How to travel from Reading to Bath

How to travel from Reading to Bath

Travelers planning a trip to the elegant spa town of Bath from Berkshire can opt for train or bus connections from Reading, with services on rail and road networks operating seven days a week. Train journeys from Reading on the main line west to Bath are much quicker than the bus, taking just under 1 hour for frequent direct services available from early morning to late evening.  Bus connections depart four times a day and involve an indirect route from Reading, requiring a change at Heathrow Airport, with total journey times to Bath of around four hours.  

What is the cheapest way to get from Reading to Bath?

With frequent daily direct trains taking around 55 minutes,  the Great Western Railway rail service offers the cheapest way to travel from Reading to Bath, with advance booking often securing very economical fares. Trains leave from the main station on the north side of central Reading, arriving at Bath Spa station south of the city center. National Express buses depart from the interchange next to the rail station in Reading but connections are indirect, via Heathrow Airport bus station, with journeys taking just over four hours in total to complete the trip to Bath, including transit time at the airport. Buses arrive at the terminus adjacent to Bath Spa rail station.   

What is the fastest way to travel  from Reading to Bath?

Great Western Railway's fastest train service offers the quickest way to travel from Reading to Bath, taking just 53 minutes to complete the 60 mile journey to the historic spa town, with other trains taking up to six minutes longer. Trains depart roughly every half hour throughout the day, seven days a week, so passengers never have to wait long for a direct service. National Express bus services from Reading take an indirect route via Heathrow Airport, connecting with express motorway connections to Bath via Chippenham. These journeys take a total of four hours and ten minutes to reach Bath, including the change of buses at Heathrow.  Bus connections from Reading operate four times daily, seven days a week with a choice of morning and afternoon departures.

Find and book the best tickets from Reading to Bath with Omio

Whether passengers opt to travel from Reading to Bath by train or bus, the Omio booking platform offers a quick and easy comparison of costs, departure times and journey durations. Fares on rail and bus services can fluctuate according to availability so booking well in advance will secure the lowest prices. With train journeys, traveling on off peak departures usually offers the best chance of finding a cheap fare.  

Travel from Reading to Bath by train

Train services from Reading to Bath are operated by Great Western Railway, the main rail company in the west of England. The Great Western Railway weekday and Saturday timetables provide direct Intercity Express trains from Reading to Bath Spa station roughly twice an hour, with departures from very early in the morning until late in the evening. There are also some additional late night services from Reading on Fridays and Saturdays. Sunday trains to Bath are slightly less frequent, with the first departure leaving Reading later in the morning, and a reduced schedule throughout the day. Journey times to Bath range from 53 to 59 minutes. All trains arrive at Bath Spa station, located about 20 minutes' walk south of the main historic sites, with local buses from stops next to the station making the trip downtown in around ten minutes. 

Travel from Reading to Bath by bus

National Express, the UK's main national bus operator, provides four daily bus connections from Reading to Bath  seven days a week.  Journeys involve taking a Reading RailAir bus service departing from Reading station, connecting at Heathrow Airport Terminals 2 and 3 bus terminus with National Express direct services to Bath. There are four daily departures, with services beginning in early morning and departing every 3 hours until mid afternoon.  Most connections involve around 1 hour spent in transit at Heathrow. All National Express buses arrive at the Bath bus station. located next to Bath Spa station on the south side of the city. Numerous city buses provide connections to the center in around ten minutes.