Alnwick Castle

It’s about 2.25 hours each direction, then you need to get from wherever to the castle. In October we spent a little over two hours visiting the castle itself. We spent a couple days in Alnwick and had a rental car. When we visited it wasn’t a day trip, but part of a 24 day trip.

If you could manage a night there, then nearby is Bamburgh castle and Holy Island. Getting to them without a rental car would necessitate more time and planning.

It is 2+ hours by train one way.to get from York to Alnwick, and then back. And you actually can only train it to Alnmouth and then bus from there to Alnwick. I met my husband there as a study abroad student so I highly recommend Alnwick Castle, gardens, and Hulne Abbey, but it might be a bit far from York for a day trip. How are you traveling, train or car?

This is a day trip which makes better sense by train than car IMHO, especially if you get one of the direct trains.
The best way to do it is to book an Alnmouth plus bus train ticket. This is a £3 add on to any train fare, and includes any bus in the Alnmouth/Alnwick local area in the day.
That can be done on line, as well as at the station, but it is often hard to find the add on page online. Often you find It under 'extras'.
It seems a shame to go all that way and not do more in Northumberland, but if that's all the time you have so be it.

I would make sure you add time in for the garden which is a separate entrance fee and you have to walk out the back of the castle toward the Car Park. I’ve just spent 4 nights in Alnwick and we spent an afternoon and a morning at the castle.

BTW, the art in the State Rooms is fabulous. 8 Canalettos, Titian, Van Dyk….

This is a fairly easy trip but will take 2 hours - from York station to Alnwick Castle, not allowing for you getting to York station. Not sure why people are suggesting it's longer, or that driving is quicker - it isn't.

I think your estimate of 2hours could be optimistic jgdh. The train from York to Alnmouth will take between 90-120 minutes depending on what service you catch. The bus from Alnmouth to Alnwick is another 15 minutes BUT a lot depends on how long you have to wait for a bus... The X18 and X20 are hourly services. (isn31cis far better with teh timetables than I am...)

Alnwick Castle will take 2-3 hours to do it justice. The gardens are also well worth visiting and that is another 2-3 hours.

I hadn't thought of going into specifics on bus times. Only the X20 calls at Alnmouth Station in the daytime, (the X18 only calls there in the evening) at 19 minutes past each hour.
The 0832 from York arrives at Alnmouth at 0957, and the 0935 at 1107.
Buses back from Alnwick are at xx37, and most hours actually make a neat connection with the hourly train back, which is broadly on the hour, or a few minutes past.
It's almost as if it was planned to work!
I think the 0935 is a wee bit tight. I would favour the 0832.