York

Introduction

Walls of York

© Brainford

York is one of the most beautiful and historically important cities in the British Isles. The city was founded as Eboracum in AD 71 by the Romans and was made one of the two capitals of all Roman Britain. During this period influential historical figures, such as Constantine the Great, became associated with the city. The entire Roman Empire was governed from York for two years by Septimus Severus.

After the Angles moved in, the city was renamed Eoferwic, and served as the capital of the Kingdom of Northumbria. The Vikings captured the city in 866, renaming it Jórvík, the capital of a wider kingdom of the same name covering much of Northern England. Around the year 1000, the city became known as York.

Richard II wished to make York the capital of England, but before he could effect this he was deposed. After the Wars of the Roses, York housed the Council of the North and was regarded as the capital of the North. It was only during the 1660s that the political importance of the city began to decline. Nevertheless, York was the county town of Yorkshire, to which it lent its name. The Province of York is one of the two English ecclesiastical provinces, alongside that of Canterbury.

From 1996, the term City of York describes a unitary authority area which includes rural areas beyond the old city boundaries. The urban area has a population of 137,505, while the entire unitary authority has 184,900 people. Currently, the core of the city within the walls is a major tourist destination, attracting visitors from all over the world.

Sights and Activities

• The York Minster is the largest gothic cathedral in Northern Europe. Visitors are free to walk around The City Walls during the day, offering great elevated views of the city.
• The Jorvik Centre takes the visitor back in time to the Vikings.
• The National Railway Museum is always a treat for children and rail enthusiasts.
• York Castle Museum
• Yorkshire Museum
• (The) Shambles - a narrow old street initially used by butchers.
• The city walls and gates

Getting There

By Train

York is one of the principal stations on the east coast mainline from Edinburgh to London. Consequently it is very easily accessible from both north and south. Check the National Express website for more information about schedules and prices.

Eat

• Harvilles Restaurant - Art-deco steak and seafood restaurant located on Fossgate.

Sleep

Budget

York YHA Hostel: Situated in a Victorian house in spacious grounds, a short stroll along the river from the city centre. This one and more with reviews are included below:

Mid-Range

Centro Serviced Self Catering Apartments in York :

Upscale

Learn

• The University of York (located on the outskirts of the city) is one of the most highly regarded in the country.

Keep Connected

Internet

Internet cafés can be found in many cities and towns. All UK public libraries provide access, often branded as "People's Network", usually at no or little charge, though there is usually a time limit. Some hotels/hostels also offer internet access, including wifi, but most times at a cost. Using the internet on your personal phone can become expensive very quickly, with carriers charging 100's of times the local rate for data. To avoid these expensive roaming charges, you can hunt for wifi at a local cafe or hotel, or rent a mobile hotspot via several providers including DATAPiXY, and XCOM Global.

Phone

See also: International Telephone Calls

The country calling code to the United Kingdom is: 44. To make an international call from the United Kingdom, the code is: 00

In case of emergency, call 999 or 112 from any phone. Such calls are free and will be answered by an emergency services operator who will ask you for your location, and the service(s) you need (police, fire, ambulance, coastguard or mountain rescue). You can call this number from any mobile telephone as well, even if you do not have roaming.

Although the number is declining, you can still find payphones in many public areas, especially stations, airports etc. You can usually pay with cash and sometimes by creditcard or, for international calls, special phonecards are still available.

Mobile phones are heavily used. The main networks are T-Mobile, Vodafone, Orange and O2. 3G data services are available, usually priced per megabyte and coverage is usually very good in the UK, however it may lack in rural areas. Roaming on your personal phone plan can be expensive. To manage costs, consider purchasing a local UK SIM card for your phone. Several companies offer local SIM cards including Telestial, and CellularAbroad.

Post

The Royal Mail provides postal services in the United Kingdom. The Royal Mail's store fronts are called Post Office and offer services ranging from sending letters and packages to foreign currency exchange. Use the branch locator to find the nearest Post Office branch. There will be at least one post office in any town/city and there are quite often post offices in larger villages. It's common for a post office to be incorporated into a grocery store, where there will be a small counter located at the back of the store for dealing with post related matters. All post offices are marked with signs that say 'post office' in red lettering. Post boxes can be found at any post office and standalone large red post boxes on the streets or red boxes in the sides of public buildings.
For sending packages overseas, it might be a good idea to check prices and services with international companies like TNT, UPS or DHL.

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