White Horse & Griffin

Top choice in Whitby


This splendid old coaching inn is as old as Captain Cook, and indeed the man himself used it as a meeting place to fix his crews in the 17th century. Squeeze into the narrow bar and the restaurant behind it is barely noticeable, but what a find: expect elegantly presented, top-quality British cooking that celebrates both local seafood and Yorkshire meat.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Whitby attractions

1. Captain Cook Memorial Museum

0.06 MILES

This fascinating museum occupies the house of the ship owner with whom Cook began his seafaring career. Highlights include the attic where Cook lodged as…

2. Museum of Whitby Jet

0.07 MILES

Housed inside a 1901 chapel, this small museum has created a temple to Whitby jet – one of the town’s most prized exports, a gothic icon, and a favourite…

3. Whitby Jet Heritage Centre

0.1 MILES

A museum housing the remains of Whitby's last Victorian jet workshop lies at the bottom of the 199 steps, with original tools rescued from a derelict…

4. St Mary's Church

0.12 MILES

The 199 steps of Church Stairs lead steeply up from the end of Church St, passing the spooky graveyard of St Mary's Church, a favourite haunt of Goth…

5. Endeavour Experience Whitby

0.17 MILES

In 2018, a full-size replica of Captain Cook’s HM Bark Endeavour became a permanent fixture in Whitby harbour and opened to the public as a visitor…

6. Whitby Abbey

0.19 MILES

There are ruined abbeys, and there are picturesque ruined abbeys. And then there's Whitby Abbey, dominating the skyline above the East Cliff like a great…

7. Bram Stoker Memorial Seat

0.19 MILES

The Bram Stoker memorial seat is on Khyber Pass; look for the bench furthest from the Whale Bone Arches, which is more battered than the rest. From here,…

8. Whitby Sands

0.4 MILES

Whitby Sands, stretching west from the harbour mouth, offers donkey rides, ice-cream vendors and bucket-and-spade escapades, though the sand is mostly…