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How to get to Castle Howard

Castle Howard is Yorkshire’s finest stately homes, and one of the best-known stately homes in the UK – helped by its starring role in several adaptations of Brideshead Revisited in film and on TV.

Located only a few miles north of York, it offers visitors a truly wonderful day out – there is so much to see both inside and outside the main house, including some great walks which provide breathtaking views of the surrounding countryside and the beautiful Howardian Hills.

However, for most visitors to York, it is a difficult place to visit. Many will find themselves asking how to get to Castle Howard. For those with a car, it is a simple case of inputting the address into the SatNav and setting off. But for those who don’t have a car, things aren’t nearly as easy.

So how do you get to Castle Howard from York? Well, there are four ways to consider:

1) By taxi. You can pick up a taxi from several ranks across York. The cost will be somewhere in the region of £30 for a one-way journey. This will simply get you to Castle Howard, but unless you are going to pay for the taxi to wait (and you’ll really want at least 2 hours, and ideally 3 or 4, to explore the house and grounds) then you’ll need to plan ahead with a private hire company and arrange a time for them to pick you up.

2) By train. You can catch the train to Malton, which is closer to Castle Howard than York. However, once there, you’ll still face the same problem as with York and you’ll end up using a taxi to visit the stately home, albeit a less expensive one. This option is probably slightly cheaper, but far less convenient.

3)By bus. There are three bus services running to Castle Howard from York each day – but BEWARE: it takes about 90 minutes to get there from York, with the bus zigzagging through every small village along the way. It does the same on the way back, so you’ll end up with THREE HOURS of bus travel in total…a huge waste of your precious holiday time. Bus numbers 180 and 181 serve Castle Howard, picking up from outside York railway station and also from the Stonebow bus stop. The cost of a ticket is just over £8 per person (return) and entitles you to a discounted entrance fee at Castle Howard. There are three buses operating in the opposite direction which will take you back to York. Unfortunately, the bus route is far from a direct. It weaves through small villages either side of the busy A64 and doubles back on itself to pick up and drop off locals in several remote communities. In total, the journey takes up to 1 hour and 20 minutes.

4)With Grand Yorkshire. Our programme of day trips from York includes three opportunities to visit Castle Howard – on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. These great value day trips from York start at just £19 per person and include discounted entrance tickets for full access to the house & grounds at Castle Howard – the ticket itself costs £17.50 per person. You’ll travel in executive comfort, enjoying complimentary refreshments on most excursions, free on-board Wi-Fi internet access and the services of an informative Yorkshire driver-guide. You’ll travel on a scenic route to Castle Howard and on arrival you’ll be shown where to go, how to make the most of your visit and when & where to meet at the end. Our service is endorsed by Castle Howard – we’re recommended on their ‘how to find us‘ page.

For more information about Castle Howard, you can read our Castle Howard guide by clicking here, or go to www.CastleHoward.co.uk

The question is how to get to Castle Howard – the best answer is Grand Yorkshire.