Editor of Europe a la carte, Karen Bryan, shares her tips for York.

Looking for ideas for a UK day trip or short break location? York is an ideal destination. This historic city is easy to reach by rail as it lies on the East Coast Line between London and Edinburgh. York is pretty compact, so within a few of minutes of getting off the train you could be browsing boutiques in a medieval cobbled street, stretching your legs on a panoramic walk around the city walls, admiring a beautiful stained glass window at York Minster or tucking into a Fat Rascal (speciality biscuit) with coffee in 1930s luxury ocean liner style Betty’s Cafe Tea Rooms.

If you fancy a flutter, York Racecourse has fixtures like the Dante and Ebor Festivals from May to October. You can take a York Brewery Tour to see how the local ales are made and sample some of the varieties afterwards. York Minster is an amazing Gothic style cathedral. And the York City Sightseeing bus is a great way to take in all the sights.

Even if train spotting is not something that sounds instantly appealing, the York Railway Museum is the largest in the World and you’ll see Stephenson’s Rocket and a Japanese Bullet. One way to combine some sightseeing with taking the weight off your feet is to take a York Boat Tour along the River Ouse.

If you plan to visit several attractions in York, you should look into buying the York Pass which offers free admission to over fifty venues in the city itself and the surrounding areas.

There is a wide selection of retail outlets in the city centre ranging from Mango, Fenwicks to independent specialist shops. York has a tradition of chocolate manufacture dating from Terry’s and Rowntrees which is continued at the Hotel Chocolat store. Out of town shopping centres include Clifton Moor, Monks Cross and the York Designer Outlet.

There are so many cafes, bars and restaurants in York from which to choose. I’d recommend Cafe Concerto for their cake selection and Limehouse Restaurant for good quality fixed price menus based on local produce.

If you’re looking for somewhere to stay, we have an abundance of York hotels to suit all budgets.

Have you visited York, what did you most enjoy doing there?