Cardiff is 151 miles west of London, but good road and rail connections make it very easy to get to. With its Principality Stadium (formerly called Millennium Stadium) attracting thousands of international rugby and football fans and the Wales Millennium Center (now Wales’ s number one visitor attraction), the capital of Wales has quickly become one of the Top 10 UK Destinations For Overseas Visitors
In fact, this college town has seen a revival of style and entertainment in recent years. And you can get there by train in about two hours. So, what are you waiting for?
By train
Great Western Railway operates direct trains to Cardiff Central Station from London Paddington Station on its Swansea Line. Trains run every half hour during the busiest times of the day and the journey takes a little over 2 hours. The more flexible your travel time, the more you can save on ticket prices. Be careful to request ‘single’ or one-way tickets as roundtrip tickets for this trip can cost upwards of £ 100.
UK Travel Tip: The cheapest train fares are designated ‘Advance’ – anticipation depends on the journey, as most rail companies offer advance fares on a first-come, first-served basis. Advance tickets are generally sold as one-way or “single” tickets. Whether or not you buy advance tickets, always compare the price of the “single” ticket with the round trip or the “return” price, as it is often cheaper to buy two individual tickets rather than one single ticket. round trip. The difference in a trip between London and Cardiff is dramatic, as standard fares are up to two to three times the anticipated fares.
By bus
Buses from London to Cardiff take between 3 hours and 30 minutes and 3 hours and 45 minutes. Advance fares cost between £ 10 and £ 20 roundtrip when purchased as two one-way tickets, although if you’re willing to book several months in advance and travel at peak times, you can make this trip very inexpensively. National Express operates a regular bus service between London Victoria Coach Station and Cardiff Coach Station. However, last minute tickets for this trip cost roughly double. There is also a direct bus service to Cardiff Airport and Cardiff University.
Bus tickets can be purchased online.
UK Travel Tip: National Express offers a limited number of ‘fun’ promotional tickets which are very cheap. These can only be purchased online and are usually posted on the website a month to a few weeks before the trip. It’s worth checking the website to see if tickets are available for your chosen trip. Visit the National Express website and look for a box that says “Online Exclusives” and “Use our rate finder.” If cheap fares are available for your trip, that’s where you’ll find them.
It helps if you can be flexible with the dates.
By car
Cardiff, which is 151 miles west of London via the M4 and M48 motorways, takes about 3 hours to drive in perfect condition, but the M4 can get congested near London. Also note that gasoline, called petrol in the UK, is sold by the liter (just over a quart) and the price generally ranges from $ 1.25 to $ 1.50 per quart. In October 2018, for example, the average price of a gallon of gasoline in the US was $ 3.
