Instead of London: York, the Medieval City Where the Vikings Left Their Mark

York is one of England's most layered cities: Roman, Viking, medieval, Georgian, Victorian — every era has left its mark on a historic centre so compact you can walk it in half an hour. The Roman walls — still walkable for almost five kilometres — encircle a network of medieval lanes where the past is everywhere.

York Minster is the largest Gothic cathedral in northern Europe: the Great East Window — with its 1,680 painted glass panels, as large as a tennis court — is the largest medieval stained-glass window in the world. The effect of the coloured light in the nave is almost supernatural. You can climb the central tower for a view that, on clear days, reaches all the way to the North York Moors.

The Shambles is the best-preserved medieval street in Europe: the half-timbered houses lean towards each other until they almost touch, and the ground-floor shops still have the wooden counters where medieval butchers displayed their meat. Today the shops sell chocolate, fudge and souvenirs, but the atmosphere remains authentic. J.K. Rowling confirmed that the Shambles inspired Diagon Alley in Harry Potter.

The Jorvik Viking Centre is built on the site of the archaeological excavation that revealed Viking York — Jorvik — with houses, workshops and streets reconstructed to full scale, complete with smells and sounds. It is an immersive experience that will delight even those who don't normally enjoy museums.

The walls can be walked in about two hours, with views over the cathedral, the River Ouse and the city rooftops. It is the finest walk in York, especially at sunset when the stone turns golden.

Eating in York is a pleasant surprise: the city has a lively food scene with restaurants using Yorkshire produce — lamb, Wensleydale cheese, craft ale — and prices are significantly lower than in London. The historic pubs (the Guy Fawkes Inn, the oldest in the city) serve hand-pulled ales and traditional pies.

York is reached from London King's Cross in one hour and fifty minutes on the LNER train, from Edinburgh in two and a half hours. It is the ideal starting point for the North York Moors, the Yorkshire Dales and the Whitby coast.