The quicker way from Leeds is via Scarborough. TransPennine Express runs from Leeds to Scarborough in about 1h 17m, and Arriva’s X93 or X94 bus takes an hour from there to Whitby bus station, for a total of about 2h 38m on a typical weekday run. Staying on rail means TransPennine Express to Middlesbrough, about 1h 23m, and then Northern’s Whitby train, about 1h 33m, which came to around 3h 40m once the wait was included.
The Scarborough route ran every 60 to 120 minutes or so from 05:52 to 20:42 on a weekday, unevenly spaced. The two early trains, at 05:52 and 06:37, were followed by the 08:44, and the departures found after 14:42 were the 16:43, the 19:45 and the 20:42.
The Middlesbrough route ran only five times, at 08:13, 12:13, 16:13, 17:13 and 18:14. Its 17:13 and 18:14 fall between the Scarborough route’s 16:43 and 19:45, so for an early-evening start from Leeds the all-rail way is the one to look at.
At Scarborough, the wait for the bus ranged from about 6 to 21 minutes. At Middlesbrough the wait for the Whitby train was longer, from roughly 25 to 42 minutes, which absorbs a late TransPennine arrival from Leeds but stretches the journey.
The bus leg is the trade-off on the faster route: an hour on the bus, which makes 48 stops on its way to Whitby. If you would rather finish by train, the Middlesbrough route gives you that, at the cost of an extra hour.
Trains from Leeds to Saltburn with a bus onward also appear on the weekday timetable, at about 3h 20m, which puts them between the two main routes for time.
The bus drops you at Whitby bus station, about six minutes’ walk (406 metres) from the swing bridge, while the Middlesbrough train ends at Whitby station, seven minutes and 525 metres from it.
Journey times and changes below come from the rail and bus timetables for Tuesday 1 December 2026. Weekend and holiday timetables differ, so check the day you travel.
From Leeds on the weekday we checked: 08:13, 12:13, 16:13, 17:13 and 18:14.
From Leeds on the weekday we checked: every 60 to 120 minutes or so between 05:52 and 20:42.
By road it is about 95 miles from Leeds to Whitby, mostly via the A1(M) — roughly 1h 57m with clear roads. Car parks in Whitby are listed on the Getting Here page.