Take in the heritage sites of York on this Yuletide tour and hear how the celebrations of its diverse cultures through the centuries have left their mark on our festivities today.
Bedern Hall: This fine example of a rectangular medieval hall was initially built for York Minster’s Vicars Choral. The hall was the college refectory from the 1390s until the middle of the seventeenth-century.
Statue of Constantine the Great: Outside York Minster, Emperor Constantine sits where the Roman fortress once stood.
The Assembly Rooms: Built in 1730, the Assembly Rooms once hosted York’s finest for elegant winter balls.
Bettys Café Tea Rooms, St Helen’s Square: Opened in 1936, Bettys has become a York institution, renowned for its art deco interiors and especially its famous Christmas treat.
Holy Trinity Church, Goodramgate: The building dates from the fifteenth-century, but has features from its foundation in the twelfth-century right up to the nineteenth-century, including fine box pews, monuments, and memorials.
Travel: Depart York train station at 10:00, returning by 16:30.
Price: From£85pp
Further information about each location can be found by clicking on the links above.
Waiting List Please contact us at supporters@thecct.org.uk or call us on 0800 206 1436 if this event is sold out and you would like to be added to the waiting list.
This tour is a walking tour and includes lunch and entrance fees where appropriate. The walk from the station to Bedern is a walk of 0.7 miles, and the same back from Holy Trinity Goodramgate to the station at the end of the day. The tour after lunch will be approximately 1km/0.6 of a mile, making a total distance of 2 miles, covered in three stages. The longest duration being the tour after lunch lasting approximately 90 minutes. Participants should be able to stand for that period of time as there will be no seating available en route. The terrain is flat, but some of the streets of York are cobbled and can be very uneven. The route is suitable for mobility scooters, but please note, we do go into a building at one stage of the walk, which is only accessible via 4 steps. If guests are unable to manage the steps, please let us know and we can arrange to preguide the stop outside.
Accessibility Please note that on all tours, even coach tours, there is a fair amount of walking, quite often over uneven and worn surfaces. They are not suitable for anyone with difficulties with everyday walking and stair climbing. In some circumstances, coaches may be unable to park near the church, and there may be walking over uneven land or tracks when approaching the church building. If you have any concerns, please contact us on 0800 206 1463 before booking. All tour details are correct at the time of publication. Please note that in the event that details are changed, guests will be notified as soon as possible.