Description: There are many things to see in York. The Minster - the medieval cathedral - is world famous for its architecture and for some of its stained glass windows. There is the National Railway Museum, which houses some of the most famous trains from British transport history. And, there is the fantastically interactive Yorkshire Museum. These places are all worth the visit. However, as unusual as this may sound, it is possible to visit York and skip all of them. This is because York, in itself, is a tourist attraction. The very streets and buildings that make-up the city are reason enough to pay a visit.

There are different cities in England that epitomise different eras of architecture. Obviously, London gives you pretty much everything, but places like Bath would give you fantastic examples of Georgian design and many cities in the north offer beautiful (although that may not be the right choice of word) of the Industrial Revolutions. However, if you want to get a taste of medieval England, York is the place to be. The history of York is deep and varied. It started as one of the earliest and most enduring Roman settlements in the north of England. It remained a major settlement in the Anglo-Saxon era before being a major centre for the rampaging Vikings. In more recent history, as it is not a major industrial centre, it escaped serious damage during World War II. This means that the majority of its ancient buildings still stand unscathed

The first part of York's physical being that strikes the visitor is the walls. When you step out of the train station or you get off the buses from one of the many park and ride schemes (It is almost impossible to park within York) they are the first things that grab you. They are giant grey slabs of granite that instantly tell the visitor you are entering a place of history. Unlike some ancient cities - Xi'an in China being an excellent example - the walls do not go completely around the city. However, they are substantial enough to be seen in several places and to give the city the feel of a medieval strong-hold.

On the outside of the walls, there is significantly more modernity. Many of the buildings have at least a nineteenth or twentieth century feel. However, once you pass inside, you can easily drift back hundreds of years. There are hundreds of buildings that date back to the Middle Ages. The best area here is known as the Shambles - a generic term used in Old English to describe a collection of streets that interlock and would - in their Medieval heyday be rather chaotic and messy. The name is not unique to York, there are several Shambles in older areas of cities across England. The York version is truly wonderful. The buildings are mainly two storeys and are crowded together in a wonderful cluster. Many of them also over-hang (thanks to their age) and in some places almost block out the light.

The city of York has done a wonderful job in preserving these areas. The buildings are all protected, so they cannot be knocked-down or extensively renovated. Accordingly, they may be filled by modern shops and cafes, but they retain their windows, roofs, doors and overall identity. It is done in a way that keeps an insight into the past. Many of the shops themselves also seem to revel in the ancient feel with old-fashioned decor and style. The only downside within the shambles is that in the summer months it can get incredibly crowded with tour parties walking through.Close