York as a day trip from London?

Assuming you mean The Shambles? The Shambles is actually a very short street and incredibly crowded and whilst it is old and historic there are many streets in London or nearby that are equally as interesting and historic. I'm not sure it's worth the journey just to spend, at most, 10 minutes there. Of course there's plenty more to do in York but you'll be rushing through it and not getting thd best out of it.

I did type the Shambles.... auto correct gah!!!
Thanks for your thoughts :-)

York is a wonderful place to visit but it is a 4 hr train ride each way so the question is do you want to spend 8hrs on train for 4-6 hrs in York?

I loved York. I spent a few days there a few years ago and would love to visit again. TBH, I was underwhelmed by the Shambles. The Visit York page about Shambles says:

The Shambles is one of the best-preserved medieval shopping streets in
Europe. Although none of the original shop-fronts have survived from
medieval times, some properties still have exterior wooden shelves,
reminders of when cuts of meat were served from the open windows. The
street was made narrow by design to keep the meat out of direct
sunlight but you can readily imagine the Shambles packed with
people and awash with offal and discarded bones. . . .

York’s most famous shopping street. Once lined with Butchers’ shops,
today the smells are rather more pleasant with aromas from the Monkbar
Chocolatiers and John Bull Fudge Shop or the enticing smell of leather
from Cox of Yorkshire. . . .

You don't have to imagine the Shambles packed with people. It is. I'm not enthralled with jewelry (the Shambles boasts some nice jewelers) or into shopping, so I didn't care about the stores. It was interesting to experience the medieval space and imagine the place as it might have been long ago. To be fair, I didn't notice any offal on the ground.

My opinion: no offal, not awful, and also not a highlight of my stay in York. But I'm not you.

If you truly want to experience the Shambles - go for it. Take the train, enjoy the scenery. York is a walkable old city. [Edited after Emma pointed out it's a 2 hour train trip from London. I was thinking it was longer, having not traveled directly between London and York. That makes the idea of a day trip much more do-able!] I'd also recommend the York HOHO bus; even though I was based in York for a few days, I took the HOHO and was glad to have the driver's narration and get the lay of the land.

We’re the same in that where we live a 2-4 hour drive to get places is not unusual. We can start early and get back late and that doesn’t worry us either. I’ll investigate what we could wander and see in the time we’d have there and see if it’s wirthwhikd or if York will be another trip :-)

York is one of my favorite cities to visit and have do so many times. The Shambles is not a primary nor secondary draw after my first visit. But, if it’s important to you, go forth and enjoy.

If a day is all you have, go for it. Walk on the wall, see the Minster, go to York Castle Museum if you have time.

It is only a 2 hour train ride each way.

I visited York as a day trip and had a very nice day. I had time to tour the Cathedral, take a walking tour that went through some lovely gardens and along the wall, explore the Shambles and many of the other streets, and have tea at Bettys Tea Rooms (very popular with tourists, but I went in late afternoon when the wait was short). While I think it would be nice to stay a bit longer, this was a very enjoyable day trip for me.

The National Railway Museum in York is very close to the train station and free, with donations accepted. My son and I spent a couple of hours there on our way to Edinburgh from London a few years ago when he was interning in London. We really enjoyed it, as well as the York Minster Cathedral. The Shambles was worth a stroll through, but not the highlight of our visit to York.

Hi Cathy,

York is doable in a “long day” trip and it is one of my favorite cities in the UK. With limited time, I would make sure that I went to the York Minster and since you are in love with the Shambles, of course you should visit. It was not the highlight of any of my stays in York, but since it is one of the things drawing you there, I would recommend taking a peak. If you have time to visit the Castle Musuem: https://www.yorkcastlemuseum.org.uk, it is worth a visit. It was built from a collection from Dr. Kirk as he traversed the York countryside, at the cusp of the industrial revolution. You will see a Victorian village life, the advent and impact of the industrial revolution. It is a small museum, so it will not eat up your entire day.

Enjoy York and your trip.
Sandy

If all you have is a day, I agree with those who say "Go"! York is my favorite city in England other than London. Two hour train ride each way; this is very doable.

Visit the York Minster, walk along the Shambles, poke in and out of small 800 or 900 year old churches, see the rail carriages of the National Rail Museum including one of Queen Victoria's, walk along the wall, grab a bit to eat at Betty's, let the day be yours. York is spectacular.

What I would do is take an early train to York. Walk the walls, see the Shambles and walk the walls. I did buy some chocolate at a small store in the Shambles and while interesting it wasn't the highlight of my stay. However, if that medieval atmosphere intrigues you, I suggest a visit to Holy Trinity Goodramsgate. It's a small stone church tucked out of the way in the center and walking inside is like stepping back a few hundred years. I stayed just down the road and visited it twice as it was not very crowded and calming. Below is a link to some pictures of the church.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g186346-d2181547-Reviews-Holy_Trinity_Church-York_North_Yorkshire_England.html#photos;aggregationId=&albumid=101&filter=7

I agree with the above, if all you've got is a day, then go. It's worth a couple of days, at least. York Minster was the highlight, for me.

I've done it a few times. Worked out well each time.

Take an early train up. Check the time for the last train back and plan to use the one before that, just in case. Have some fun, have dinner, and go catch the return to London.

When you walk out of York station, the town center is to the left. You'll pass one of those hop-on, hop-off bus stops just after you start that walk, if you're looking for that.

We spent three nights in York and arrive in early PM, so we had 2 1/2 days there. We used every minute touring. There is much to see in York.

Visiting the Munster (Cathedral) was awesome and we spent over three hours there.
Visited some museums as well, don't miss the National Railway Museum near the train station.
Walked the ancient walls. Walked the city streets and savored the city.

Doing it on a day trip is OK if you want to miss most of the sights.
On a day trip, you might be able to do the Munster and one museum.

Another somewhat overlooked place to visit in York is the Treasurer's House, near the Minster. Even if you don't go inside you can enjoy the garden for a few (fairly) peaceful minutes. Owned by the National Trust.

We were in York last month for 2 nights (one full day, and a few hours on either side of that), and as others have said, I think you can get a good sampling in a day. Of course you could always do more, but very doable to see the Minster, stroll through town, and walk on the walls in a day. It's an easy train ride from King's Cross with no stops in between.
Unless you really dislike walking, don't do the HOHO, it's not that big of a town.