How to travel from London to Cardiff

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National Express
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South Western Railway
1,000+ more
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Travel Information between London and Cardiff

Distance131 miles (211 km)
Available travel modesTrain or bus
Ticket price range$8 - $53
Cheapest modeBus • $8 (€7) • 3 h 10 min
Fastest modeTrain • $53 (€47) • 1 h 43 min
Popular travel companiesMegabus or Great Western Rail

Travel 131 miles (211 km) by train or bus between London and Cardiff. The most popular travel companies which serve this journey are Megabus or Great Western Rail among others. Travelers can even take a direct bus or train from London to Cardiff.

Travel options
from London to Cardiff

How to get from London to Cardiff by train, bus or flight.

Our recommendation

bus

The best way to travel from London to Cardiff is by taking a bus because it’s the best combination of price and speed.

FlixBusFlixBus
11:30AM3h50
London, Victoria Coach Station
03:20PMCardiff, North Road (Friary Gardens)
$171One-way
0 transfers

Cheapest

FlixBusFlixBus
09:30PM3h20
London, Victoria Coach Station
12:50AMCardiff, North Road (Friary Gardens)
$101One-way
0 transfers

Fastest

Great Western RailP08241
10:48AM1h48
London Paddington (PAD)
12:36PMCardiff Central (CDF)
$881One-way
0 transfers

Other options

Great Western RailP08240
10:15AM1h55
London Paddington (PAD)
12:10PMCardiff Central (CDF)
$881One-way
0 transfers
Great Western RailP08238
09:18AM1h49
London Paddington (PAD)
11:07AMCardiff Central (CDF)
$1201One-way
0 transfers
Great Western RailP08239
09:48AM1h52
London Paddington (PAD)
11:40AMCardiff Central (CDF)
$1201One-way
0 transfers
FlixBusFlixBus
12:30PM3h45
London, Victoria Coach Station
04:15PMCardiff, North Road (Friary Gardens)
$171One-way
0 transfers
National ExpressNX509
09:30AM3h35
London, Victoria Coach Station
01:05PMCardiff, Kingsway (Stop GB)
$301One-way
0 transfers
National ExpressNX509
09:30AM3h40
London, Victoria Coach Station
01:10PMCardiff, Sophia Gardens
$301One-way
0 transfers

Find all the dates and times for this journey by train, bus, flight, and ferry .

Compare prices and tickets Prices for trains, buses and flights

Compare train and bus prices over the next three weeks. See the best deals at a glance, find the lowest fares, and choose the option that fits your budget.

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How to Travel from London to Cardiff

The most straightforward way to travel in the UK from London to Cardiff is the fast train from London Paddington which pulls into to Cardiff Central railway station. For those who prefer to travel by road, National Express buses make the trip along the M4 frequently. Journey times are up to 4 hours by bus, half that by train and half that again by air.

Trains from London to Cardiff | Buses from London to Cardiff | Flights from London to Cardiff

London to Cardiff Travel Comparison

Average Price

Travel Time

Cheapest Time to Book

buses

€9

3:10 h

1 Month Ahead

trains

€44

2:00 h

2 Months Ahead

buses

€73

1:10 h

2 Weeks Ahead



What is the best way to travel from London to Cardiff?

Cheapest way to travel from London to Cardiff


cheap

Taking a bus is the cheapest way to travel from London to Cardiff. Buses traveling from London to Cardiff depart from London's Victoria Coach Station and taking at least 3 hours to arrive at Cardiff's Sophia Gardens bus station. Over 30 buses travel from London to Cardiff per day, with the earliest departing London at 6:13 a.m. All buses that travel from London to Cardiff are operated by National Express.


Fastest way to travel from London to Cardiff


fast

Technically taking a flight is the fastest way to travel from London to Cardiff; however, when travel time to and from London and Cardiff's airports is taken into consideration, taking a train is actually the fastest way to travel. Additionally, there is only 1 direct flight between London and Cardiff per day. Trains traveling from London to Cardiff depart from London's Paddington train station and take 2 hours to arrive at Cardiff's Central train station. All trains traveling from London to Cardiff are operated by First Great Western with 10 trains departing London per day.


Most popular way to travel from London to Cardiff


popular

Taking the train is the most popular way to travel from London to Cardiff. Taking the train is over an hour faster than traveling from London to Cardiff by bus and 4 hours faster than taking a flight when travel time to and from London and Cardiff's airports is taken into consideration. Trains are also €29 cheaper than flights on average. Buses remain an attractive option for travelers trying to save some money while traveling.


How to get from London to Cardiff

The Best Way According to our Users

If you want to travel from London to Cardiff there are several options available to you. For this route, however, 61,97% of our customers choose the bus as their preferred method of transportation. Nowadays, traveling by bus is a relaxing and entertaining experience. Most bus companies offer different on-board services; ranging from "welcome drinks" to free wi-fi or personal entertainment. For this reason, the bus is often chosen as the best way to get from London to Cardiff. Bus companies normally offer comfortable journeys for reasonable prices, and if you choose to travel on a night bus you can even save the money of one night in a hotel. For that reason, the bus is most likely the cheapest way to get to your destination.

Search on Omio to find cheap tickets from London to Cardiff. It’s easy to find the most attractive prices and choose your preferred route for your journey. Book on web or app, and travel with your mobile ticket —without the stress of printing your ticket.

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Trenitalia
Easyjet
Deutsche Bahn
SNCF

FAQs: Travel from London to Cardiff

Travel to Cardiff easily. Whether you want fast, cheap or something entirely different, our travel experts have collected everything you need to know so you can find the best option from London to Cardiff.

FAQs

There are 2 travel options to Cardiff from London. You can take a train or bus.

The cheapest way to travel from London to Cardiff is a bus with an average price of $8 (€7).

This is compared to other travel options from London to Cardiff:

A bus is $45 (€40) less than a train for this route with tickets for a train from London to Cardiff costing on average $53 (€47).

The fastest way to get to Cardiff from London is by train with an average travel time of 1 h 43 min.

Other travel options to Cardiff take longer:

Bus takes on average 3 h 10 min.

The London to Cardiff distance is around 131 miles (211 km).

The average frequency per day from London to Cardiff is:

  • 64 buses a day.
  • 12 trains per day.

However, we recommend checking specific travel dates for your trip from London to Cardiff as scheduled services by train or bus can vary by season or day of the week.

These are the most popular departure and arrival points from London to Cardiff:

  • Buses mostly depart from London, Victoria Coach Station and arrive in Cardiff, Lloyd George Ave / Herbert Street.
  • Trains most often depart from London at London Euston and arrive in Cardiff at Cardiff Central.

The following travel companies offer services from London to Cardiff:

  • Travel with Megabus, National Express or FlixBus to go to Cardiff by bus. For a good deal on tickets, you can find FlixBus London to Cardiff tickets on Omio for $8 (€7).
  • Great Western Rail, South Western Railway or first_great_western can take you to Cardiff by train. If searching for a good deal on trains, you can find tickets for Great Western Rail from London to Cardiff for $53 (€47).

Yes, there are direct services available from London to Cardiff with the following travel companies:

  • 50 direct buses per day with National Express or FlixBus.
  • 12 direct trains per day with Great Western Rail or first_great_western.

Direct services tend to save you time and add more convenience in getting you to Cardiff as you won't need to transfer at another stop in between, so it's worth paying attention to before booking your tickets between London and Cardiff.

Looking to extend your trip from London to Cardiff? Many Omio customers who go from London to Cardiff usually extend their vacation to explore other popular destinations like Bristol, Manchester, Birmingham or Edinburgh. If you're looking to explore Bristol, Manchester, Birmingham or Edinburgh from Cardiff, let Omio find you the best connections available at an affordable price.
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