How to travel from Manchester to Exeter

Sat, Feb 08
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Travel Information from Manchester to Exeter

distanceDistance197 miles (318 km)
modeAvailable travel modesTrain or bus
priceTicket price range$22 - $49
cheapestCheapest modeBus • $22 (€19) • 6 h 32 min
fastestFastest modeTrain • $49 (€45) • 4 h 3 min
carriersPopular travel companiesNational Express or CrossCountry

Travel 197 miles (318 km) by train or bus between Manchester and Exeter. The most popular travel companies which serve this route are National Express or CrossCountry among others. Travelers can even take a direct bus or train from Manchester to Exeter.

Travel Information
Compare train and bus for Manchester to Exeter

Train
Bus
Cheapest price 45 19Cheapest
Average price 127 35Cheapest
Average duration4h 3m6h 32m
Direct Options
First departure12:42 AM12:05 AM
Last departure10:49 PM11:40 PM
No. of daily departures1519
Companies
  • Cross Country
  • Transport for Wales
  • Great Western Railway
  • Avanti West Coast
  • National Express
  • Megabus

Travel options
from Manchester to Exeter

How to get from Manchester to Exeter by train, bus or flight.

Our recommendation
bus

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

National Express
12:30PM8h05
Manchester, Coach Station
08:35PMExeter, Honiton Road
$401One-way
1 transfer
Cheapest
National Express
12:30PM8h05
Manchester, Coach Station
08:35PMExeter, Honiton Road
$401One-way
1 transfer
Fastest
Cross Country
09:25AM4h18
Manchester Piccadilly (MAN)
01:43PMExeter St Davids (EXD)
$2401One-way
1 transfer
Other options
Cross Country
08:03AM4h21
Manchester Piccadilly (MAN)
12:24PMExeter St Davids (EXD)
$1531One-way
0 transfers
Cross Country
08:25AM4h19
Manchester Piccadilly (MAN)
12:44PMExeter St Davids (EXD)
$2051One-way
1 transfer
Cross Country
08:03AM4h43
Manchester Piccadilly (MAN)
12:46PMExeter Central (EXC)
$2271One-way
1 transfer
National Express
12:30PM8h15
Manchester, Coach Station
08:45PMExeter
$401One-way
1 transfer
National Express
10:00AM8h40
Manchester, Coach Station
06:40PMExeter, Honiton Road
$491One-way
1 transfer
National Express
10:00AM8h50
Manchester, Coach Station
06:50PMExeter
$491One-way
1 transfer

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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Feb 08
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How to travel from Manchester to Exeter?

It's possible to travel from Manchester to Exeter by train, bus, and plane. It is a busy train route, with dozens of services each day, but there are fewer buses and planes. The journey by train takes around 4.5 hours, and by bus, it takes around 11 hours. Plane travel times can vary but the fastest flight takes approximately 5 hours. There are train, bus, and plane services every day of the week, including Sunday.

What is the cheapest way to get from Manchester to Exeter?

The cheapest way to travel from Manchester to Exeter is by bus. There are generally four services each day, with the first departing from Manchester Bus Station in the early hours of the morning and the last leaving late at night, before arriving at Sidwell Street Bus Station. Services run on every day of the week at the same time. All of the coaches are provided by National Express, and most have one change, in London, while others may have two changes in Birmingham and Bristol. Journey times vary from 8-11 hours.

What is the fastest way to travel from Manchester to Exeter?

The fastest way to travel from Manchester to Exeter is by train. All of the fastest trains are provided by Cross Country, and while some services run directly, most have one change in Birmingham. Cross Country usually operate one train from Manchester to Exeter every hour throughout the day, departing from Manchester Picadilly Station and arriving at Exeter St David's Station. The shortest train takes around 4 hours to reach Exeter, while the longest takes 11 hours.

Find and book with Omio the best tickets from Manchester to Exeter

If you need to travel from Manchester to Exeter, Omio is on hand to help travelers compare and book trains, buses, flights, and ferries, so that you can choose the best option for your journey.

Travel from Manchester to Exeter by train

There are dozens of trains from Manchester to Exeter each day, and most of them are provided by Cross Country. They run directly and indirectly, on weekdays and weekends, and have a journey time of between 4-11 hours. Avanti West Coast also offers one early morning service, which takes around 5 hours and has one change, at Euston Station in London. Trains to Exeter depart from Manchester Picadilly Station and arrive at Exeter St David's station which is north of Exeter city center. The center can be reached by train in around 7 minutes, with services to St Thomas Station, or by bus in around 10 minutes. It's also reachable on foot, approximately 10 minutes' walk away. 

Travel from Manchester to Exeter by bus 

National Express generally run four buses from Manchester to Exeter every day, including Sundays. The fastest bus leaves in the afternoon and takes around 8 hours and 15 minutes, while the longest is an overnight service that can take over 14 hours. Buses depart from Manchester Bus Station and arrive at Exeter's Sidwell Street Bus Station. Sidwell Street Bus Station is in the city center, and the nearby Exeter Central Station and St James Park Station can both be reached on foot in under 5 minutes. The south-western part of Exeter, including St Thomas Station, is around a 10-minute bus ride away.

Travel from Manchester to Exeter by plane

Flights from Manchester to Exeter are provided by Encompass Aviation, Aurigny Air Services, KLM, and Sun Air of Scandinavia. Services differ depending on the day of the week, with more flights at weekends. On weekdays there are usually around four flights per day. Encompass Aviation offers the most flights between the two cities, with the fastest service lasting just over 5 hours including one change in Edinburgh. Other services have at least two changes, in various cities, and can take up to 21 hours. On Sundays, there may be up to six flights per day, all of which have at least one change. The fastest flight on a Sunday is provided by KLM and Encompass Aviation and lasts around 7 hours with two changes. All flights to Exeter depart from Manchester Airport and arrive at Exeter International Airport. Exeter International Airport is 7 miles outside the city center, which can be reached by train in around 25 minutes, and by bus in around 40 minutes. 

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Trenitalia
Easyjet
Deutsche Bahn
SNCF

All travel companies: Train and Bus from Manchester to Exeter

Travel to Exeter from Manchester on CrossCountry and National Express 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.

Cross Country trains are a UK-based train operator that provides services across the country including trains between Manchester and Exeter. They offer a range of services, from express services to local services, and have a variety of ticket types to suit different needs. Their express services, such as the CrossCountry Voyager and CrossCountry XC Trains, offer a fast and comfortable journey, with onboard facilities such as free Wi-Fi, power sockets, and a selection of snacks and drinks. Their local services, such as the CrossCountry Regional and CrossCountry Regional Express, provide a more leisurely journey, with stops at smaller stations along the way. They also offer a range of ticket types, such as Advance, Anytime, and Off-Peak tickets, to suit different budgets and travel needs. The most popular routes for Cross Country trains include London to Birmingham, Manchester to Edinburgh, and Bristol to Reading.

    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 from Manchester to Exeter, you can select from three ticket fares: Restricted Fare, Standard Fare, and Fully Flexible Fare.

      FAQs: Travel from Manchester to Exeter

      FAQs: Travel to Exeter 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 Manchester to Exeter.
      FAQs

      There are 2 ways to get from Manchester to Exeter: train or bus.

      The cheapest way to go to Exeter from Manchester is by taking a bus, which costs on average $22 (€19).

      This is compared to other ways of getting from Manchester to Exeter:

      A bus is $28 (€25) less than a train for this route with tickets for a train from Manchester to Exeter costing on average $49 (€45).

      The fastest way from Manchester to Exeter is by train with an average journey time of 4 h 3 min.

      There are alternative travel options to Exeter that take longer:

      Taking a bus requires on average 6 h 32 min of travel time.

      The distance from Manchester to Exeter is approximately 197 miles (318 km).

      The average frequency per day from Manchester to Exeter is:

      • 19 buses per day.
      • 15 trains a day.

      However, we recommend checking specific travel dates for your route to Exeter from Manchester 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 Manchester to Exeter:

      • Trains most often depart from Manchester at Manchester Piccadilly and arrive in Exeter at Exeter St Davids.

      Omio works with many trusted partners that can help you travel the best way from Manchester to Exeter:

      • You can go to Exeter from Manchester by bus with National Express or Megabus. You'll see cheap bus tickets for $24 (€21) with National Express from Manchester to Exeter on Omio.
      • You can take a train from Manchester to Exeter with CrossCountry, Transport for Wales, Great Western Rail, Avanti West Coast or Cross Country. Cheap tickets can be found for $49 (€45) with CrossCountry from Manchester to Exeter.

      Yes, there are direct routes from Manchester to Exeter with the following travel companies:

      • You can travel directly by bus with.
      • You'll find direct trains with Cross Country.

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

      Many of our customers traveling from Manchester to Exeter don't make Exeter their final stop. Some of the destinations worth visiting after Exeter are London, Bristol, Birmingham or Edinburgh, either of which you could add to your trip itinerary. Check Omio for the best and cheapest ways to travel from Exeter to any of these top destinations today!
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