York

Getting Here and Around

If you're driving, take the M1 north from London. Stay on it to Leeds, and then take the A64 to York; York is 25 mi northeast of Leeds. The journey should take around three hours. National Express and Megabus have motor coaches departing from London's Victoria Coach Station every hour. The journey takes 4½ hours. National Express trains run from London's King's Cross Station about every 30 minutes during the week. The trip takes about two hours. York Station, just outside the city walls, has a line of taxis out front to take you to your hotel. If you don't have bags, the walk to town takes eight minutes.

York's city center is mostly closed to traffic and is very walkable. The old center is a compact, dense web of narrow streets and tiny medieval alleys called "snickleways." These provide shortcuts across the city center, but they're not on maps, so you never quite know where you'll end up, which in York is often a pleasant surprise.

Tours

City Sightseeing runs frequent bus tours of York that stop at the Castle Museum, the Shambles, and Jorvik. You can get on and off as often as you please. York Association of Voluntary Guides arranges short walking tours around the city, which depart daily at 10:15. There are additional tours at 2:15 April through October and at 6:45 July and August. The tours are free, but tips are appreciated.