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Whitby is famous as the place where Bram Stoker's Dracula came ashore all those years ago and there are plenty of museums dedicated to the neck-biting vampire, but Whitby has so much more to offer.

It is a busy fishing and tourist town on the coast of Yorkshire and if you are a fan of Heartbeat, as I am, you will probably recognise a lot of the places in Whitby as they quite often film part of the programme here.

The town itself is a former whaling port built at the mouth of the river Esk and rises steeply from the river on both banks. On one side are the majority of the guesthouses and hotels together with the main shops, banks, post office etc.

As most of the guesthouses are set high up on the cliffs you can sometimes get a room at the top of the house with a view right over the river across to the Abbey ruins.

The shopping here is quite good considering that it is only a small town. The main stores are well represented and there is a wealth of lovely gift shops. One of the gifts traditionally sold here is items of jewellery made from the famous Whitby jet.

The Cook Museum recalls the life and times of Captain Cook, the explorer who lived here from 1746 to 1749. The Dracula Experience is also here on the harbourside. I must confess I have not yet visited either of these attractions, but hope to do so next time I am in Whitby.

There is a walk along the side of the river with cafes and restaurants selling some of the fish that are landed there each day. There are a few slot machine arcades, but nothing too tacky. The end of this walkway opens out onto the jetty, which curves out to sea to protect the harbour from the elements. On the top of the cliffs there is the famous Whitby landmark of two whalebones made into an arch.

A swing bridge provides the link to the other side of the river and which is where the pretty gift shops are set in narrow streets. If you're lucky
a large boat will be passing and you will see the swing bridge open which is quite an impressive sight and it does happen regularly.

There are more cafes and guesthouses over here but the main attraction is the ruins of Whitby Abbey high up on the cliffs reached by climbing 199 steps. The Abbey, already in ruins, was heavily bombed during the war. It is a lovely place for a good walk round. The views of the ruins and out across the sea are wonderful from up here and you certainly get a breath of fresh air!!

The church of St Mary is next to the Abbey and houses an 18th century wooden interior carved by shipbuilders. Go in and have a look at the pews - they are 'family pews' with little doors from the aisle so only the correct people were allowed in. I have never seen these anywhere else before or since. Mind you I think it gives the church an unfriendly feel, which is very sad.

In the summer there is an open top bus tour of Whitby which gives a magnificent view of the town from the bridge over the River Esk which is slightly further inland. One of the stops on the tour is next to the Abbey ruins to save you having to climb the aforementioned steps. The guide on the bus gives an interesting insight into the old town of Whitby with stories of smuggling and tales of the high seas.

There are boat trips round the adjacent coastline during the summer, one of which is taken in the old Whitby lifeboat. The current lifeboat is moored proudly in the harbour.

A lovely walk if the weather is kind and the tide is out, is along the sands heading north to Sandsend. There is a cafe there for a cup of tea and a rest, before you walk back, or, if you are idle like me there is a regular bus service back to Whitby!

You can also walk in
the other direction over the cliffs to Saltwick Bay and on to Robin Hood's Bay if you are feeling REALLY energetic!

Whitby is a mediumsized coastal town off the north yorkshire coast. It is a lovley town and it has many sights to see such as the 199 stairs leading to whitby abby where suposdley dracular is burried at whitby abby which is a myth and that makes whitby popular for horro stories about his coffin getting wash up on whitby beach but all there stories are myths.
You can also see the whale bones and walk to the light house on the peir.
Whitby is well known for its fish and chips and people say you carnt get any better fish and chips than whitby. There are alot of amusements and gift shops where you can get all your suvineers from. It has a harbor which smells of fish and for those who dont like the smell of fish i wouldnt walk along the harbor
There is a revolving bride which kids love to watch to let the boats go past.
There are many antique shops and clothes shops so you arnt spoilt for choice when you want to go shopping.
There is also a horro house which is really good and it is based around the dracular story and it can be very scary and there is a age limit to enter.
Whitby gets very busy in the summer as there is summer holidays and alot of familys visit

Whitby is a mediumsized coastal town off the north yorkshire coast. It is a lovley town and it has many sights to see such as the 199 stairs leading to whitby abby where suposdley dracular is burried at whitby abby which is a myth and that makes whitby popular for horro stories about his coffin getting wash up on whitby beach but all there stories are myths.
You can also see the whale bones and walk to the light house on the peir.
Whitby is well known for its fish and chips and people say you carnt get any better fish and chips than whitby. There are alot of amusements and gift shops where you can get all your suvineers from. It has a harbor which smells of fish and for those who dont like the smell of fish i wouldnt walk along the harbor
There is a revolving bride which kids love to watch to let the boats go past.
There are many antique shops and clothes shops so you arnt spoilt for choice when you want to go shopping.
There is also a horro house which is really good and it is based around the dracular story and it can be very scary and there is a age limit to enter.
Whitby gets very busy in the summer as there is summer holidays and alot of familys visit.

There are hundreds of small arts and craft shops, gift shops and places to eat. Being rich in history, the historical buildings of Whitby are the main attractions with Whitby Abbey, St Mary''''''''s Church, the steep 199 steps down to the town being unmissable sights to see although i havent actually been to the top i always gave up half way through. The fish and chip are awesome with the freshest fish straight from the harbour, a visit would not be complete without them.

whitby is a brilliant place to visit, apart from the great food Whitby has lovely beaches which are really clean, amusement arcades and loads of quaint little shops. During the summer months it gets really busy so parking can be a bit of a problem, we usually park just ouside the town centre near the supermarket which offers all day parking at a reasonable price.The Abbey is brilliant there are loads of steps up to the abbey but it''''s worth it for the view you get, and when you get to the top it is great to have a nice rest with a lovely view.

One of the quaintest English seaside towns I have ever been to - it is certainly unique. Whitby is on the east coast and has a really long stretch of very clean sandy beach (when the tide is out), but this isnt'' the best bit. Cross the River to the other side of town and there are loads of narrow cobbled streets with some really original shops on either side. The cobbled streets, evantually lead to Whitby Abbey. In order to reach the Abbey it is necessary to climb 199 steps (not recommended for pushchairs!). Well worth the climb though as you can see for miles. Some of the best fish and chip shops on the north coast and some old fashioned sweet shops were they sell sweets you had forgotten existed. There all your usual seaside amusements, candy floss and ice creams but somehow they ydon''t seem as bad at Whitby. Well worth a visit.

Whitby is a charming coastal town full of history on the North Yorkshire coast. With loads to do and see this town is a joy to visit. There are hundreds of small arts and craft shops, gift shops and places to eat. Being full of history, the historical buildings of Whitby are the main attractions with Whitby Abbey, St Mary''''s Church, the steep 199 steps down to the town being unmissable sights to see.

The fish and chip are awesome with the freshest fish straight from the harbour, a visit would not be complete without them. The thing I find so great about this place is that in the bright sunshine of a summers day Whitby is a lovely place to walk around and relax at the coast but it is also equally nice in miserably weather due to the number of little shops to visit. Having gone in October the weather was a little on the cold and windy side however this did not ruin our experience at all. The harbour was full of boats, one of which I took a picture of as it is what my sister''s friends call her.

I went to whitby for the first time this summer and wow, was it a fitness work out lol, we had to walk down some big steep steps to get down to the hill, and then to the kinda like bandstand. we went to the toilets, which were real old and smelly and my window had a hole as though someone had shot a pellet or something through it which left me real nervous, then we went along the front and played in some arcades, and got some fish and chips and watched out over to sea. almost attacked by the tons of birds there, and after eating our fish and chips (which were actually a tad expensive) we managed to keep on walking and play in more arcades, when we reached the end we got some gorgeous ice cream. it was so yummy, i would love to go again, but have to admit its not my favourite seaside place

Whitby is really good, We go atleast 2 or 3 times a year. Its one of those sdeaside town that you dont get sick of visitin
There is lots to do, Lots of little arty and crafty shops aswell as the beach, The beach attracts lots of tourists especially in the summer. In may they have the whitby rigatta which is brilliant, lots of rides and thinsg to do as a family as well as the red arrow shows and lots of other shows. The fish and chips are lovely ( lots of these shops) The fish is fresh from the harbour. There is lots of arcades and rock shops aswell as fresh seafood shops and stalls with typical beachy equipment and toys. They offer lots of different boatrides out to see which is really cheap and a lovely experiance. There is plenty of parking and toilet facilities. Overall its a lovely place to go for a day out

There are hundreds of small arts and craft shops, gift shops and places to eat. Being rich in history, the historical buildings of Whitby are the main attractions with Whitby Abbey, St Mary''''s Church, the steep 199 steps down to the town being unmissable sights to see although i havent actually been to the top i always gave up half way through. The fish and chip are awesome with the freshest fish straight from the harbour, a visit would not be complete without them. The thing I find so great about this place is that in the bright sunshine of a summers day Whitby is a lovely place to walk around and relax at the coast but it is also equally nice in miserably weather due to the number of little shops to visit. A quintessentially British seaside town that I have been to several times and I will no doubt visit time and time again. my children also love going to whitby as it is a real treat for them.