A lovely and lively town. Cheap accommodation at the YHA hostel near the abbey's ruins. Beautiful beaches.
The main routes into Whitby are all very scenic, but can be treacherous (or closed!) in bad weather, as they pass over high moorland and are susceptible to snow. Becasue of the nature of the relief around Whitby, there are many one in three gradients in and out of the town, and drivers should remain vigilant.
From Scarborough and the East Riding, you'll approach on the A171 coast road from the south-east.
From Teesside and the North East, you have a choice between the main A171, or the slower coastal A174.
From York and most other areas, take the A64 to Malton then the A169 through Pickering and over the Moors. This is undoubtedly the prettiest route and is a really good road to drive on - just a couple of sharp bends to beware of, and then a dizzying plummet down a 25% (1 in 4) hill into the village of Sleights.
Like all tourist destinations, the roads into Whitby can be very busy during the summer season, and parking - while plentiful (main car parks by the marina and on West Cliff) can be difficult to find. Unless you arrive early, you may find it best to park well out of the town centre and walk; it isn't far!
Just one railway mainline into Whitby remains, compared with four in its heyday. Northern Rail [http://www.northernrail.org] run four trains daily from Middlesbrough, taking a leisurely hour and a half for the journey along the pretty Esk Valley [http://www.eskvalleyrailway.co.uk]. North York Moors railway operate picturesque services to and from Whitby and the North York Moors, serving Grosmont, Goathland, Newtondale, Levisham, and Pickering.
If you're coming from York or anywhere further south, it may be quicker to either use the Coastliner bus (see below) from York - through tickets are available from any station in the country, ask for "Whitby Bus Station". Or to get the train from York to Scarborough and use the hourly bus from the front of the station to Whitby.
Despite its isolated location, Whitby is well connected by interurban buses. Arriva [http://www.arrivabus.co.uk] run services along the coast, with the X56 running every hour to Middlesbrough and Scarborough, and the 93 running every hour to Scarborough during the summer season, and less frequently to Middlesbrough throughout the year, as well as several local bus services. Coastliner [http://www.coastliner.co.uk] run their renowned luxury spec buses four times a day from Leeds and York on the 840. Through tickets from any railway station are available on the Coastliner service from York, ask for "Whitby Bus Station" when buying your ticket. Additional services run on many routes during the summer. The bus station is located West of the River Esk in the Town Centre, next to the train station.
There is one National Express [http://www.nationalexpress.co.uk] coach daily from London and York.
Whitby is a very compact town, and despite the hilly terrain is easy and rewarding to walk around.
Because of the lack of convenient parking in many areas, driving is not recommended, especially in the summer season.
There is an extensive network of local bus services across the town and to nearby villages.
Dracula experience - walk through a tunnel modified like Dracula's Castle. 'look out for vampires'
199 steps - if you have the energy climb the 199 steps from town up to St Marys church and the Abbey. The view is good.