How to reach York

Instructions for getting to King’s Manor, once you have reached York, can be found here.

York is a major city situated in the North of England, mid-way between London and Edinburgh, and approximately 330 km north of London.

By Rail.

York is on the East Coast Mainline railway line, and has excellent rail connections to the rest of the UK. London is about 2 hours away by high-speed train (one-way cost approx. £60, off-peak return about the same price). So if you are commencing your journey in the UK, or if London is part of your itinerary, train is probably the best way. You can check on www.rail.co.uk/ukrail/planner/planner.htm or www.nationalrail.co.uk, or call (+44) 8457 484950.
And if you are coming from the London area we would strongly recommend train compared with driving, which could take over 4 hours and is very tiring.

We've just been informed that advance booked single tickets are available starting at £9.50 one way from London. These can be booked through the above link or via the GNER website.
Although we believe that advance rail tickets booked on the internet cannot be mailed to non-UK addresses. However, one can arrange to pick them up from machines at main stations, using the same credit card as was used to order them.

By Air.

York itself does not have an airport. So if you are coming from outside the UK, you have several choices, depending on your time pressure and your budget.
It’s worth remembering that there are now several low-cost airlines flying to the UK. These can offer extreme bargains (e.g. less than €50 one-way from several European cities), but you will need to book on the internet and not through a travel agent. Most go to Luton or Stansted. See, for example: www.skyscanner.net, www.jet2.com, www.easyjet.com, www.ryanair.com.

The closest airport to York is Leeds/Bradford.
There are not so many flights to here (although Jet2 fly direct from many european airports), but there are good connections through Amsterdam (and some through Brussels, and maybe Paris), and through London Heathrow. Local transportation is not good however. You can take a bus to Leeds railway station (about half an hour, but infrequent), then a train to York (another half-hour). It’s probably best to take a taxi directly, cost about £36 and takes less than 1 hour. (Or if you contact us, we could arrange a York taxi to meet you, maybe better, and cost around £30).

Manchester Airport is often convenient, and has a good range of flights. Regular direct trains run to York, about 2 hrs journey time, cost about £26 return.

If you are coming to any of the London airports, you will need to allow extra time to progress to York:

London Heathrow. Need to take the Heathrow Express train to Paddington (15 mins, quite expensive!), then the tube (metro) to Kings Cross, then train to York. If your budget is tight, take the tube (Picadilliy Line) all the way from the airport instead, about 1 hour. Otherwise, fly up to Leeds (probably expensive).

London Gatwick: Take the Gatwick Express train to Victoria (30 mins), then the tube (metro) to Kings Cross, then train to York as above. About the same cost and time as Heathrow. (You could alternatively take a Thameslink train from Gatwick to Kings Cross Thameslink, then 100m walk to Kings Cross mainline station, then as above. This avoids using the metro, and may be slightly cheaper).

London Stansted: This can be convenient: take a train to Peterborough and connect there for York. Relatively cheap, about 2 hrs 30 mins, but service is not very frequent, and could be a problem in the early morning or late evening: need to check the schedule.
Alternatively, you can always take the Stansted Express train to Liverpool Street (30 - 40 mins), then the tube (metro) to Kings Cross, then train to York as above.

London Luton: Take the free airport bus to the airport station, then a train to Kings Cross Thameslink (about 35 mins), then 100m walk to Kings Cross mainline station, then train to York as above. (Alternatively, you could take a taxi to Stevenage - about £22 and 20 minutes - and take a train from there to York. This might be quicker and easier, but check schedules carefully.)

Other ways:

Eurostar rail. From Paris or Brussel into London Waterloo, then the tube, then train as above.

There are a nice overnight ferries from Rotterdam and from Zeebrugge to Hull. Then a bus from the ferry terminal to York. OK if you like to use the casino on board and if you have time to relax.

Driving. OK, if you like driving, but it’s several hours drive from the London area to York.
Maybe bring your car on the Hull ferry?