Cardiff is situated on the south-east coast of Wales and has excellent road and rail connections to London and other major British cities. Cardiff has an international airport (CWL) with direct flights to various European destinations as well as world-wide connections via Amsterdam.
This is a guide to reaching Cardiff from the closest major airports. Links to useful transportation websites are on our Life in the UK page.
If you would like to book a taxi transfer from an airport with CELT, please see our Taxi Transfer price list.
From Cardiff Airport
Train: The 905 shuttle bus is available to carry passengers on the short journey between the airport terminal and the railway station, taking about 5-10 minutes. A rail link connects Rhoose Cardiff International Airport Station to Cardiff Central Station. Trains run every hour. A single ticket to the city centre costs approximately £5.00.
Bus: The 304 bus departs from outside the main airport terminal every 30 minutes and takes approximately half an hour to travel to the city centre of Cardiff. This service costs £3.40 each way.
From Bristol Airport
Coach: The National Express coach company offers direct coaches from Bristol Airport to Cardiff city centre up to 10 times a day. The trip takes approximately an hour and a half and costs between £9 – £18 (depending on the time of day) for a one-way ticket. Tickets can be booked in advance at their website.
Flixbus, another coach company, also runs a direct service from Bristol Airport to Cardiff city centre.
Train: Take the Airport Flyer Express Link service from Bristol Airport to Bristol Temple Meads Station. Trains to Cardiff run every 30 mins. (approx.) and it takes 50 minutes to travel to Cardiff Central Station. You can view timetables and purchase tickets at this website. A one-way ticket costs approximately £15.00.
From London Heathrow Airport
Train: The Heathrow Express service runs between London Heathrow and Paddington railway station and takes only 15 minutes. It is also possible to take the new Elizabeth Line from T2-T5 London Heathrow to Paddington and takes approx. 29 minutes.
Direct trains from London Paddington to Cardiff leave every 30 minutes (approx.) and take approximately two hours. A one-way ticket can cost between £55.00 and £85.00 but is usually cheaper when booked in advance.
Coach: National Express coaches run several direct services throughout the day from London Heathrow Airport to Cardiff with the journey taking approximately 3.5 hours. View timetables and book tickets here. A one-way ticket starts from approximately £36.00 but it is usually cheaper when booked in advance. Flixbus also runs direct coaches between Heathrow Airport and Cardiff City Centre.
From London Gatwick Airport
Train: The Gatwick Express is a non-stop train service to London Victoria station which runs every 15 minutes with a journey time of 30 minutes. For more information, visit the website.
From London Victoria take the London Underground Circle Line (in the direction of High Street Kensington) to London Paddington Station. From here Trains run to and from Cardiff Central hourly and the journey takes about two hours. A one-way ticket can cost between £55.00 and £85.00 but is usually cheaper when booked in advance.
Coach: National Express coaches run direct coaches from Gatwick Airport to Cardiff. Flixbus, also runs direct coaches between Gatwick Airport (North & South Terminals) and Cardiff City Centre.
From London Stansted Airport
The Stansted Express runs every 15 minutes and reaches London Liverpool Street in 46 minutes. Trains depart from Stansted Airport rail station, situated directly below the terminal. For more information, visit the website.
From Liverpool Street station take the London Underground Circle or Hammersmith and City lines (in the direction of Hammersmith) to London Paddington Station. From here Trains go to and from Cardiff Central hourly and the journey takes about two hours. A one-way ticket can cost between £55.00 and £85.00 but is usually cheaper when booked in advance.
From London Luton Airport
London Luton Airport, Airport Way, Luton, England LU2 9LU, United Kingdom
There is a bus that runs every 10 minutes from Luton Airport to Luton Airport Parkway railway station – this bus takes about 10 minutes. From this train station, take any train to London St. Pancras station. From there you can take the London Underground metro system, using the westbound Circle or Hammersmith & City Line to Paddington Station. Trains run every couple of minutes, with an average journey of 7 minutes. Paddington is the fifth stop. From here, trains run direct to Cardiff throughout the day and the journey takes about 2 hours.