York Day Trip from London — Private Car

York in North Yorkshire is England's best-preserved medieval city — 3 miles of near-complete Roman and medieval walls still encircle the city centre, the Gothic cathedral (York Minster) is the largest medieval Gothic building in Northern Europe, and the Shambles is a 14th-century street so perfectly preserved that it is said to have inspired Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter books. The city is approximately 200 miles from central London — 2.5 hours via the A1(M)/M1 — making it a long but perfectly achievable day trip, or the ideal first stop of a longer journey north.

• York Minster
  The largest Gothic cathedral in Northern Europe. The Great East Window contains more medieval stained glass than any other in England. Allow 1.5–2 hours. Book tickets at yorkminster.org.
• The Shambles
  A 14th-century street of overhanging timber-framed buildings — one of the best-preserved medieval streetscapes in the world. Said to have inspired J.K. Rowling's Diagon Alley.
• The City Walls
  3 miles of nearly complete walls, walkable almost the whole way around. Exceptional views of the Minster from the wall near Monk Bar.
• JORVIK Viking Centre
  Excellent underground museum built on the actual site of a Viking street excavated in the 1970s. 45 minutes. Book in advance.
• Clifford's Tower
  The keep of York Castle — the most visible remaining medieval structure in York after the walls and Minster.

Castle Howard (the setting for Brideshead Revisited and the TV series Brideshead Revisited) is 15 miles from York via the A64 — an excellent addition for Brideshead fans or anyone interested in Baroque country houses. The Yorkshire Dales begin approximately 30 miles northwest of York — with Harrogate (the most elegant Georgian spa town in the North) just 20 miles away via the A59.

All tour prices are provided as fixed all-inclusive quotes. Contact us with your starting location and preferred date.