How to travel from Manchester to London

Fri, Sep 04
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Travel by train, bus, flight with
Avanti West Coast
National Express
British Airways
West Midlands Trains
FlixBus
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Avanti West Coast
National Express
British Airways
West Midlands Trains
FlixBus
1,000+ more
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Travel Information

Compare train, bus, and flight for Manchester to London

Omio recommends booking the train as it is the most popular option from Manchester to London among Omio's users. If you are prioritising price, take the bus, with an average ticket price of €16 For those with little time, consider booking a train, which has an average total journey time of 3h 42m. If you are seeking to minimise your carbon footprint, the train is your best option, with estimated CO2 emissions of 0.1 - 0.2kg. Average ticket prices depend on the travel mode: a bus costs an average of €16, while a flight costs an average of €185.

Distance: 262 km

Compare train with

Most popular
Train
Bus
Flight
Driving

€41

Average price

€16

Average price

Cheapest

€185

Average price

€83

Average price

(fuel + tolls)

3h 42m

Average total duration

Fastest

3h 12m

Onboard

+

30m

Additional time*

4h 7m

Average total duration

3h 37m

Onboard

+

30m

Additional time*

5h 6m

Average total duration

3h 6m

Onboard

+

2h 0m

Additional time*

4h 11m

Average total duration

(door-to-door)

0.1 - 0.2kg

CO2 emissions

Lowest

0.3 - 0.7kg

CO2 emissions

0.8 - 1.6kg

CO2 emissions

-

CO2 emissions

Avanti West Coast

Most popular train company

National Express

Most popular bus company

British Airways

Most popular airline

Your own car or car rental

Direct Options

Direct Options

Direct Options

Direct Options

Additional time: Average total travel duration to departure point, security checks and transfers.

The cheapest way to travel from Manchester to London is a bus with an average price of €16.

This is compared to other travel options from Manchester to London:

A bus is €24 less than a train for this route with tickets for a train from Manchester to London costing on average €41.

A bus is €169 less than a flight for this route with tickets for a flight from Manchester to London costing on average €185.

The fastest way to travel from Manchester to London is by train with an average journey time of 3h 42m.

Other travel options to London take longer:

Bus takes on average 4h 7m.

Flight takes on average 5h 6m.

It's helpful to compare your options as there are 3 ways to travel between Manchester and London including taking a train, bus, and flight.

Travel options
from Manchester to London

How to get from Manchester to London by train, bus or flight.

Our recommendation

train

The best way to travel from Manchester to London is by taking a train because it’s the best combination of price and speed.

  • West Midlands TrainsC16976 · P69538+Transport for WalesW44839
    7:30 PM4h41
    Manchester Piccadilly (MAN)
    12:11 AMLondon Euston (EUS)
    171One-way
    2 transfers

Cheapest

  • West Midlands TrainsC16976 · P69538+Transport for WalesW44839
    7:30 PM4h41
    Manchester Piccadilly (MAN)
    12:11 AMLondon Euston (EUS)
    171One-way
    2 transfers

Fastest

  • British AirwaysBA1373
    8:10 PM1h00
    Manchester Airport
    9:10 PMLondon Heathrow Airport
    2361One-way
    0 transfers

Other options

  • Transport for WalesG38892+West Midlands TrainsC16972 · Y80931
    6:30 PM4h24
    Manchester Piccadilly (MAN)
    10:54 PMLondon Euston (EUS)
    201One-way
    2 transfers
  • Transport for WalesG38880+West Midlands TrainsC18015
    1:30 PM3h54
    Manchester Piccadilly (MAN)
    5:24 PMLondon Euston (EUS)
    301One-way
    1 transfer
  • Transport for WalesG38882+West Midlands TrainsC17791
    2:30 PM3h54
    Manchester Piccadilly (MAN)
    6:24 PMLondon Euston (EUS)
    301One-way
    1 transfer
  • FlixBusFlixBus
    10:20 AM3h45
    Manchester, Princess Road / Moss Lane East
    2:05 PMLondon, Finchley Road ("Subway" restaurant)
    181One-way
    0 transfers
  • FlixBusFlixBus
    9:00 AM4h00
    Manchester, Shudehill Interchange
    1:00 PMLondon, Finchley Road ("Subway" restaurant)
    181One-way
    0 transfers
  • FlixBusFlixBus
    10:00 AM4h05
    Manchester, Shudehill Interchange
    2:05 PMLondon, Finchley Road ("Subway" restaurant)
    181One-way
    0 transfers
  • British AirwaysBA1369
    4:50 PM1h05
    Manchester Airport
    5:55 PMLondon Heathrow Airport
    1951One-way
    0 transfers
  • British AirwaysBA1361
    10:35 AM1h10
    Manchester Airport
    11:45 AMLondon Heathrow Airport
    2361One-way
    0 transfers
  • British AirwaysBA1363
    12:20 PM1h10
    Manchester Airport
    1:30 PMLondon Heathrow Airport
    2361One-way
    0 transfers

Find all the dates and times for this journey by train, bus, flight, and ferry .

Compare prices and tickets Prices for trains, buses and flights

Compare train, bus, and flight prices over the next three weeks. See the best deals at a glance, find the lowest fares, and choose the option that fits your budget.

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General Information About the Journey from Manchester to London

There are a number of ways to get from Manchester to London, including flying, taking the bus or the train. Though flying offers the quickest journey time, after factoring in journey and waiting times, trains and buses are both convenient options, taking just a few hours longer and arriving into Central London. Trains arrive at Euston Station, buses at London Victoria and flights into Heathrow Airport.

Buses from Manchester to London

There are two operators that run bus services from Manchester to London. Flixbus operates 12 direct services per day from Shudehill Interchange to London Victoria with the first bus just after 3:00 a.m. and the last leaving before midnight. National Express also runs 12 services per day from Manchester Coach Station to London Victoria between 4:30 a.m. and just before midnight. The journey takes roughly between four and six hours.

Trains from Manchester to London

There are 3 - 4 trains per hour from Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston, with the first service leaving Manchester just after 5:00 a.m. The service is operated by Virgin Trains and the journey takes between two and just over three hours, depending on whether it is direct, or with one change.

Flights from Manchester to London

There are approximately thirteen direct flights from Manchester Airport to London Heathrow operated by British Airways and Virgin Little Red. It takes roughly an hour to fly between the two cities.

More than 1,000 travel companies trust us to sell their tickets all in one place.

Trenitalia
Easyjet
Deutsche Bahn
SNCF

FAQs: Travel from Manchester to London

Travel to London easily. Whether you want fast, cheap or something entirely different, our travel experts have collected everything you need to know so you can find the best option from Manchester to London.

FAQs
There are 3 options to travel between Manchester and London including taking a train, bus, and flight.
The cheapest way to travel from Manchester to London is a bus with an average price of €16.

This is compared to other travel options from Manchester to London:

A bus is €24 less than a train for this route with tickets for a train from Manchester to London costing on average €41.

A bus is €169 less than a flight for this route with tickets for a flight from Manchester to London costing on average €185.

The fastest way to travel from Manchester to London is by train with an average journey time of 3h 42m.

Other travel options to London take longer:

Bus takes on average 4h 7m.

Flight takes on average 5h 6m.

The Manchester to London distance is approximately 262 km.
The average frequency per day from Manchester to London is:
  • Around 63 buses per day.
  • Around 17 trains per day.
  • Around 13 flights per day.

However, we recommend checking specific travel dates for your route between Manchester and London as scheduled services by train, bus, and flight can vary by season or day of the week.

These are the most popular departure and arrival points from Manchester to London:
  • Flights mostly depart from Manchester Airport and arrive in London Heathrow Airport.
  • Trains mostly depart from Manchester Piccadilly (MAN) and arrive in London Euston (EUS).
  • Buses mostly depart from Manchester, Coach Station and arrive in London, Victoria Coach Station.
If finding a good deal is your main consideration for your trip from Manchester to London, then we'll help you find the best value travel companies for you:
  • Travel with Avanti West Coast, West Midlands Trains, East Midlands Railway, CrossCountry, Lumo, London North Eastern Railway to go to London by train.
  • Travel with British Airways to go to London by flight.
  • Travel with National Express, FlixBus, Megabus, DoggioBus to go to London by bus.
Yes, there are direct services available from Manchester to London with the following travel companies:
  • 11 direct trains per day with Avanti West Coast.
  • 7 direct flights per day with British Airways.
  • 59 direct buses per day with National Express, FlixBus, Megabus, DoggioBus.
Omio customers who travel from Manchester to London often also extend their vacation to go to Paris, Edinburgh, Amsterdam, Brussels, Liverpool. Omio can help you plan your trip by finding the best connections between London and these popular destinations at a great price.
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