Distinctive & designer shopping

What better way to pass the day than soaking up the atmosphere of this historic city with some retail therapy and eating out! Start the day with a coffee and croissant in Café Concerto.

York has a superb selection of shopping from unique special interest shops, quality department stores such as Browns, Fenwicks and one of the largest Marks & Spencer stores in the country. No shopping expert should overlook Mulberry Hall, with fine china and glassware.

There are distinctive shopping quarters, including Stonegate, Coppergate, Swinegate, all offering tempting choices of fashion, gifts and souvenirs. Try out the new Vivienne Westwood boutique on Blake Street too for a fantastic range of Westwood goods.

Stop for a spot of lunch in Nineteen, just off Swinegate, which is set in an old restored building with a delicious menu.

Not forgetting the Shambles, probably one of York's most photographed streets, once a place of butchers' shops, now full of souvenir and gift shops and with easy access to Newgate Market.

To rest a while why not call into the Earl Grey Tea Rooms for afternoon tea, there's a mouth-watering selection of cakes and pastries on offer.

York also boasts three of the most modern and impressive shopping centres, York Designer Outlet where much sought after designer label fashion can be bought for a fraction of the price, Monks Cross and Clifton Moor, both multi store complexes featuring popular names in retail and late night shopping.