Cheryl Sloane

I would like to day trip from york to London. Are there any good bus tours or should we stick to the train. This forum has been so helpful to me for my trip. Thank you all.

kkam

Stick with the fast train--it should take about 2 hours from Kings Cross Station. Once there, there are "Guide Friday" doubledeck bus tours and you can hop on/hop off.

Dave

Cheryl, <BR> <BR>As long as you can find a reasonably priced ticket, I'd recommend going on your own. The old town is very compact, and the train station is just outside the town walls, a short walk from most of the tourist sights. York is very easy to explore on foot, and while you'll almost certainly get lost among all those winding alleys, the medieval city center is very well defined so you can't stray too far. You can buy maps and photo-guides at the tourist information center (in the rail station). <BR> <BR>If you're really set on having a guide, you might be able to join a walking tour from the tourist info center. These are pretty common in most towns on the English tourism circuit, and I'd be very surprised if there wasn't a walking tour of York offered. <BR> <BR>Dave

elaine

Cheryl <BR>A few years ago I took an excursion via BritRail. They provided a roundtrip <BR>train ticket London-York. The sightseeing in York was on my own, and it was very easy to get around. <BR>The excursion also provided for a bus trip in the afternoon to Castle Howard, which I was particularly interested in, and I only wish I'd had more time there. <BR>Try these websites <BR>www.thetrainline.co.uk, <BR>www.rail.co.uk <BR>www.britrail.com <BR>www.railtrack.co.uk <BR>Can also call the National Rail telephone information service (44-345) 484950. Can speak to a representative, but be sure to inquire about lowest available fares <BR>Trains North to York www.gner.co.uk <BR> <BR>www.thisisyork.co.uk/ <BR>http://www.york-tourism.co.uk/ <BR>http://www.york.gov.uk <BR> <BR>Castle Howard: telephone +44 (0)1653 64 Fax: +44 (0) 1653 6 <BR>(International callers delete leading '0'and replace with '44') <BR> Email: [email protected] Website: www.castlehoward.co.uk/ <BR>

Lori

Cheryl, Anyway, go to the GNER (Great North Eastern Railway) web site for train times, etc. Unfortunately, you can't make a reservation on-line but you can call them and make a reservation. I called, it was very simple - ask for a DAYPEX fare - it must be bought in advance and cost 22 pounds per person, same day return. You get reserved seats and it's a very nice train. Takes 2 hours from Kings Cross Station. The train station in York is a short walk from the city centre, Minster, etc. We spent the day up there, even had time to take a 1 hr boat ride on the river before catching train back to London. (Not much to see on the boat ride, but it was pleasant and relaxing after walking around all day). We particularly enjoyed walking on the old city walls and visiting the Minster itself. Had lunch at a place called The Greenhouse - totally non-smoking! The scenery along the route was also very pleasant. I have mixed feelings about train travel because we've driven a lot of places in England as well and it's fun to go where you want to go whenever, but the train trip was really a good way to cover 200 miles in a short time.

Lori

Don't know where that "Anyway" came from on my first sentance but I do know Fodor's has been acting up all day, this is the first time I've actually gotten into it. <BR> <BR>Cheryl are you the same person who had the escalator questions?

Cheryl Sloane

Yes, that would be me! I really find this all very helpful. As you can tell, I don't like to anticipate too many surprises. We will be spending a week in Scotland then a week in London with friends from NYC. (I'm in LA) we have hired a car and driver for Bath, Stonehenge at a fabulous price. I will let you know what happens with that when we return in late August

Lori

Cheryl, <BR>You should be OK with escalators in York should you decide to go there (I'd recommend it, but reserve seats on the train via the Daypex fare, it's the least expensive way to do it)! I'm sure there are escalators someplace in the city (dept. stores maybe) but we didn't see any and aside from Marks&Spencers did not visit any of the larger stores. <BR>I hope you have a great time and don't forget to post when you get back. <BR> <BR>I don't know how you feel about heights in general, but the London Eye will give you some fantastic views over London (you can see about 25 miles). You can check their website for info but we ordered tickets in advance (lines can be tremendous, so tickets in advance are recommended). It moves very very slowly so you have no feeling of heights really. <BR> <BR>

Nigel Doran

Good advice has been given about the train tickets. Early morning walk-on fares would be very expensive, so go for the Daypex ticket by booking ahead a s a p. Get there early and come back late. F Y I, the rail company in charge of this route, G N E R, has just leased some Eurostar trains (these were meant to travel from Scotland to Paris and Brussels but the market, allegedly, was not there) and painted them in their own livery. They are lovely and smooth and roomy and even have mobile phone-free carriages! www.thetrainline.com is the place to go. Or try www.gner.co.uk for special fares and a telephone number directly to G N E R. <BR> <BR>I used to live in Leeds, near to York and so was a regular visitor there. I went back on a super cheap Daypex fare (£15 and it was a new Eurostar!) the other week and was surprised at the development on the waterfront. There are nice, airy, modern bars where you can sip your drink on the terrace as well as an art-house cinema with a nice bistro attached. <BR>I hope you enjoy York.