Selfie Trail
Smiles and selfie sticks at the ready! Follow the footprints around the city to complete the York Selfie Trail. We’ve picked out the most iconic photo spots in the city so you can take sensational selfies to make your Instagram followers swoon.
Use our online map to find out more about the different locations. Post your best York selfies online and be sure to tag @visityork and #yorkselfie on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
1. York Railway Station
1AB Station Road
Stand on platform four for a shot with the magnificent sweeping roof.
If you travel by rail your Selfie Adventure can begin as soon as you step off the train!
York’s entirely curved station was built in 1877. It took three years to construct and is still regarded as one of the finest examples of civil engineering to be built during the Victorian era. When it opened it was the largest station in Europe and the 800 foot train-shed roof, held 42 feet above the platforms by iron columns, was widely admired.
Did you know?
In the first Harry Potter film the bridge that Harry and Hagrid walk over at Kings Cross is actually in York station!
2. Ouse Bridge
Bridge Street
Cross halfway over the bridge for the best views of the Ouse.
Get the best view of the River Ouse as you take a selfie looking down towards the Old Bonding Warehouse on the riverside. You’ll be able to fit all sorts in your snap – from Kings Staith and the historic Cumberland House, built in 1710, to Queens Staith on the opposite side. This section of river was once the main port for sea-going vessels, and Skeldergate, beyond Queens Staith, was the principle dockside in medieval York.
Did you know?
The name ‘Ouse’ derives from the Celtic word ‘Usa’, meaning ‘water’ – therefore the ‘River Ouse’ actually means ‘River Water’!
3. Clifford's Tower
Tower Street
Wear Clifford’s Tower like a crown from the corner of Tower Street.
Clifford's Tower stands as a proud symbol of the power of England's medieval kings. Originally built by William the Conqueror to subdue the rebels of the north, it was twice burned to the ground, before being rebuilt by Henry III in the 13th century. The tower takes its name from one grisly incident in its long history, when Roger de Clifford was executed for treason against Edward II and hanged in chains from the tower walls. With sweeping panoramic views of York and the surrounding countryside, it isn't hard to see why Clifford's Tower played such a crucial role in the control of northern England.
Did you know?
Throughout its life Clifford’s Tower has been a cattle shed, a Royal Mint and a prison!
4. JORVIK Viking Centre
19 Coppergate
Grab a selfie outside the iconic JORVIK Viking Centre with one of the vicious Vikings… if you dare!
Get your shot outside one of York’s most-loved attractions before going back in time in the re-imagined JORVIK Viking Centre and seeing York as it was under Viking rule. Listen to the stories of the people who came from all over the world to make Jorvik a multi-cultural society, and see precious Viking artefacts up close in the gallery.
Did you know?
The JORVIK Viking Centre was a product of the famous Coppergate Dig that unearthed precious and unique artefacts including 5 tons of animal bones, a quarter of a million pieces of pottery and remains of Viking houses and buildings.
5. Shambles
Kings Square
Face Kings Court to get the optimal view of the Shambles over your shoulder.
As mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, Shambles is York’s oldest street. It is also one of the best-preserved medieval shopping streets in Europe. Although none of the original shop-fronts have survived from medieval times, some properties still have exterior wooden shelves, reminders of when cuts of meat were served from the open windows. The street was made narrow by design to keep the meat out of direct sunlight. Today, the beautiful old buildings have been restored and now house cheerful cafés and quirky boutiques.
Did you know?
The word Shambles comes from the Anglo Saxon word ‘Shammel’- meaning the shelf from which meat is sold.
6. Shambles Market Sign
Parliament Street
Stand in Parliament Street to frame your selfie with the striking Shambles Market sign.
Perfectly frame your selfie with the beautiful wrought iron archway that forms the entrance to Shambles Market. Shambles Market is a historic and vibrant market situated in the heart of the city. One of the North of England's largest open-air markets, it is open seven days a week, all year round. The market has much to offer from beautiful pottery, artisan breads, crafts, handbags and vintage clothing to locally-sourced fruit, vegetables, plants and flowers, deli cheeses, fresh meat and fish from the Yorkshire coast.
Did you know?
York’s Markets Charters was granted in Saxon 700AD! This meant that a market could be run exclusively in a six mile radius. This charter lasted all the way through Viking and Norman times and is still operational today.
7. York Minster
York Minster
Cosy up to Constantine for a group shot by the Minster.
York Minster is a must see for all visitors to York. The largest medieval Gothic cathedral north of the Alps is an artistic and architectural achievement and a treasure house of 800 years of stained glass.
This is religious architecture on the very grandest of scales. Over 500 feet in length, 100 feet wide and with a central tower 200 feet high, York Minster took over 250 years to complete and is the most visited cathedral in Britain. The Minster contains some of the country’s oldest and finest stained glass, has the city’s best views from the Tower and is rich in historical artefacts, dating back to the Roman age. It was probably in this fortress that Constantine was proclaimed Emperor of the Western Roman Empire in 306, before converting to Christianity in 312. It is a wonderful accident of history that the spot where Constantine, the first Christian Emperor, came to power later became one of the greatest cathedrals in Europe!
Did you know?
Constantine was the first Roman leader to instigate a celebration of the birth of Christ – Christmas!
8. York Art Gallery
Exhibition Square
Use William Etty as a marker for a perfectly-aligned shot with the art gallery.
The statue of artist William Etty stands outside York City Art Gallery, facing Bootham Bar which he helped to protect from misguided town planners in the early 19th century. He was born in York in 1787, the son of a baker in Feasegate. Although he spent most of his working life in London he returned to York later in life and bought a house and studio overlooking the River Ouse, close to where he was born. Etty was very active in campaigning to preserve York’s historic buildings. He is buried in St Olave’s churchyard, near the Museum Gardens.
Etty is most famous for his repeated use of the female nude in his paintings, which have been seen as quite controversial in the past.
Did you know?
The Art Gallery is home to the world-leading Centre of Ceramic Art!
9. St Mary's Abbey
Museum Gardens
Stand by the Yorkshire Museum to capture yourself with the ruins of St Mary’s Abbey.
The beautiful botanical Museum Gardens make the perfect setting for a stunning selfie, and with St Mary’s Abbey as your backdrop you’ll be getting likes galore! St Mary’s Abbey was first built in 1088, and was one of the wealthiest and most powerful Benedictine monasteries in England. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 1500s, the abbey buildings were converted into a palace for the King when he visited York. The ruins of the abbey still remain, and the nave of the church and cloister are still visible today.
Did you know?
The walls surrounding St Mary’s Abbey were built in the 1260s and remain the most complete set of abbey walls in the country.
10. City Walls
Station Rise
Get the Minster, Lendal Bridge and the walls in one cracking shot on your way out of the city.
The penultimate selfie spot on our trail is an opportunity to capture what is arguably one of the most iconic shots of the city. Virtually unchanged for hundreds of years, this view draws the eye down one of the most-used entrances to the city. The city walls in York date back to Roman times, being originally built of earth and wood in 71AD. They were rebuilt in stone in the 3rd & 4th centuries AD. The Anglo-Saxons patched up the Roman defences, while the Vikings and Normans replaced them with earthen ramparts. They were rebuilt in stone in the 13th century for defence against the Scots.
Did you know?
Local folklore suggests it was legal in medieval times to shoot a Scotsman after dark within the city walls - so long as he was carrying a bow and arrow!
11. National Railway Museum
Leeman Road
Get a right royal selfie in front of Gladstone, the iconic loco hauling Queen Victoria’s favourite carriage.
The National Railway Museum holds the largest collection of Royal Carriages in the world. Monarchs from Queen Victoria to King Edward VII all travelled in lavish style on the railway, in beautiful carriages known as ‘saloons’. The Gladstone was designed by William Stroudley and built in 1882. It was taken off the rails in 1926, after travelling a total of 1,346,918 miles in its lifetime.
Did you know?
Queen Victoria’s ‘Palace on Wheels’ is famed for its over-the-top luxury – she didn’t let her trains go faster than 40mph and even had a bath on board marked with a line for her maids to fill the water to so it didn’t spill over the sides in transit!