This system sells tickets for all routes, all train operators at the official National Rail price. A small booking fee is charged. It can even sell tickets to Dublin & Ireland, with the ferry included! Ticket delivery: You collect tickets at any main station (bring the credit card) or they can be sent to any address for a small fee. Overseas users welcome! Buy your UK train tickets here & collect them at any main station. Who are you buying from? You're buying from www.raileasy.com, one of the UK's major independent train ticket retailers. Reservations open 10-12 weeks in advance. Can't find any cheap fares? Best fare finder... How to collect your tickets: You collect tickets from machines like these at any main British station (colour & design varies by train company). Click collect tickets on the touch screen then insert credit card and out come your tickets, it's that simple! Should work fine with non-chip-&-PIN overseas cards. Remember that you must bring the original credit card in order to collect tickets at the station.
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Since 1995, Britain's rail network has been run by over 20 different private train companies. However, the government makes sure they work together as National Rail, with co-ordinated fares, ticketing & information. You can find train times & fares for all train operators all on one website, and you can buy a train ticket between any two stations, with tickets normally valid on any operator's trains. This page is a simple guide to train travel in the UK.
On board a typical British inter-city train...
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This is a 125 mph Pendolino train linking London Euston with Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Lake District, Carlisle & Glasgow, with air-conditioning, WiFi (free in 1st class, charged in 2nd class), and a shop selling newspapers, drinks & snacks. First class fares on this route include drinks & food. |
How to check train times & fares... Click for UK train network map
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The best place to check train times & fares for any train journey in Britain is www.nationalrail.co.uk. This is provided by the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) on behalf of all train operators, and it shows train times & fares for all routes and all operators.
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To check train times & fares by phone, call National Rail Enquiries on 0845 7 48 49 50 (if you are overseas call +44 20 7278 5240). Lines are open 24 hours a day and calls are charged at local rates.
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Is your train on time? Go to www.nationalrail.co.uk/ldb/ and enter the name of your station to see an online 'live departure board' showing train arrivals & departures in the next hour or two, and whether they are on time or not....
How to buy train tickets online...
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You can buy train tickets for any journey in Britain online using the Raileasy booking form above, at the official national Rail price with just a small booking fee. Tickets can be collected at any main railway station (the option I'd recommend, but make sure you take the original credit or debit card used for the booking), sent to any UK address for a small fee (around £1) or sent to any address worldwide for a £7.50 fee. See below for a quick guide to the 3 types of UK train ticket, Anytime, Off-Peak & Advance.
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Independent train ticket retailers: There are now several independent retailers including www.raileasy.com, www.thetrainline.com, www.mytrainticket.co.uk, www.redspottedhanky.com, www.takethetrain.co.uk & www.quno.com. They all sell tickets for all journeys for all operators, at the same prices. There's no need to check them all, as they all sell tickets at the same official price. However, almost all of them charge a small booking fee in addition to the official price.
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Train operators' own websites such as www.tpeexpress.co.uk also offer online train tickets for all journeys on all routes on all operators, but without any booking fee or credit card fee (so if you'd rather not pay an additional fee, choose a train operator website - have I made that clear enough?!). Again, they all sell the same tickets at the same prices, for all routes on all train operators, so there is no need to find the 'right' operator or to compare prices, they are all (with one or two very specific exceptions which I'll mention in a minute) exactly the same, with fares taken from the same central railway fares database.
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Booking fees: The only difference between independent retailers and train company websites sites is the booking fee: Independent retailers charge a small fee, for example www.raileasy.com charges around £1 for debit cards or £2.61 for credit cards plus £1.50 postage (collection at stations free), www.thetrainline.com charges around £1 for debit cards or £3.50 for credit cards. If you buy from a train company website such as www.tpeexpress.co.uk you don't pay any credit or debit card fee, in fact if you choose to collect your tickets at the station you pay no fee at all. Same prices, same tickets, just no fees.
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Occasional extra discounts: Very occasionally, a train company gives a small extra discount on its own fares, for example at the time of writing East Coast gives an extra 10% off its own Advance fares from London to York, Leeds, Newcastle & Edinburgh and so on, if you book at its own website www.eastcoast.co.uk. Similarly, www.southernrailway.com offers discounts on its own routes including London to Brighton, Portsmouth, Eastbourne. So it's a good idea to pick the train operator site that www.nationalrail.co.uk suggests at the top of the list at the end of an enquiry.
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The National rail website: It's often best to start with the national rail website, www.nationalrail.co.uk. This doesn't sell tickets itself, but after answering your enquiry it will offer you a choice of all the ticket selling websites, including the train companies' own sites, and the operator most relevant to your journey will be offered at the top of the list. Pick a train company site such as www.tpeexpress.co.uk and you won't pay a booking fee.
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To buy train tickets by phone, there are a number of train operator telesales lines, all selling the same tickets at the same prices, for example, Virgin Trains on 08457 222 333.
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Reservations normally open around 12 weeks before departure, you can't buy tickets before then. But here's a good idea: Sign up for a free email 'ticket alert' when bookings open for the specific route you want, allowing you to snap up those cheap fares as soon as they are released (It's worth trying later in the day if you don't immediately see any cheap deals available). To sign up for an alert, go to www.thetrainline.com, click 'Gadgets & Tools' top right, then click 'Ticket alert' or just click this link. Some other train companies also offer this service. Incidentally, if you look at a date beyond the period when reservations are open, some websites will still show train times with more expensive flexible tickets available (which don't require a reservation), just wait till reservations open & the cheap tickets will appear.
How to buy train tickets online, if you live outside the UK...
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If you live in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, India etc, you can buy British train tickets online at genuine UK prices with no booking fee or credit card fee at www.virgintrains.co.uk. Their site happily accepts non-UK credit cards, doesn't charge any credit card or booking fee, you can select the option to collect tickets from the self-service ticket machines at most main British stations, including all the London ones, which is free of charge, or they'll send tickets overseas to any address worldwide for a £7.50 fee (must be signed for). Remember that bookings normally open 9-12 weeks before departure, you can't book before then. Beware of agencies in your home country selling point-to-point train tickets at inflated prices. Also remember that you'll need the same credit card used to make the booking to retrieve the ticket from the machines.
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For short distances (for example, London to Greenwich, Oxford or Cambridge) just buy a ticket at the station & hop on the next train. For longer distances (for example, London to Bath, York or Edinburgh) you can also buy tickets on the day, as advance reservation is never compulsory on any British train so they can never 'sell out', but the big advantage in pre-booking is that on long-distance routes you'll usually find cheap budget-airline-style 'Advance' fares. This may help: Quick guide to the 3 types of train ticket.
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If you have problems booking online, you can check train fares & availability at www.nationalrail.co.uk, then buy the same tickets at exactly the same prices via an international phone call, for example to Virgin Trains telesales on +44 870 9080 107.
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Using this advice, one traveller avoided a $183 (£110) London-Edinburgh fare and found a cheap £14 ($24) train ticket instead!
How to find the cheapest train tickets...
Train fares have a reputation for being complicated, but the Quick guide to the 3 types of train ticket on this page will make it simple. If you book a cheap 'no refunds, limited changes' ticket in advance you can find some great fares, for example:
Cheap train fares... |
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Cheapest available one-way Advance fares: |
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Journey: |
Fare starts at: |
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London - Edinburgh |
£14.50 |
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London - Glasgow |
£20 |
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London - Newcastle |
£13.50 |
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London - Leeds |
£11.50 |
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London - York |
£11.50 |
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London - Sheffield |
£15 |
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London - Manchester |
£12 |
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London - Liverpool |
£12 |
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London - Oxenholme (Lake District) |
£16 |
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How to find these cheap train tickets...
1. Book in advance, the earlier you book the more likely you are to find a cheap fare. You can buy these tickets online using the booking form on this page, or by phone or at a station, but buying online is easiest.
2. You can buy Advance fares a maximum of 12 weeks ahead, though it's sometimes less than this, perhaps 9 weeks in some cases. If reservations aren't yet open for your date of travel, sign up for an automatic 'ticket alert' from TheTrainline.com and they'll email you the moment bookings open. Be warned, if you look at a date beyond the period when reservations are open, some websites will then only show the more expensive flexible tickets (which don't require a reservation), you need to wait till reservations open & the cheap tickets will appear.
3. Like budget airline fares, Advance fares vary in price from train to train & day to day, so hunt around for the cheapest train. Obviously, Wednesday lunchtime is usually cheaper than Friday or Sunday afternoon...
4. If you can't find any cheap Advance fares on the date & time you want, use the 'Best Fare Finder' at www.thetrainline.com to track down the dates & times of day with the cheapest fares...
5. Advance fares are only valid on the train you've booked, no refunds, only limited changes to travel plans allowed... If you want flexibility, you'll need an Off-Peak fare or Anytime fare instead.
6. Bookings for Advance fares theoretically close at 18:59 the day before travel. But in practice they remove any remaining Advance fares at 23:59 on many routes, so it's worth trying even if you've just missed the deadline!
Other ways to make your journey cheaper: Railcards, Megatrain and 'split ticketing'...
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Consider getting a railcard if you're under 26, over 60, travel as a family, or have a registered disability. Railcards give 34% off Anytime, Off-Peak and Advance fares, see the section below.
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Megatrain.com: www.megatrain.com offers really cheap train tickets from just £1 on a handful of fairly random routes (the common factor is that they're all on train companies associated with Stagecoach group), usually on just a handful of trains a day. Routes include London to & from Liverpool, Runcorn, Sheffield, Nottingham, Loughborough, Coventry, Birmingham, Bath, Exeter, Salisbury, Portsmouth, Southampton, Bournemouth, Poole, Weymouth. Also some cross-country routes such as Birmingham to Edinburgh/Glasgow. Worth a look, although they keep trying to sell you a bus ticket.
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Split the journey, if two tickets are cheaper than one: You'll sometimes find a situation where the cost of a ticket from A to B plus a ticket from B to C is less than the cost of a ticket from A to C. As long as the train stops at 'B', you're entitled to use a combination of tickets, it's perfectly legal and there is absolutely no need to get off the train. For example, rather than buy a Penzance to Birmingham Off-Peak ticket you can save money by buying a Penzance to Cheltenham Off-peak ticket and a Cheltenham to Birmingham Off-peak ticket, as all the Penzance-Birmingham trains call at Cheltenham. Such situations usually arise where different pricing managers from different train companies price the various sections of route, and have not noticed the anomaly. It's less likely to happen on direct routes to and from London, as these will usually be priced by one pricing manager working for one train company who will naturally avoid creating any such anomalies if he can. There's now an app that will check if there are any combinations of tickets that will save you money, see http://splitticket.moneysavingexpert.com/tool.php. This app checks various combinations of walk-up (meaning Off-Peak or Anytime) tickets for any journey in Britain, although it doesn't check 'Advance' fares so remember that a pre-booked 'Advance' fare for the whole journey can still be cheaper than the combination of walk-up tickets which it suggests (You can check Advance fares using www.tpeexpress.co.uk). Once you've found combinations that save money, you can buy each of the tickets online at www.tpeexpress.co.uk or you can buy them all together at the ticket office at the station where your whole journey starts. Just make sure you choose a train that calls at he station where the tickets change over, as I've seen this app suggest combinations that change over at stations where many of the trains on that route don't call. But as I've said above, under Condition 19 of the National Rail Conditions of Carriage there is absolutely no need to get off the train, the only requirement for using a combination of tickets under Condition 19 is that the train itself calls there.
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Split the journey to avoid paying peak 'Anytime' fares for the whole trip: You can sometimes save money by splitting the journey into two tickets if your chosen train starts as a peak train but becomes an off-peak train en route. This tends to happen where Off-peak fares carry an 'any departure after 09:30' restriction, as they do in much of the Greater London area. For example, if you need a train leaving at 09:15 and arriving 10:00, why pay the peak 'Anytime' rate for your whole journey, it might be cheaper to pay the peak 'Anytime' rate to the first station at which the train stops after 09:30, then pay the cheaper Off-Peak rate from that station onwards.
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A word of warning about 'travelling short': There are many cases where it's cheaper to buy a ticket from A to C and get off at B. For example, a cheap limited-availability Advance ticket might be available from London to Edinburgh, but no cheap fares available to Newcastle, only Off-Peak or Anytime fares costing more than the cheap deal to Edinburgh. In practice you might get away with this, especially if there are no ticket barriers at your destination so you can just walk out of the station. But technically, you cannot break your journey with an Advance fare, nor with the outward portion of a long distance Off-Peak return fare. Under the National Rail Conditions of Carriage, ticket inspectors are entitled to charge you the difference in fare between what you've paid and the cheapest walk-up ticket for the journey you've actually made.
Railcards: How to save money if you're under 26, over 60, travel as a family, or have a disability...
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Railcards save you 34% off train fares if you're under 26 (16-25 Railcard), over 60 (Senior Railcard), a family or group of friends with at least one child (Family & Friends Railcard), or have certain types of disability (Disabled Person's Railcard).
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Railcards cost £28 and give 34% off Anytime, Off-Peak & Advance fares on all National Rail train operators in the UK.
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3-year Railcards are now available, costing £65 and so saving money over three annual cards.
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A railcard can pay for itself in just one or two long-distance train journeys. For example, an Off-Peak return London-Manchester costs around £65, so it's £43 return with a railcard, that's a £22 saving straight away.
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16-25 Railcards are for anyone between the ages of 16 & 25 (inclusive), or anyone of any age who is a student attending a college or university full-time. Buy online at www.16-25railcard.co.uk. You get 34% off almost all train fares, the key restriction is that a minimum fare of £12 applies to Anytime or Off-Peak one-way or return tickets (but not Advance tickets) if you travel before 10am on Mondays-Fridays. That's to stop people using it for commuter trips to work, and this restriction does not apply in July & August.
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Senior Railcards are for anyone over 60. Buy online at www.senior-railcard.co.uk, an get 34% off almost all rail fares. The only restriction is that you can't use the card for journeys wholly within the London & Southeast area in the morning rush hour on Mondays-Fridays (that's to stop the card being used for London commuting and to avoid adding to overcrowding at these times). See the website for more details.
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Family & Friends Railcards are for small groups of up to 4 adults and 4 children. You don't need to be related, as long as the party includes at least one child and all travels together. One Family & Friends railcard gets 34% off all the adult fares in the group (adults of any age) & 60% off all the child fares in the group. It can easily pay for itself in just one long-distance train trip! Buy online at www.family-railcard.co.uk.
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Disabled person's railcard. Read through www.disabledpersons-railcard.co.uk to see if you qualify.
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Network Railcard: See www.railcard.co.uk/network. This is the odd one out, as it isn't national, it just covers the old London & Southeast ('Network SouthEast') area, and it's for anyone of any age. It costs £28 for a year and gives 34% off most London & Southeast train fares after 10:00 on Mondays-Fridays, any time at weekends, subject to a £13 minimum fare on Mondays-Fridays. You can also take up to 3 other adults with you, also at 34% off, and up to 4 children aged 5-15 at 60% off the child fare (minimum fare £1) I have a Network Railcard, and it saves me money over the year on my off-peak trips into London. The fare from my local station to London is £19.30 off-peak return, so I pay £13 with my railcard, saving over £6 each time I go to London.
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For a summary of all railcards see www.railcard.co.uk. If you're from overseas, you still qualify for a railcard if you meet the age (or family group) criteria, so can still save money on your train travel within the UK, but you will need to buy in person at a station when you get here as they won't send railcards overseas. Railcards only give discounts on British train tickets, not for travel in mainland Europe, or on Heathrow Express or Eurostar.
General train travel information: www.nationalrail.co.uk
As well as online train times and fares, www.nationalrail.co.uk has:
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details of any major disruption and a 'live departure board' system showing whether trains are running on time.
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telephone numbers and addresses for lost property, travel assistance, current train running information, telesales and customer services departments for every train operator in Britain.
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general information for travelling on the UK national rail network.
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details of station facilities.
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links to each train operator's own website.
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There are left luggage offices at all the major London stations, also at Birmingham New Street, Edinburgh Waverley, Glasgow Central, Leeds, Liverpool Lime St, and Manchester Piccadilly. See www.left-baggage.co.uk. There's also a small office at Holyhead. Most other stations don't have left luggage facilities.
Are the trains running on time? Are there any delays or engineering works?
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Go to www.nationalrail.co.uk/ldb/, enter the name of your station to see a 'live departure board' showing train arrivals & departures in the next hour or two, and whether they are on time or not....
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Buy in UK...
Buy
in USA...Maps of the UK rail network...
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The best free online map of the UK train network is this: www.nationalrail.co.uk/system/galleries/download/print_maps/Network_Rail_geographic_map_2011.pdf
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This and other UK train network maps are listed on www.nationalrail.co.uk/passenger_services/maps/, including maps of the London urban rail network, London & Southeast area rail network, and urban networks around other big cities.
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An excellent Rail Map of Great Britain & Ireland is published by Thomas Cook, showing scenic routes, ferry routes and places of interest, buy this using the links on the right.
Train company websites...
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Go to www.nationalrail.co.uk, scroll right to the bottom and click 'Train Operating Companies' for each train company's website address, postal address & phone numbers.
First or Standard class?
Most leisure travellers go standard class, with first class used by businessmen. But if you pre-book you can find some great first class deals. First class fares on intercity trains run by Virgin Trains, East Coast and East Midlands Trains now include meals and drinks, at least on Mondays-Fridays.
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This is 1st class (above left) and standard class (above right) on a Virgin Trains Pendolino from London to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, the Lake District, Carlisle and Glasgow. As you can see, in standard class there 2+2 seats across the width of the car, in first class it's 2+1, so there's more elbow room, more legroom, and there's tables for two (below left). Below right, a full English breakfast with cereal, toast, tea or coffee and juice is served on Virgin Trains inter-city services leaving before 10:00 on weekdays. East Coast & East Midlands Trains offer a similar service. Another good reason for taking a morning train not plane from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester, Newcastle to London! |
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London Underground & Bus information...
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www.LondonTransport.co.uk for London Underground, bus, Docklands Light Railway, Croydon Tramlink and other London transport information.
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www.TheTube.com for London Underground information.
Need a taxi at the other end?
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www.traintaxi.co.uk shows up to date phone numbers for taxi firms local to each UK railway station. An excellent site!
Need a bus at the other end?
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www.traveline.org.uk allows you to check local bus times across the UK, or you can call Traveline on 0871 200 22 33. Traveline is a national initiative to make local travel information available on a single number nationwide. All call centres open 08:00-20:00, some open longer.
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www.transportdirect.co.uk is the new government transport information website, designed to give train, bus, road and air information for any journey within the UK.
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There is a system called PLUSBUS, where for £2-£3 more than the normal train fare you can add unlimited bus travel within your origin and/or destination city. So for example, instead of buying a normal return from London to Manchester for (say) £59, you can buy a return to "Manchester Plusbus" for just £2 or so more and get exactly the same train ticket but with unlimited free bus travel within central Manchester for the day added on. See www.plusbus.info for details of the 200 towns and cities in which PLUSBUS operates, or just ask when you buy your train ticket.
Need a ferry at the other end?
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Ferries to the Isle of Wight: www.wightlink.co.uk for Portsmouth-Ryde and Lymington-Yarmouth, www.redfunnel.co.uk for Southampton-Cowes, www.hovertravel.co.uk for hovercraft Portsmouth-Ryde. You can buy through train & ferry tickets between any mainland station and any isle of Wight station using the booking form above.
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Ferries to Jersey, Guernsey & the Channel Islands, see the Channel Islands page.
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Ferries to the Isle of Man, see the Isle of Man page.
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Ferry to the Scilly Isles: www.ios-travel.co.uk, also see the seat61 Cornwall page.
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Ferries to Skye and the Hebrides - Caledonian MacBrayne, www.calmac.co.uk.
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Ferries to Orkney and the Shetland Islands (Scrabster-Stromness and Aberdeen-Lerwick), www.northlinkferries.co.uk.
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Train+ferry travel to Belfast & Northern Ireland, see the Northern Ireland page.
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Train+ferry travel to Dublin & the Republic of Ireland, see the Ireland page.
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Train+ferry travel to Amsterdam & the Netherlands, see the Netherlands page.
For ferries to France, Spain, Belgium, Denmark, Norway & Sweden, see the relevant country page.
Taking your bike?
Most trains carry bicycles, sometimes for free, sometimes for a small fee with advance reservation required.
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See www.atob.org.uk for an excellent summary of the bike arrangements on every train operator.
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Details can also be found at www.nationalrail.co.uk and on individual train company websites.
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For information on taking your bike on Eurostar & other European trains, see the Taking your bike to Europe by train page.
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Only a few operators will carry tandems, for advice on train travel with tandems see www.tandem-club.org.uk/_tandemsontrains.htm.
BritRail
passes (unlimited train travel for overseas visitors)...
If you
live overseas and plan to visit the UK, you can buy a
'BritRail' pass which gives unlimited train travel on all 20+ British train
operators for various periods.
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BritRail prices & information if you live in the USA or Canada.
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BritRail prices & information if you live in Australia or NZ
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BritRail prices & information if you live in Asia, Africa, South America
Is it worth buying a BritRail pass? A pass is only worth it if you're going to make a number of long-distance train trips around Britain, so don't bother with a BritRail pass if all you're going to do is make one long-distance trip, or a number of relatively short trips. For longer distances, a BritRail pass typically works out about the same as a normal 'Off-Peak' flexible ticket bought on the day of travel, it's more expensive than the cheaper 'Advance' tickets, but is far cheaper than the 'Anytime' tickets needed to travel in the Monday-Friday business peaks, see the 30-second guide to UK rail fares. So if you want to make early starts on Monday-Fridays and have complete all-day flexibility, a BritRail pass is a great idea, but if you're prepared to avoid the Monday-Friday morning & afternoon business peaks, and especially if you book cheap tickets in advance at www.virgintrains.co.uk (no fee!) or www.thetrainline.com (small fee) on a no-refunds, no-changes-to-travel-plans basis, ordinary point-to-point tickets will be the same or cheaper than a pass. Before investing in a BritRail pass, check that normal tickets wouldn't be cheaper for what you plan to do, using www.virgintrains.co.uk or www.nationalrail.co.uk.
If you need hotel accommodation, click here. For budget backpacker hostels across the UK, see www.hostelbookers.com. BritRail passes are not available to UK residents.
Rail Rovers (unlimited train travel for UK citizens)...
If you're a UK resident, Rail Rovers give unlimited travel over all or selected parts of the British rail network, see www.nationalrail.co.uk/promotions. There are rail rovers covering the whole network or just certain areas. The All-Line Rail Rover gives unlimited travel over the whole British national rail network, cost as follows:
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7-day standard class All-Line Rail Rover £464 (child £232, 16-25/senior/disabled railcard holder £306)
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14-day standard class All-Line Rail Rover £702 (child £351, 16-25/senior/disabled railcard holder £463)
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7-day 1st class All-Line Rail Rover £702 (child £351, senior or disabled railcard holder £463)
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14-day 1st class All-Line Rail Rover £1,073 (child £536, senior or disabled railcard holder £708)
How to buy: You can check current prices & buy online at http://tickets.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/gw/en/journeyplanning/roversandrangers.Alternatively, you can buy Rail Rovers from any railway station or train operator telesales line. You can only buy one from stations within 3 days of the date you want them to start. If you have any trouble buying a rail rover, ask them to look in section G of their fares manual.
Travel restrictions: The All-Line rover used to be valid on all national rail trains without restrictions but some time restrictions were introduced in January 2011 to stop business travellers using it on certain key business routes. No restrictions apply on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays, but on Mondays to Fridays the All-Line Rail Rover is not valid for boarding or alighting train services operated by Virgin Trains, East Coast, East Midlands Trains or CrossCountry at the following stations before 10:00:
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London Euston
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London Kings Cross
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London St Pancras International
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Birmingham New Street
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Bedford
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Luton
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Luton Airport Parkway
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Milton Keynes Central
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Stevenage
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Watford Junction
There are no restrictions on these companies' trains at other stations or on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, or on other companies' trains at any station on any day. So it's no problem using a First Great Western train getting in to London before 10:00, or a ScotRail sleeper arriving at London Euston before 10:00.
How to get around these new restrictions from Edinburgh, Newcastle, York, Leeds etc: You cannot use your Rail Rover on a weekday from (say) Edinburgh or Newcastle to London if it arrives in London before 10:00, but you can use it on the same train as far as Peterborough where no alighting restrictions apply, then use a suburban train run by First Capital Connect for the rest of the journey to London, even if this arrives in London before 10:00.
All-Line Rail Rovers are also valid on the Ffestiniog Railway, and on Caledonian sleepers (seated cars free, sleepers if you pay the berth supplement). They are not valid on Eurostar, Heathrow Express, Heathrow Connect, London Underground or Docklands, heritage railways (except Ffestiniog Railways) or shipping services. For information on rail rovers covering other areas call National Rail Enquiries on 08457 48 49 50.
London tours & sightseeing...
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Buy a London Pass giving free entry to all the main attractions.
To Europe by train...
See the Europe page for information on how to travel from the UK to destinations all over Europe by train.
Taking a UK train to connect with Eurostar?
See the Buying train tickets to Europe page for advice on Eurostar through tickets from many UK towns and cities, or the special connecting train tickets from most British stations to 'London International'.
The Man in Seat Sixty-One book...
An essential handbook for train or ferry travel from the UK into Europe, based on this website and written by yours truly. Published in paperback by Transworld, click to buy at Amazon.co.uk.
London to Scotland by sleeper...
For times, fares & information, see the Caledonian Sleeper page.
It's the most civilised, romantic and time-effective way from central London to the heart of Scotland. Every night except Saturday night, two Caledonian Sleeper trains leave London's Euston station, one around 21:15 for Dundee, Stirling, Perth, Gleneagles, Aviemore, Aberdeen, Inverness and Fort William, the other around 23:50 for Edinburgh and Glasgow. These sleeper trains are miniature hotels on rails, with 1- & 2-berth sleeping compartments with proper beds and washbasin, fully-air-conditioned, plus a lounge car with steward service of wine, beer, spirits, soft drinks and snacks. There are also economy reclining seats. The Caledonian Sleepers are run by ScotRail, the Scottish train company, and are crewed by Scottish staff - a little bit of Scotland that visits London six nights a week. Book sleepers online at www.thetrainline.com (small booking fee applies) or at www.scotrail.co.uk, or call ScotRail on 08457 55 00 33.
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The Caledonian Sleeper waits to leave London Euston on its 500 mile journey to the Highlands of Scotland. |
1-berth sleeper (= First class). |
2-berth sleeper (= Standard class). |
The most wonderful train in Britain?
Easily
the most amazing train ride in Britain is the
overnight Caledonian Sleeper from London to Fort
William, sometimes known as 'The Deerstalker'...
Why? Imagine the convenience of a train that leaves rainy central London after work at 21:00 and arrives at Fort William in the glorious Scottish West Highlands at the foot of Ben Nevis (the highest mountain in Britain) at 09:43 next morning. Imagine a trip where you go to bed as the train speeds through familiar London suburbs at 80mph, then wake up in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by mountains, streams and woods, sunlight streaming through the window, deer bounding away from the train, a diesel locomotive struggling to haul the two sleeping-cars and lounge car up the gradients and around the sharp curves of the scenic West Highland Line at 40 mph. Imagine a train that has almost 'cruise train' facilities - private sleeping compartments and a plush lounge - yet on which you can travel for little over £60.
Fares start at £66.10 each way including a light breakfast sharing a 2-berth room or £164.70 with a room to yourself. Passengers travelling alone can book a berth in a 2-berth room and share with another passenger of the same sex, if they don't want to pay the 1st class single berth fare. You can also get special online 'Bargain Berth' fares for just £19/£29/£39/£49 one-way, although these cheap deals are few and far between on this particular train.
Anyone who lives in the South of England but who loves the Scottish Highlands should know about this train. If you fancy a weekend away in the heart of the Highlands, this train makes it possible! Book online on the Caledonian Sleeper page or call ScotRail on 08457 55 00 33.
To complete the experience, take the connecting train from Fort William to the end of the line at Mallaig, a small fishing port and ferry terminal for Skye. This is one of the most scenic sections of line anywhere in the UK. Or you could climb Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in Britain - the main track up 'the Ben' starts just 15 minutes walk from Fort William station.
See the West Highland Line page for more information...
For train & ferry travel to Jersey & Guernsey, see the Channel Islands page...
Condor Ferries operate fast catamarans from Weymouth & Poole to Jersey & Guernsey, and a conventional ship from Portsmouth to Jersey & Guernsey. Special combined train & ferry fares are available from any station in the UK to Guernsey or Jersey. See the Channel Islands page for more information, or visit www.condorferries.co.uk.
See the Isle of Man page.
There are special train & ferry fares from any station in Britain to Douglas, see the Isle of Man page for prices & how to buy tickets.
Quick
guide to British train fares
Long-distance train fares...
They say train fares are complicated. But for all practical purposes, there are now just 3 types of fare making it as simple as 1, 2 3. All the train companies now use the same 3 names for the same 3 types of ticket. Always confirm the exact restrictions and conditions when you buy your ticket. If you're buying a ticket to connect with a Eurostar to Paris or Brussels, see this page. Railcard info.
1. Anytime.Fully-flexible.Any train, any time. |
Anytime fares are a simple concept: Valid any time, any day, any train, any operator. Aimed at business travellers, Anytime fares are fully-flexible but expensive, for example London-Manchester over £139 one-way, £279 return. Valid by any permitted route unless a specific route is shown on the ticket. You can break your journey in either direction. Valid 1 month. No advance booking is necessary, you can turn up and get on any train on which your ticket is valid without a reservation. Refundable less an admin fee if unused. One-way fares normally half the cost of a return. They were called 'Open' fares before September 2008. |
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2. Off-peak.Semi-flexible,any train with time restrictions. |
Off-Peak fares are valid on any train, any day, any time except during the Monday-Friday business travel peaks. The exact time restriction varies by route, so you'll have to ask. But they're generally valid any time at weekends, and (it's fairly safe to assume) after 10:30 on Monday-Fridays. They are usually not valid on trains leaving London (or Reading, Watford, Luton or Stevenage) between 15:00-19:00 Mondays-Fridays. However, many Off-Peak tickets have more generous restrictions than this. Off-peak tickets are more affordable, for example London-Manchester £69 one-way, £70 return. Off-Peak fares were called 'Saver' fares before September 2008. You must make the outward journey on the date shown on the ticket, but can return any day within 1 month. but the exact time restriction varies by route and destination, so you'll have to ask. No advance booking is necessary, you can simply turn up and buy an Off-Peak ticket on the day and get on any train on which your ticket is valid without a reservation. You can take any train operator's train, travel via any permitted route, unless a specific operator or route is shown on the ticket. You can break your journey on the return leg, but not the outward leg. Refundable less an admin fee (usually £20) if unused. One-way off-peak fares for long-distance journeys are usually at only £1 less than the return, so don't buy a one-way unless you're sure you won't need to come back. A few train companies also have more expensive but less restrictive versions. |
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3. Advance.Cheap, inflexible,specific train only. |
Advance fares are also simple concept to grasp. They're airline-style cheap tickets, only valid on the train you've booked, no refunds, limited or no change of travel plans allowed. They must be booked by 18:00 the day before travel (in reality available until 23:59 in many cases). No break of journey allowed, so you cannot join the train at a station en route, or get off at a station before the one you're booked to. Limited numbers of seats are available at each price level, so book early to get the cheapest fare. Use www.nationalrail.co.uk to check availability. They are now normally priced as one-way fares, so you can combine the cheapest fare for your outward journey with the cheapest fare for your return leg. Example: London-Manchester from £11.50 each way. |
Short distance fares & fares in the London & South East area...
The same three types apply to short distances too, though obviously you won't find Advance tickets for very short journeys. And for shorter journeys, and journeys within the London & Southeast area, Anytime & Off-Peak tickets tend to be valid for just one day, not a month.
1. Anytime. For peak travel. |
Fully-flexible fares, but for shorter journeys valid only for 1 day, not a month. Valid at any time, on any train, by any train operator, by any permitted route (unless a specific route is shown on the ticket). You can break your journey in either direction. Refundable less an admin fee (usually £20). Priced for commuters. |
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2. Off-peak. For off-peak travel. |
Off-Peak day returns: Short-distance Off-Peak fares are valid 1 day only, on any train at weekends, and after the morning rush hour (about 09:30) on Mondays-Fridays*. After the Monday-Friday morning peak*, they are valid on any train, by any train operator, by any permitted route (unless a specific route is shown on the ticket). You can break your journey in either direction. Refundable less an admin fee (usually £20) if unused. Priced for a day out! * on routes from Paddington, Liverpool Street, Kings Cross, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, etc. there is an evening peak hour restriction out of London. Super Off-Peak day returns: A few train companies offer a second, cheaper type of off-peak ticket with tighter time restrictions, for example leaving after 1pm. Restrictions vary by route, so you'll have to ask. Off-peak period returns: On medium distances, there may also be a period Off-Peak return valid for 1 month, on any train at weekends, after the morning peak hour on Mondays-Fridays) or in some cases valid any time at weekends, after 09:30 on Mondays-Fridays, outward travel on the date on the ticket, return travel within 5 days. |
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Which train operators & routes can I use with my ticket?
People get hung up on there being 20+ different train operators, but it's actually pretty simple. The government requires train operators to work together as a network, so:
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If your ticket says 'Route any permitted' (as most of them do) then it is valid on any train operator's train, via any of the permitted routes between your origin and destination, although obviously if you have an Off-Peak ticket you must stick to any time restrictions which apply to it. There are no time restrictions with an Anytime ticket. An Advance ticket is only valid on the specific train you've booked.
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If your ticket gives a specific route, for example 'Route Taunton' then it is valid on any train operator's train, via any of the permitted routes for that journey that pass through the specified place, in this case Taunton.
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Only if it says (for example) 'Route Virgin Trains only' are you restricted to using only the trains of that particular train company, in this example those of Virgin Trains. Advance tickets are only valid on the specific train you're booked on, so are by definition only valid on a particular train company's train - you'll sometimes see the letters 'AP' added to the route, for example 'Route AP Virgin Trains only', AP simply stands for Advance Purchase. However, it's relatively rare to find Anytime & Off-peak fares valid only on trains of a specific operator, and where they do exist there are almost always 'route any permitted' anytime & off-peak fares as well.
Why are there several 'Anytime' & 'Off-Peak' tickets for my journey, all with different prices? Unfortunately, online ticket systems don't usually show the ticket routing. So you might see two 'Anytime' fares from (say) London to Hull, one apparently valid on all the trains, the other only valid on a handful of trains and cheaper than the first one. The reason is simple, in this case the first one is the 'route any permitted' anytime fare, the other is a cheaper 'route Hull Trains only' anytime fare only valid on Hull Trains' own services. Similarly, you may find two Anytime or Off-Peak tickets between London & (say) Birmingham, one valid on all trains, the other only on some of the trains. In this case it's because there are two sets of fares to Birmingham, one set being the 'route any permitted' fares valid on all routes & operators, the second being cheaper 'route High Wycombe' fares valid on all operators but only on the slower route via High Wycombe. This would be obvious, rather than confusing, if the online systems stated the ticket routing for each fare they showed, but they don't. The choice between (on the one hand) slower but cheaper and (on the other hand) faster, more frequent but more expensive, is up to you.
Breaking your journey ('stopovers'): With an Off-Peak ticket you can take an interesting or scenic route and change trains as much as you like without leaving the station, as long as you stay within the time restrictions which apply to your ticket and stick to one of the permitted routes (see below). However, you can only break your journey (i.e. stop off and leave the station) on the return leg of an Off-Peak return, not on the outward leg of an Off-Peak return, and not at all on an Off-Peak one-way ticket. With an Anytime one-way or return ticket, there are no time restrictions and you can break your journey anywhere you like along any of the permitted routes.
How are fares set? Here comes the science bit... Behind the scenes, fare setting works like this: Every origin-destination pair (known as a 'flow') is allocated to a particular train operator who has the right and the obligation to set the fares. This operator is known as the 'Lead Operator' for that flow. Once the Lead Operator has set the fares, every other operator serving any part of that flow (known as the 'Secondary Operators') are legally obliged to accept those fares for travel on their trains. As I've said, Advance fares are by definition only valid on one train operator's trains, and both Lead Operators and Secondary Operators are allowed to set Advance fares for their own trains. In addition Secondary Operators are allowed to set other (more flexible) fare types for their own trains, although only a few choose to do so. For example, you'll see 'anytime' & 'off-peak' fares from London to Hull routed 'Hull Trains only' set by Secondary Operator Hull Trains, in addition to the main London to Hull 'route any permitted' anytime & off-peak fares set by Lead Operator National Express East Coast. However, Lead Operators are not permitted to set fares which are only valid on their own trains, other than Advance fares, temporary fares & first class fares. Revenue from the fares set by Lead Operators is shared between all operators serving that route, based on a computer system called ORCATS which models the proportion of passenger miles travelled on each operator.
What are the permitted routes?
The 'permitted routes' for a given origin & destination are set out in a document called the National Routeing Guide. Don't worry about getting hold of a copy, even ticket clerks can't understand it half the time, just accept that it exists, and its contents have been incorporated into the various journey planning systems such as those used on nationalrail.co.uk, thetrainline.com & raileasy.com. To give you a flavour of how flexible the permitted routes are:
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The shortest route by regular train service between the origin and destination is always a permitted route;
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You'll generally find that most other reasonable routes are permitted, in addition to the shortest one.
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If you use a through service (in other words, a direct train with no changes) then it is always considered a permitted route as long as you stay on that train, even if the train takes a round-about route;
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From London to Birmingham for example, permitted routes are the West Coast Main Line from Euston via Milton Keynes, the slower route from Marylebone via High Wycombe & Banbury, and the route from Paddington via Reading, Oxford & Banbury. The rail maps on nationalrail.co.uk may help you understand the routes quoted here.
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From London to Edinburgh, Glasgow & most stations in Scotland for example, the permitted routes include the two obvious main lines with direct trains (East Coast Main Line from Kings Cross via York & Newcastle, West Coast Main Line from Euston via Crewe & Carlisle, plus the Midland Main Line from St Pancras via Leicester, Derby or Nottingham, Sheffield, Leeds and the scenic Settle & Carlisle route, and permutations of those routes involving travel from Liverpool Street via Cambridge & Ely to Peterborough then on via York & Newcastle, plus the route from Paddington via Reading, Oxford, Birmingham & on via Carlisle. However, going via Swindon & Gloucester is not permitted as it's too far west, nor is going via Ipswich which is too far east. The rail maps on nationalrail.co.uk may help you understand the routes quoted here.
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There are a few quirks in the system, naturally. A key one involves London to or from Devon & Cornwall. In theory, a 'route any permitted' ticket between London & Exeter (or anywhere west of Exeter) would be equally valid from Paddington via Bristol & Taunton or Westbury & Taunton, or on the slower scenic route from Waterloo via Salisbury & Honiton. However, the fares system in fact only contains a set of fares routed 'Taunton' and another set routed 'Honiton' as this is what was inherited from British Rail, there aren't any 'route any permitted' fares available. But don't worry, under the National Rail Conditions of Carriage you're entitled to travel on a different route from the one shown on your ticket (assuming it's not a train-specific Advance ticket, of course) on payment of a 'change of route' excess fare. This is the difference, if any, between the fare paid for the original route and the cheapest walk-up ticket valid for the train & route now being taken. Since the faster route via Taunton has the more expensive fares and the tighter time restrictions on its off-peak tickets, this 'change of route' excess fare normally costs nothing if you have a 'route Taunton' ticket but choose to travel via Honiton & Salisbury to/from Waterloo in one or both directions. If the conductor tries to tell you your ticket isn't valid, politely suggest he consults his Ticket Examiner's Handbook and National Rail Conditions of Carriage, and ask for a 'change of route excess fare' at zero cost.
London Terminals, London R1256, London zone U1...?
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When buying a ticket to London, the cheapest option is to buy a ticket simply to the relevant London station, but for a little more money you can buy a ticket which includes onward Underground travel to an Underground station in a given zone, or even unlimited London bus & Underground travel all that day.
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A ticket to 'London Terminals' (listed in some online booking systems as 'London mainline stations' or similar) means a ticket valid only as far as the London station where trains arrive from that particular starting point. For example, a ticket from Manchester to London Terminals would be valid to London Euston, a ticket from Oxford to London Terminals would be valid to London Paddington (in fact also to London Waterloo as there's an alternative route from Oxford into Waterloo).
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A ticket to 'London R1256', with 'Travelcard' as a ticket type means a ticket to London with unlimited bus & Underground travel included all that day in all 6 London travel zones.
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A ticket to 'London U1' is a ticket to London which includes onward travel by Underground to any station you like in Underground zone 1. In this case it does not include unlimited Underground travel, just one journey (or a return journey if it's a return ticket).
Hotels &
accommodation
Find hotels all over Britain...
You can book hotels almost anywhere in Britain through www.hotelscombined.com, just use the search box below.
◄◄◄◄ Search all the main hotel booking sites at once...
I'm a big fan of www.hotelscombined.com as it checks all the main hotel booking sites (Opodo, Expedia, Booking.com, Hotels.com, AsiaRooms, LateRooms etc.) to find the widest choice of hotels & the cheapest rates. Try it and see! |
Other hotel sites worth trying...
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www.tripadvisor.com is a good place to find independent travellers' reviews of the main hotels, and it has the low-down on destination sights & attractions, too.
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www.booking.com is my own preferred hotel booking system (Hotels Combined being a search/comparison system). It has a simple interface, a good selection in most countries worldwide, useful online customer reviews of each hotel, and decent prices, usually shown inclusive of unavoidable extras such as taxes (a pet hate of mine is systems that show one price, then charge you another!).
For something special...
www.mrandmrssmith.com (no relation!) is the place to start if you want something special for an anniversary, honeymoon, romantic break or other special occasion. www.mrandmrssmith.com lists hand-picked boutique hotels in London, Edinburgh, Bath, York, in fact all over the UK.