Highwayman Tours Journal
Best Day Trips From York Without a Car
York is a brilliant base for seeing Yorkshire, but some of the county's best places sit well beyond the railway line. If you are looking for the best day trips from York without a car, the trick is choosing destinations that give you enough time to explore instead of spending half the day changing buses.
Read the full guide Close guide
| Day trip | Without a car | Best when | Private tour option |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yorkshire Dales | Possible, but rural connections limit how many places you can combine. | You want villages, viewpoints and several countryside stops in one day. | Dales, Falls & Market Towns |
| Whitby | One of the easiest options, with a direct Coastliner bus from York. | Whitby itself is your main destination. | Castles, Coasts & Gothic Legends |
| Haworth | Possible by train to Keighley and onward bus. | You mainly want Haworth village and the Brontë Parsonage area. | Brontë Country |
| Fountains Abbey | Possible on selected days and seasons; check current services first. | You are happy to plan around the available transport timetable. | Yorkshire Icons |
| Byland & Rievaulx | Difficult to combine efficiently by public transport. | You want abbeys, Helmsley and rural North Yorkshire in one day. | Abbeys, Ruins & Reformation |
1. The Yorkshire Dales
The Yorkshire Dales are not one single destination. That is what makes them wonderful, and what makes them awkward without a car. A day can include riverside ruins, stone villages, waterfalls, market towns and open countryside, but those places are spread over a large rural area.
Public transport can work well if you choose one corridor and plan around the timetable. The Yorkshire Dales National Park has current bus and rail travel information. If you want to see several places in one day, a private route is much simpler.
Highwayman Tours' Yorkshire Dales, Falls & Market Towns route links Bolton Abbey, Grassington, Linton Falls, Pateley Bridge and Brimham Rocks before returning to York.
2. Whitby and the Yorkshire coast
Whitby is a strong choice if you want a car-free day with a clear destination. The Coastliner 840 runs from York through the North York Moors to Whitby, so the journey itself becomes part of the day. Once there, the harbour, old streets, abbey area and sea views are all within the same town.
If you want to combine Whitby with places such as Pickering and Scarborough, that becomes a different kind of day. Highwayman Tours' Castles, Coasts & Gothic Legends tour is designed around exactly that sort of multi-stop route.
3. Haworth and Brontë Country
Haworth is possible without a car, but it takes a little more planning. The Brontë Parsonage Museum advises visitors that Keighley is the nearest local rail station, with onward buses to Haworth. That works well if Haworth itself is your main goal.
The harder part is seeing the moorland and viewpoints around the village. Those landscapes are a big part of the atmosphere of Brontë Country, which is why the private Brontë Country tour from York includes Haworth alongside surrounding scenery rather than treating the village as an isolated stop.
4. Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal
Fountains Abbey is one of Yorkshire's great historic landscapes. Public transport does serve the site on selected days and seasons, including services from York on certain dates, but this is one place where checking the current timetable before setting out really matters.
If you want to make a broader Yorkshire day of it, Highwayman Tours' Yorkshire Icons route combines Fountains Abbey with Masham, Brimham Rocks and Knaresborough.
5. Abbeys, ruins and market towns north of York
Places such as Byland Abbey and Rievaulx Abbey are spectacular precisely because they sit away from the main transport network. They are much harder to combine independently without driving.
The Abbeys, Ruins & Reformation route links Byland, Rievaulx, Helmsley and surrounding North Yorkshire scenery in one private day.
Which option is best for you?
Choose public transport if…
You mainly want one destination, enjoy planning timetables and do not mind building the day around fixed departure times.
Choose a private driven tour if…
You want several rural stops, hotel collection, flexible pacing and the freedom to change the day around weather, interests or how you feel.
There is no universally "best" way to travel. For Whitby alone, the bus can be part of the fun. For a multi-stop Dales or abbey day, private transport makes a much bigger difference.
Frequently asked questions
Can I visit the Yorkshire Dales from York without a car?
Yes. Bus and rail options reach parts of the Dales, but rural connections vary by route, day and season. For several stops in one day, private transport is considerably easier.
Can I get from York to Whitby without driving?
Yes. Coastliner operates a direct bus route between York and Whitby. Always check the current timetable before travelling.
Can a private tour collect me from my York hotel?
Highwayman Tours can arrange York-area collection from a hotel, accommodation or another agreed point, subject to the booking details.
Highwayman Tours
- Best for: Visitors staying in York who want to see rural Yorkshire without hiring a car.
- Tour style: Private driven day tours from York for your own group.
- Flexibility: Routes can combine places that are awkward to connect by public transport.
- Group size: Up to 4 guests on standard Highwayman Tours private tours.
Explore Yorkshire from York
See Yorkshire from York without hiring a car
Browse Highwayman Tours' private driven routes from York. Your group gets the vehicle and driver-guide to itself, with no coach timetable and no strangers joining the tour.
Transport services change. Check operator or attraction websites before relying on a particular connection.