How to get from London to York
The historical town of York is situated 210 miles from London and is a popular destination for tourists. For those looking for the fastest way to get from London to York, the best way is to take the train from King’s Cross Station, which takes around 2 hours to get to York. A cheaper option is to take a bus on the National Express, but whilst ticket prices are cheaper, the journey time is considerably longer, taking between 5 to 6 hours. Driving can take about 5 hours, but bear in mind that parking is really limited inside the historical city, but there are several park and ride schemes available.
by tour:
Discover York on a day tour from London by train. This unescorted tour includes reserved train tickets, a hop on hop off bus ticket and entrance to the Jorvik Viking Centre. It can sometimes work out cheaper than taking the train independently and is a stress free way of getting from London to York. You’ll be met at Kings Cross Station by a tour representative who’ll give you your tickets, a welcome pack and will escort you to the train. A similar service is offered on the way back from York train station. There is also an option to purchase first class train tickets.
by train:
- There are several train services per hour that go from London’s King’s Cross Station to York Station, and the journey is around 2 hours.
- Make sure you book train tickets well in advance. Ticket prices for trains in Britains fluctuate enormously and tend to get very expensive near departure date.
- King Cross is one of the busiest train station in London and connects with 6 underground lines: Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan, Northern, Piccadilly and Victoria line
- York train station is located very close to the city centre. You can walk or take a short bus ride to get into the city.
by bus:
- If you want to get to York from London but want to find a cheaper alternative to the train, then consider taking the bus.
- Whilst the ticket prices are often much cheaper than the train the downside of the bus is the much longer travel times, with journeys from London to York taking about 5 hours. Bear in mind that travel times can vary quite considerably depending on traffic conditions since the route to York from London can often get quite congested.
- The National Express Service runs about 13 direct buses a day from Victoria Coach Station in London. The bus stops at London Golders Green before heading up north to York railway station.
- Ticket prices can really vary depending on season and time of day. Expect to pay anywhere from £10 to £40 or more…
- There are also a few buses each day operated by Megabus which depart from St Pancras Station and London Victoria. Depending on where you are staying in London, St Pancras can be easier to get to than London Victoria. Kings Cross underground station, which is right next to St Pancras connects with 6 underground lines so its really easy to get to St Pancras from almost anywhere in the capital.
- Also bear in mind that sometimes Megabus ticket prices can be cheaper than the National Express
by car:
- York is located 210 miles from London.
- Getting from London to York by care can take anywhere from 4 to 5 hours depending on traffic via the M1 or M62 motorways.
- Parking in York town centre is really difficult. There are almost no public car parking spaces and private car parks tend to be really expensive. The best option if you are driving from London to York is to use the park and ride scheme on the outskirts of the city. You can find details of the various park and ride locations here.
additional information:
York is a popular tourist destination, located about half way between London and Edinburgh and and perfect for a day trip, with plenty of things to do including visits to York Minster, the Shambles and Clifford’s Tower. There are also plenty of places to explore outside of York and we offer several day tours to the surrounding area including places like Castle Howard and the North York Moors.
