Few cities in England can claim to be quite as historic as York. Take a walk beneath the tilting timbers of the Shambles, and you’re transported to a medieval market street, while the city’s ancient walls have stood since the Romans raised them almost 2,000 years ago.
York Minster is the second-largest Gothic Cathedral in the world, Clifford’s Tower is an enduring Norman landmark, and the JORVIK Viking Centre offers an all too realistic insight into the city’s Viking age.
Be it grand museums, train stations, tea rooms, or chocolate shops, there’s much to see in York, and many excellent boutique hotels to stay in. If you’re planning a trip to northern England, read on for our take on where to stay in York!
Short on time and don’t want to read the whole article? Here are our top 3 picks:
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The 10 Best Boutique Hotels in York, England
1. Clementine’s Town House Hotel
One of the best new boutique hotels in York is Clementine’s Town House Hotel. Featuring just 28 individually appointed rooms, this unique retreat combines Victorian heritage with modern flair just a 15-minute walk from the city center.
Independently owned and operated since their lavish revamp in 2021, you’ll be staying in a red-brick townhouse that oozes history. Luxury, four-star rooms play up to this boutique hotel’s Victorian past, with extravagant four-poster beds, oaken wardrobes, and antique lampshades. The spa baths, luxury toiletries, and flat-screen televisions, however, firmly draw on the hotel’s 21st-century redesign.
Enjoy a full English breakfast, eggs benedict, or a light selection of French pastries to start your day before indulging in a classic Yorkshire cream tea in the drawing room and treating yourself to a nightcap in the fully stocked bar before bed.
2. The Grand, York
If you love five-star luxury with a boutique touch, you’ll love a stay at The Grand, York. This truly is one of the grandest boutique hotels in York, and with a history stretching back to 1906, The Grand is infused with heritage, too.
The property is Grade-II listed, having been built at the turn of the 20th century as an opulent “Palace of Business” for a large and wealthy Yorkshire railway company with far too much time and money on its hands. You can make The Grand your personal palace during your time in the city, with luxury rooms featuring marble bathrooms, Molton Brown toiletries, and an evening turn-down service.
The Grand serves a timeless afternoon tea (with prosecco or champagne optional) at the Rise Restaurant, while Legacy – a three AA Rosette-awarded restaurant – has designed an intricate tasting menu drawing on Yorkshire cuisine. You can even learn how to cook classic Yorkshire dishes at The Grand’s on-site Cookery School.
Best of all is The Spa, where you can relax in opulent surroundings in the vaults below the hotel, where you’ll find an indoor swimming pool, fitness center, and treatment rooms.
3. Principal York
Surrounded by lovely, landscaped gardens, yet conveniently located adjacent to York station, the Principal York is where the Yorkshire countryside meets the ancient city walls. Step inside the grandiose Victorian mansion, and you’ll find 155 luxury rooms, all with modern interiors perfectly designed by Goddard Littlefair.
One of the best hotels in York, the Principal York blends modern comforts, including plush beds and rainfall showers, with a heritage that dates back to 1878. You’ll love the city views from your Victorian windows, while afternoon tea in the garden is a must when the sun is shining. This four-star hotel is also equipped with all the leisure facilities you could ever need, including an indoor pool, sauna, and spa center.
4. Jorvik House
Embrace the city’s Viking past with a stay at Jorvik House, a very cool boutique hotel in York. Jorvik was the Viking name for York, and if you’ve visited the excellent Jorvik Viking Centre, you’ll know that the Vikings left their mark here during their medieval reign.
Jorvik House doesn’t have Viking origins, but it’s located right next to a medieval church and abbey, just a short stroll from the Yorkshire Museum. The building you’ll be staying in has an exalted history of its own, too, with Jorvik House dating back to the 1750s.
Rooms are impressively modern, however, if a little on the cozy side, with luxury toiletries, Egyptian cotton linen, and (in the best suites) a freestanding bathtub.
5. The Dean Court
Given that York Minster is (quite literally) on your doorstep, you couldn’t ask for a better hotel than The Dean Court. One of the most unique places to stay in York, this historic four-star hotel is found inside a Grade-II listed, red-brick building that was once home to the cathedral’s clergy but has now found a new lease on life hosting tourists in stylish surroundings.
Comfortable rooms offer a view of York Minster through traditional sash windows, while floral decor, plush beds, and modern bathrooms imbibe the hotel with a character that’s somewhere between old and new. Guests can wind down after a day of sightseeing at the hotel’s very own pub, The Dean Court Inn, where real ales and cocktails are served in a way the clergy of old might well frown upon.
6. The Moxy York
The Moxy, with its neon purple motifs and distinctive industrial-chic design, is one of the coolest hotels in York. This four-star favorite is located right in the city center, where the open lobby features a 24/7 Moxy Bar where you can meet fellow guests with a cocktail in hand.
Luxury rooms are sleek and contemporary, with oversized purple furnishings contrasting drastically with the gray decor. You can sink back into your queen bed, switch on the 42-inch flat-screen television, and dim down the lighting when you need to unwind. If you’re still bursting with energy, then the Moxy Gym – just like the Moxy Bar! – is always open 24 hours a day.
7. The Fat Badger
Set in the shadow of York’s ancient city walls, few hotels are as historic as The Fat Badger. One of the most quirky hotels in York, this place is located within a 400-year-old pub with a beer garden that literally backs onto the city’s medieval fortifications.
Book early because there are just 12 rooms at this cool York hotel. The modern rooms are comfy and colorful, a far cry indeed from the rustic medieval inn that once welcomed weary travelers into the safety of York’s city walls.
As it has for centuries, The Fat Badger continues to ply its guests with copious servings of local ale and home-cooked food. The pub’s restaurant has been awarded two AA Rosettes, with classic English favorites like fish and chips mixing superbly with international dishes like venison carpaccio and Moroccan tagine.
8. Guy Fawkes Inn
This is a city that’s packed with historic places to stay, but still, the Guy Fawkes Inn is one of the best hotels in York for those with a love of the past.
This is the very place where the infamous Guy Fawkes, the man who would try to blow up parliament, was born in 1570, and you’ll love how the pub/hotel has preserved this heritage for posterity.
Rooms feature antique furnishings and four poster beds that wouldn’t be out of place in the Elizabethan era, while the restaurant serves a “Conspirators’ Menu” – including bangers and mash and fish and chips – that Guy Fawkes would be proud of.
9. Minster Walk Guesthouse
With views of York’s City Walls, York Minster, and the crumbling ruins of St. Mary’s Abbey, you couldn’t ask for a better – or more historic – location than the Minster Walk Guesthouse.
This lovely little boutique hotel just oozes charm and homegrown Yorkshire character. The pocket-sprung mattresses are made with sheep’s wool and hemp from a nearby village, while the hot breakfast hampers are prepared fresh each morning, only using Yorkshire ingredients.
The building itself is centuries old, and with Minster Walk Guesthouse thought to date back to the 1600s, this is one of the coolest York hotels for history lovers.
10. No 1 by GuestHouse
Located in the leafy Clifton suburb, just a short stroll from York’s medieval city center, you’ll feel like a Victorian aristocrat when you’re staying in this vintage townhouse-turned-boutique hotel.
No 1 by GuestHouse dates back to the Regency era when wealthy Georgians had a hankering for high vaulted ceilings, elegant sash windows, and grand wooden staircases. The hotel has masterfully preserved all of these original features throughout, while luxury rooms have timeless four-poster king beds and quirky touches like a Crosley vinyl record player.
You can select old vinyl records from the library, and you’ll also find the hotel’s pantry is fully stocked and available at all hours of the day and night to guests. The hotel’s concierge team will pick your luggage up from the station on their cargo bikes, the Pearly Cow exclusively serves Yorkshire seafood and locally sourced meats, and The Spa offers stress relieving, herbal healing treatments.
That completes our list of the 10 best York hotels! Did we miss any cool boutique hotels in York? Comment below so we can add them to the list!
Where to Stay in York
Considering York has a history dating back to the Roman occupation of Britain, it’s remained a surprisingly small city over the centuries. The most historic hotels in York are still found within the boundaries of the old City Walls, where you’ll find medieval coaching inns and pubs packed with boutique character.
Outside the walls, and in Marygate, you’ll find quirky boutique hotels dating to the 16th and 17th centuries when the city began pushing past its medieval boundaries. North of the medieval core, Regency-era townhouses and red-brick Victorian mansions have been transformed into luxury hotels in Clifton.
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