How to travel from London to Cardiff

Sat, Jul 19
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Travel Information between London and Cardiff

distanceDistance131 miles (211 km)
modeAvailable travel modesTrain or bus
priceTicket price range$8 - $53
cheapestCheapest modeBus • $8 (€7) • 3 h 10 min
fastestFastest modeTrain • $53 (€47) • 1 h 43 min
carriersPopular 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
05:00PM3h55
London, Victoria Coach Station
08:55PMCardiff, North Road (Friary Gardens)
$191One-way
0 transfers
Cheapest
FlixBusFlixBus
06:00PM4h30
London, Victoria Coach Station
10:30PMCardiff, North Road (Friary Gardens)
$181One-way
0 transfers
Fastest
Great Western RailG04770
11:48AM1h48
London Paddington (PAD)
01:36PMCardiff Central (CDF)
$961One-way
0 transfers
Other options
Great Western RailG04768
09:48AM1h53
London Paddington (PAD)
11:41AMCardiff Central (CDF)
$961One-way
0 transfers
Great Western RailG04769
10:48AM1h49
London Paddington (PAD)
12:37PMCardiff Central (CDF)
$981One-way
0 transfers
Great Western RailG04766
08:48AM1h49
London Paddington (PAD)
10:37AMCardiff Central (CDF)
$961One-way
0 transfers
FlixBusFlixBus
03:00PM4h45
London, Victoria Coach Station
07:45PMCardiff, North Road (Friary Gardens)
$241One-way
0 transfers
National ExpressNX509
02:00PM3h40
London, Victoria Coach Station
05:40PMCardiff, Sophia Gardens
$281One-way
0 transfers
FlixBusFlixBus
12:30PM3h45
London, Victoria Coach Station
04:15PMCardiff, North Road (Friary Gardens)
$341One-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

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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

All travel companies: Train and Bus from London to Cardiff

Travel from London to Cardiff on National Express, South Western Railway and FlixBus travel with Omio. When comparing schedules and tickets, we will also show you other options with multiple connections or other travel modes if they’re available.

South Western Railway is a train operating company in the United Kingdom, providing services in the south and south-west of England. It operates a variety of train types, including high-speed trains, local stopping services, and suburban commuter trains. It also offers a range of ticket types, including Advance, Off-Peak, and Super Off-Peak tickets. The most popular routes for South Western Railway include London Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbour, London Waterloo to Weymouth, and London Waterloo to Bournemouth.

    National Express is the UK’s leading long-distance travel company operating over 550 travel per day and serving over 900 destinations across the UK. National Express also operates travel services to all major UK airports, such as Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton and Bristol, 24 hours a day. All National Express travel have air conditioning and provide free WiFi access along with onboard entertainment. Most travel come with seat belts and power outlets at every seat, so you can charge your phone or laptop during a long journey. For your travel between London and Cardiff, you can select from three ticket fares: Restricted Fare, Standard Fare, and Fully Flexible Fare.

      FAQs: Travel from London to Cardiff

      FAQs: 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
      HomeTravelTravel to United KingdomTravel to CardiffHow to travel from London to Cardiff

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