Stone me! York has cemented its position as one of the world’s greatest cities.
Our humble abode has been given a big shout out by the global news network CNN.
It has just published a guide to the globe’s best medieval walled cities. And straight in at number three, pop pickers – it’s only little ol’ York!
Pingyao in China takes the top spot with their walls which also have a moat and 72 watchtowers. Show offs. In second is Carcassonne in France, which is admittedly rather beautiful.
Ghosts and gates
York is the one and only British destination to make the list.
The CNN write up describes our gaff as a city with “plenty of history – and plenty of ghosts” (which pass right through the walls of course…)
The guide also says…
York has a significant proportion of its walls intact, more than any other city in England.
The visitor can walk along them, stopping at small museums at some of the gates.
Beneath the medieval city walls lies remains of earlier Roman brickwork.
Here’s the full list:
- Pingyao, China
- Carcassonne, France
- York, England
- Dubrovnik, Croatia
- Xi’an, China
- Obidos, Portugal
- Quebec City, Canada
- Taroudant, Morocco
- Mystras, Greece
- Avila, Spain
If you look carefully at the CNN article it says at the end – “Editor’s note: This article was previously published in 2012. It was reformatted, updated and republished in 2018.” Its a pity that the section on York is so sparse.
For more information on “York’s City Walls Trail” see The Friends of York Walls website.