A street in one of the country’s oldest cities is an enchanting spot filled with intriguing shops, pubs, and bars.

When in York, visiting the Shambles is a must. ‘The Shambles’ – the nickname of the maze of twisting, narrow lanes that sit in the centre of the North Yorkshire city – is a magical spot, particularly when the nights draw in and the Christmas lights get switched on.

At the heart of the area is a lane actually called the Shambles, which is arguably the best preserved medieval street in the world and scored a mention hit in 1086’s literary hit, the Domesday Book.

Many of the buildings on the street today date back to the late fourteenth century. The name is thought to derive from ‘Shammel’, an Anglo-Saxon word for the shelves that were a prominent feature of the open shopfronts. While it still has its ancient name and buildings, the function of most of the shops has changed over the centuries.

The butchers who once chopped, flayed and portioned here are now gone. All that remains of them are the meat hooks they used to hang their produce from the shopfronts.

Today, it hosts several other businesses, yet its medieval overhanging buildings and narrow passageways remain, giving the impression of being transported back in time.

During my university years, I spent three years in York, and I saw the Shambles transform with the seasons and time of day. At Christmas, the streets were packed full of nifty-gifty hungry punters looking for a deal and a warm baked good to fortify them against the chill. During this peak period, heading to one of the less busy but equally charming streets on the other side of the city until the throngs ease come the evening may be advised.

In the summer, the Shambles are packed full of the sound of busking students, hen parties, and day-trippers there to enjoy some of York’s pubs. Whether the much-circulated claim that the city has a pub for every day of the year is indeed true takes far longer than a day, a long weekend, or even a three-year degree to find out. In no small part because you’ll likely get stuck visiting the excellent House of Trembling Madness over and over again.

My favourite time to visit was in the middle of the night, following a stop to one of these many pubs or the now sadly departed and much-missed Willow — a filthily excellent club/Chinese restaurant.

In some sections of the Shambles, it is possible to touch both sides of the street with your arms outstretched. The best time to put your wingspan to the test is once all of the other visitors have gone home.

Recently, the street has been overrun by wizard-themed shops, owing to its significant comparison to the fictional Diagon Alley of Harry Potter lore. If the sensation of being flogged magical merch gets too much, pop into the shrine to Margaret Clitherow.

Once inside this sweet refuge, you’ll be able to breathe a sigh of relief, the shopping-bag-swinging chaos shut firmly out on the street. The shrine is always open to the public and conducts Mass at 10am on Saturdays. From there, a short jaunt down one of the Shambles’ snickelways (short narrow passages) leads to the Shambles Market, an open-air food and goods market.

In a recent video, That Girl Fleurr, a TikToker who likes to explore the UK, described the Shambles as ‘the most magical street’ in the country. And it’s hard to disagree.

Jerry Rebbeck, the owner of Wheelwrights York, told the Express: “Many of the buildings in the centre of York are centuries old, and have a spooky charm about them — walking down Micklegate at night feels like walking through a ghostly storybook.

“Within the city centre, historic buildings such as 85 Micklegate, a late medieval timber-framed terraced building, loom over the narrow street and look particularly eerie in the moonlight. Walking down the Shambles, famed for its likeness to Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley, you can see ghostly-looking old buildings such as 37 The Shambles that cast long shadows and add to the city’s paranormal feel. It’s these atmospheric streets and striking old buildings that help make York a picturesque backdrop for a Halloween weekend.”