Travel to England

Flying to England

Flights to England are well served by the major global airline carriers and the country is extremely accessible by air. National carrier British Airways (www.ba.com) flies long haul routes from many of the world’s destinations including New York, Tokyo and Shanghai and Sydney. Other airlines, including Virgin (www.virginatlantic.com) and Lufthansa (www.lufthansa.com) also run regular transatlantic flights. Short haul flights from mainland Europe are served by a plethora of low cost airlines including Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) and easyJet (www.easyjet.com) who as well as flying to London, also fly to regional bases Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham International.

Flight times:

From New York: 6 hours 30 minutes

From Sydney: 23 hours 15 minutes (including stopover)

Air passes:

The Europe Airpass from Star Alliance (www.staralliance.co.uk), the Visit Europe air pass available from Oneworld (www.oneworld.com) and the Go Europe pass from SkyTeam (www.skyteam.com) allow air travel across a variety of European destinations including the UK.

Departure tax:

None.

Airport guides

Airport Code: BHX. Location: Birmingham Airport is located 13km (8.1 miles) southeast of Birmingham city centre. Money: Bureaux de change and ATM facilities are available at various points within the terminal. Read more

Airport Code: LBA. Location: Leeds Bradford International Airport is situated 18km (11 miles) northwest of Leeds and 11km (7... Money: Bureau de change facilities and ATMs are available in the terminal building, both pre- and post-... Read more

Airport Code: LCY. Location: London City Airport is located 11km (7 miles) east of the City of London. Money: Bureaux de change and ATMs are located within the terminal building, both before and after the... Read more

Airport Code: LGW. Location: London Gatwick Airport is located 45km (29.5 miles) south of Central London. Money: Bureaux de change facilities and ATMs are available in the arrivals and departures areas of both... Read more

Airport Code: LHR. Location: London Heathrow Airport is located 24km (15 miles) west of central London. Money: There are numerous ATMs and bureaux de change facilities in all terminals (both pre- and post-... Read more

Airport Code: LTN. Location: London Luton Airport is located 51km (32 miles) north of central London. Money: ATMs can be found in the check-in area, in the departures area and at the Onwards Travel Centre.... Read more

Airport Code: STN. Location: London Stansted Airport is about 48km (30 miles) north of Stratford, a buzzing hub in East London. Money: ATMs are available before and after security. Currency exchange counters are in the secure zone. Read more

Airport Code: MAN. Location: Manchester Airport is located 17km (10 miles) southwest of central Manchester. Money: ATMs, full service banking facilities and bureaux de change are available in each terminal.... Read more

Airport Code: NCL. Location: Newcastle International Airport is 10km (6 miles) northwest of Newcastle. Money: ATMs are available. There is also a currency exchange counter inside the airport. Read more

Airport Code: NWI. Location: Norwich International Airport is situated 7km (4.5 miles) north of Norwich. Money: Bureau de change facilities and ATMs are available. Read more

Airport Code: EMA. Location: East Midlands Airport is located 24km (15 miles) southwest of Nottingham and 23km (14 miles)... Money: Bureaux de change and ATMs can be found before and after security, as well as in Arrivals. Read more

Airport Code: SOU. Location: Southampton Airport is situated 7km (4 miles) northeast of Southampton. Money: There are a number of ATMs at Southampton Airport. One is located next to the bureau de change desk... Read more

Airport Code: LPL. Location: Liverpool John Lennon Airport is about 13km (8 miles) southeast of Liverpool City Centre. Money: ATMs are available throughout the airport. Travelex has a number of currency exchange booths.... Read more

Airport Code: BRS. Location: Bristol Airport is located 13km (8 miles) southwest of Bristol city centre. Money: Bureau de change desks and ATMs can be found at Bristol Airport both before and after the security... Read more

Airport Code: SEN. Location: Money: A small bureau de change is located in the entrance area. ATMs are available at various points... Read more

Travel by rail

There are connections to London, Ebbsfleet (Kent) and Ashford (Kent) from major cities all over Europe through the Channel Tunnel with Eurostar (www.eurostar.com).

England's rail network (tel: +44 207 278 5240; www.nationalrail.co.uk) serves all main cities in the UK mainland. Rail services are operated by numerous private companies. Routes tend to radiate from London.

There are rail services to Fishguard (Wales), Holyhead (Wales) and Liverpool (England), from which travellers can catch ferries departing for the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Rail passes:

Walk-up railway fares can be expensive, especially if travel is at peak times, so travellers may find better value in buying a rail pass. The InterRail Global pass (www.interrail.eu) allows travel to 31 countries including the UK. Travellers may choose between travelling over a consecutive period of time, or on a set number of days within a given time period. Eurail (www.eurail.com) also offers a variety of passes for train travel around Europe as well as accommodating travel within the UK using a BritRail pass.

Driving to England

England is accessible from mainland Europe by road via the Eurotunnel (www.eurotunnel.com) which connects Calais in France, to Folkestone on the south coast. Coach services from all over Europe connect to the UK this way, with many offering express and stopping services throughout England and the rest of the UK. The main operator, National Express (tel: 0871 781 8181; www.nationalexpress.com), provides nationwide coach information. It is also easy to drive across in your own car for a fee – note that passage through the Eurotunnel does not entail driving through the actual tunnel. Instead the car is transported on a train which then makes the crossing. Travel time is approximately half an hour.

Getting to England by boat

England is accessible via ferry across the Channel or the North Sea, from several countries on the coast of mainland Europe. Most common departures are from France, Spain and the Netherlands.

Cruise ships:

Cruise ships tend to call at cities on the south coast of England, from April to September, with popular ports of call being Southampton, Falmouth, Plymouth, and the Channel Islands. Numerous companies including P&O Cruises (www.pocruises.com) Swan Hellenic (www.swanhellenic.com) and Fred Olsen (www.fredolsencruises.com) run cruises incorporating the UK and mainland Europe.

Ferry operators:

Major ferry operators P&O Ferries (www.poferries.co.uk) and Brittany ferries (www.brittany-ferries.co.uk) run regular routes from England to France and Spain. DFDS Seaways (www.dfdsseaways.co.uk) travels from Esberg in Denmark to Harwich, while Stena Line (www.stenaline.co.uk) sails from Hook of Holland to Harwich. Most of the main operators also run routes between Ireland and England.




Visa and passport information is updated regularly and is correct at the time of publishing. You should verify critical travel information independently with the relevant embassy before you travel.