York, England — Travel Tips
Getting There By Air
Leeds Bradford International Airport (LBA)
Tel: (0113) 250 9696.
Website: www.lbia.co.uk
The airport is located 50km (31 miles) west of York city center.
Facilities include restaurants, bars, duty-free shops, a bureau de change, a prayer room, an on-site massage service, a manicure lounge, Wi-Fi and a child’s play area. All passengers may use the Business Executive Lounge or the Yorkshire Executive Club at an additional fee, subject to availability.
From the airport, the A6120 ring-road veers eastwards towards the A64 to York. Alternatively, car hire is available and three metered taxi companies operate from the taxi rank outside the terminal. To travel by train, take the MetroConnect bus no. 757 service to Leeds City Station, from where there are regular train services to York. A new direct bus service to York from the airport begins running in 2007, operated by First Bus. Bus no. 843 runs from Leeds City Bus Station to York every 30 minutes.
Getting There By Road
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 the intersection with the A64 is reached. York is also served by the A19, A1079 and A166 routes.
Emergency breakdown services
AA (tel: 0800 887 766); Green Flag (tel: 0800 051 0636); RAC (tel: 0844 891 3111).
Coach services
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: 0871 781 818; www.nationalexpress.com) also stops here and offers services to York from destinations throughout the UK, including Edinburgh (Scotland), London and Manchester.
Getting There By Rail
Rail Services
York Railway Station, on Station Road, is only a 5-minute walk southwest from the city center.
Rail Operators
York is on the East Coast mainline and is very well connected, with services to Scotland and to regional centers throughout England, including Birmingham, Bradford, Liverpool, London, Manchester and Newcastle.
Services are operated by East Coast (tel: 0845 722 5225; www.eastcoast.co.uk) and also East Midlands Trains (tel: 0845 712 5678; www.eastmidlandstrains.co.uk), Northern Rail (tel: 0845 000 0125; www.northernrail.org) and Virgin (tel: 0845 722 2333; www.virgintrains.co.uk).
Connections
From London – 2 hours; Newcastle – 1 hour; Birmingham – 2 hours 20.
Getting Around in York, England
Public Transport
The main company that operates bus services in York is First (tel: 0871 200 22 33 www.firstgroup.com), with around 20 bus routes. The Red-Line bus travels from the York Designer Outlet to York Railway Station, stopping off at the city center en route; it runs throughout the day, daily. York is divided into six fare zones and prices vary accordingly. Passengers may pre-purchase tickets valid for a daily, weekly or monthly duration (concessions are available). For all public travel information around North Yorkshire, contact Traveline (tel: 0871 200 2233; www.traveline.org.uk).
Taxis
There are two taxi ranks at York Railway Station, one under the station portico and another in the middle of Station Road. Taxis stop in streets throughout York but two of the main taxi ranks are on Piccadilly and St Saviourgate. Taxis can also be pre-booked from companies like Ebor (tel: (01904) 641 441) and Streamline Taxis (tel: (01904) 638 833).
Car Hire
Avis (tel: (01904) 610 460; www.avis.co.uk), Europcar (tel: (01904) 656 161; www.europcar.co.uk), and Hertz (tel: 0870 850 2665; www.hertz.co.uk) all provide car hire in York.
Bicycle Hire
Cycling around York is a pleasure - there are over 100km (62 miles) of cycle routes in the city center and North Yorkshire's surrounding scenic countryside. Bicycles can be hired from Bob Trotter's Cycles (tel: (01904) 622 868; www.bobtrottercycles.com).
