Hull

Travel Guide Europe United Kingdom England Yorkshire and the Humber East Riding of Yorkshire Hull

Introduction

Business School of Hull

Hull (officially Kingston upon Hull) is a port city in East Riding of Yorkshire, Yorkshire and the Humber, England with around 260,000 inhabitants.

The town of Hull was founded late in the 12th century. The monks of Meaux Abbey needed a port where the wool from their estates could be exported. They chose a place at the junction of the rivers Hull and Humber to build a quay.

The exact year Hull was founded is not known but it was first mentioned in 1193. It was called Wyke on Hull. Renamed Kings-town upon Hull by King Edward I in 1299, the town and city of Hull has served as market town, military supply port, a trading hub, fishing and whaling centre, and industrial metropolis. Hull is also well known from World War II and was one of the most bombed cities outside of London due to the activity at the port.

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Neighbourhoods

Hull is split into the following areas:

East Hull
North Hull
West Hull

East and West Hull are seperated by the River Hull.

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Sights and Activities

Hull has a number of public museums which are owned and operated by the local government. Entry is free and all are open from 9:00am - 5:00pm Monday till Friday as well as some reduced hours at weekends. Check the Hull City Council website for their weekend opening times.

Hull is also home to The Deep which is known as one of the most spectacular aquariums in the world. It is open daily from 10:00am till 5:00pm excluding December 24th - 25th. Tickets can be purchased online or when you arrive and parking is free.

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Events and Festivals

Hull observes all British public holidays, a list of these can be found on the UK Government website.

Annually Hull hosts the Freedom Festival which is a free event with locations across the city centre. Freedom Festival celebrates, through artistic and cultural expression, Hull’s independent spirit and historic contribution to the cause of freedom.

In 2017, Hull will be the host of the UK City of Culture, the year long event promises one event every day of the year. The last City of Culture was Derry-Londonderry in Northern Ireland in 2013.

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Getting There

By Plane

Humberside Airport (HUY) is situated around 30 minutes from Hull. Stagecoach Bus operates the Humber Flyer service into Hull from the airport every 90 minutes. National Express also offer coach services to Hull.

By Train

Paragon Railway Station is the only station servicing Hull. Local services here run to Scarborough and places in between as well as to York, Leeds, Doncaster and Sheffield. Hull trains operate daily direct services to and from London Kings Cross.

By Car

Hull is located off the A63 which runs directly into the city, the end of the A63 is the M62 which has links to the A1, M1, M18 and M60.

By Boat

From the Netherlands

P&O Ferries offers daily overnight services between Rotterdam and Hull.

From Belgium

P&O Ferries offers daily overnight services between Hull and Zeebrugge.

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Getting Around

By Car

Hull has long had a traffic problem in rush hour. Expect to add an extra 20 minutes on your journey if you are travelling during rush hour and are going near the city centre.

The city has many parking areas including a few multi-story car parks located at Princess Quay shopping centre, St. Stephens shopping centre and Prospect Centre.

By Public Transport

Stagecoach Bus and EYMS run frequent bus services to all parts of the city. The main interchange is found next to the train station on Ferensway.

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Sleep

Upscale

You can use the form below to search for availability (Travellerspoint receives a commission for bookings made through the form)

Booking.com

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Keep Connected

Internet

Internet cafés can be found in many cities and towns. All UK public libraries provide access, often branded as "People's Network", usually at no or little charge, though there is usually a time limit. Some hotels/hostels also offer internet access, including wifi, but most times at a cost. Using the internet on your personal phone can become expensive very quickly, with carriers charging 100's of times the local rate for data. To avoid these expensive roaming charges, you can hunt for wifi at a local cafe or hotel, or rent a mobile hotspot via several providers including DATAPiXY, and XCOM Global.

Phone

Post

The Royal Mail provides postal services in the United Kingdom. The Royal Mail's store fronts are called Post Office and offer services ranging from sending letters and packages to foreign currency exchange. Use the branch locator to find the nearest Post Office branch. There will be at least one post office in any town/city and there are quite often post offices in larger villages. It's common for a post office to be incorporated into a grocery store, where there will be a small counter located at the back of the store for dealing with post related matters. All post offices are marked with signs that say 'post office' in red lettering. Post boxes can be found at any post office and standalone large red post boxes on the streets or red boxes in the sides of public buildings.
For sending packages overseas, it might be a good idea to check prices and services with international companies like TNT, UPS or DHL.

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