The Shambles

A real case of do believe the hype.Incredibly picturesque, charming, almost as if its was built for a film set straight out of a Charles Dickens novel, I would imagine walking here in December/Christmas time would be the ultimate trip back in time.
Perfection.

My favourite part of York! I really enjoyed paroozing though The Shambles and stopping to look into tiny stores and coffee shops. I was there on a Saturday, so the streets can get really crowded with other weekend tourists/shoppers, but is still definitely a must see!

The Shambles is the most beautiful street in York! It's a gorgeous little narrow cobbled street with lovely little old shops along it. Most of the shops have been there ages and I hope they all remain there for a long time to come. My favourite shop of the Shambles is Silverado which is a really nice little jewellery shop.

The Shambles is a lovely narrow street of medieval buildings, lots of little gift shops, and some wonderful architecture.
A must see.

The Shambles must be on every tourist's list of places to visit in York. It is a medieval street with buildings which lean in towards each other and also sloping pavements which apparently were designed in order to channel blood and offal from the butcher's shops which originally filled the whole street! Fortunately it is a far pleasanter place to stroll down these days though and the shops are now predominantly touristy shops with the exception of the York Sausage Shop at one end. We visited it twice, once in the afternoon when it was thronging with visitors and once in the evening when we actually had it all to ourselves for a few minutes! It is only a short street and you are through it in the bat of an eye really, however some of the surrounding streets also retain a lot of charm and it's a lovely part of York to visit. A 'must do' if you're visiting York.

We got an amazing glimpse at the architectural history of the city while we were strolling through the street.

You feel like being in medieval times (except at the "tourist rush hour").

In my opinion The Shambles is a place worth watching, especially at night.

The shambles is a lovely little street that is not to be missed on a trip to York. For a good look around go early in the morning, or out of peak times as it gets full of people later in the day.
Just a great little piece of York history, i always feel like ive steped back in time when i walk down here…until i see 20 people taking photographs!

What a fantastic little street! This is definatly one of Yorks more querky features and is well worth a walk down. The sandwich shop down there is also great where you can get loads of sadwichs for just a pound. Its just a shame about the cheap and nasty tourist shops, they kind of ruin in a bit.

A very beautiful place that REALLY needs a visit when visiting the City. it has been used in lots of films over the years and the shops are still used next to the market area. recommended

The Shambles is a pretty much complete street of medieval houses, now a mix of cute little gift shops, incredibly touristy shops and specialist shops. As a preserved Medieval street it is fairly impressive and in one or two shops you can find the original shop fittings, such as hooks on the ceiling or wall. However, on most days it is hard to appreciate it as a street and its architectural features as there is always a swarm of tourists trying to take photos of each other, I avoid it as a street if I can. That’s probably only true for residents though and tourists will probably enjoy the Shambles more.

When i have visited York I have been down The Shambles a few times and it is always a nice place to look at a variety of shops and interesting places and is great if you are a tourist or visitor and to buy gifts to take home to family and friends.
It is quite a long street and there are some side streets you can go down and also some Public House Establishments and other such type places that you
can visit either day or night.
It is also just a nice street to take a general stroll down as when you come to the end of The Shambles then the York Minster is not too far away which is also a nice place to visit.

The most famous address in York. Experience what the old city of York would have been like years ago, it realy is like stepping back in time!

But you can also step out of the time warp and indulge in some shopping in the many gift shops that line The Shambles!

My personal favourite is Mr Sandwich, all sandwiches are a pound!!

There is also a really great traditional sweet shop and 2 rather good Italian restaurants.

The rest of the street has many different gift shops selling all sorts of gifts to remind you of your visit to York and indeed the UK in general.

The Shambles in a street in York which has survived since medievil times. It is a narrow cobbled street with overhanging buildings some of which are so close together on the upper floors over the street that it is said you can shake hands. It was originaly a street of buchers shops and indeed some of the buildings still have hooks hanging from them.
Today this medievil street is still traiding although now with souveners instead of meat, good that it still serves, in a way it’s oridinal function.
The street also houses a srine to St Margaret Clitherow. A butchers wife who alloud her house to be used to hide Chatholic priests and other 'crimes’ relatingto religion. She served various prision sentances and eventialy was crushed to death on the Tollboth on the Ouse Bridge in 1586. In fact the building bought by the council is now belived not to have been her home but it is still worth a visit, if nothing else but to see inside one of these remarcable buildings from the past.
Well worth a visit but can be realy busy which impacts on the appreaciation of this facinating street.

Going down the shambles really is like stepping back in time. I know that it is just a small street in the middle of a bustling city, but the overhanging shops and winding interiors make it so atmospheric. Where there was once a street full of 26 butchers shops and livestock, where I imagine the smell would have been awful but the air full of life, there is now a jostling group of bookshops, jewellers, the best bakers in York, the best sweet-shop in York, an art materials shop, a shrine to the Martyr Margaret Clitheroe, and the still-fresh feeling of life that I imagine has been hanging around the street since its first recorded mention in the Doomsday book in its latin name 'In Macello’.

This street held great memories from my childhood visits to York so I was keen to see if i still found it as intriguing when we visited recently as i had when i was a little girl.
I have to say i was a little disappointed, not with the street itself, that still is particularly special but with the shops that reside in the street themselves. It is very touristy even down to shops selling LONDON souvenirs…not one but TWO of them owned by the same people.
Having said this it did have a couple of nice shops and it was the actual history of the street we had gone to see as opposed to do any shopping. It just would of been nicer had the shops been a little more in 'keeping’ with the history of the street.
If you want perfect shots though best time to go would be early morning before the toursists arrive and the light is good, you could get some beautiful photos then i’m sure.

Elbow your way through the tourists to visit one of York’s oldest streets. The Shambles was once a street of butchers and the curbs are high to let the blood run. These days the shops are boutiques, tea rooms and other such touristy temptations.

Even with the tourists and the kind of shops there, it’s still a pretty cool street to look at and the buildings nearly touch at the top. If you’re in to your photography, you’ll be waiting ages for a good shot as there’s just too many people too much of the time.

There’s a very nice chocolate shop about half way down.

A lovely part of York to visit for free, unless you buy items from the shops there.

I do find York very busy as there are an awful lot of tourists there, especially during the spring and summer months.

The Shambles is usually quite busy and hetic, but less so jan/feb time of the year. Its a lovely area to have a wander around and theres som fantastic little shops to have a nosey in.

We found The Shambles to be slightly overhyped, maybe it was because there were just so many people it was impossible to look around properly. The modern For Sale signs also made it more difficult to image what it would have been like when it was first built.
One a quiet day I imagine its nice to walk down and imagine how life was in those days. The shops were all independents which does add a little bit to the authenticity.

When I visited York the Shambles was packed out with shoppers and tourists taking photos, it made it hard to appreciate the place.

The Shambles is a well preserved medieval street. The street was mentioned in the Domesday Book, so it has existed for over 900 years. The houses project out into the lane in their upper stories, and nearly meet the houses on the other side.

The Shambles house shops for tourists including jewelry shops and antiques shops.

The Shambles in York is a narrow street of medieval houses. originally butchers quarters hence the name. (Saxon “Fleshammels”, which means, “the street of the butchers” ) It is said you can shake hands across the street from upper windows.
Lots of gift shops. Some nice some taccy. jewellery, gorgeous teddies, antiques etc. but the place selling swords and crests etc is pretty good. Also go in the shrine of Margaret Clitherow for an interesting bit of history. She was arrested in 1586 on the charge of harbouring Catholic priests. She was condemned to death by pressing (crushing beneath a heavy weight).
I have spent enjoyable times here since childhood but one memory will always stay with me. The morning after the fire in York Minster I stood, at a barrier, at the end looking. There were quite a few people. Weary firemen clearing up and tourists and locals. The acrid smell of smoke hung in the air..not a bird sang..no-one spoke just total silence.