We decided it would be much more cost effective to take the bus from York to Chester for £27.60 (two people) , as opposed to take the train which was well over three times the price. We booked our tickets online with national express (bus) and received an email confirmation (that wasn’t even required to board the bus, they had a list with our booking on it).

The bus left the stop just opposite the York train station (#RJ) at 11:45 and took us to Leeds, about 45 minutes away. From here we jumped on a bus to Chester that would arrive a little after 16:00.

The bus was comfortable and timely, and we would recommend this option.

From the Chester bus station it was a short 15 minute walk to the hostel we had booked.

So, the hostel we booked……

I will not name drop the hostel, because I don’t believe that it is constructive to do so. We have never felt so unsafe at an accommodation before. I will summarize our experience briefly: the cops were called, there were certainly drug deals happening in the hostel, our room was given to someone else, and we spent the night terrified that the “someone else” would enter our room and reclaim his possessions and our bed.

Our advice to others: regardless of the deposit you will lose, if you feel unsafe…. DO NOT FEEL PRESSURED TO STAY ANYWHERE.

Needless to say, our time in Chester was spent NOT in our hostel. The city of Chester was incredible, and even with this experience we absolutely loved our time in this city.