Coach and Minibus Hire in the United Kingdom

York Coach Hire: Walls, Bridges and Rendezvous Points

Inside York's city walls, no coach and no minibus with more than 16 seats may drive. A group coach unloads at one of two coach parks or three rendezvous points, and everyone walks in from there.

What the walls mean for your group

Sixteen seats is the dividing line. If someone in the party cannot manage the walk, there are two answers: a minibus of 16 seats or fewer, or a permit from the City of York Council for groups with special needs. The permit has to be requested at least seven days ahead.

The bridges matter too. Coaches may not use Lendal Bridge or Ouse Bridge and cross the river on Skeldergate Bridge. A route that looks short on a map can take longer as a result.

MAN 57-seat coach, exterior
MAN 57-seat coach, exterior

Match the stop to the attraction

For the Minster, set down at Foss Bank. For the National Railway Museum, use Leeman Road, which is also the place to meet a group coming off a train, because stopping at the station's bus stops is banned for coaches without exception. For JORVIK and Clifford's Tower, use Fawcett Street.

Airports serving York

Stadiums and arenas

  • York Racecourse (Knavesmire) — Flat racing; Dante Festival in May and the Ebor Festival, next Wednesday 18 to Saturday 21 August 2027
  • LNER Community Stadium — York City FC, York Knights and York Valkyrie rugby league; about 8,500
  • York Barbican — Concerts, comedy and the UK Snooker Championship

Day trips and transfers from York

  • Castle Howard — about 15 miles, about 30 min
  • Knaresborough — about 18 miles, about 35 min
  • Harrogate — about 22 miles, about 45 min
  • Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal — about 30 miles, about 50 min
  • Scarborough — about 42 miles, about 1.25 h
  • Whitby (across the North York Moors) — about 47 miles, about 1.5 h

Coach rules in York

  • Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA) is about 30 miles west of York, about 50 min by road; Manchester Airport is about 75 miles (about 1 h 45 min).
  • Coaches and minibuses with more than 16 seats may not enter the area inside York's city walls, and coaches may not use Lendal Bridge or Ouse Bridge; Skeldergate Bridge is the permitted river crossing.
  • In the city centre coaches may set down and pick up only at the two coach parks or at three rendezvous points: Leeman Road (Railway Rendezvous), Fawcett Street (Castle Rendezvous) and Foss Bank (Minster Rendezvous). Coaches may not stop at the bus stops outside York station under any circumstances.
  • Union Terrace coach park (Clarence Street, YO31 7ES) has 35 coach spaces, open for coaches 08:00-23:00, with public toilets; St George's Field coach park (Castle Mills Bridge, YO10 4AB) has 27 coach spaces, is open 24 hours with overnight parking and toilets, but sits in a floodplain and can close when river levels are high. Engines must be switched off in both.
  • Groups with special needs can apply to the City of York Council for a permit at least 7 days before the visit.
  • York Racecourse: coach and minibus drop-off and collection is in Coach Park C off Bishopthorpe Road, south of the Terry's building, approached from the A64 via Bishopthorpe; coaches may not stop on Bishopthorpe Road, Campleshon Road, Knavesmire Road or outside Terry's.
  • Christmas market coach arrangements are usually published on the council's coach page in October each year.

Parking for a day or a night

Union Terrace is the choice for a day visit, with toilets and room for 35 coaches, but it is open to coaches only from 08:00 to 23:00. For an overnight stay, St George's Field is the one to use: it has no closing time. It sits in a floodplain, though, so in a wet week ask the operator where the coach would go if it closed.

Race days, Christmas and the coast

On race days at the Knavesmire, all coach and minibus traffic uses Coach Park C, approached from the A64 through Bishopthorpe. Stopping on the roads around the course is not allowed. The Ebor Festival is held there each August.

The Christmas market runs each year in the weeks before Christmas. The council usually publishes its coach arrangements for it in October, so check before confirming a date. For Castle Howard, about 30 minutes out, coaches approach via Malton to avoid narrow arches. Whitby, across the North York Moors, is about an hour and a half.

Leeds Bradford Airport is about 30 miles, around 50 minutes. It publishes no coach pick-up point, so settle the meeting place with the operator first. Manchester Airport is about 1 h 45 min.

Questions

Can a small minibus drive inside the walls?

The ban applies to any coach, and to minibuses above 16 seats, so a smaller minibus is outside it. Other street restrictions in the centre still apply.

Can the coach pick us up at York station?

Not at the station bus stops, under any circumstances. Meet the coach at the Leeman Road rendezvous point beside the railway museum.

Where do coaches go on race days?

Coach Park C off Bishopthorpe Road, south of the Terry's building. Coaches must not stop on Bishopthorpe Road, Campleshon Road or Knavesmire Road.

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