see the beautiful daffodils where the moat used to be, which certainly made for some gorgeous photos. It's also a great excuse to have a nosey into people's gardens, although I imagine the York residents get a little bit fed up of people peering through the walls at their houses!



Don't worry about having to commit two hours of your day to walk the whole wall; you can hop on and off at various stages. When you reach the end of the wall near the Minster, you can wander along the river. I took this opportunity to treat myself to a bowl of strawberry ice cream from the ice cream boat 'The Full Moo'.

If you're not familiar with the history of the city walls, then you can take a look at the Wiki page here.

Treat yourself to Dinner at Sotano

As we were there to celebrate my birthday, we wanted to have a nice dinner treat one evening, so we headed to Sotano. When I say 'we headed...' I mean we aimlessly ambled and couldn't find it, but after calling, a lovely member of the Sotano team came out into the road to greet us. Head down some steps and into a dark and romantic cellar serving delicious tapas and possibly the best espresso martini you'll ever have. I cannot recommend this place enough.





Visit the Railway Museum

On our way home, we decided to make our last stop the Railway Museum. Parking is £10 per car, but it's totally free to get in, and worth every single penny for parking. The team do accept donations, so please be generous if you go, because the museum itself is huge and you could spend a full day there. They serve afternoon tea in an old railway carriage, which I've been told rivals Betty's Tea Rooms, and if you eat here, you get your £10 parking knocked off the bill. Bonus!

Will you be making a visit to York any time soon? I'd love to know if you decide to visit any of the places I recommend! Come and say hello on Instagram @oliviakatewainwright