Whitby Day Trip – How To Spend A Day In Whitby

Last Updated on 23rd September 2023

This post about the perfect day trip to Whitby contains affiliate links.

Are you planning to spend a day in Whitby, North Yorkshire but you’re not sure what to include on your itinerary? This ultimate guide to Whitby includes everything you need to know about spending a day in Whitby!

If you’ve been keeping up to date with my latest posts, you’ll know that Matt and I have recently just converted our very own campervan, so with its recent completion, we decided to take it out on its first little adventure, but we didn’t want to go too far as we wanted to see how well it performed.

For our first proper outing in the van, we decided to head to the beautiful Yorkshire seaside town of Whitby. Neither of us had been there in years (the last time I remember going was on my Year 5 residential, which is over thirteen years ago now), so we figured that it would be a great place to take Celeste (our campervan) on her first outing.

Whitby is a stunning seaside town on the Yorkshire Coast, famous for its fish and chips, lemon top ice creams and great surf.

We spent less than 24 hours in Whitby on our recent trip, but we still had a wonderful time and so today’s post is all about the best things to do in Whitby in one day, including how to get there, where to stay and what to eat!

How do you spend a day in Whitby?

Whitby can easily be explored in just one day! On a day trip to Whitby, you can get some delicious fish and chips from Hadleys, see the iconic Whalebone Arch, hike the 199 steps to Whitby Abbey and even take a ride on a pirate ship!

Whitby day trip itinerary map

The map above shows all the best things to do on a Whitby day trip!

Get a copy of this Whitby day trip map here!

How to get to Whitby

Whitby is approximately a 1 hour and 20-minute drive from my hometown of York, a 1 hour and 40-minute drive from Newcastle and a 1 hour and 40-minute drive from Hull.

It’s also just down the road from other Yorkshire seaside towns such as Scarborough (35-minute drive), Robin Hood’s Bay (15-minute drive) and Filey (55-minute drive), so it’s a great place to stop off if you’re travelling around the beautiful Yorkshire Coast.

You can also get to Whitby via train, bus and bicycle (if you’re feeling brave!).

If you don’t want to drive yourself to Whitby, this North Yorkshire Moors and Whitby Tour from York is a brilliant alternative way to spend one day in Whitby.

Where to stay – hotels and Airbnb in Whitby

If you’re visiting with friends or family, I’d recommend getting an Airbnb in Whitby so that you can get a nice apartment with numerous rooms to enjoy for the weekend!

When I visited Whitby on my Year 5 residential, we stayed at YHA Whitby, and even to this day, I remember it being such a great place to stay as a kid. It’s also got a lovely outside area with awesome views of the Abbey.

On our most recent trip, as we were staying in our campervan for the first time, we opted to stay at Folly Gardens Campsite which is only a 5-minute walk from Whitby Abbey and it was just up a hill from the harbour, so it’s a great place to stay in Whitby if you plan on camping. A campervan site with no hook-up for one night was £20.

If you’re looking for somewhere a bit fancier to stay in Whitby, I’ve heard nothing but great things about Raithwaite Sandsend, which is only a 10-minute drive from the centre of Whitby.

Best things to do on a Whitby day trip

As Whitby is a relatively small seaside town, there isn’t an absolute tonne of stuff to do there and you could probably very easily see and do everything in just one weekend.

However, whether you’re spending just one day in Whitby, or one week, check out some of the best things to do on a day trip to Whitby to fill your time!

Best tours for a day trip to Whitby

Check out some of the best tours and day trips to Whitby below!

• North York Moors and Whitby Tour from York
• From York: Moors, Whitby, and the Yorkshire Steam Railway
• From York: Day Trip to Whitby and The North York Moors

1. See the magnificent Whitby Abbey

Pictured above (which is also incidentally one of my new favourite pictures of mine!), the original Whitby Abbey dates all the way back to the 7th century, once a Christian monastery that later became a Benedictine abbey.

Perched on top of a hill overlooking the town to one side and the vast open sea to the other, Whitby Abbey itself isn’t the only attraction on top of the hill, the views that it offers also boast an immense significance and they make for one of the best things to see and do in Whitby.

You can reach the Abbey by walking up the infamous 199 steps (more on them below), or you can save yourself the struggle and drive and park in the Whitby Abbey car park!

2. Walk along the harbour – day trip to Whitby

A walk along the harbour is a must-do while in Whitby; positively teeming with boats of all kinds of shapes and sizes, the harbour makes for a beautiful place for a stroll and it’s always fun pointing out which boat you’d choose if you were a millionaire (at least in our case!) 😂.

3. Walk the famous 199 steps

While the town’s infamous 199 steps that lead up to the Abbey might seem like a cruel prank from people back in the day who thought it would be funny to get people to trek all the way up just to visit the Abbey and enjoy the views, the 199 steps actually have a more in-depth history than that.

It’s thought that the steps were used as a test of the Christian faith, and those who were willing to ascend them to reach the Church of St Mary were the true, faithful believers.

Records show that they’ve been there since 1340, but it’s thought that they date back even further and the once-wooden steps were eventually replaced with stone in 1774.

There are also several benches dotted along the steps as you walk up (or down, depending on which way you’re going), but the original intention for these benches wasn’t for people who wanted to sit and enjoy the view, they were actually intended as a respectful place for pall-bearers to rest the coffin while they paused for a break while carrying the coffin all the way up to the graveyard!

4. See the Whalebone Arch

Whitby’s Whalebone Arch is one of the things that I remember the most about my Year 5 residential trip to the town all those years ago as I remember everyone queueing up and waiting to get a picture stood in front of it.

The one that stands there today isn’t the original one (that one dated all the way back to 1853) but it was in fact donated to the town by Alaska in 2003 as the original bones were so weathered that they were at risk of crumbling. If you stand in just the right position, you can snap a picture of the mighty Abbey through the arches; you’ll have to be quick though, as there are always tourists waiting for a pic!

5. Take a boat ride on a pirate ship – day trip to Whitby itinerary

Also known as the Captain Cook Experience, a ride on the famous HM Bark Endeavour ship is a must-do while in Whitby, especially if you’re visiting with kids!

The ship is a like-for-like replica of Captain Cook’s HMS Endeavour and the 25-minute boat trip around Whitby Harbour and along the coast to Sandsend will have you feeling like a true pirate!

6. Eat a famous lemon top ice cream

No trip to the seaside is complete without ice cream and while in Whitby, it’s imperative that you try the beloved lemon top.

Sweet and refreshing, there’s literally nothing better than ice cream from Trillo’s or Sprinkles and a stroll along the beach!

7. Visit the Captain Cook Memorial Museum

Museums aren’t really my thing, so we didn’t actually pay a visit to the Captain Cook Museum on our most recent trip to Whitby but I’ve heard that it’s a great place to visit in town if you’re a big fan of local history.

You’ll get to see where Captain Cook served his seaman apprenticeship, as well as learn more about his life in Whitby and some of his most famous adventures and voyages.

8. Eat your body weight in fish and chips

I truly believe that it’s impossible to visit the British seaside without eating fish and chips at least once and as we’d already planned to cook in our campervan for the first time on the night we arrived in Whitby, we opted to have fish and chips for breakfast instead. Yes, you read that right, breakfast!

We went to Hadley’s Fish and Chips and Matt had the regular haddock with chips and curry sauce and I just opted for a battered sausage as I didn’t want a huge portion for my breakfast! The whole meal was absolutely scrumptious, but it wasn’t “proper” curry sauce which let it down somewhat, but if you’re not prone to having curry sauce with your fish and chips anyway (sacrilege!), then I’d still highly recommend Hadley’s.

9. Enjoy the views out to sea from Whitby Lighthouse

Anywhere that you can enjoy the views out to sea is always a winner to me as I find the sea so calming and peaceful, especially on a beautiful day like we were lucky to have.

One great place to enjoy the sea views is from Whitby Lighthouse and while the lighthouse itself isn’t particularly spectacular, it is a great place to sit and listen to the waves crashing against the side of the rocks.

10. Rent a beach hut on a day trip to Whitby

Beach huts are a wildly popular thing in the UK and while I’ve never actually hired one for the day (I don’t enjoy sitting still too much when I’m exploring!), they are a great option if you’re visiting the seaside with kids in tow as they offer respite from the intense summer sun and wind.

Whitby’s West Beach Huts can be hired on a daily or weekly basis at £15.50 a day during the off-peak season (£42 per week) and £32 per day during peak season (£119 per week). It’s the perfect thing to do in Whitby for one day as it gives you a place to base yourself while you enjoy the seaside’s many wonderful activities.

11. Visit the Whitby Museum

If you happen to time your visit to the seaside on a rainy day, then why not pay a visit to the Whitby Museum? Here you’ll find an independent Victorian museum that houses fascinating local artefacts, fossils and treasures, as well as mementoes of the town’s infamous whaling history, plus artefacts relating to the enigmatic history of Captain Cook.

It’s only £6 for adults and children in full-time education under the age of 18 can enjoy the museum for free, so it’s also a pretty affordable day out as well!

12. Have a paddle in the sea!

Unfortunately, we’re not famed for our warm-sea beaches here in the UK, but if you dare to brave a paddle in the sea on a hot summer’s day, you probably won’t be the only one who’s decided to take the plunge!

Whitby’s beaches are truly beautiful and they’re also popular with surfers from all over the country as well, and there’s even the Whitby Surf School if you want to take lessons while you’re there.

Bonus things to do on a day trip to Whitby

One of the (pretty random) things we did in Whitby while we were there on our recent campervan trip was head to the local football stadium and watch a pre-season match between York City and Whitby Town.

As we’re from York, we both naturally supported the away team and even though it’s a pretty small and non-descript stadium, it was still fun to watch a match! Tickets were also only £6 each so it actually seemed like quite the bargain!

• Watch a football match
• Take a stroll through Pannett Park
• Visit the Church of St Mary
• Explore the town on an open-top bus
• Enjoy a pint at the micro-brewery

Whitby day trip – conclusion

If you were wondering how to spend a day in Whitby, I hope this Whitby day trip itinerary has given you plenty of inspiration! Whitby is such a gorgeous seaside town in North Yorkshire and it’s 100% worth visiting on a day trip!

Related posts:

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• 18+ Best Things To Do In Scarborough, North Yorkshire
• What To Do In Ripon – Ripon Cathedral, Fountains Abbey & More!
• 14+ Best Things To Do In Knaresborough – Viaduct, Castle, Boats & More!
• Top 9 Things To Do In Harrogate, North Yorkshire

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Have you ever been to Whitby? What’s your favourite seaside place in the UK? Let me know in the comments or on Instagram at @imjustagirl_16.