IMO open top bus trip is always worth taking-just to orientate yourselves.

York is UK 's best little city-plenty to do and see and great food.

Walk the City walls and old town,visit National Railway Museum, Minster, Castle Museum and Cliffords Tower, Jorvik, York Dungeon. Take a ghost walk and stroll around the shops. There are cinemas and worth checking what is on at the Theatre.

Good walking by the river bank and easy access to coast(Whitby/Scarborough), north yorkshire moors, North yorkshire Moors Railway(steam) at Pickering and of course Castle Howard(Brideshead Revisited).

Some beautiful villages (and pubs) nearby plus Helmsley Castle, Rievaulx Abbey, Nunnington Hall and others.

In York there are many good restaurants-great selection of Italians especially.

Best of all J Bakers, Blue Bicycle , Meltons, and Dene Court Hotel and Hotel Du Vin.

Check out York Tourist Office for loads of info.

Shout if you need more.

LW

LW - thanks a bunch, lots of great information.

I think the Ghost walk form the Shambles is a good way to spend one of you evenings before eating if its your first time in York.

Don't forget afternoon tea at Bettys, an English institution !

You're in a very good location at the end of Piccadilly. Across the road from the hotel is the Mason Arms pub - excellent for real ale and pub meals (very large portions!). There's the Postern Gate pub opposite the hotel (a Wetherspoons). Can get quite noisy and busy, but fine for a quick stop.

The bus tours seem to go right past your hotel as it's just around the corner from Dick Turpin's grave. However, York is such a compact city that just wandering around is good fun. If you look at the York Tourist Office website, you'll see details of the Voluntary Guides who give free guided tours of the city.

You're only a few minutes away from Marks & Spencer and of course Walmgate/Fossgate where most of the really good places to eat in York are based.

Do try to catch the "World Famous" Original Ghost Walk of York, which leaves from the Kings Arm's Pub at 8:00 nightly.

My sister and I thoroughly enjoyed it, as our guide was really amazing, a great story teller. He scared the living daylights out of me, so badly that I had to take a taxi back to our B&B. The walk cost about 4 quid, and I recall it lasting about an hour or so.

A must see of course is the Minster, and the definitely the Railway Museum.

Have a great time, it is a fabulous little city, with lots to see.

Catch an Evensong service at the Minster. It was unbelievably beautiful hearing the choir and the acoustics in this fabulous building. Also the tour of the crypts of the minster was very interesting.

Worth going on 'The York Eye' for a great view of York including the minister. It's next to the National Railway museum and just round the corner from York Station.