Public transport throughout the UK is good quality and very easy to understand for foreigners, except perhaps at major rail hubs which can be a little confusing.
Buses can usually reach even the smallest communities, but especially in remote areas of Scotland, Wales and the English countryside, a car is preferable.
Travelling by train or bus is relatively expensive, but so is driving because of the high cost of petrol.
The UK also has, despite the relatively short distances involved, a frequent domestic air service, which is particularly useful in remote areas of Scotland and, of course, the islands.
By car
Travelling by car in the UK is particularly useful when travelling to the countryside or throughout Scotland and Wales, where distances are greater and public transport services are significantly less convenient.
Conversely, there is absolutely no point in driving to London, Manchester and other major cities. The traffic is very dense and the streets in the cities are narrow, winding and uncluttered.
Where to rent a car and how much do car rentals cost in Britain? What are the regulations here? For a more comprehensive summary, see our article Car hire in the UK.
By train in the UK
Train travel is usually quite a bit more expensive than bus travel, but it can be more convenient and considerably quicker, especially from major cities where buses are very slow to get through.
There is no single national rail operator in Britain, and rail privatisation has reached a really high level here. In practice, however, this is rather negative for passengers; timetables or rail maps are quite unclear, and you often have to be careful which train you get on and whether the ticket you have in your hand is actually valid.
Where can I find timetables?
Although there are dozens of different companies operating in the UK, the tracks and infrastructure are managed by a single company, National Rail, with its distinctive double arrow logo.
You can find timetables and find connections for all the companies on the popular thetrainline.com or nationalrail.co.uk.
How and where to buy tickets?
Generally, you'll get the lowest prices if you book online around 3 weeks before you travel. Tickets bought locally are almost always more expensive, even on local lines.
However, online ticket purchase is not compulsory, except for night long-distance trains.
The most transparent website to buy tickets is thetrainline.com, which compares prices for all available train companies.
Buy train tickets - thetrainline.com
Your ticket will be emailed to you and you just scan the barcode at the turnstile when you enter the station.
By bus around the UK
Bus services range from numerous local services, for which there is no single search engine, to very frequent long-distance services.
Buses in Britain are modern, comfortable and all air-conditioned. Their advantage over the train is usually lower cost (sometimes by several times) and accessibility to even the smallest communities.
Long-distance buses
There are three main bus operators in the UK that operate on both longer and shorter routes between major cities:
- National Express - white buses with blue and red lettering are ubiquitous and offer by far the most extensive network across the UK from Dover to Scotland
- Flixbus - Europe's largest carrier also operates in the UK market, offering connections between major cities
- Megabus - the Anglo-American carrier operates only on the main routes, where it usually offers the lowest price
Ticket prices tend to be significantly lower than trains on longer routes and the dense motorway network makes transport convenient. The disadvantage of buses is the very long journey from the centres of major cities to the motorway, where you have to be prepared for slow-moving queues.
One-way tickets on busy routes start at 5 gbp. However, on routes where there is no competition, they rise rapidly and can cost 50 gbp or more.
Where to buy tickets?
For buses, it is always significantly better to buy your ticket online 3-4 weeks in advance for the lowest price.
There is no single search engine, so you need to visit the websites of all 3 major carriers and compare times and prices.
- Buy a bus ticket - National Express ( most connections)
- buy bus tickets - Flixbus
- buy bus ticket - Megabus
Unlike trains, your ticket will arrive straight to your email. Just print it out or simply show it on your phone when you board.
Local buses
At the local level, each region is served by a different bus company, but the services are usually frequent even to the smallest villages, the stops are usually clearly marked with timetables and you can pay for your ticket at the driver's desk, always with a credit card.
We will be adding links to local public transport systems in the individual guides to cities and regions in the UK.
By air
For longer distances, the Scottish islands or Northern Ireland, it is often worth travelling by plane.
EasyJet and Ryanair fly between London and Scotland or Northern Ireland at very good prices, while the slightly more expensive Eastern Airways flies mainly within England. You can also fly to all the larger adjacent islands (Jersey, Guernsey, Man, Orkney, Scilly, and more).
Scotland is served by Loganair, a large regional airline.
Compare flight prices - skyscanner.com
Fares on longer routes are often significantly cheaper than the train and even the bus, but always with hand luggage only. One-way tickets start at around 20 gbp, then can go up to 200 gbp for less frequent services (especially in Scotland and the islands).
For ease of reference, here is a list of airlines operating domestic services around the UK.
- British Airways - connects London with Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Belfast, Newcastle and Leeds, prices are slightly higher than low cost airlines
- Ryanair - flies from London to Glasgow, Edinburgh, Belfast and also operates a large number of services from Beflast to all UK cities
- easyJet - offers the cheapest connections to Jersey and the Isle of Man and frequent services between London, Belfast, Aberdeen, Inverness, Glasgow and Edinburgh
- Loganair - the friendly Scottish airline is the essential lifeline to all the surrounding islands and also operates numerous connections from major Scottish cities to the whole of England and Northern Ireland
- Eastern Airways - offers connections between smaller English and Scottish airports on routes with no competition, making it one of the most expensive airlines
- Blue Islands - the Channel Islands' main airline connects Guernsey and Jersey to the UK
- Isle of Scilly Skybus - a small regional airline flying only to the Isles of Scilly
Urban transport
Large cities usually have a reasonably good public transport network. London is a perfect example of this - although it can sometimes seem like traffic collapses almost daily in certain areas, the city is simply coping with a heavy influx of tourists.
Especially in the city centre, it's often easier to get off the bus and walk during the day than to wait in traffic. Otherwise, the transport network is dense, which is especially appreciated at night.
Public transport isn't exactly the cheapest, but on the plus side, perhaps apart from London, you can get by on foot in most British cities, which - like everywhere else in the world - is free.
