Stonegate is York's most handsome street, running north from St Helen's Square to the Minster on a line that follows the Roman via principalis — the main road of the legionary fortress of Eboracum. The street was paved with stone in the medieval period, giving it its name. The buildings on both sides are mostly medieval or early modern timber-framed structures, and while the ground floors have been given over to shops and cafes, the upper storeys retain the crooked, leaning appearance of genuinely old buildings. The street is pedestrianised and always busy.
Look up as you walk: the painted signs, projecting upper floors, and occasional courtyards leading off the main street are more interesting than the shop windows. Coffee Yard, a narrow alley on the east side, leads to Barley Hall. Ye Olde Starre Inn is accessed through a gateway midway along the street. The Minster appears progressively more dominant as you walk north, framed by the buildings on either side.