Ten Things that make York Special

1 Largest Gothic cathedral in Northern Europe – York Minster – This massive Gothic cathedral took 250 years to build, from 1220 till its consecration in 1472.

2 Fastest ever steam engine in the world – The Mallard – at the National Railway Museum and home to the record breaking Flying Scotsman.

3 One of the best race courses in Great Britain – York Races run from May to October – Did you know the Romans started racing in York in 208 AD?

4 The Biggest Festival of Food and Drink in Great Britain – takes place for 10 Days in September.

5 The one and only Jorvik – the only attraction of its kind that is based on a real archaeological dig – the authenticity of Jorvik makes it unique. York was the trading hub of the Viking world. Jorvik has attracted over 13.5 million visitors in 20 years and it has become one of Britain’s top visitor attractions.

6 York and Chocolate – York has a long history of chocolate making – Nestlé (formerly Rowntrees) and Terry’s (now owned by Kraft) chocolate factories grew up here – all the famous names are made here – Kit Kat being the biggest seller. Some 47 bars are eaten every second and in 1999 sales amounted to £250 million, breaking the £¼bn barrier for the first time – and all made in York!

7 York has two of the countries most beautiful national parks right on its doorstep – the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors. The North York Moors Steam Railway at Goathland was the location for the first Harry Potter film.

8 York is officially recognised as the most haunted city in Europe. The Treasurer’s House in York was in the Guinness Book of Records for having the ‘Ghosts of Greatest Longevity’. Built over the main Roman thoroughfare leading into York, the house was the site of a remarkable apparition in the 1950s…There are seven evening ghost walks in the city.

9 York has the Longest and Best Preserved town walls in England.

10 Finally, don’t forget there are lots of new things in the city – if you haven’t visited for a year or two you will find a multitude of new bars, cafes and award winning restaurants.

For any further information and your free guide to York please contact: York Visitor Information Centre, Tel: 01904 550099, email: info@visityork.org or visit the website at www.visityork.org

Press contact: Kay Hyde, PR Manager - Visit York, Tel: 01904 554451, email: kh@visityork.org website: www.visityork.org