How to Take a Day Trip to York from London

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 Taking a day trip from London to York is slowly becoming one of the more popular day trips and with a little under a 2-hour train journey, it’s easy to see why this is reaching the top of tourists’ UK bucket lists. It’s actually one of my favorite easy day trips from London!

Most people try to cram everything into one day and it’s possible, but you really won’t enjoy the city, so I’ve got the perfect one-day itinerary if you are taking a day trip from London to York. You’ll get a good taste of the city and feel like you’re not being rushed around.

Day Trip to York from London

About York

York was founded by the Romans in 71 AD and was invaded by the Saxons, Normans, and Vikings (to name a few). The Vikings named the city Jorvik, which was later translated to York.

The minster was completed in the 1400s and during the 1500s it was known as the capital of the north… a hundred years later, it was England’s third largest city (after London and Norwich).

How to Get From London to York

The only way to take a day trip from London to York is by train. It will take you about 4 hours by car and the closest airport is Leeds-Bradford, which would be unrealistic for a day trip.

By Train: The train is direct from London King’s Cross to York Train Station. There is only one train station in York! You can get tickets as low as £26.60 for a round trip! You’ll need to book about 8 weeks in advance, and you can use Trainline to find the cheapest days for your trip. If it’s a last-minute ticket then you’ll be climbing into the £100 region.

You’ll need to take the 7:00am train so you can be there around 9:30am. (You might end up paying a little bit more for the earlier train). The cheaper train will usually get you there by 10:20am (which is still doable for a day trip to York from London if you are on a budget).

If you want to eat dinner in York, then take the train back around 9:00pm, if you are not eating or grabbing some food to-go, you can take the train back around 7:00pm.

Check out my Ultimate Guide to York and make your own schedule!

Tips for Your Trip From London to York

• Download Google Maps and set an offline map for York so you can easily get around
• Pinpoint every location on here so you can get around easily.
• Pre-book your attraction tickets – it will save you time!
• Don’t visit on a Sunday. Opening times are very limited, especially at the York Minster.
• Always allow yourself enough time to enjoy the attractions and the city. Don’t rush around trying to see everything, you won’t be able to do it all in one day.

Leaving the Train Station

Let’s head on over to your first stop of the day. You’ll need to get here for opening because it gets busy! (Not Westminster Abbey busy… but BUSY).

You’ll start on the west side of the city and you’ll need to head northeast to the minster. This walk is so straightforward and should take you under 15 minutes (you’ll be able to see York Minster as soon as you turn onto the main part of Station Road – with the city walls).

*PRO TIP* On the main part of Station Road, look for The Grand Hotel. Across the street, there are steps to the top of the city walls. If you walk up, then you’ll be rewarded with one of York’s most famous viewpoints.

York Minster

Opening Times: Monday to Thursday: 11am – 4:30pm, Friday & Saturday: 10am – 4:30pm, Sunday: 12:30pm – 2:30pm
Entrance Fee: There is an entrance fee, plus extra for the Tower Climb (purchased the day of)
Time Allowance: 2 hours
Website: Official Website

You CANNOT pass on York Minster. This is the star in York, standing tall over the city.

York Minster is the largest Gothic cathedral in Northern Europe and has a VERY impressive collection of stained glass… the recently restored Great East Window is the largest expanse of medieval glass in the country and the infamous Rose Window showcases the union of the Houses of Lancaster and Tudor with the red and white roses.

You can climb the 275 spiral steps to the top of the Lantern Tower to get panoramic views of the city, visit the Undercroft Museum and see the Roman remains, or just explore the naive and the rest of the cathedral on the ground level.

Coronavirus UPDATE: The tower and undercroft are temporarily CLOSED (as of August 2020).

City Walls

Opening Times: Dusk till Dawn
Entrance Fee: FREE!
Time Allowance: 1 hour

You’re going to head over to Bootham Bar, one of four major gates (or entrances) to the city and once on the walls, you need to walk right!

York has always been a well-defended city, dating back to Roman times. The walls were built in 71 AD and then upgraded to stone in the early 1200s. In the Victorian period, some of the sections were upgraded (I assume mainly for tourism). The section you are about to walk is the most popular because of the great view of York Minster.

This is just a small taste of the walls. The circular walk is about 2 miles long. If you wish to do the whole thing, then you’ll have to cut something else out of your itinerary.

You’ll come to Monk Bar and exit onto the street (Goodram Gate). When you come to the fork in the road (with the Cross Keys pub) stay to the left. At the next intersection, take a left and then walk through the square on the left to the corner. You’ve reached The Shambles!

*PRO TIP* On the way to The Shambles (about 10 stores down from Cross Keys), there’s a little churchyard on the right. Walk through and it opens up to the Holy Trinity Church. Not only is it a super cute instagrammable churchyard, BUT it’s home to Thomas Percy, Earl of Northumberland. The Catholics plotted against the Protestant Queen Elizabeth I and was executed. His head was spiked on top of Micklegate Bar (a very popular thing to do to traitors back then) before it was buried in the churchyard. Now Percy walks around, headless, searching for his missing head.

The Shambles

Opening Times: Street is always open, shops with varying hours.
Website: Official Website

The Shambles is a famous street that dates back to the 1200s and was filled with butchers serving up every kind of meat you could think of.

Today, it’s a bustling little alley full of local shops and cafes, with a market right next door.

Some even say this street was the inspiration for J.K. Rowling’s Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter series… I believe it! (There are even several Harry Potter-themed stores here).

Lunch at the Golden Fleece

Opening Hours: 12:00pm – 10:00pm
Website: Official Website

I know, I know… it’s a little late for lunch… but hopefully you’ve got an appetite by now because the Golden Fleece is steeped in history, ghost stories, and delicious food.

It does get VERY busy for lunch (and dinner), but around 2-3pm, things should’ve slowed down – UNLESS it’s a weekend, it’s a very popular drinking bar for the locals too! You can always book a table, so you’re guaranteed to get it!

My favorite eats? Steak and ale pie, ham and cheese toastie, and mac & cheese bites… my mouth is watering just thinking about it!

*PRO TIP* Book your table for the back room, it’s more atmospheric than the front room!

York Castle Museum

Opening Times: Open Daily: 9am – 5pm
Entrance Fee: There is an entrance fee for the museum
Time Allowance: 2 hours
*You will need to wear your mask

This is such a gem of a museum. This was the site of the old castle in York (built in 1060 – Clifford’s Tower is all that remains) and more recently, the justice system. The old prison cells are here, still intact. You’ll end your tour of the museum in the cells and even see where the famous highwayman, Dick Turpin spent his last days.

There are always rotating exhibits like the “Museum of Broken Relationships” filled with significant items from a lost relationship with stories from all around the world, or “Shaping the Body”, 400 years of fashion, food, and life.

There are also permanent exhibits like “Toy Stories”, the World War I exhibit, and The Sixties. The star of the museum, however, is Kirkgate, the Victorian Street.

Kirkgate was created by the owner of York Castle Museum and has been in operation since the museum opened in 1938. All the storefronts and items displayed are from the Victorian period and all the shops are named after real businesses in York that operated between 1870 and 1901.

Jorvik Viking Center

Opening Times: open daily 10:00am – 6:00pm (times vary in winter months)
Entrance Fee: There is an entrance fee for the Jorvik Center
Time Allowance: 1 hour
Website: Official Website
*You will need to wear your mask

If you’re into Vikings… this is the place for you. York is steeped in Viking history and this is the perfect attraction to dive into it. Your life will be a lot easier if you pre-book a time slot, then you are guaranteed to get in when you want!

You’ll enter the exhibit and get on the ride, and by ride, I mean a VERY slow-moving car. You’ll weave in and out of the Viking village and experience the sights, sounds, AND smells. There’s an interactive touch screen in front of you so you can have more information at your fingertips.

This truly is an immersive experience.

After the ride, you’ll enter the museum where you’ll view all the Viking artifacts that have been found in the area.

Yorkshire Museum Gardens

Opening Hours: open daily 10:30am – 6:00pm
Entrance Fee: FREE!
Website: Official Website

These beautiful gardens line the River Ouse and are a part of the Yorkshire Museum. They are free to visit, which is the definition of budget-friendly!

The ruins of St. Mary’s Abbey dominate the gardens, built in the early 9th century, this abbey was one of the wealthiest and most powerful Benedictine monasteries in England. After the dissolution of the monasteries, the abbey was converted into a palace as a place for Henry VIII to stay during his visits to York.

If you have time and want to learn a little bit more history of York and St. Mary’s Abbey, then you can visit the Yorkshire Museum. Entry is only £7.27.

Oh, and don’t forget to check out the original Roman wall section near the entrance of the gardens!!

Back to the Train Station

Your day is complete! All you have to do is make it back to the train station! If you have a good memory, then you should have a pretty good idea of where you are.

Exit the garden onto the main road and turn right. Walk across the river and take the first right. You’ll see the station up ahead. It’s about a 6-8 minute walk.

Are you taking a day trip from London to York anytime soon? Let me know in the comments below!

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