As the airport is located in the densely populated Midlands, direct transport links not only go to Manchester, but also to all the surrounding major cities. The airport is connected to the motorway network, rail and the city's tram system.

Transport to Manchester

Manchester city centre is accessible from the airport by train, tram and bus.

	Price	Travel time	Link
Train	From 3,20 gbp	17-20 minutes	thetrainline.com
The Tram	4,60 gbp	50 minutes	tfgm.com
Bus 43	4,60 gbp*	78 minutes	tfgm.com
Bus 103	4,60 gbp*	80 minutes	tfgm.com

*Until the end of 2024, local bus routes are subsidised by the UK government and the maximum ticket price is 2 gbp.

Train

Manchester city centre is the quickest to reach by train, which is both the busiest and cheapest form of transport.

The terminus is centrally located between Terminals 1 and 2, reached by a clearly signposted pedestrian passage.

All direct trains run from the airport to one of the main Manchester Piccadilly stations. Some services continue on to Oxford Road, Deansgate or Manchester Victoria stations.

For timetables and to buy tickets online, visit thetrainline.com, which compares all rail operators in the UK.

Find connections and buy tickets

A ticket on the spot costs 6,20 gbp. When bought online in advance from 3,20 gbp. Tickets online via the web thetrainline.com You can buy in three ways:

• Advanced Single with the lowest price - can only be used for a specific connection
• Off Peak Day Single - can be used on all off-peak trains (typically over midday or later in the evening)
• Anytime Day Single - any connection on a given date, the most expensive tickets, priced between 4,30 gbp and 6,20 gbp

Trains run at intervals of 3-12 minutes and will get you into Manchester city centre at Piccadilly station in 15-20 minutes depending on the number of stops.

• Travel time to Manchester Piccadilly - 15-20 minutes
• Frequency - 3-12 minutes
• Price - 3,20 gbp to 6,20 gbp depending on time of purchase
• Last trains from the airport - 23:46, 0:37, 1:13 (23:46 on Sundays)
• First trains from Piccadilly - 3:41, 4:40, 4:53 (up to 7:35 on Sundays)
• Ticket purchase: thetrainline.com

Tram (Metrolink)

You can also use the "Navy" tram line to get to the nearby area and the city centre. The journey is quick as the tracks are off the road and trams have priority at all traffic lights. However, the distance to the city centre by tram is over 50 minutes, so it is preferable to use the train.

The airport is in zone 4, so you need a single ticket for 4,60 gbp or a day ticket for 7,10 gbp to get to the centre.

Just in case you want to take more than one tram or bus around Manchester on the day of departure or arrival, taking the tram from the airport is worthwhile. This is because the day ticket is not valid on trains.

Simply pay for your ticket by attaching your card to the reader at the tram stop before you get on and after you get off. Alternatively, you can buy a standard paper ticket from a machine.

• Journey time to St. Peters's Square - 52 minutes
• Frequency - 12 minutes
• Price - 4,60 gbp single / 7,10 gbp all day
• Last tram from the airport - 23:14 (23:02 on Sundays)
• First tram from Market Street - 5:34am (up to 6:46am on Sundays)
• Official Website: tfgm.com/public-transport/tram

Public transport buses and night services

The last option for transport to Manchester is local public transport buses. The bus journey is more suited to the outlying districts (for accommodation, for example) as the total journey time to Manchester city centre will be 70 minutes or more.

However, buses are the only all-night transport option.

Ticket prices are the same as for trams: 4,60 gbp to the centre (until the end of 2024 only 2 gbp) / 7,10 gbp all-day. For shorter journeys around the airport, a single zone ticket for 1,40 gbp, a maximum of 2 zones for 2,40 gbp is sufficient.

For travel to Manchester city centre the following routes are suitable. Click on the line number to see the map and timetable.

• Bus 43 - terminating at Piccadilly Gardens, runs once every 10 minutes (every 30 minutes at night) 24 hours a day
• Bus 103 - terminating at Piccadilly Gardens, runs every 30 minutes (every 30 minutes at night), first service from the centre at 2:50am, last service from the airport at 12:09am

Tickets can be paid as with trams by attaching your own payment card to the reader inside the bus when you get on and off.

Taxi

Taxi traffic is strictly meter controlled and any fraud on foreigners is extremely rare.

Fares vary between daytime (6am-10pm) and nighttime (10pm-6am) hours.

The exact price of a ride can never be determined in advance because the fare combines the distance travelled with waiting time, for example in traffic jams or at traffic lights.

• Starting rate: 2,30 gbp during the day / 2,80 gbp at night
• Every 163.6 metres travelled: 0,20 gbp (at night, 20p for every 122.9 metres)
• Standing: 0,20 gbp every 38.39 seconds

The average cost of a night journey from the airport to Piccadilly station is around 30 gbp.

Transport to Liverpool

Direct services are provided by National Express buses as well as trains.

Buses run roughly once an hour, the journey takes about 65-75 minutes and the usual ticket price is between 3,50 gbp and 7 gbp depending on the time of purchase.

• Bus tickets online at nationalexpress.com

Trains run directly from the airport to Liverpool 1-2 times per hour and then further connections are possible with 1 change at Manchester Piccadilly station. The journey takes around 75 minutes and costs from 6 gbp depending on the time of purchase and the particular service.

• Train tickets online at thetrainline.com

Transport to Leeds

Direct services to Leeds are provided by National Express buses as well as trains.

Buses run approximately once an hour, the journey takes about 100-130 minutes and the usual ticket price varies between 4,60 gbp and 8 gbp depending on the time of purchase.

• Bus tickets online at nationalexpress.com

Trains run directly from the airport to Leeds 1-2 times per hour and then further connections are possible with 1 change at Manchester Piccadilly station. The journey takes around 85 minutes and costs from 11,40 gbp depending on the time of purchase and the particular service.

• Train tickets online at thetrainline.com

Neighbourhoods and the rest of England

Direct trains and buses also run to other locations around the airport. Visit the transport companies' websites directly for ticket booking and timetable information:

• Blackpool
  • Direct trains once an hour, journey time approx. 90 minutes, price from 7,50 gbp (buy tickets: thetrainline.com)
  • direct bus 3-4 times per day, journey time approx. 2 hours, price from 4 gbp (buy ticket: nationalexpress.com)
• Bradford
  • direct bus 5-7 times per day, journey time approx. 2 hours, price from 8 gbp (buy ticket: nationalexpress.com)
  • train transfer only, journey time approx 100 minutes, price from 6,60 gbp (buy ticket: thetrainline.com)
• Birmingham
  • direct bus once an hour, journey time approx. 2 hours, price from 9,90 gbp (buy ticket: nationalexpress.com)

...and many other cities.