Travel

Here we provide a number of suggestions for arriving at York, beginning with general suggestions on airports, trains and buses. We also provide information for getting around once arrived in York.

AIRPORT INFORMATION

Manchester Airport. This is the largest of the regional airports and the one you are most likely to arrive at. There is a convenient direct train from Manchester Airport to York, which runs at least hourly and takes around 1h 50 min. (See below for train information)
Newcastle International Airport. There is a direct Metro service linking Newcastle Airport with Newcastle Central train station in less than 30 minutes. Trains run between Newcastle Central train station and York hourly and take about 60 minutes.
Leeds Bradford Airport is the nearest airport to York, but necessarily the easiest to get to if you don’t have your own transport. From the airport, the Airport Direct shuttle bus (no. 757) runs every half hour to Leeds. The Airport Direct bus takes 30 minutes to get to Leeds train station, from where you take a direct train to York in half an hour. If you prefer to get to York by bus, the Airport Direct bus takes 40 minutes to get to Leeds City Bus Station, from where you take a Coastliner bus to York (75 min).
Liverpool John Lennon Airport is connected with Liverpool South Parkway Station by the Airport shuttle bus, which takes around 10-15 minutes. Trains between Liverpool South Parkway Station and York take around 2h 20 min.
From Heathrow Airport, you need to get into central London, then to Kings Cross train station to get to York. There are two ways of doing this. (1) The fastest way to reach central London is via the Heathrow Express (http://www.heathrowexpress.com). Non-stop trains to London Paddington run every 15 minutes at peak times, and take only 15 minutes. A single ticket costs £20, a return £34. The onward journey to King’s Cross station can be made by London Underground (http://www.tfl.gov.uk) in a matter of minutes. (2) More cheaply, and without the need to change trains, the Underground will take you directly from Heathrow to King’s Cross on the Piccadilly Line (approx. £5.50 one way), although the journey will take longer (about an hour).
If using Heathrow Airport, it is possible (although can be expensive) to book international flights to Leeds-Bradford via Heathrow, meaning that you arrive closer to the conference venue.
From Stansted Airport, it is best to take a train from Stansted to Peterborough, change trains, and then continue your journey on to York. Travel from Stansted to York via London will be expensive.

TRAIN

Remember to book train tickets in advance (see links below) as they can be very expensive if bought on the day. It’s best to book a return ticket that allows you to travel on any off-peak train (or any train if you are arriving at rush hour) on the days of your arrival and departure.

Note that with some advance purchase tickets you must travel on the train you have booked. If you travel on a different train you will be charged the full standard fare by the train guard. If in doubt, check with the ticket office.

York is easily accessible from both north and south as it is a key station on the East Coast main train line. The average journey time from London King’s Cross train station to York is 2 hours. To get to Edinburgh from York takes 2½ hours (along a beautifully scenic route). There is also a direct service between York and Manchester Airport (see above), which passes through Leeds.
London King’s Cross is literally next door (hence walkable) to London St Pancras International for Eurostar (http://www.eurostar.com/). Eurostar links London to France and Belgium.
The two main rail operators along the London-York-Edinburgh route are Grand Central (http://www.grandcentralrail.com) and East Coast (http://eastcoast.co.uk). Both offer Advance Purchase tickets from as little as £13 one way, although in reality these are in limited supply, and must be bought several months ahead. Train Line (http://www.thetrainline.com) is a helpful portal which covers both the above (and indeed all operators within the UK) and offers a reliable ‘best price guaranteed’ online booking service.

COACHES

Coach travel can sometimes be the best way to travel between airports and cities, but do check distances etc. National Express is the UK’s leading provider of national coach travel (www.nationalexpress.com). See also MegaBus for some really cheap deals (http://uk.megabus.com/). For example, a National Express coach between Leeds/Bradford Airport and York costs from £9

TRAVEL IN YORK

York Rail Station is situated approximately 2 miles from the conference venue. A taxi journey will take around 20 minutes, and should cost no more than £10. There is a taxi rank immediately outside the station.
A regular bus service (no. 44 ‘UniBus’ and no.4 ‘First Bus’) operates from York Station to the University approximately every 10 minutes.
Travel within the university is free (get on any bus that passes).
For University maps and directions, see http://www.york.ac.uk/about/maps/