Getting around Kingston upon Hull
Hull is a compact, tightly bounded port city at the confluence of the River Hull and the Humber Estuary, and much of what a visitor wants to see — the Old Town, the museum quarter, the marina and the main shopping streets — sits close together in the centre. That compactness shapes how you get around: on foot for the core, buses for the wider city, and trains for day trips and onward travel.
Arriving at the Paragon Interchange
Most visitors will arrive at the Hull Paragon Interchange, which combines the city's railway station and bus station in one complex in the city centre. Its main entrances and exits are on Ferensway, a short walk from the St Stephens covered shopping street to the north and the central core of the city to the east. Because rail and bus services meet here, it is the natural hub for planning journeys in and out of Hull, and there is a taxi rank just outside.
Rail
Hull Paragon Interchange is the city's railway station, and direct Hull Trains services run every couple of hours between Hull and London King's Cross via Doncaster. In practice it is often more convenient to change at Doncaster, where trains run frequently and the journey takes around three hours.
Other useful rail connections from Hull include:
- An hourly direct train to Manchester Piccadilly, where you can change for Manchester Airport, or change at Leeds instead.
- An hourly fast train to Sheffield via Doncaster and the Meadowhall shopping centre; change at Sheffield for services to Birmingham, Bristol and Cardiff.
- An hourly train to York, where you can change for Durham, Newcastle and Edinburgh.
- A train every couple of hours to Scarborough via Beverley, Bridlington and Filey.
There is no metro, tram or light rail network in Hull — the city's public transport is built around buses and the rail station at the Interchange.
Buses
Local bus services in Hull are operated by East Yorkshire Motor Services and Stagecoach. As with most local transport in the UK outside London, ticketing and fares are not integrated across operators, so you pay separately for each bus you ride on. Tickets are bought from the driver when you board.
Buses come and go from a concourse on the north side of the Interchange, where there are small shops selling snacks and some seating at each stop (with more at the west end of the concourse). Route and timetable information is available from the passenger information boards, from the Travel Centre within the station, and from the city council's website.
A practical caution: while buses are quite frequent, the timetables displayed at bus stops around the city may not be accurate because of traffic hold-ups along the route. If you are catching a train from the Interchange, leave yourself enough time.
Park and ride
There is a park and ride service from the outskirts of the city. Priory Park and Ride lies south of Hessle Road off Priory Way; follow the signs on the A15 and A63 (Clive Sullivan Way) if you are driving in. The bus is the number 700, running roughly every 10 to 15 minutes from around 7AM (7:30AM on Saturdays), with no service on Sundays. It drops off at the Kingston Communications Stadium — useful on match days, when parking near the stadium is very limited — as well as at Hull Royal Infirmary and Hull city centre. Season tickets are available.
Coaches
National Express coach services operate in and out of Hull Paragon Interchange, and several of these run through to King George Dock to connect with ferry services to the continent.
By boat
P&O Ferries sail daily to and from Europoort, Rotterdam, in the Netherlands. The crossing is overnight and takes approximately 12 hours. The Hull ferry terminal is east of the city centre along Hedon Road, and the number 70 bus, operated by Stagecoach Hull, runs once daily in each direction between Hull Interchange and the ferry terminal.
Taxis and ride-hailing
Black cabs use the front (Ferensway side) of the Interchange, and there is a taxi rank just outside the station. Private cars dropping off or collecting passengers can enter from Anlably Road; there is no parking charge for this, but there are only a few spaces and waiting time is limited. A large pay-and-stay car park is also located here.
By car
The centre of Hull is compact, and while there are car parks, there is little point in trying to get around the city centre by car, as distances are short and on-road parking can be problematical. Some businesses may have designated parking for clients or visitors. Moving around by car outside the city centre is easier.
For drivers arriving from elsewhere, the city sits at the eastern end of the M62 (which becomes the A63 shortly before Hull) and is easily reached from the rest of the UK motorway network. There is good access from Lincolnshire and the south via the A15 and the Humber Bridge, and from York and the north via the A1079.
By bicycle
Hull is one of the best cities for cycling in the UK, with extensive cycle paths including some off-road routes. National Routes 65 and 66 converge here.
On foot
The city centre is fairly compact and mainly pedestrianised, which makes for a relatively hassle-free walk around town. One caution: take care when crossing from the southern side of the Old Town towards the marina area, as the route is intersected by Castle Street, a wide and very busy dual carriageway.
Disabled access
Hull has two schemes to help disabled people get about the city to shop and do business, and the organisations have reciprocal agreements so membership covers both. This is an excellent way to get around the city without bringing your own equipment into town.
- TravelExtra (supported by Yorkshire Forward), Community Junction, Paragon Station, tel. +44 1482 212832. Hires out electric scooters, wheelchairs and wheeled walkers. A year's membership is £5 and requires filling in a membership form. The first use of an electric scooter, wheelchair or wheeled walker is free, after which there is a small daily charge — for electric scooters this is £2, and they are available between 10AM and 4PM.
- Shopmobility, Level 2, Princes Quay Shopping Centre, tel. +44 1482 225686. Hires scooters and has a reciprocal agreement with TravelExtra.
Getting to Hull from the airport
Hull has no major airport of its own, so visitors generally arrive via one of several regional or national airports.
- Manchester Airport (MAN) is often the most convenient despite being on the far side of the country, because it has global connections and competitive fares. There is an hourly rail service from the airport changing at Leeds for Hull, taking about 2 hours 30 minutes.
- Humberside Airport (HUY) is only 20 miles from Hull via the Humber Bridge, but has only a couple of flights per day, to Aberdeen and Amsterdam, plus holiday charters to the Mediterranean. Stagecoach bus X1 runs hourly between Hull and the airport, taking about 30 minutes.
- Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA) has better European connections than Robin Hood, but lacks a rail or motorway link. Take the airport bus into Leeds for a direct bus or train to Hull.
- Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA) closed in 2022.
Once you reach Hull Paragon Interchange by rail or coach, the city centre, its buses and its taxis are all on the doorstep.