Whitby, a lively sea-side town located on the northeast coast of England just an hour away from the capital of Yorkshire, York. From countless boats, beach, lighthouse, seagulls, harbour, friendly people, music,  fish n’ chips, ice-cream, sunshine, historical architectures and tales and all the good stuffs make Whitby one of my favourite day-trip destinations.

According to my plan we will visit main attractions of Whitby and this should take up the whole day (at least 5-6 hours including lunch). Highlights include Whitby Harbour, Pier & Lighthouses, Fish n’ Chips & Ice Cream, Whitby Beach & Chalets , Whitby 99 Steps and the Whitby Abbey.

1. WHITBY HARBOUR

The first thing that welcomes you is the Whitby Harbour which is at the centre of this sea-side town. I guarantee that it’ll be the first thing you see when you get off from the bus stop or the Whitby railway station.

Me chilling at Whitby harbour 

Keep walking along the harbour towards the lighthouse.  Don’t forget to check out all different kinds of shops, seafood stalls and arcades along the way!

Whitby Harbour facing towards the ocean

2. Whitby PIER AND LIGHTHOUSES

Keep walking towards the end of the pier and the lighthouses. At one point, turn around and you’ll get the panoramic view of the town. The Church of Saint Mary and the Whitby Abbey are on the left side over the hill while the Whitby beach is on your right.

Whitby Town from Whitby Pier

Another view of the town from the pier
At the last lighthouse at the very end of the pier there’s a ladder which leads downstairs to so you can enjoy another perspective of the sea under the main dock.

Me resting at the staircase at the end of Whitby Pier

Also, did I mention that you’ll be greeted by countless photogenic seagulls? Some are more friendly than the others. Some will even try to steal your foods from you especially their beloved ice-cream so be careful!

The seagull which tried to steal my ice cream

Whitby Pier and The Church of Saint Mary & Whitby Abbey (over the hill)

The wind is usually very strong here at the end of the pier so make sure you to not be blown away! (pun intended. ;D!)

3. The Magpie Café (FISH N’ CHIPS)

Near the pier there is a big white building  home to The Magpie Café. The restaurant itself is very well-known to both locals and tourists. The Magpie Café serves one of the best Fish n’ Chips in town.

Whitby Traditional Hoddock & Chips and Fish Cake at The Magpie Café

4. Teare Woods Ice Cream

Only few minutes walk from The Magpie Café located Teare Woods home-made ice cream palour. Their ice cream is very fresh, rich in flavour and yet not too sweet no wonder why it is no.1 best ice-cream shop on TripAdvisor!

The precious handmade Pistachio and Chocolate flavoured ice cream from Teare Woods! 😛

5. WHITBY BEACH

Only few minutes walk from the ice cream shop you can find see the entrance to the beach area.

First close up of Whitby beach

Me playing at Whitby beach

Keep walking along the beach (there is only one way towards the other side of the beach). There are quite a few things to explore along the way and there are also beautiful beach chalets waiting for you on the other side of the beach!

Me admiring this massive rock side along the beach line

Me jumping around these moss rocks

Me walking towards the end of the beach

 The colour beach chalets beautifully arranged in red-yellow-blue-green pattern

Next to these beach chalets there is a small tap to wash sand off your feet so feel free to go barefoot walking here. From here there is a small pathway up the hill beside the first chalet, take up this hill in order to return to the town centre.

Just follow this path and you’ll be back to the town centre in no time. Now we’re heading to the Whitby Abbey on the hill on the other side.

Me arriving back on the other side of the town (from the beach chalets)

6. WHITBY SWING BRIDGE

Once you make it back to the town centre, look for a white bridge to cross over and make your way towards the Whitbey Abbey.

Whitby Swing BridgeYou can wait here for few minutes to see the bridge in action where it splits in half to let big boats pass through which is quite interesting to watch.

7. WHITBY 199 steps & WHITBY ABBEY

Not far from the Swing Bridge you’ll see a path and first step of the famous Whitby 199 Steps which leads up to the hill where Whitby Abbey lies.

In order to reach the Whitby Abbey you can either climb these 199 steps up the hill or take the bus/ car (there is a big parking lot up the hill). Whitby YHA hostel is also located here if you’re interested staying here by any chance.

The Whitby 199 Steps

The Whitby 199 Steps is one of the top tourist’s attractions here as it offers this breathtaking 360° panoramic view of the whole city.

Whitby town from the top of the Whitby 199 Steps

Whitby Pier from the top of the hill

The close-up view of the two Whitby lighthouses

From the top of the hill simply walk for another 2 minutes and you’ll see  the most stunning historical architecture here in Whitby, the Whitby Abbey! 

The Whitby Abbey

Me admiring the Whitby Abbey

Me resting from the sun inside the Abbey

By this time it should be late afternoon/ evening. If you still have time you can return to the town centre (by same way you came up) and stroll along the harbour and visit some shops around there.

And there you have it! This conclude our journey in Whitby!

Thanks for reading and following my blog,  I really appreciate it! Happy adventure everyone! Please do comment below to tell me what you think about the post or ask me anything!

Kasidit Vongvatanapuntu (Kay)