Birmingham is located about 120 miles northwest of London, a motorway drive of about two and a half hours. Take the train and you can cut an hour off your journey, leaving you plenty of extra time to discover what an amazing urban destination this Midlands town is.
By train
Birmingham New Street Station, rebuilt and open to the public in September 2015, is a huge and bright destination where you can shop at some of Britain’s best shops until 8pm (the biggest John Lewis outside of London, for example) and dinner until 11 pm
Redevelopment aside, the station, in central Birmingham, remains a major hub, connecting London and the South East with Wales, the West Midlands and the North West. There are frequent trains to and from London Euston and London Marylebone stations. Virgin Trains operates the service from Euston to Birmingham New Street. Chiltern Railways offers a slightly slower service and is comparable in price to the nearby Birmingham Moor Street station. There is a pedestrian tunnel between the two stations.
The trip lasts approximately 1 hour and 25 minutes. In one of the rarities of the UK rail system, it is generally cheaper to buy two one way (individual) tickets than to buy one round trip (round trip) ticket
To keep costs low:
- Buy your tickets well in advance and book a specific train. A one-way, “Anytime” ticket purchased on the day of travel for this trip will cost much more than a ticket booked a few weeks in advance. You can book online, directly with the railway companies that run the service. The National Rail Inquiries website will guide you to the online ticket seller.
- Avoid traveling during peak travel hours. For London to Birmingham, that would be between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m.
- If you can’t decide which combination of schedules and tickets will save you the most, use the National Rail Inquiries Fare Finder, a feature that searches for the lowest fares. If you can be a little flexible about your travel time, that often helps when working with the rate finder.
- If you are heading to Birmingham for an exhibition at the NEC, use Birmingham International Station, rather than New Street. The rates are almost the same.
By bus
Buses from London to Birmingham take between 2 hours 40 minutes and 3 hours 15 minutes. Buses run every hour between London Victoria Coach Station and Birmingham Central Coach Station.
Book for a specific time and you can save a lot. An advance purchase, return ticket can save you a lot in every way when booked online for a specific time.
By car
Birmingham is 119 miles northwest of London, via the M1 and M6 motorways. It takes at least 2 hours and 30 minutes to drive when there is no traffic and fuel in the UK is expensive, probably about double what you are used to in North America.
If you are new to the UK, think twice before getting in a car to drive to Birmingham. The city’s position at the center of a number of major highway routes, as well as the development pattern of its downtown area in the 1960s and 1970s, make it a difficult place to drive, even for drivers of the city. United Kingdom who are used to driving on the left. Trains or buses are a better option for visitors, and once you arrive, local transport in the city is excellent.
If you choose to drive, you can use the Automobile Association Route Planner to map a route with suggested stopovers and gas stations. For those looking to save a few bucks, check Daily Gas Prices (Gasoline) to find the cheapest gas prices along your route.
