3
Posts
2–5 days
Ideal stay
2016
Visiting since
An hour and a half from home, and still the best day out on the Yorkshire coast. An abbey on the cliff, 199 steps, the best fish and chips in the country, and a beach that empties when the town is full.
Why go
Gothic ruins above a working harbour, and fossils on the beach below
Whitby is one of the most beautiful and interesting coastal towns in North Yorkshire — dramatic cliffs, a busy working harbour, narrow cobbled streets, and the Gothic ruins of Whitby Abbey standing over the whole town. You can fill a day with the Captain Cook Memorial Museum, the Dracula Experience, counting steps up or down, a candy shop, the arcades and the mini golf, fish and chips eaten while fending off the seagulls, Whitby jet jewellery and the little galleries, a boat trip out of the harbour or crabbing off the wall — and still have the beach and the clifftop walks left over.
We have been coming at least twice a year since 2016, in every season and all sorts of weather. Beach days, when our daughter and nephews swam in the sea; the walk along the sand to Sandsend and back; town days with a craft beer and fish and chips; mini golf, arcades and crabbing off the pier with the children; a boat trip out of the harbour to the open sea. Sometimes just the two of us, sometimes the whole extended family.
- Seafood. Whitby is one of the best places in the UK for fresh seafood, and especially for its famous fish and chips by the harbour.
- Coastal paths. The Cleveland Way runs along the cliffs. Walk out to Sandsend or Robin Hood’s Bay for the scenery.
- Beach and fossils. Sandy beaches, good for fossil hunting — ammonites — and long walks under dramatic cliffs.
- History and literary links. Whitby Abbey inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula, which gives the town a unique place in literary history.
- Steam trains. The North Yorkshire Moors Railway runs steam and vintage diesel across the national park, with charming station stops along the way, and some services run all the way into Whitby.
The Streets — Olesia
Walks, steps and the harbour
Whitby in the Rain: What to Do When the Sky Won’t Play Along
Our indoor plan — Captain Cook’s house, the museum, a taproom in an old chapel, a sit-down fish supper and the pubs worth the dash.
Where to park, the 199 steps and the fish and chips trick
The Taps — Ian
Pubs, taprooms and breweries
Whitby Craft Beer: Seven Bars and What Each One Is Actually For
What was on the taps, what it cost, and which ones are there for the beer and which for the room.
Whitby through our lens
Plan your visit
The practical bits
Getting there
By car is the most convenient option and it is how we always go. By train you have to leave the main line for a Northern service to Whitby, changing at Middlesbrough for the Esk Valley line — from Newcastle or York you still change there, and it takes a while. By bus there are too many changes and it takes far too long.
When to go
Whenever suits you — Whitby has something in every season, whether you have a day, a weekend or a full week. Spring is warm enough to spend a whole day exploring the town. Summer is the one for the beach, and by a long way the busiest. Autumn gives you a quieter town and better colour, though it can be windy. Winter is dark and empty, which rather suits the vampire side of the place; the views over the town are at their most dramatic, and the moors railway runs its Santa trains.
Where we’d stay
Most of the time we drive over for the day and do not stay at all. We have stayed once, in a cottage near the 199 steps with extended family, and once closer to the North Cliff. The town is small enough to walk everywhere and there are plenty of cottages to choose from, but it is not a cheap place to sleep — if you are coming by car, somewhere a little further out is often better value.
Parking
There are several town centre car parks but none of them are big, and on a weekend they are full by 10am. Prices are much the same across them — around £3.20 an hour or £13.10 for 24 hours when we last looked. The largest is the Abbey Headland car park with 415 spaces, but from there it is 199 steps down into the town and 199 back up again. Visit Whitby keeps a full list of car parks and prices. If you are staying a few nights, try to find somewhere with its own parking space.
Before you go
Quick answers
How many days do you need in Whitby?
One day covers the Abbey, the old town, fish and chips and the beach — it is how we usually do it. Stay 2 to 5 days if you want the walk along the sand to Sandsend and the steam railway too.
Is Whitby walkable?
Yes. Park once in the morning and walk all day. The 199 steps link the Abbey and the old town; if steps are hard for you, Church Lane is the road route.
Where is the cheapest parking for a day in Whitby?
When we went in August 2026, the campsite field opposite the Abbey charged £5 for the whole day, cash. Town car parks were around £3.20 an hour and full by 10am at weekends.
Is the Whitby cliff lift open?
No. The West Cliff lift has been closed since April 2022 because of corrosion, and in October 2026 its future was still being decided. There is a walk down the Khyber Pass to the beach instead.
Where is the best fish and chips in Whitby?
Check who won most recently: in 2026 it was Trenchers and The Fisherman’s Wife. When the Magpie queue is out of the door, we go to Abbey Wharf for beef dripping and a balcony over the harbour.
When is the best time for the beach?
The East Pier side after dinner: the town is still full, but the sand by the East Pier is quiet — shoes off, it is our favourite hour of the day. The West beach in the morning — it is the long one, so there is space at any time.
What is there to do in Whitby when it rains?
Museums or the shops in the morning, a sit-down fish supper at Abbey Wharf, then the pubs. The town is about fifteen minutes of walking end to end, so you are never more than three minutes of weather from the next door. Our full wet-day plan.
Is Whitby worth visiting in the rain?
Yes, and it costs less. The shops are quieter, you can get a table without waiting, and the town empties after dark — which is the best twenty minutes of a wet day there.
Where can you eat indoors in Whitby?
Abbey Wharf on Market Place — over 250 covers, a balcony over the harbour, and fish fried in beef dripping. The Magpie queue stands outside, so it is a poor choice in rain.
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