Cambridge, UK

As you might well expect, London is well connected to Cambridge by bus, National Express run direct buses every hour from Victoria Coach station with a more frequent service during peak periods. There are around 24 buses per day, including services that run through the night. Direct bus services to Cambridge take around 2 ½ hours and cost 11.30 GBP for a single ticket, which is non-refundable, however if your plans change, you can amend your ticket. Buses arrive in Cambridge on Parkside Street, not the main Drummer Street Bus station, but still a 5 minute walk to the centre. If you wish to book in advance on the secure official website just click the button below:

NB - Victoria coach station often gets very busy, with queues forming for buses to Cambridge well in advance of their departure time. Get there early to ensure a good seat and it if possible book in advance online.

To get the best prices on bus tickets from London to Cambridge you need to book online up to 12 weeks before you plan to travel, if you do, you can get a ticket for as little as 1 GBP. Even if you are able to book more than seven days in advance you will also get a cheaper fare. After booking online, you will be issued with an e-ticket, which you need to print out and take with you, or an m-ticket, which is sent to your mobile phone.

A useful tip it to make sure you have a supply of 20p coins to use the toilets at the coach station.

If you are looking for a good deal on accommodation, restaurants or other services in Cambridge it is worth checking this link to see what the deal of the day for Cambridge is.

The train between London and Cambridge is twice as fast but twice as expensive as the bus. However, if you are able to plan up to three months ahead you might be able to buy advance train tickets that make the cost comparable to, or even cheaper than, the cost of the coach. Trains depart from King's Cross and Liverpool Street stations direct to Cambridge. It is cheaper to use an Oyster card than cash on the underground. You can buy one at any train or underground station, or buy online before you arrive. (12 GBP including 10 GBP of travel credit). A single fare is around 4 GBP (depending on how far you travel on the underground system), and the money soon runs down, so be sure to keep your card topped up with credit (which you can do easily at any ticket machine). Be sure to touch your card on the yellow card readers at the beginning and end of your journey to ensure you pay the correct fare.

Trains take approximately 70 minutes to make the journey between London and Cambridge, but some express trains will get you to Cambridge in 45 minutes. There are around a dozen trains per day, with 3 direct trains per hour from King’s Cross, and trains every 30 minutes from Liverpool Street.

Be sure to allow plenty of time to catch your train. Underground trains run every 2-3 minutes, but there are often delays, and there are usually long queues to buy tickets.

You can buy your tickets online, at the station ticket counter, or from the ticket machines on the main concourse. If you book online you will need to collect your tickets from the ticket machine using the same credit card you used to book your tickets online.

The UK train ticketing system is notoriously complicated, but you can expect to pay £20 return or £19.10 single (it is common on relatively short routes for return tickets to be only slightly more expensive than singles). It is usually cheaper to buy your tickets up to 6pm on the day before you travel than on the day. And fares are more expensive if you travel before 0930.

If you are travelling in a group you may find the most economic way to travel from London City Airport to Cambridge is by private taxi. For example 4 people in a taxi costs from 85 GBP compared 45 GBP for a bus and an 8 person minivan taxi costs just 125 GBP. Click the button below to use our taxi calculator to get an estimate of cost for your group now:

If you need some accommodation in London why not check out hotel special offers by clicking the link below: