Fabulous food, drink and stuff to do near York Station

At the station: Need coffee in a paper cup, fast? Grab a cappuccino at the AMT kiosk on the concourse as you rush for your train.

Need coffee with a view, to drink slowly? Wrap your hands around a latte while people-watching from Costa. Perched above the platforms, it used to be a signal box many moons ago. Make a beeline for the comfy chairs.

A short walk away: Find blooming marvellous coffee on nearby Blossom Street. A short wander from the station, Caffe La Tazzina serves up a cracking coffee from a lovely little bohemian, shabby-chic bolthole.  

Fast food: Fries and a double cheeseburger? Sometimes only that will do. Burger King will wrap you in a comfort food blanket. Prefer a pasty? Crimped pastry and lip-smacking fillings are plentiful at the West Cornwall Pasty Co.

Sandwiches/deli: Find bagels and wraps stuffed with organic, foodie loveliness at Filmore & Union. The shtick is super-healthy ingredients turned into super-tasty grub. Whether that’s sarnies, salads or something more substantial.

A short walk away: On your bike. Sumptuous sarnies, steaming spuds and tasty toasties are served to wannabe Bradley Wiggins-types at the cycling themed Your Bike Shed. It’s not just for cyclists though – and the food and coffee is really good! It’s just around the corner, on Micklegate.  

The Angel of the North. Durham Cathedral. There are some stunning sights to see from our train windows. For the rest of the time keep boredom at bay with something to read.

For magazines trashy and serious, newspapers tabloid and broadsheet and some cracking holiday-reads head to WH Smith.

A short walk away: The Little Apple Bookshop. Could it get any cuter? Fall under the spell of this kooky little cove on High Petergate, with its great selection of children’s books, fiction and poetry. 

At the station: Think you know train-station pubs? Think again. The York Tap meets you from the train – and it’s one of the city’s best boozers (and York has lots of good pubs). It’s craft-beer heaven. Enjoy a pint pulled by someone who really knows their hops, and lean back against the reassuringly heavy oak bar. Blissful beer.

A short walk away: Painted black. The Maltings looks like a heavy metal club from the outside. But step over the threshold and you’ll find one of the cosiest ale establishments we’ve had the pleasure to sip a half in. Vintage tin-plate adverts for ales, heavy tables and the low-hum of good old Yorkshire chat. Choose from its ever-changing list of cask ales. A real, real ale bolthole. 

York Station itself: No, really. York Station is an architectural bobby dazzler. Look upwards and you’ll see an elegant curved roof. Designed by architect Thomas Prosser, the train-shed station is often referred to as ‘one of the great cathedrals of the Railway Age’.

York is roughly halfway between London and Edinburgh on the East Coast Main Line, and one of the most important locations on the rail network.

National Railway Museum: All aboard for a journey into the history of the railways. All sooty faces, steaming chimneys and famous trains (as famous as trains get, anyway). Don’t miss Mallard, which is still the fastest steam locomotive in the world (it broke the record in the 1930s). 

York City Walls: Pretend you’re living in medieval times (without the clothes, perhaps) with a wander along the city walls. The walls were built to keep people out, with access only being afforded by the city gates. At one of these – Micklegate Bar - severed heads of rebels and traitors were displayed to ward off unwelcomes. Things are much calmer these days though…

Make the most of your trip to York.