5 Reasons Why You Should Visit York (England)

So, once again, here I am writing about an English city. I have to admit I am not impartial on this one: I think that England is one of the most beautiful countries in Europe, so obviously I have lots of suggestions of pretty English cities to visit. But York really is something else so, if you never considered going there, here are 5 reasons why you should reconsider.

The Shambles

This is the most famous street in the whole city and if, you like History and fairytale-looking streets, you will definitely love it.

Previously known as The Great Flesh Shambles, this street used to be filled with butcher shops, up until as late as the 19th century. Nowadays none of the 31 butchers remain but the buildings are still the same and it truly is a sight to behold. With houses dating back as far as the 14th century, the Shambles truly is the postal card of the city of York.

It is incredible to think that many other parts of the city actually looked like the Shambles back in History - how much I would pay to go back in time... But nowadays The Shambles is the only such street in York.

A very interesting and charming detail to notice when visiting the Shambles is the so-called "snickelways". They are small passages that lead off the street, truly making us feel like we are in some kind of medieval movie.

The Shambles in York

National Railway Museum

This amazing Museum (with free entrance - yay!) in York allows its visitors to learn more about the History of rail transport in the UK and the impact that railways had in the British society.

With more than 6000 objects on exhibitions, including around many Historically relevant trains such as the Stirling Single, the Duchess of Hamilton and a Japanese bullet train, the Museum has won plenty of awards, having even been nominated the European Museum of the Year.

Even if you are not interested in Railway, it might still be interesting to visit the Museum in order to see trains used by the British Royal Family throughout History. And if you have a soft-spot for model trains, there is a huge one at the Museum as well.

The National Railway Museum in York

Visitors wishing to have a unique Afternoon Tea experience can head to the back of the Museum where they will find the Countess of York: a rail carriage which was restored to be the most charming setting in the city to have an Afternoon Tea. Book it beforehand here.

The Countess of York at the National Railway Museum

City Walls

Since as far back as the Roman times, the city of York has been surrounded by walls, and still nowadays visitors can admire many of them. In fact, York is the city in England with the biggest amount of preserved walls, even though most of it isn't from Roman times any longer.

The four biggest gatehouses (also known as bars) of York's city walls are still standing: Bootham Bar, Monk Bar, Walmgate Bar and Micklegate Bar. Monk Bar is the tallest gatehouse in York and there is even a Museum: Richard III Experience at Monk Bar, where visitors can learn more about the King's life.

View from York's city walls

Roman Ruins

There is a hidden secret in the city of York: at the basement of a quite discreet pub called "Roman Bath", visitors can find ruins from Roman times.

It is nowadays a small museum exhibiting the ruins and some artefacts through which visitors can learn more about its History. The friendly man who runs the Museum was happy to explain that the ruins were found when reconstruction works were done after a major fire in the city of York. When the owner of that lot learned that there were Roman ruins underneath it, he got the chance to simply cover them and forget about it, which was permitted by Law back then. But thankfully he understood the value and importance of the findings underneath his property, so he decided to preserve them at the basement of his building where visitors can admire them nowadays.

The ruins are some of very few Roman ruins in the city of York and they date back to between 71 and 122 AD. Visitors can nowadays see what used to be the hot room, a part of the cold room and one plunge pool.

The pub "Roman Bath" and the Museum underneath

One pub for each day of the year

It is said that in York there are more than 365 pubs, more than enough for visiting a new pub every day of the year.

There's "Kings Arms", a 17th century pub which is famous for constantly flooding - it floods on average 4 times a year. Still, the owners won't purchase flood insurance.

There's also "The Golden Fleece", from the beginning of the 16th century, which is known as the most haunted pub in York because clients claim they saw a ghost called One Eyed Jack, carrying a gun and wearing a red coat at the bottom bar.

Then there's the "York Tap", and old Victorian tea room which was turned into a pub on York train station.

Then there's even "The Snickleway Inn", yet another pub which claims to be hunted, this time by five ghosts, including Mrs Tulliver and her cat, Seamus.

You get the picture: in York, there's a pub for every taste. And most of them come with a quirky legend about ghosts, adding to their charm. If you'd like to truly experience them, the best way is to stay at one. With so many of York's pubs being Inns as well, it's one of the easiest accommodations to find, as well as it is the absolute charmiest experience to have in the city.

We stayed at the "Waggon and Horses" and loved it. The room was cozy and the breakfast was the best - we could order from a menu, offering everything from fluffy pancakes to sausages and scrambled eggs (food coma alert!).

Pubs in York