York Travel Forum

I will be in Leeds for a few days in sept. and would like to take an organised day trip in the area, as I am coming from abroad (no car!).
Any suggestions?
I thought about going to York and maybe Howard House, but I am open to suggestions...

Thanks in advance!

York is an absolutely fascinating place, with lots of things to see and do: the superb Medieval Minster, the Norman castle, the river, several excellent museus, lots of other churchse, town walls to walk upon, Medieval streets like The Sahmbles, lots of shops of all types. Definitely a 'must-visit'.

Look at the VT York pages (I have some) for ideas on things to so/see, places to eat and so on.

You don't need to take an organised tour to York. Trains fromLeeds are quick and frequent, and the railway station is within easy walking distance of the city centre, Minster etc. www.nationalrail.co.uk will give you train times & fares. There is no need to buy in advance online (trains do not get full up) but you might find a cheaper advance fare if you buy from the station before 6pm the day before you travel (this depends on the train time and route, so check for what you want to do).

I think you mean Castle Howard? It is some distance outside York, so without a car (or organised tour) you will have to use bus/train and possibly a taxi. If you like English stately homes then Castle Howard is a good example, and pleasant enough for an afternoon's visit.

http://www.castlehoward.co.uk/metadot/index.pl

has all the information you will need about visiting.

You might also consider a day trip to Whitby and/or Scarborough, both seaside towns. Whitby has lots of history, excellent fish and chipas at the Magpie Cafe and is the setting for Bram Stoker's 'Dracula' (when his coffin is washed ashore). Scarborugh is a classic English seaside town.

Another possibility is Pickering, which is a pleasant small town on the edge of the Yorkshire Moors. A steam train runs up to some moorland villages, which makes a nice day out.

http://www.nymr.co.uk/

Helmsley is also a lovely small town at the base of the moors, and an organised daytrip here should take in the wonderful ruined Gothic Riveaulx Abbey. http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav.17256 (Riveaulx)

If you can find a tour, Fountains Abbey is simply stunning.

http://www.fountainsabbey.org.uk
Check the Vt pages for these places too.

If you can get to York by train, there probably isn't any need for an organized tour. The town centre is not very big, and an easy walk from the train station. York Minster and the interesting old streets around it are good for a stroll. If I remember correctly, you can get info at the tourist office.

Yes, the Tourist Information Office in York will have oodles of information (and the Minster/museums etc also have their own, of course). It's at the railwat station. You certainly do not need an organised tour to visit the city from Leeds.

York Railway Station
Outer Concourse, York,
01904 550 095

Open Mon-Sat 9am-6pm; Sun 10am-5pm

There is also a tourist information office in Leeds, which will be able to give you info about anywhere else you want to visit (including York):

Leeds Visitor Centre
The Arcade
Leeds City Station

0113 242 5242
Open: Monday to Saturday 09:00 - 17:30 and Sunday 10:00 - 16:00.

Take a look at my York pages - I have plenty of tips there on virtually everything there is to see and do. If you look at the transportation tips you will see a tip on the Moorsbus - this is a very good local bus network that will get you to Castle Howard quite cheaply. As someone else said there is no need for any tours within York although there are open top bus tours ( see my tip on this) and at night there are ghost walks which are good fun.
Trains from Leeds to York are very frequent - no need for a timetable - just turn up at the station - trains are roughly every 15 minutes or better.