York Christmas Market

Officially the St Nicholas Fair, York’s market runs down Parliament Street and through St Sampson’s Square in alpine-style wooden chalets, with the Minster a few minutes north and the Shambles — the medieval butchers’ street, now thoroughly given over to Christmas — a minute east.

What is on the stalls

The trader mix leans strongly Yorkshire: cheese from the Dales, chocolate (York was a chocolate city long before it was a tourist one — Rowntree and Terry’s both began here), gin and beer from local distilleries and breweries, woollens, ceramics and prints. The Made in Yorkshire branding is not marketing fluff; a large share of the chalets are genuinely regional producers.

The city is the attraction

York in December is a strong argument for the whole business of Christmas markets. The city walls are walkable, the Minster runs a full Advent and carol programme, the Shambles is lit and decorated to an almost absurd degree, and there are more good pubs per square mile than almost anywhere in England. The market is a reason to come rather than the entire visit.

Getting there

York station is on the East Coast Main Line — under two hours from London, half an hour from Leeds — and is a ten-minute walk from the market. This is one of the easiest day trips in the country, which is also why it is busy.

The quirk that catches people out

York Christmas Market closes on Tuesdays. It runs Wednesday to Monday, and traders take Tuesday as a rest day. It is easy to miss when planning a midweek trip, and there is nothing more dispiriting than arriving to an empty Parliament Street. Check the day as well as the date.

When to go

Weekends from late November are extremely busy — York is a small city absorbing a very large number of visitors. Early in the season, or a Wednesday or Thursday, is far more pleasant. The market is open 10.30am to 7pm, which is shorter than many, so an evening visit needs planning.