Travel to York
Flying to York
The closest airports to York are Leeds Bradford Airport (one hour by car) or Manchester Airport (90 minutes by car). Or, if you're flying into London, it's less than two hours by train from London to York.
Airlines operating domestic flights from other UK cities to Leeds include British Airways, Eastern Airways, Flybe and Jet2.com. There are no direct flights from the USA, but you can fly via Dublin or London Heathrow.
Airlines operating direct flights to Manchester from other UK cities include British Airways, easyJet and Flybe. Airlines offering direct flights from the USA include American Airlines, Delta, United, US Airways and Virgin Atlantic.
Flight times
To Leeds Bradford: From London - 1 hour; New York - 9 hours (including stopover); Los Angeles - 13 hours (including stopover); Toronto - 11 hours (including stopover); Sydney - 26 hours (including stopover).
To Manchester: From London - 1 hour; New York - 7 hours; Toronto - 7 hours; Los Angeles - 13 hours (including stopover); Sydney - 24 hours (including stopover).
Travel by road
Traffic in the UK drives on the left. The speed limits are 113kph (70mph) on motorways, 97kph (60mph) on single-lane main roads and 48kph (30mph) in built-up areas.
Non-British national driving licences and International Driving Permits are valid in the UK for up to one year; drivers must be over 17 years. Insurance is mandatory. Overseas visitors bringing their own cars should carry registration documents and check with their insurance company as to whether a Green Card is needed.
Breakdown service, traffic updates and general motoring information are available from the AA (tel: +44 121 275 3746; www.theaa.com) and the RAC (tel: +44 844 891 3111; www.rac.co.uk).
Emergency breakdown services
AA (tel: 0800 887 766, in the UK); RAC (tel: 0800 828 282, in the UK).
Routes
York is only 20 minutes from the M1/M62 motorway network. From the south on the M1 or A1, an intersection with the A64 means that York is just 15 minutes' drive away via dual carriageway. From the north on the A1, also take the A64 intersection to York. From the west on the M62, join the M1 northbound until you reach the intersection with the A64. York is also served by the A19, A1079 and A166 routes.
Coaches
York is without an official bus station, although most bus and coach services stop at George Hudson Street which is about a two-minute walk from the railway station.
National Express (tel: +44 871 781 818; www.nationalexpress.com) also stops here and offers services to York from destinations throughout the UK, including Edinburgh (Scotland), London and Manchester.
Time to city
From London - 4 hours; Edinburgh - 4 hours; Cardiff - 4 hours.
Travel by Rail
Services
York Railway Station, on Station Road, is only a five-minute walk southwest of the city centre.
Operators
York is on the East Coast mainline and is very well connected, with services to Scotland and to regional centres throughout England, including Birmingham, Bradford, Liverpool, London, Manchester and Newcastle.
Services are operated by Virgin Trains (www.virgintrains.co.uk), and also East Midlands Trains (www.eastmidlandstrains.co.uk), and Northern Rail (www.northernrail.org).
Journey times
From London – 2 hours; Newcastle - 1 hour; Birmingham - 2 hours 10 minutes.