TripAdvisor, the site everyone consults before going anywhere or doing anything, has named York among its top ten places in Britain to visit.
The city is placed at number eight in the 2015 Top 10 Travellers’ Choice Destinations in the UK.
This year, the awards favour smaller destinations – Llandudno and Torquay are placed above York.
“The awards also reveal a growing north-south divide, with eight of the ten best rated UK destinations located to the north of the Midlands,” says TripAdvisor.
Stop by the Yorkshire Museum and Gardens for a look at what the Roman and Vikings left behind (they must have packed light when they left).
From there, move on to the York Castle Museum for a not-so-quick overview of the most recent 400 years.
– TripAdvisor guide to York
Also on its “don’t miss” list are the National Railway Museum, the Minster and the city walls.
And its “place to discover” is The Park Restaurant, run by Adam Jackson. Awarded a Michelin Star in 2012, the restaurant recently moved from Sutton On The Forest to Marmadukes Hotel on St Peter’s Grove.
Healthy high street
York is doing well in the charts, as it was also placed in the top ten places with the “healthiest high streets”.
This is a survey by the Royal Society For Public Health. For them, unhealthy high streets have a large number of bookmakers, payday loan shops, fast food outlets and tanning centres.
Whereas healthy high streets have more pharmacies, leisure centres and health services.
According to this guide, Preston has the unhealthiest retail area, and Shrewsbury the healthiest. York comes in as the ninth most healthy out of 70 towns and cities across the UK.
TripAdvisor top ten
Here is the TripAdvisor UK top ten.
Award winners “were determined using an algorithm that took into account the quantity and quality of reviews and ratings for hotels, restaurants and attractions in destinations worldwide, gathered over a twelve month period”.
The average hotel rate for summer 2015 is based on TripAdvisor booking data for June 1 – August 31, 2015.
| Number | Destination | Av hotel rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | London | £162.25 |
| 2. | Edinburgh | £146.25 |
| 3. | Llandudno | £91.31 |
| 4. | Torquay | £91.39 |
| 5. | Liverpool | £94.96 |
| 6. | Blackpool | £76.21 |
| 7. | Belfast | £97.50 |
| 8. | York | £118.29 |
| 9. | Keswick | £139.03 |
| 10. | Glasgow | £90.46 |