Travel to Cambridge

Flying to Cambridge

Cambridge International Airport is mainly served by seasonal flights to holiday destinations, including Verona (easyJet), Gothenburg (British Airways) and Chambéry (Inghams).

The nearest major airport is London Stansted, 48km (30 miles) south of Cambridge, which has regular bus and train connections to the city. It's also easy to get to Cambridge from London Heathrow and London Gatwick airports.

Airlines offering direct flights to Stansted from other cities within the British Isles include easyJet, Flybe and Ryanair.

Flight times

To London Stansted: from Edinburgh - 1 hour 20 minutes.

To London Heathrow: from New York - 7 hours; Los Angeles - 1 hour 30 minutes; Toronto - 7 hours; Sydney - 23 hours (including stopover). 

Travel by road

The UK has a good, well-maintained road network. Traffic drives on the left, and drivers must be at least 17 years old. Speed limits are 113kph (70mph) on motorways, 97kph (60mph) on single-lane main roads and 48kph (30mph) in built-up areas.

Overseas driving licences and International Driving Permits are valid for up to one year, and insurance is mandatory. Overseas visitors bringing their own cars should bring registration documents and check with their insurance company as to whether a Green Card is needed. The two major motoring organisations, the AA (tel: +44 121 275 3746; www.theaa.com) and the RAC (tel: +44 844 891 3111; www.rac.co.uk), are good sources of information.

Emergency breakdown services

AA (tel: 0800 887 766, in the UK); RAC (tel: 0800 828 282, in the UK).

Routes

Cambridge is easy to reach from the north and south of the country. The M11 motorway, which sweeps to the west of the city, enables easy access from the south. From the north, the A1 and M1 motorways link to the A14 dual carriageway straight to the city, and the A14 is the route to take from the east and west.

Coaches

National Express (tel: +44 871 781 8181; www.nationalexpress.com) operates regular coach services connecting Cambridge with various destinations in the UK, including Victoria Coach Station in London. The bus station is located in the centre of the city on Drummer Street.

Time to city

From London - 1 hour 50 minutes; Cardiff - 3 hours 30 minutes; Manchester - 3 hours 30 minutes; Edinburgh - 6 hours.

Travel by Rail

Services

Cambridge railway station is located on Station Road, southwest of the city centre. Cambridge is well connected to the rest of the UK via regular train services.

Operators

Great Northern (tel: +44 345 026 4700; www.thameslinkrailway.com) operates services between Cambridge and London's King's Cross station, which take about 50 minutes. Abellio Greater Anglia (tel: +44 345 600 7245; www.abelliogreateranglia.co.uk) runs trains to and from London Liverpool Street station, but this service can take up to 1 hour 30 minutes.

There are direct trains between Cambridge and Birmingham, Ipswich, Leicester, Norwich and Peterborough. Cambridge connects with Leeds, York, Newcastle, Edinburgh and Glasgow via Peterborough.

Journey times

From London - 50 minutes; Liverpool - 1 hour 15 minutes; Birmingham - 2 hours 45 minutes.

Transfer

The railway station is about a 20-minute walk south of the city centre. There are regular buses and taxis available from the station; journey time to the city centre is usually about 10 minutes.