Train tickets
How to get the cheapest fares on British trains
Train fares in the U.K.
There are three categories of fares on British trains:
- Advance. You must book these tickets in advance (before midnight the day before travel), and they are only good on the train and time stated on the ticket—but can be remarkably cheap.
- Off-peak. Good for immediate travel on trains/routes that are "not busy" (the definition of that varies, but it usually rules out trains leaving major cities before 9 or 9:30am).
- Anytime. The most expensive tickets. You can travel at any time of day, break up the route at intermediate stations, and can catch any train with two days of the date shown on the ticket (if it's a Return, five days on the outbound, one month on the return).
These fares can vary wildly. For example, here are some sample fares from London to Bath:
- Advance (Off-Peak): £14
- Off-Peak: £33–£45
- Advance (Peak): £33–£85
- Anytime: £95
How can I buy train tickets in the U.K.?
Most train stations now have self-service automated ticketing machines where you can buy tickets or pick up pre-purchased Advance tickets with a credit card.
With some online ticket purchases you can print the tickets out at home. For any online ticket purchases, you can use the automated ticket machines (and a credit card for ID purposes) to print them out once you arrive at the station.
Every station also still has ticketing windows—but be prepared for long lines at rush hour.
- Nationalrail.co.uk - Covers all of the lines once operated by the (since-privitized) old British Rail, as well as info on all British rail stations, including maps and services. This includes most major British railways, but notably does not cover many urban area light rail systems (such as London, Glasgow, Manchester, Blackpool, Sheffield, and Midland Metro), nor does it cover the Eurostar, Heathrow Express, nor a handful of heritage or privately owned railways. Still, it's the closest thing to one-stop shopping for finding train connections across the mainland U.K. (though not Northern Ireland).
- BritRail passes - Book railpasses good for travel all over Great Britain—or just in parts of all of England or Scotland.Partner
- Eurostar.com - The super-fast train through the Channel Tunnel connecting London with Paris (2.5 hrs.), Brussels (2 hrs.) and—though those hubs—the rest of Europe. » more
- Europetrainsguide.com - General train info from a private site devoted to European rail travel.
- Seat61.com - General train info from a private site devoted to rail travel, including detailed, step-by-step instructions on how to get from London to just about any other country in Europe via rail.
- Traintaxi.co.uk - Search stations to find out whether they have taxi ranks/stands, and the phone numbers for pre-booking a cab. (Not being updated after April 2016, but still handy.)
- Sleeper.scot - overnight train
- Heritagerailways.com - An association of historic, heritage, and narrow guage railways—many operating steam trains on historic scenic routes. The site is pretty bare-bones, but if you click on a railway and then look for the link in the box below the map (not teh name on the map itself), you can get to the website for that heritage rail line, train museum, or tourist train
- Train map - A rail network map courtesy of Nationalrail.co.uk.
- Neck pillow - For the plane or long train rides. I prefer one that cinches at the front to provide all-around-the neck support (wear it backwards to keep your chin up); some rave about the the funky J-Pillow; other go for the Travel Halo with its built-in eye mask.
- Eye mask - Some love 'em; some don't. I find every bit of help sleeping helps.
- Tablet/E-reader - For long plane and train trips. If a tablet or e-Reader, load up on titles before you leave, or get one with WiFi (so you can download outside the U.S) or a Kindle with 3G (which connects for free in 100 countries).
- Noise-canceling headphones - The one silly travel gadget I actually use (it makes flying less stressful, even if you don't sleep; also: way easier to hear the movie). There are tons of models. I currently rock a JVC HANC250—les than half the price of Bose; nearly as good. Or go super low-tech with earplugs (sadly, I'm one of those people who cannot tolerate wearing them).
- Book - Just bring one or two. Some hotels have book trading shelves. Also, Britain has excellent book stores!
Tips
In British English, a one-way ticket is a Single, a round-trip ticket is called Return.
A day ticket is a return (round-trip) ticket on which you must use both legs on the same day (so heading out in the morning and back in the evening).
On some longer distance trains, tickets are available in both standard and class and first class.
First class costs far more than second class for a modicum more comfort and perhaps an uninspired meal—yet you arrive at the exact same time.
Do not bother with first class tickets. Spend your money better elsewhere.
