How to get to Swansea

By plane

There are several options to travel to Swansea by plane.

• The nearest international airport is Cardiff International Airport. This airport predominantly uses KLM and flies via Amsterdam.
• Bristol Airport is often a good choice as it is larger and a wide range of airlines fly there.
  • To get from Bristol Airport to Swansea, you need to take a bus to either Bristol Temple Meads train station and from there to Swansea, or you can sometimes take the bus to Newport and then take the faster train to Swansea.
• London Heathrow
  • This is one of the largest airports in the world and has excellent connections. To get from Heathrow to Swansea there are several choices:
    • Take either the Heathrow Express or the Tube (slower but cheaper) to Paddington Train Station. From Paddington there are direct trains to Swansea every hour.
    • Take the coach to Reading and then change to the direct train to Swansea.
    • Take the coach to Swansea. Sometimes you need to change at Cardiff. Beware the Cardiff coach station is not in the same place as Cardiff bus station.
• London Gatwick
  • It is very similar to get to Swansea from Gatwick as it is Heathrow but you need to take the Gatwick express to Paddington but this does involve a change. You can also take the coach options as listed above.
• London Stansted
  • As with Gatwick and Heathrow, there is a Stansted Express service to London Liverpool St train station. From there, you will need to change to the Tube to go to Paddington. You can also take the coach options as listed above.
• Birmingham International Airport
  • To travel from the airport to Swansea, you will need to either take the bus to Birmingham Brunel Street (for onward bus travel) or to Birmingham New Street train station (for onward train travel).
    • Bus: There are services departing from Birmingham Brunel Street and arriving at Swansea Bus Station Stand A via Sophia Gardens (roughly 4h 20m). No direct service provided.
  • Train: There are services departing from Birmingham New Street and arriving at Swansea via Newport (S Wales) (roughly 3h 20m). No direct service provided.
• Manchester Airport
  • There are several options by train.
  • You can take the train from the airport to Swansea changing at Crewe.
  • Otherwise, you need to take a train from the airport to Manchester Piccadilly train station.
    • There is a direct train departing from Manchester Piccadilly and arriving at Swansea (roughly 4h 10m). Services depart every four hours and operate daily. This is a very scenic journey through much of Wales but it is a slow train.
    • Or you can take the train to Cardiff and then change to Swansea.
  • You can also travel by coach. This is very slow.
• Swansea has its own airport, which is suitable for small, private aircraft, if you want to fly yourself. For info: ring 01792 204063.

By car

The M4 gives very good access to Swansea. If you are heading for Swansea City Centre from London, Reading or Cardiff, the easiest junction is 42.

By bus or By train

Swansea has good bus and train links. Buses and coaches arrive at the Quadrant Bus Station. Trains arrive at Swansea Rail Station.

One of the easiest ways to plan your train travel is to use the Trainline website. It will also give you various ticket options.

• It is much cheaper to buy your ticket in advance rather than in the station. If you do buy at the station, it is often cheaper at the Ticket Desk rather than at the machine.
• Cheap tickets are released 11 weeks in advance.
• It is often cheaper to buy two single tickets rather than a return although an Open Return (valid for return within one month) can also be a good option.
• Tickets prices (or fares) can unfortunately quite complicated. There are restrictions on the time you can travel depending on the ticket you buy and some are only valid on a specific train. There is also sometimes an option to “SplitSave” – this is when it is cheaper to divide the journey into two parts (although you stay on the same train). It is worth checking carefully.

From Bristol

Bus:

Take the direct bus departing from Bristol Bond St and arriving at Swansea Quadrant Bus Station station (roughly 3h and 15m). Services depart five times a day, and operate every day. For info: https://l1nq.com/jFbSH

Train: 

Take the direct train departing from Bristol Temple Meads and arriving at Swansea (roughly 1h and 51m). Services depart six times a week, and operate Monday to Saturday. For info: https://encr.pw/G1gpY

*If you are travelling from the airport: The A1 Bristol Flyer operates a frequent service from the coach park, just a few minutes walk from the terminal, and drops right outside the railway station. The route takes you through Bedminster to Bristol Temple Meads and Bristol Bus & Coach Station. For info: https://l1nq.com/vfuwe

From London

Bus:

There is a direct bus departing from Victoria Coach Station station and arriving at Swansea Bus Station Stand A station (roughly 4h 45m). Services depart every two hours, and operate every day. For info: https://shorturl.at/aorIT

Train:

There is a direct train departing from London Paddington and arriving at Swansea ((roughly 2h 55m). Services depart hourly, and operate every day. For info: https://shorturl.at/cEJRX

*If you are travelling from the airport see above:

From Birmingham

Bus:

There are services departing from Birmingham Brunel Street and arriving at Swansea Bus Station Stand A via Sophia Gardens (roughly 4h 20m). No direct service provided. For info: https://rb.gy/8h9ms

Train:

There are services departing from Birmingham New Street and arriving at Swansea via Newport (S Wales) (roughly 3h 20m). No direct service provided. For info: https://rb.gy/sx9xa

From Manchester

Train:

There is a direct train departing from Manchester Piccadilly and arriving at Swansea (roughly 4h 10m). Services depart every four hours and operate daily. For info: https://rb.gy/tazy7

There are also a number of trains that change in either Cardiff or Crewe to get to Swansea.