Oh Mighty Mefi!

February 1, 2007 11:28 PM

UKfilter: Help me get in touch with my Scandinavian roots. I need to get better inside information about the Jorvik Viking Festival. What is the best day to attend? What hotel to book? How far to book? Restaurants? You get the idea. Nothing says Valentines Day than reciting parts of the Voluspa but not going bankrupt is better.

My Google-fu is weak on finding inside, unbiased tourist information about the Jorvik festival beyond "here is the festival" and "come to York". I definitely want to stay overnight and have opportunities to take photos with my Pooh and Piglet handpuppets (best photo of the puppets? At the DMZ with a Korean soldier). Will have toddler and very patient SO in tow. Any help appreciated.

posted by jadepearl to sports, hobbies, & recreation (7 comments total)

Food
Melton's Too - Main meals include tapas, steaks, vegeterian, seafood, local dishes etc. The house red wine is organic and quite drinkable.

Hotels
Lady Anne Middleton's - in the city centre, highly regarded.

Vikings
I presume you've found this link? The main dedicated URL seems to be dead...

As for finding out which day is best to come, I recommend calling the Viking Centre and asking them. There are some occasions where it's just more efficient to do it the old fashioned way!

Hope you have a great time! As a resident, I stopped following it as closely as I did when I was younger, but hope to begin again this year!
posted by dance at 1:55 AM on February 2, 2007

Reconnecting to your Norseness in York is a great idea. That said, don't expect too much from the festival itself, which feels more like a series of street markets and a few unconnected (if often fascinating) events than some kind of single coherent happening. Obviously, you'll be visiting the Jorvik Viking Centre (smell the authentically recreated odour of a Viking latrine! Buy mead in the gift shop!).

I come from York so haven't stayed in its hotels, but the Ibis York is nicely located on The Mount, a neighbourhood within an easy walk of the centre, and the Travelodge is so central it's almost within sight of Cliffords Tower, an obvious spot for handpuppet photographs. (There are tons of B&Bs, too.)

For restaurants I recommend a stroll down Walmgate, especially Meltons Too, or a meal or coffee right opposite the Minster at the spectacularly good Cafe Concerto.
posted by game warden to the events rhino at 2:06 AM on February 2, 2007

You might want to look at Up Helly Aa, if you want a Viking fire festival.
posted by johnny novak at 3:08 AM on February 2, 2007

Not exactly related, but save time for a visit to Yorkminster, and to walk the walls around the city. If you are a rail fan, the rail you need to remember. Oh, and in York, the streets are gates, the gates are bars, and the bars are pubs. Hope that makes things clear.
posted by eriko at 5:34 AM on February 2, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

Thanks for all the info!

B&Bs sound interesting (Travelodge has plenty of my money already). Any B&B recommendations in York?
posted by jadepearl at 6:56 AM on February 2, 2007

Only place I've ever seen Vikings jumping on trampolines. Hard to forget that kind of thing.
posted by theredpen at 7:06 AM on February 2, 2007

I went to uni in York and graduated a few years ago, but The Blue Bicycle was always reckoned to be one of the best resteraunts in town - it's housed in a building that used to be a brothel...

Oscars is cheaper and more cheerful if you want someone a bit more upbeat and lively, and I always used to like Wilde's for a quiet drink (or late breakfast) - it's tiny and tucked away next to one of York's "snickleways" (little alleys that run between the roads), and has a really nice atmosphere.

Hotel wise, the Dean Court is pricey but it is right opposite the Minster. The Blue Bicycle has rooms, too.
posted by Sifter at 7:08 AM on February 2, 2007