Yorkshire is England’s biggest county, and it’s easy to underestimate how spread out it is. Here are the basics I tell every friend who visits for the first time.
Yorkshire Trip Basics
- From London: about 2 hours to York and 3 hours to Harrogate on LNER from King’s Cross.
- Flying in: Manchester Airport has the best connections, with direct trains to York in about 2 hours. Leeds Bradford is closer, and has a bus connection to Harrogate.
- How many days: five to seven for a first trip: York, one national park and the coast.
- Do you need a car? Not for York or Harrogate. For the Dales and the Moors, yes. We drive on the left.
- Where to base yourself: York or Harrogate for towns; a village base for the Dales or Moors.
- Best time to visit: May to September; August for the heather; December for Christmas markets.
- Phone data: visiting from abroad? An eSIM is the easiest option. I use Airalo on my own trips, including in the UK before I moved here: a little pricier than a local SIM, but far more convenient.
My Yorkshire Planning Guides
- Things to Do in Yorkshire: the experiences I’d pick across the whole county.
- Places to Visit in Yorkshire: 20 places actually worth your time.
- Where to Stay in Harrogate: the best areas and hotels.
- Where to Stay in York: the best areas and hotels in the city.
- London to York: train, car or coach, with times and fares.
More planning guides are on the way.
Explore More of Yorkshire
- York: the Minster, the Shambles and the city walls.
- Yorkshire Dales: waterfalls, stone villages and the walks I do from home.
- North York Moors: heather moorland, steam trains and abbey ruins.
- Yorkshire Coast: Whitby, Robin Hood’s Bay and Scarborough.
- Harrogate: my favourite town, with spas, gardens and Bettys.
- Yorkshire itineraries and road trips: how to split your time.