Travel information
By air
London Stansted Airport (some way North East of London). This is the nearest airport, situated 25 miles (40km) south of Cambridge, 45 minutes by bus or 30 minutes by train.
Train:
- Stansted’s train station is directly below the terminal building. You can look up train times at National Rail Enquiries and buy tickets either in advance or at the station. You can either take the train for Birmingham New Street, which is a direct train to Cambridge and takes just over 30 minutes (this service is usually hourly), or get a train to Bishops Stortford and change there to get a train to Cambridge. This will take about 50 minutes.
Coach:
- Stansted’s bus station is opposite the main terminal entrance. The coach from Stansted to Cambridge is operated by National Express (coach no. 717 or 797). You can look up coach times and fares on the National Express website. Coach tickets can be bought at the ticket desk in arrivals, in the coach station, on the coach, or online. In Cambridge, the coach stop is ‘Parkside’, a 10 minute walk from Emmanuel College.
London Heathrow Airport (West London)
Train:
- You can travel from Heathrow Airport to Cambridge by train. First you need to take the Underground from Heathrow to King’s Cross Station. This takes about an hour on the Piccadilly line. Then from King’s Cross you take a direct train to Cambridge. However, Cambridge Railway Station is not in the city centre, but about 1.1 miles (1.6km) away. Taking the coach can be faster, as it stops near to Emmanuel College.
Coach:
- London Heathrow is about two hours from Cambridge by coach. The airport coaches are run by National Express – you can look up coach times and fares on the National Express website. The coaches leave from the Central Bus Station (for terminals 1 to 3), and from outside Terminal 4 (see the Heathrow website). In Cambridge, the coach stop is ‘Parkside’, a 10 minute walk from Emmanuel College.
London Gatwick Airport (South of London)
Train:
- Suggestion 1: There is a frequent direct train from Gatwick Airport to London Victoria Station. From here, take the Underground (Victoria Line) to King’s Cross and get a direct train from there to Cambridge.
- Suggestion 2: Take the Bedford train from Gatwick Airport to London St. Pancras. Then walk to King’s Cross (just next door to St Pancras) and get the direct train from King’s Cross to Cambridge. You can look up train times at National Rail Enquiries and buy tickets either in advance or at the station.
Coach:
- London Gatwick is three to five hours from Cambridge by coach, depending on the time of day. The airport coaches are operated by National Express. You can look up coach times and fares on the National Express website and find coach information on the Gatwick Airport website. In Cambridge, the coach stop is ‘Parkside’, a 10 minute walk from Emmanuel College.
By train
- To check train times to Cambridge from stations around the country and to buy tickets, see the National Rail Enquiries website.
- From London: There are frequent trains from King’s Cross and Liverpool Street stations. The journey takes about an hour. Avoid the slow train that stops at all the stations between London and Cambridge. It takes about two hours and you’d be better waiting for the next fast train, which will reach Cambridge before it!
- Please note: Cambridge Railway Station is not in the city centre, but about 1.1 miles (1.6km) away. If you do not want to walk, there is a taxi rank outside the station. Alternatively, take the Citi 1, Citi 3, or Citi 7 bus into the town centre.
Photo credit: @camdiary