20 hours Ago By [email protected] (Talya Honebeek)
As the festive season rapidly approaches, cities across the UK are teeming with people busy doing their Christmas shopping and visiting Christmas markets. If you're considering a last-minute pre-Christmas getaway or planning ahead for 2025, you might want to add a historic city in North Yorkshire to your staycation list. Earlier this year, York was named the world's second most beautiful place to visit in winter, reports the Mirror .
Premier Inn's research praised York's "captivating medieval walls and narrow lanes of The Shambles", noting: "The York Minster cathedral looks even more majestic, while the city's famous Christmas market, St Nicholas Fair, comes alive on Parliament Street." "Winter visitors can warm up in one of York's many historic pubs or enjoy the JORVIK Viking Centre, perfect if you need a bit of shelter from the cold while exploring the city." The Shambles is said to be the inspiration behind Harry Potter's Diagon Alley (Image: Getty Images) After a trip to the JORVIK, why not visit the York Minster, or ascend the remnants of the 700 year old city walls? If you're eager for Halloween to come around again, consider stopping by the York Dungeon, or partake in one of the city's many ghost tours.
York is also an ideal destination for Harry Potter enthusiasts. Although J. K.
Rowling has never confirmed that The Shambles inspired Diagon Alley, the similarities between the two are undeniable. The Shambles, one of Europe's most well-preserved medieval shopping streets, is a renowned landmark in the city. Its narrow cobbled street and timber-framed buildings that jut out several feet over the street give it a fairy-tale-like charm.
This unique appeal draws fans of the Harry Potter books and film franchise to The Shambles each year. They come to take photos and explore the numerous shops selling merchandise from the films, including The Shop That Must Not Be Named. York is home to some quirky shopping streets (Image: Getty) Although The Shambles wasn't used as a filming location for Harry Potter, part of the first film was shot at York's railway station.
Visit York reveals that the station was transformed to resemble King's Cross for the scene where Harry crosses the bridge to find Platform 9 3⁄4. York boasts other unique streets besides The Shambles. Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma-Gate, for instance, is one of the shortest 'streets' at just 24 metres long.
Premier Inn's list of the world's most visually striking winter cities also includes Boston, USA, Dublin in Ireland, Cologne in Germany, and Stockholm in Sweden. If you want ideas and inspiration to plan your next UK adventure plus selected offers and competitions, sign up for our 2Chill weekly newsletter here.
