If you are visiting the beautiful historical city of York and don’t want to lose an hour looking for a car parking space, then we highly recommend you use the York park and ride.
Here we have information of the park and ride at York, the different options available, park and ride cost, park and ride drop off points and so much more.
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York Park And Ride
I remember first going on the York Park And Ride with my mum when I was in my teens. It would have been way back in the 90’s and clearly, I am showing my age!
She would bring me into York for my birthday and we would do shopping + Betty’s Tearooms and the park and ride made it so much easier.
Now fast forward all these years later, and Me & Dom love the park and ride to do a bit of shopping or York sightseeing and then hop back on the bus at the end of a busy day.
There are of course many park and ride services on the outskirts of York and we can help you choose one and make sure your day out in York goes smoothly.
What Is A Park & Ride?
A park and ride is a service offered mainly in cities, though sometimes in busy towns, that allow you to park your car on the outskirts of an area, then use the bus into the main location.
You then get the bus back to the car park and it means you don’t spend a couple of hours, lost in a big city centre, trying to figure out where to park your car.
You simply park and then you ride!
Is There A Park And Ride In York?
Yes, there is not just one but seven popular park and ride options on the outskirts of the city centre.
The park and ride near York that we use the most is what they call grimston bar park and ride York.
If you put park and ride York into your Google maps or your sat nav, you are likely to find lots of results. That is because there is not just one park and ride for York and given its size it needs several.
We have been on different days of the week and still found it to be quite busy, so imagine if they only had one park and ride option.
Grimston Park And Ride York
The first thing you will notice from the Sat Nav is that Grimston Park & Ride doesn’t say Grimston and is simply known as park and ride York. Though its 1 hull road if you are confused over which is which. Or scroll right in on your Google Map and it then names it as Grimston bar.
When you arrive at the Grimston Park & Ride you can park up and then make your way straight to the bus stop and wait for the next bus or head to the toilets.
The York Park and Ride cost in my opinion, is very reasonable for the great service you are getting. For us, it takes a lot of the stress out too and once you have done park and ride (for any city) there is no going back.
The price we paid for our park and ride was £7.20 for a day return for Me & Dom and the kids went free.
York Park & Ride times suit us too. They run from 5am in the morning until 9.15pm at night and then on a Sunday it starts later at 9.30am through to 5.50pm. Giving you plenty of time to have a nice day out in York.
Also, depending on where you want to be, there are six main stops on the park and ride service. We were visiting Hole In Wand which is across the road from the Jovik Centre making Piccadilly the perfect stop for us.
Then when you are done for the day, you can go to any of the main stops on the route and then hop back on and head back to your car.
Askham Bar York Park & Ride
During day 1 of our 3 day use of the York Pass we used the York Askham Bar park and ride. Its weird when you have used the same one all the time and try another, but we quite liked the Askham bar service.
What is brilliant about it is that it does offer a race course option when the races are on. Plus, it stops at Tower Street which is ideal for Clifford Tower and for York Castle Museum.
Just like the other park and rides there is a ticket system and it’s the same price and has nice clean toilets.
Rawcliffe York Park & Ride
This is the 3rd park and ride we have tried for York. Though it is also the most disappointing too. Its right on the outskirts so coming from East Yorkshire it’s a longer drive, but ideal if you are coming from Manchester, Leeds, or Harrogate.
The toilets were not very nice with writing on the doors and a lot of water on the floor.
Then the park and ride locations were a lot more limited at Rawcliffe compared to the other two. With the only main city centre one being tower street, though they do have a good drop off for the national railway museum.
Best Park & Ride York
So, we have been on the Grimston park and ride a lot, and tested out the Rawcliffe park and ride and Askham park and ride to see how they differ.
Well, firstly the price is the same and the park and ride opening times are very similar, so it comes down to the routes on offer.
Grimston park and ride is the best for going to the shops. It is also located across from the Jorvik museum and Hole In The Wand and is our preferred option and also the quickest to get to from where we are travelling from.
The best park and ride to get to York railway museum is Rawcliffe as it drops you off outside vs Askham Bar which takes you to the train station and is not quite as close.
If you are heading to DIG I would recommend using Askham Bar park and ride. Though its still an easy walk from the city centre if you are doing multiple things in York.
Park And Ride In York Visitor Information
- Can you just park at the park and ride York? No, you need to be a paying customer on the park and ride service. Its not somewhere you can just park, leave your car and go without paying.
- Can you park overnight at York park and ride? No, you can’t. We noticed signs that you would be fined if you stayed overnight. Also, if you need your car after they have closed for the night you will also be fined.
- Is park and ride free in York? No the park and ride in York is a paid service. Though we find that for what you get, it’s a very reasonable price for you to park hassle free for your York day out.
- How much is York park and ride? The park and ride York cost is £3.60 for a day return by adult. This includes keeping your car at the park and ride facility for the day and your bus to and from your preferred stop.
- How do I pay my park and ride in York? We found a guy with a machine taking the payments for the park and ride whilst we were waiting at the bus stop for the bus to arrive. He was very friendly and had a laugh and a joke with Jorge.
- What time does York park and ride close? The last park and ride for York is 5.50pm giving you chance to have a fantastic jam packed day out in York.
Pin Park & Ride York For Later!
Well, that’s a wrap, do you have any questions then do ask below and if you want to refer back, to this later for planning your day trip to York then don’t forget to pin it to your travel board or days out board on Pinterest.
