10 facts about York that aren't in the guidebooks

# 10 facts about York that aren't in the guidebooks

York won't fit into one day. You discover it in layers: Roman, Viking and medieval. These ten facts are the kind a local guide tells you along the way, between one stop and the next.

  1. The city that came out of the mud. York was the Viking capital and was called Jorvik. The Viking city was dug out of the mud, and today you can see it at the JORVIK Viking Centre.
  1. The gates are called "bars". In York, the gates in the city walls are not called gates: they are called bars. If a local tells you to meet at a bar, don't look for a pint: it is a gate in the wall.
  1. The leaning street that inspired a magical alley. The Shambles is a street of old, leaning wooden houses. Many say it inspired Diagon Alley from Harry Potter. It shows: the street looks straight out of a film.
  1. The oldest part is Roman. York began as Eboracum, a Roman city. The oldest part of the whole old town is the Roman wall. The ages stack up: Roman, Viking and medieval.
  1. Three families, one chocolate city. York's chocolate has family names: Rowntree's, Terry's and Craven's. Their legacy made chocolate part of the city's identity.
  1. Chocolate that built houses. In York, chocolate built houses and helped workers. It is no metaphor: it is part of the city's sweet history.
  1. 9.4 million visitors in 2024. In 2024, York welcomed 9.4 million visitors, 5% more than in 2023. The economic impact reached £2,010 million. Of those, 1.7 million stayed overnight, for an average of 3.3 nights. And the old town, where almost everything happens, is small enough to walk.
  1. You need no licence to guide here. In England there is no state licence to guide on the street: anyone can advertise as a guide. The Blue Badge qualification is voluntary. And inside York Minster, the cathedral runs its own free tours, included in the entrance.
  1. The pub that boasts of its ghost. The Golden Fleece calls itself the most haunted pub in York. We don't confirm it and we don't deny it: we just repeat what the pub says. 😊
  1. The shortest street with the longest name. Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma-Gate is the shortest street in York, and it has the longest name. You can cross it in a heartbeat; reading the sign takes longer.

Want to see it up close?

Tours in

Open in the web app