Yorkshire is a large and diverse county in northern England. Known for its moors, dales, coastline and lively cities, there’s something for everyone in this friendly county.

Here are my favourite things to do in Yorkshire.

Yorkshire Dales

With rolling hills, quaint villages, waterfalls and excellent pubs, the Yorkshire Dales offers you the opportunity to relax in the beautiful countryside.

Don’t miss the town of Hawes which has a waterfall running right through it, and the Wensleydale Creamery for cheese tasting.

Click here to find out what else is yummy in the Wensleydale Creamery!

Reeth is a lovely village in Swaledale with access to some excellent countryside walking and would make a great base to explore the area.

If you’d prefer to stay in Wensleydale, Askrigg is a very charming village with a handful of pubs and was the filming location of All Creatures Great and Small.

Read my full guide to Wensleydale and the Yorkshire Dales here.

North York Moors

The North York Moors National Park is an area of natural beauty featuring heather moorland, coastline and attractive villages,

Visit the pretty village of Goathland, filming location of Heartbeat. Stay in the upmarket Mallyan Spout hotel in Goathland if you don’t have kids.

Goathland has a heritage train station from which the North Yorkshire Moors Railway runs steam trains all the way to Whitby and back.

Read about our trip on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway here.

The village of Goathland has sheep wandering through it and direct access to walks on the moors.

To find out more about the North York Moors read my full guide here.

Yorkshire Coast

Whitby and Robin Hood’s Bay should be high on your list of places to visit in Yorkshire.

Robin Hood’s Bay is a picturesque coastal village known for its dramatic setting.

Whitby is a fishing village with cobbled streets known for its maritime Captain Cook associations and its fish and chips.

Whitby’s most famous landmark is the iconic Whitby Abbey, a Gothic ruin which inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

York

York is one of the best cities to visit in England.

This compact city is packed with so much history that the whole city centre feels like a living museum.

York also claims to be one of the most haunted cities in Europe. Click here to find out how you can take your own York ghost home.

World-class attractions like the Shambles, Jorvik and York Minster secure York’s position as a top choice for a weekend city-break.

Read my full guide to York here.

How Much Time Do I Need In Yorkshire?

Each destination is worth a few days, or combine them all for a longer trip. The distances between the attractions of Yorkshire are fairly small, so you can easily cover a lot of sights in a short time. To explore the moors, dales and coast allow yourself a week and split your time between a few destinations.

Getting To Yorkshire

Well-connected by trains to all the major Yorkshire cities including York, Leeds and Sheffield, Yorkshire is very easy to get to. For discounted train tickets click here.

To explore the rural areas you’ll need a car. Yorkshire is a 4-5 hour drive from London.

Further Afield

To extend your stay in the North of England, pop over to nearby Northumberland where you’ll find extraordinary history with more castles than any other county. To find out what else there is to do in Northumberland read my full guide here.

Or why not head west and you’ll get to the Lake District. This beautiful area has some of the best scenery in England. Read my full guide to the Lake District here.

We recently visited Yorkshire on a month-long road trip around England. Read the full trip reports here.