- By Air
-
- London Heathrow
- London Gatwick
- London Stansted
- Birmingham Airport
- Manchester Airport
- Glasgow
- London Luton Airport
- London City Airport
- Glasgow Prestwick Airport
- Newcastle Airport
- Aberdeen Airport
- Bristol Airport
- Cardiff Airport
- Edinburgh Airport
- Leeds Bradford Airport
- Liverpool Airport
- Gatwick Express
- Heathrow Express
- By Rail
- By Sea
- Sail and Rail from Britain to Ireland
- Newcastle
- Hull
- Harwich
- Dover
- Portsmouth
- By Taxi
By Air
London Heathrow
One of the world's busiest airports, London Heathrow is located about 15 miles from London. There is a multitude of different ways to get from Heathrow to London - below are the choices.
Heathrow Express - From Heathrow Airport to London Paddington in just 15 minutes! Trains depart Heathrow every 15 minutes.
Remember! Validated BritRail Passes can be used on Heathrow Express!
London Underground or The Tube - Heathrow Airport is on the Underground's Piccadilly Line, which services London Euston and Kings Cross Stations. The journey time from Heathrow to Central London/Kings Cross or Euston is about 1 hour. Local fare for a one-way journey is about £4.
Taxis - At first, taxis may appear to be the most convenient for travel to and from the airport. However, they are costly (£30-£45 one way) and can be tedious, especially during morning rush hour into London and out in the evening. Travel time can vary and may take close to an hour to get to central London. Tip: If you are normally a 'taxi person' then give the Heathrow Express a try - chances are you'll prefer it.
Heading West - If you are heading to Bath, Bristol, Cardiff, Cornwall or Devon, avoid London altogether by taking the dedicated Rail Air Link coach from Heathrow Terminals to Reading Rail Station. There are a plethora of services from Reading to the West Country and Wales. You can purchase a ticket for this service from the coach driver (cost approx £7).
London Gatwick
London Gatwick Airport is located 27 miles south of London and has its own railway station making the train the best way to get from Gatwick to your final destination! Here are the options:
Gatwick Express - A dedicated rail link between Gatwick Airport and London Victoria Station. Trains depart every 15 minutes. Journey time is just 30 minutes!
Connex, one of Britain's private Train Operating Companies, runs a commuter service between Gatwick and London Victoria. As this service makes stops en route, the service takes a little longer.
Thameslink offers a commuter service between Gatwick and London Kings Cross Thameslink Station, which is about 200 yards from Kings Cross mainline terminal. Service operates approximately every 30 minutes. This service is best if you are going directly to Kings Cross for trains to Scotland. This route helps to avoid a tube/taxi transfer.
Note! Validated BritRail Passes are valid on any train!
Taxi's from Gatwick to Central London can be long and expensive.
Heading West: If you are traveling from Gatwick directly to the West County or South Wales we suggest the Gatwick to Reading rail service. It runs frequently and helps you avoid transferring stations in London. At Reading, you connect into the westbound services, which originate at London Paddington.
Heading South trains go directly to coastal towns such as Brighton, Eastbourne and many others.
London StanstedTrains take you directly from the airport to London Liverpool Street Station in 42 minutes. Stansted Airport is also the starting point for a service that takes you cross country through Cambridge, Peterborough (for connections to York and Edinburgh), to Birmingham, Liverpool or Manchester. Birmingham Airport
Birmingham International Airport has its own rail station on the main London to Birmingham rail route. Birmingham New Street, right in the heart of Birmingham, can be reached easily in 10 minutes. Should London be your destination it is only 1 hour 20m to Euston. In both directions trains run extremely frequently. Manchester Airport
Now that the rail station is part of the airport buildings, this new airport link has great rail connections and makes it a great place to arrive in the UK. Apart from an incredibly quick and frequent service to Manchester itself, Manchester Airport rail station has service to places such as Huddersfield, Leeds, York, Blackpool, Windermere (Lake District), Chester and Liverpool. Glasgow
Glasgow Airport is not equipped with its own rail station. Therefore it is necessary to take a bus link to Paisley Gilmour St and then the train to Glasgow - which takes about 45 minutes. If your final destination is Glasgow and you have baggage it is perhaps easiest to get a taxi or a bus. London Luton Airport
A frequent dedicated free shuttle bus links Luton Airport with Luton Airport Parkway station - journey time 5 mins. Luton Airport Parkway is served by frequent Thameslink services direct to Central London, Gatwick Airport, Brighton and Bedford. There are other services to Derby, Leicester, Nottingham and Sheffield. There are direct coach links to many destinations as well. London City Airport
Located in London's docklands. The airport operates a regular shuttle bus service to Liverpool St Station in Central London from where Underground connections are available. Journey time approx 30 mins. Buses run every 10 mins. Glasgow Prestwick Airport
Prestwick International Airport Station is situated directly opposite the main airport terminal buildings. A covered walkway links the station with the terminal buildings. Direct trains operate to Glasgow Central station and Ayr. Journey time approx 45 mins Newcastle Airport
A metro service operates between the Airport and Newcastle Central Station, journey time 20 mins. Up to 6 trains per hour 0600-2300. Aberdeen Airport
Dyce station is 5 mins by taxi, from which local trains to Aberdeen and Inverness run, with some through trains to Edinburgh and Glasgow. Aberdeen station is 20 mins by taxi. Bristol Airport
Buses connect to Bristol Temple Meads station every 30 mins 0545 to 2345, with a journey time of 20-30 minutes. Cardiff Airport
Regular buses serve will take you to Cardiff Central station and the local station Barry. Buses run hourly to Cardiff Central station taking 30 mins. Edinburgh Airport
A frequent bus service links Edinburgh Waverly and Haymarket stations with Edinburgh Airport. Journey time approx 25 mins. Leeds Bradford Airport
A direct coach service operates to Leeds Station with a journey time of approximately 35 mins. There are also direct buses to Bradford station. Liverpool Airport
A direct bus service operates between Liverpool Lime St station and the airport. Buses run every 30 mins 0515-0015, journey time approx 45 mins. Gatwick Express
Gatwick Express is the fastest way to travel from Gatwick Airport to central London - the 27 miles are covered in just 30 minutes! Trains leave every 15 minutes from London Victoria and Gatwick Airport throughout the day and evening.
From Gatwick, the ¼ hourly service begins at 0550, perfect for those arriving in the early morning, and continues until 0050. There is hourly service through the night.
Quarter hourly service from Victoria begins at 0500 and runs until midnight. After midnight, service is hourly.
Gatwick Express is ideal for all airport travellers going to London. London Victoria offers a variety of Underground and mainline rail connections, local and long distance buses and of course easy access to taxis. Gatwick Airport Station is actually part of Gatwick Airport so there are no long corridors and it is nearer than the buses and taxis.
See Prices for Gatwick Express
Heathrow ExpressHeathrow Express is perfect for all airport travellers going to London. and is the quickest way from Heathrow Airport to Central London! Trains depart every 15 minutes and the journey takes just 15 minutes to London Paddington and London's West End. Heathrow Express operates from 0510 to 2340 daily.
Heathrow Express services all four terminals at Heathrow Airport with one station for Terminals 1, 2, and 3 and a separate one for Terminal 4.
From London Paddington, there is a connecting coach service to the Marble Arch and Oxford Street area for £2. This coach meets each Heathrow Express train. Paddington Station also offers a variety of Underground and mainline rail connections, local and long distance buses and of course, easy access to taxis.
See Prices for Heathrow Express
Eurostar trains from Paris, Lille, or Brussels arrive at London's Waterloo International Station. Waterloo International is immediately adjacent to the mainline Waterloo Station, which offers mainline rail connections, access to the Underground and of course taxis!
Sail and Rail from Britain to Ireland
Travelling From Britain to Ireland
Thinking of traveling to Ireland? Whether you want a short trip to the vibrant city of Dublin or to tour around the scenic Irish countryside, BritRail has a train and ferry option to suit you.
Ireland is easy to reach from Britain. There are 4 ferry routes to choose from, with the best crossing times under 2 hours. Train services connect with the ferries, and interchange between train and ferry is simple.
BritRail offers a range of products to suit your every need from touring passes to point to point tickets which include the ferry crossing.
BRITRAIL PASS + IRELAND
Unlimited rail travel in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland including a roundtrip Stena Line or Irish Ferries sea crossing between Stranraer and Belfast, Holyhead and Dublin Port or Dun Laoghaire or Fishguard and Rosslare, via ship or high speed catamaran. Roundtrip sea crossing needn't be done from same port.
Prices in US Dollars
| BritRail Pass + Ireland | First | Standard |
| Adult | Adult | |
| 5 days within 1 month | $ 590.00 | $ 427.00 |
| 10 days within 1 month | $ 973.00 | $ 680.00 |
Children
One child can travel free (5-15) with one paying adult
Additional children (5-15) pay half the adult fare.
Children under 5 travel free and do not need a ticket.
Other Notes
Reservations for sea crossings are not necessary
Example Point to Point Fares
If you are thinking of visiting Dublin only, then consider a point to point fare, giving you return travel to and from your chosen destination, inclusive of rail and ferry travel.
Prices in US Dollars
| UK Station to/from Dublin | Standard One Way |
| London Euston | $94 |
| Birmingham New Street | $81 |
| Chester | $62 |
| Liverpool Lime Street | $73 |
| Manchester Piccadilly | $70 |
| Sheffield | $81 |
Prices in US Dollars
| UK Station to/from Dun Laoghaire | Standard One Way |
| London Euston | $90 |
| Birmingham New Street | $78 |
| Chester | $39 |
| Liverpool Lime Street | $70 |
| Manchester Piccadilly | $70 |
| Sheffield | $78 |
Prices in US Dollars
| UK Station to/from Rosslare | Standard One Way |
| London Paddington | $105 |
| Birmingham New Street | $59 |
| Chester | $59 |
| Liverpool Lime Street | $59 |
| Manchester Piccadilly | $92 |
| Sheffield | $59 |
Newcastle
Ferry services arrive at the port at the mouth of the river Tyne, just west of North Shields. The shipping company concerned arrange a connecting bus service to Newcastle Central station, about 30 - 40 minute ride. Here you can find frequent services to Scotland, York, London, Leeds, Manchester and many others.
Hull
Ferry services arrive at King George Dock about 6 km's from the city centre and railway station (Paragon). A bus service is provided to connect with the ferry services into town and the station, journey time is about only 20 minutes. Direct services from Hull are principally to Doncaster, Sheffield, Manchester, Leeds and York, by changing trains either in Doncaster or York connections to Durham, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Glasgow and London can be made.
Harwich
The railway station (Harwich International) is adjacent to the ferry terminal - in fact having cleared customs, the platform is less than 20 meters away ! A boat train is provided to London's Liverpool Street station, journey time: 1 hour 20 minutes. There is also a local service to Harwich Town and Manningtree, where connections to Colchester Ipswich and Norwich are available.
Dover
The ferry company concerned have their own busses shuttling passengers the 10 minute journey to Dover Priory railway station 2-3 km's away. Here you will find frequent services to both London Victora and London Charing Cross stations, as well as services to Canterbury, Folkestone, Ashford and Maidstone.
Portsmouth
Ferry services arrive at the Continental Ferry Port, situated about 3km's north of Portsmouth Harbour railway station. A bus service is provided for the 10 minute journey to the station, here there are direct services to London, Brighton and the south coast, Southampton, Bournemouth, Salisbury, Bath and South Wales.
All major and many other stations have taxicab ranks outside. If you want to check which do, go to the helpful www.traintaxi.co.uk website. This site also gives details of licensed taxicab and private hire operators serving all 2,500 stations in Great Britain, so that you can pre-book to be met on arrival at even the smallest country station.
Outside London, taxicabs and private hire vehicles offer similar services at similar fares. Both are regulated to high standards. However, only taxis are allowed to wait on public taxi ranks; private hire vehicles must be pre-booked.
In London, you are strongly advised to use only the famous "London taxis" and to avoid unmarked and unlicensed "minicabs".
BritRail
Toll free: 1-866-BRITRAIL
Fax free: 1-877-477-1066
info@britrail.net
webmaster@britrail.net