Getting from London to Wales (and return)
Wales is part of the UK and travelers are attracted to it because of the natural landscape , the history and culture. Cardiff is the capital of Wales and the largest urbane area. Other notable cities in Wales are: Caernarfon – home to the Caernarfon Castle , one of the best preserved in Wales -, Conwy – medieval, fortified town – , Swansea – boasting a beautiful coastline -, Bangor – university town – and Tenby – medieval town and seaside resort.
Traveling from London to other parts of the UK is an excellent way to explore the country. You can set your base in Cardiff or Bangor, and then explore the rest of Wales.
Quick summary
Coaches remain the cheapest way to get around the UK, so they are also an excellent option for traveling between London and Wales, regardless of which city you plan to visit.
Flights from London to Wales
Cardiff International Airport (CWL) is the only major airport in Wales. It is located 12 miles from the city center. Flybe is the largest carrier here, but the airport is also base for Manx2, Thomson Airways and Thomas Cook Airlines.
Cardiff airport does not receive any direct flights from London. However, connecting flights are available by way of Belfast City, Edinburgh or Dublin , with single fares starting at £116 (on Flybe) and the total travel time being almost 16 hours.
>>read more about Getting from London to Cardiff
Train from London to Wales
South Wales (Newport, Cardiff and Swansea) is connected to London Paddington via trains operated by First Great Western . Trains to Cardiff run every half hour during the day and the cheapest single standard ticket is £22. An off peak single ticket is £48 and is valid on any off peak train on the permitted route.
North Wales (Bangor) is connected to London Euston Station via trains operated by Virgin Trains . Trains to Bangor depart London every hour. The journey time is about 3h 20 min and the advance single ticket starts at £34.00.
>>read more about the Railway Stations in London
Buses from London to Wales
National Express runs coaches from London Victoria Coach Station to a variety of cities in Wales.
Coaches to Cardiff arrive at Cardiff Bus Station and the travel time is between 3h 10 min and 3 ½ h, depending on the traffic. Single fares start at £7.50.
Coaches to Bangor take about 8 ½ h and the single fare starts at £8.50.
There is only on coach to Caernarfon and it leaves London at 10:30 a.m. The travel time is 9 h and the single ticket is £32.50.
Coaches to Swansea depart London every hour and the travel time is between 4 ½ h and 5 h. The single fares start at £10.50
Driving from London to Wales
Driving between London and any town in Wales can be an interesting and beautiful experience. You can get to Cardiff via M4 and drive the 151 miles in less than 3 hours.
Swansea is just 187 miles from London. If you drive on M4, you can get there in about 3 h 20 min.
Should you want to drive to Bangor, you can change between three routes, the fastest being on M1 and M6. It takes about 5h to drive the 268 miles.