Iconic Yorkshire street listed as UK's 'most beautiful' places to visit

The city of York has been named as one of the 15 most beautiful places in the whole of the UK, according the travel writers. But it is not just anywhere in the city though, to be precise, it is the iconic cobbles of The Shambles that has captured the hearts.

A list of 15 locations was drawn up by tourism experts after they were asked to nominate Britain's most stunning places to visit. And York is the only place in the region that made the list but it's not difficult to see why. York is a picturesque walled city in North Yorkshire that was founded by the ancient Romans.

The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a minster, castle, and city walls, it's a hugely popular destination amongst tourists and locals alike. It's bursting with history from its huge 13th-century Gothic cathedral, York Minster, which has medieval stained glass and two functioning bell towers.

READ MORE: Popular Sheffield pub back in business following major makeover

There's no end to things you can see, do and experience in York. The City Walls form a walkway on both sides of the River Ouse and The Monk Bar gate houses an exhibition tracing the life of 15th-century Plantagenet King Richard III, both are hugely popular amongst visitors.

Other popular things to do include the York Castle Museum, the National Railway Museum, York's Chocolate Story, York Maze, Yorkshire Air Museum, Jorvik Viking Centre and of course the famous Shambles, which is Europe's most visited street and was famously used in JK Rowling's Harry Potter series.

And if all that isn't enough to temp you to pay York a visit then this latest accolade will surely only further fuel a trip. Time Out UK features editor Chiara Wilkinson said: "For all of the stick we give the UK – the grey skies, the pigeons, the Greggs sausage roll packets littering the pavements – it’s actually a pretty gorgeous country.

"In London alone, you can be goggling over the Barbican’s brutalist beauty one moment, the next, you might be basking in the tranquillity of Hampstead Ponds. Add the turquoise coasts of Cornwall, the rugged mountains of Snowdonia (Eryri) and the fairy tale wonder of Scotland’s highlands and islands to the mix, and you’ve got a country which is as good looking as they come.

"When we set about curating this list of the most beautiful places in the UK, we called on our network of expert travel writers. These guys have have personally experienced the pinch-me moment of seeing every place on this list in real life – so we can guarantee you there is no catfishing going on here. Of course, you’ll find the usual suspects – you can’t argue with the magic of the Isle of Skye, after all – but you’ll also find some more surprising beauty spots to add to your travel bucket list."

Describing the City, the writers said: "Peering down York’s Shambles in 2024, with the road’s overhanging buildings, rustic wooden crossbeams and characterful row of twee shops, you’d have no idea of the road’s grim past. The name ‘Shambles’ literally refers to an open-air slaughterhouse, which is what this York street was back in the 1300s.

"These days all that blood and gore (and the street’s famed butchers, which stuck around until the 1800s) is long gone; leaving one of the UK’s best preserved medieval streets. There are few easier, more atmospheric ways to transport yourself back hundreds of years (without the iffy smells and sights) than a stroll down Shambles."

The top 15 most beautiful places in Britain, according to Time Out, are:

1. Puzzlewood, Forest of Dean

2. Minack Theatre, Cornwall

3. Barbican Estate, London

4. Singing Sands, Isle of Eigg

5. Avebury Stone Circle, Wiltshire

6. Medieval Shambles, York

7. Seven Sisters, Sussex

8. Fairy Pools, Isle of Skye

9. Whitstable Seafront, Kent

10. Rydal Caves, Lake District

11. Loch Lomond, Highland Boundary Fault

12. Central Oxford

13. Clifton Suspension Bridge, Bristol

14. Portmeirion, North Wales

15. Benone Strand, Causeway Coast

You can find the latest food and drink news in Yorkshire and nearby by visiting our What's On homepage. There you can also find days out guides for things to do across the region.

Yorkshire Live has launched Explore Yorkshire, which will look at Yorkshire's unique identity and destinations and celebrate God's Own County for what it is - the best place in the world. Whether you are looking for a day out, a weekend away or to try somewhere new, Explore Yorkshire is here to help. Our brilliant new newsletter will bring all of this content together for you in one place - sign up here to get it direct to your inbox.