Getting from London to York
· Updated · BootsnAll
York is a walled cathedral city in Yorkshire with about two thousand years of history stacked on top of itself. The Romans founded it as Eboracum and a legion was based here; Constantine was proclaimed emperor on this spot in 306. The Vikings took it in 866 and called it Jorvik. York Minster is the largest Gothic cathedral in northern Europe.
It is also about two hours from London by train, which makes it one of the best day trips in England and a much better overnight stop.
Trains from London to York
From London King's Cross, up the East Coast Main Line, in a little under two hours on the fast services. Trains run roughly every half hour through the day. This is one of the fastest stretches of railway in Britain.
There is more than one operator on the line, including open access companies competing with the main service, and they do not always appear together in the same search. That competition is good for the fare if you look for it.
Book ahead. Advance fares are released about twelve weeks out, tie you to one train and can be a quarter of the walk-up price on this route. Off-Peak gives you flexibility within set hours, Anytime gives you complete flexibility at a price that will make your eyes water. A railcard takes a third off and repays itself on this journey alone.
Split ticketing works well here too: buying London to Peterborough and Peterborough to York for the same train is often cheaper than one through ticket, and it is entirely legitimate.
Times on National Rail Enquiries. Buy from the operator, not a reseller. And note the operators are moving into public ownership under Great British Railways through 2026 and 2027, so brand names are in flux while the service is not.
What to do with two hours in York
Do not try. Give it a full day at minimum.
The city walls take about two hours to walk in full and are the best introduction to the place. The Shambles, the overhanging medieval street, is genuinely as photogenic as advertised and genuinely as crowded. The Minster deserves an hour and the undercroft, where you can see the Roman and Norman foundations, deserves another. The National Railway Museum is free, enormous and holds Mallard, the fastest steam locomotive ever built.
York station is a five minute walk from the walls, so none of this involves further transport.
Coaches and driving
National Express runs from London Victoria in around five and a half to six hours, for considerably less than the train. That is a long time to save money on a journey the train does in two.
Driving is about four hours up the A1 or M1 and York is another city that does not want your car: the centre is largely pedestrianised and the Park and Ride sites on the ring road are the sane approach.