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Getting to Cardiff

Cardiff is served by Cardiff International Airport and Bristol International Airport. It is also accessible by train from London, where there are four major airports, as well as Birmingham and Manchester.

Some suggested routes are below.

Airports in Wales and south UK

Locations of airports in Wales and southern UK

Suggested Routes

Cardiff is accessible from many airports. The routes below are suggestions only. Please use your own search and/or travel agent to find the best route for your needs.

Image showing a map of the UK and popular air links to Cardiff and Bristol

Popular Airlines serving Cardiff and Bristol

From Europe

Option 1: Fly to Cardiff, Bristol, or London

Option 2: Take a train from Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Brussels, or Amsterdam to London. Transit through London and take a train to Cardiff Central

From North America

Option 1: Fly to London, transit through London, and take a train to Cardiff Central

Option 2: Fly to Cardiff or Bristol via Dublin (Ryanair, Aer Lingus) or Amsterdam (KLM)

Option 3: Fly to Bristol via Frankfurt (Lufthansa) or Zurich (Swiss)

From Asia

Option 1: Fly to Cardiff or Bristol via Amsterdam (KLM)

Option 2: Fly to Bristol via Frankfurt (Lufthansa), Zurich (Swiss), Athens (Aegean)

Option 3: Fly to London, transit through London, and take a train to Cardiff Central

From Australia/New Zealand

Option 1: Fly to Cardiff via Doha (Qatar Airways)

Option 2: Fly to London, transit through London, and take a train to Cardiff Central

From South America

Option 1: Fly to Cardiff or Bristol via Amsterdam (both KLM)

Option 2: Fly to Bristol via Frankfurt (Lufthansa) or Zurich (Swiss)

Option 3: Fly to London, transit through London, and take a train to Cardiff Central

From Africa

Option 1: Fly to Cardiff or Bristol via Amsterdam (KLM)

Option 2: Fly to Bristol via Frankfurt (Lufthansa), Zurich (Swiss), Athens (Aegean)

Option 3: Fly to London, transit through London, and take a train to Cardiff Central

By rail/sea

Cardiff has fast rail and road links with London, Birmingham, and Manchester among other UK cities. London is connected to Mainland Europe by rail via the Channel Tunnel.

Cardiff has direct rail and road links with Portsmouth where you can travel by ferry to/from France and Spain, as well as with Fishguard, Pembroke Dock, and Holyhead, where you can travel by ferry to/from Ireland.

London - Cardiff by Rail

Trains from London to Cardiff leave from London Paddington station. The main rail station in Cardiff is Cardiff Central. The average train journey between London Paddington and Cardiff central station is 1 hour 55 minutes.

All IPS venues are within 15-20 mins walking distance of Cardiff Central. Alternatively, you can connect to the local rail and bus service, if you prefer.

 

The closest train station to the Centre for Student Life is Cathays

The closest train station to Cardiff Castle is Cardiff Central

The closest train station to the Coal Exchange Hotel is Cardiff Bay.

Map of the UK showing a rail route London to Cardiff

Useful links

Air Travel

Destinations from:

Cardiff Airport 

Bristol Airport

London Heathrow Airport

London Gatwick Airport

London Stansted Airport

London Luton Airport

London City Airport

Birmingham Airport

Manchester Airport

 

Kayak.com, Expedia.com, Opodo.com: For searching flight connections to and from the UK

Rail Travel

Trainline.com: For searching rail connections and booking tickets within the UK

Eurostar.com: For searching rail connections and booking tickets for travel between Europe and the UK

Travel by Ferry

Irish Ferries: For travel by ferry between Pembroke Dock (Wales) - Rosslare (Ireland) and Holyhead (Wales) - Dublin (Ireland)

Stena Line: For travel by ferry between Fishguard (Wales) - Rosslare (Ireland) and Holyhead (Wales) - Dublin (Ireland)

Brittany Ferries: For travel by ferry between Portsmouth (England) and Caen, Cherbourg, Le Havre, St Malo (France), as well as Bilbao and Santander (France).

Disclaimer: Travel routes can and do change periodically. The options above are not an exhaustive list of routes, and are subject to change without the knowledge of the IPS or organising committee. Delegates are responsible for researching and booking their own travel.

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