Helllo! First time poster and heading to London in January 2025 with my 2 adult children, 18 and 23 from US.
I’d like to visit York area. We have 8 nights.
Thoughts on this Itinerary: 3 nights London 3 nights York, 2 nights back in London.
OR 3 nights London, 4 nights York, last night London (before am flight next day).
Is there enough to do for 4 nights York (and beyond York) in January? I’d like to venture out to see some National Parks/country side. Is that worth it during January?
We will be taking the train from London to York.
Thanks for any input.
Posted by
Preston UK
1212 posts
There is plenty to do in York and the region around but much of that is the rural areas of two national parks, which will not be at their best in January - cooler unsettled weather and not much daylight.
If you haven't yet booked your flights you can fly into Manchester and back from London or vice-versa. There are direct trains to York from MAN.
Posted by
OP
3 posts
We have our flights in and out of LHR.
Posted by
Bristol, UK
1421 posts
Because of the time of year, I’d recommend longer in London and less time in York. It will be dark by 4pm and gardens are all dead so it’s not a prime time for visiting the countryside. London has loads of things to do whatever the weather and it can be quite atmospheric in the dark.
York itself is worth visiting but I think 2 days will be enough to exhaust the indoor attractions. You can obviously still walk the walls and so on but it will be cold and not looking as pretty as it does when all the flowers are out.
Posted by
OP
3 posts
Thank you, Helen.
Should we do 2 or 3 nights in York?
Posted by
Bristol, UK
1421 posts
I would say 2 nights would be enough personally. London has so much to see in comparison, but it is good to see a smaller city as well and York is lovely. The train from London is only 2 hrs so you can get there quite early and have a fair bit of time to explore on your first day.
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
5453 posts
I'd suggest having a really good look at what you want to see and do in York before deciding on how many nights you want. And then balance that with what you want to do in London. When we were in York last month we wished that we had had an extra day. But we also had a full week in London,too. So, 2 or 3 nights- it's it's up to you.
Posted by
Prescott AZ
15 posts
Probably two nights in York plus you will have time for an overall scout on arrival day. Be sure to catch the Evensong in the Minster on one evening. We stayed in a great B&B on the river. Walking distance to everything and just across the river from the train station. The
Posted by
Port Angeles
164 posts
I would probably choose this one: 3 nights London 3 nights York, 2 nights back in London.
It really depends on when you get to York, but the sites there can easily take up two full days, which usually means three nights.
As someone already suggested, make a list of all the things you want to see and do in both cities, then make a decision as to how to allocate your time. But there is never enough, and you always have to remember that you will be back!
Happy travels!