Finding your way to Cambridge from London airports

Catch the National Express Coach from the central bus station.

How to get to the central bus station:  

Terminal 2 and 3:  

Follow the signs to the central bus station which is a short walk from the terminals.  

Terminal 5:  

• Follow the signs for the free shuttle train between Terminal 5 and Heathrow Central Station (Terminal 2 and 3).  
• To travel on the shuttle trains, you can get a free Inter-Terminal Transfer ticket from the machines in the station.  
• You can also use a Transport for London Oyster card, or a contactless payment card if you have one of these, and will not be charged when travelling between terminals.  

You can also catch the coach from outside arrivals at Terminal 4 and 5:  

• Follow the signs to the bus stops.  
• You may find more frequent services available from the central bus station at Terminal 2 and 3.  

Journey time: The fastest trip takes around 2 hours 25 minutes, depending on traffic.  

Price: The price of a single ticket starts at around £29. 

Catch the National Express Coach from outside the North or South Terminal.  

Ensure you check which terminal you have booked your coach to depart from.  

North Terminal:  

• Follow the signs to the bus stop. It is located on the lower level outside international arrivals.  

South Terminal:  

• Follow the signs to the bus stop.  
• Services depart from the lower forecourt at stops 1 - 5.  

Journey time: The fastest trip takes around 4 hours 25 minutes, depending on traffic.  

Price: The price of a single ticket starts at around £43. 

Catch the National Express Coach from the central coach station.  

How to get to the coach station:  

• Follow signs to the coach station which is a 2-minute walk from the airport terminal.  
• The coach station is opposite the main terminal entrance.  

Journey time: The fastest trip takes around 50 minutes, depending on traffic.  

Price: The price of a single ticket starts from around £10. 

There are no direct trains from Heathrow to Cambridge so there will be two parts to the journey: travel into central London, and then a train to Cambridge. 

Heathrow Airport to central London: 

Option 1 - Use the Heathrow Express and the London Underground to King’s Cross St Pancras: 

• Follow the signs to the trains/Heathrow Express at the airport. 
• Take the Heathrow Express to Paddington Station, a journey time of 15 minutes. 

You can book online in advance on the Heathrow Express website or on arrival at the station. Prices are subject to change and tend to increase the closer you book to the date of travel. 

• At London Paddington, follow the signs to the London Underground.  
• Take the London Underground from London Paddington to King’s Cross St Pancras using the Hammersmith and City line, or the Circle line. 

You can add your ticket to your Heathrow Express booking for an additional cost or purchase a London Underground ticket. 

Option 2 - Use the London Underground to travel from Heathrow Airport to King’s Cross St Pancras on the Piccadilly line. 

• At the airport, follow the signs to the London Underground. 
• Take the Picadilly line to King’s Cross St Pancras. 

It takes about 30 minutes longer than using the Heathrow Express but is more cost effective. 

Option 3 - Use the Elizabeth Line on the London Underground to either Liverpool Street or Farringdon: 

• At the airport, follow the signs to the London Underground. 
• Use the London Underground to travel from Heathrow Airport to either Liverpool Street station or Farringdon station. 

It takes around 40 minutes to either station. 

Information about buying London Underground tickets and cost is provided on the Transport for London website. 

Central London to Cambridge 

• From London King’s Cross/Farringdon/London Liverpool Street, take the train to Cambridge. 
• The platform number will be shown on the departure boards. 
• Ticket prices can vary depending on when you book but start from around £32 from King’s Cross and Farringdon, or around £18 from London Liverpool Street. 
• The journey takes approximately 50 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes depending on how many stops the train makes and the departure station. 

Booking 

There are three ways to purchase your ticket: 

1. In advance from The Trainline or from the National Rail Website. 

2, Using the self-service ticket machine at London King’s Cross/Farringdon/London Liverpool Street.  

3. From the ticket office at London King’s Cross/Farringdon/London Liverpool Street. 

Take the train direct from London Gatwick to Cambridge using the Thameslink: 

• The railway station is located at the South Terminal, just a short walk from both departures and arrivals. 
• The station is easily accessible from the North Terminal by a free shuttle which runs every few minutes. 
• Ticket prices start from approximately £20. 
• The journey takes approximately 1 hour 55 minutes. 

Booking 

There are three ways to purchase your ticket: 

1. In advance from The Trainline or from the National Rail Website. 

2, Using the self-service ticket machine at the station. 

3, If your flight arrives at the South Terminal, from the rail ticket desk in the ‘Onward Travel’ area. 

Direct trains are available between London Stansted and Cambridge. Information is available on the Stansted Airport website. 

• On arrival, follow the signs to the train station. The train station is a two-minute walk from the terminal. 
• Tickets start from approximately £8. 
• The journey takes approximately 30 minutes. 

Taxi services are available on arrival at the airport or can be booked in advance.  

Local taxi services will usually be more cost-effective than using taxis based at the airport. 

There are several taxi services local to Cambridge that offer airport pick-ups, including: 

• CamCab 
• Veezu 

If you pre-book a taxi, a representative from the company will usually be waiting for you at arrivals, or at a pre-determined meeting place. 

Prices using services local to Cambridge: 

• Heathrow—prices start from around £120  
• Gatwick—prices start from around £136 
• Stansted—price start from around £68 

You may need to check if the company accepts cash if this is how you want to pay. 

There may be additional charges for car parking fees, additional waiting time and, from Gatwick, toll fees. Fees vary depending on the size of the vehicle you book. The above price estimates are based on standard fees from CamCab. 

You will need to provide the taxi company with the following details:  

• Flight number and flight arrival time 
• Number of suitcases  
• Number of passengers 

Airport Taxi ranks or Taxi apps: 

There are usually taxi services based at the airport. These normally charge considerably more than local taxi companies. 

There is also the option of using an app such as Uber or Lyft but services will be subject to availability on arrival. 

Depending on demand of these services at the time of travel, these services can vary greatly in price. 

As these services rely on having a strong data or internet connection, you may need to consider whether you will have access to either of these upon arrival.