THE grand city of York is taking on its namesake as a hot spot for fashionistas says PATRICK LENNON.

OK, so it isn't quite the Big Apple.

But old York is showing off its chic side with a Shop And The City promotion.

Click here now for amazing offers to York!

Shopandthecity.org lists the best retail in the area and has vouchers for special discounts.

We stayed at the stylish Hotel Du Vin, whose restaurant serves a first-class steak, at £80 for two with wine.

In the area known as The Mount, Hotel Du Vin is close to York's centre and an excellent base for exploring its cultural and consumer delights.

The city has cosy boutiques, vintage shops and all the usual high-street suspects. The squares are packed with little markets and there are second-hand bookshops to nose around.

York Designer Outlet (yorkdesigneroutlet.com or 01904 682700) is a tenminute ride away on the No.7 bus.
With up to 60% off designer and high street brands such as Ted Baker, Hugo Boss and Karen Millen, your wallet can't moan.

Want incredible deals to York? Click here now...

But in a city this pretty, you'll want to do more than shop.

York has perched on the River Ouse for over 2,000 years - and is compact and accessible on foot. Most of the main tourist attractions are within the old city walls. Dominating all is the 1,000-year-old York Minster with its spires, fling buttresses and immense towers.

The Romans built their first fort on the same spot and William the Conqueror laid the foundations of what survives today in 1071.

You can even climb to the top - see yorkminster.org for more details. The York Dungeon (yorkdungeons.com) takes visitors on a chilling trail through time, complete with pungent odours and a "legion of the damned" as guides.
Jorvik Viking Centre (jorvik-vikingcentre.co.uk) on Coppergate is a fantastic reconstruction of the city under the sway of the Norsemen.

Visitors can trace Viking DNA and see the crafts employed by the invaders. And at York Castle Museum (the-dungeons.co.uk) you can see the cell where Dick Turpin, the notorious highwayman, spent his final hours.

Don't be perturbed if you see a gentleman in a top hat leading tourists around the city centre and shouting at them from a stepladder.

He's leading a ghost hunt, of which there are several in the medieval streets each evening.

Hear the sad tale of the plague child abandoned by her parents who cries and stares out of a window by the Minster, or the wailing of the hapless Bedern workhouse children, stabbed in cold blood by a cruel and heartless master.
The walks start at either end of the Shambles at 7.30pm (ghosthunt.co.uk) and cost about a fiver.

But for a very different type of tour, the Shop And The City website has created themed walks based on four characters summing up the campaign - Fashionista Phoebe, Design crazy Danni, Sumptuous Sophie and even Mr York for the blokes.

But if you're more of a hairy Viking, there's a place for you in York too.

FACT FILE
PATRICK stayed at Hotel Du Vin York, where rooms cost from £99 for B&B or £149 for B&B and bistro. See hotelduvin.com for more information.

The Shop And The City promotion from Visit York enables all-comers to snap up discounts at some of York’s ? nest shops, including 15% off at LK Bennett.

Visit shopandthecity.org to download your passport of shopping discounts in York.

The Yorkshire Pass offers you a choice of entry into more than 70 visitor attractions across the region, plus restaurant, shopping and evening entertainment offers.

From £28, you can buy a one, two, three or six-day pass. Call York Visitor Information Centre on 01904 550099, visit yorkshirepass.com or e-mail info@yorkshirepass.com

For advice on what to see and where to stay call the Information Centre or see visityork.org.

Travel from London to York with East Coast Trains. Advance returns start around £25, and first class £85. See expresseastcoast.co.uk.