Few cities in England are as rich in history as York. It is still encircled by its 13th and 14th century city walls, about 4km (2 1/2 miles) long, with four gates. One of these, Micklegate, once grimly greeted visitors coming from the south with the heads of traitors.To this day, you can walk on the footpath of the medieval walls.
The crowning achievement of York is its minster, the largest medieval cathedral in the United Kingdom. Prayer has been offered here for nearly 1000 years.
There was a Roman York (Hadrian came this way), then a Saxon York, a Danish York, a Norman York (William the Conqueror slept here), a medieval York, as well as Georgian and Victorian York (the center of a flourishing rail business). A large amount of 18th-century York remains for visitors to explore today.
At some point in your exploration, you may want to visit the Shambles; once the meat-butchering center of York, it dates from before the Norman Conquest. The messy business is gone now, but the ancient street survives, with buildings that huddle so closely together that you can practically stand in the middle of the pavement, arms outstretched, and touch the houses on both sides of the street.