The United Kingdom is located in the British Isles in Western Europe.
The vast majority of travellers reach the UK by air through many international airports or by high-speed rail via the Channel Tunnel.
Regular ferries sail to Britain from France, the Netherlands, Ireland and Spain.
By air
There are many international airports in the UK with direct flights to all over the world.
A huge number of low-cost airlines fly to the UK from all parts of Europe, so flights are often very cheap.
Where to buy UK flights?
Flights are operated by many airlines from all over the world. Compare prices on Skyscanner, for example. Once you've selected your flights, we always recommend clicking on the link that takes you directly to the airline's website.
Compare prices for flights to the UK
Most flights to the UK are offered by the following airlines, for example.
- Ryanair - has bases at many UK airports and flies all over Europe
- easyJet - has bases at many UK airports and flies all over Europe
- Jet2.com - operates a large number of flights from the UK to holiday destinations in and around Europe
- British Airways - national airline with direct flights from London to all over the world
Most major airlines also fly to the UK from across Europe, the USA, Asia and Africa.
Even Australia's Qantas operates direct flights to London.
Major UK airports
Where are the largest international airports in the UK? Click on the name of an airport below for information on transport, services or how terminals work.
- London Heathrow LHR - The largest airports with a large number of international flights to destinations around the world
- London Gatwick LGW - second largest airport with a large number of low-cost routes, but also long-haul flights outside Europe
- London Stansted STN - the main low-cost hub for Ryanair
- Manchester MAN - a major hub in the north of England with a large number of long-haul and low-cost connections across Europe
- Edinburgh EDI - Scotland's largest airport serving mainly low-cost routes and connections across Europe and a few direct services to the USA
- Glasgow GLA - Scotland's major airport serves mainly low-cost routes
- London Luton LTN - one of the low-cost airports for London and a major base for Wizz Air
- Birmingham BHX - a major UK airport with a large number of low-cost flights and a few long-haul routes to Asia
- Bristol BRS - West of England airport with numerous low-cost connections across Europe
- Newcastle NCL - the main airport for the English North West, closest to the famous Hadrian's Wall
- Liveprool LPL - a medium-sized airport mainly for low-cost airlines
- East Midlands EMA - a relatively small central England airport with often very cheap flights across Europe
- Leeds/Bradford LBA - Northern England Airport is the main base for Jet2
Trains through the Channel Tunnel
The UK is connected to continental Europe by the so-called Eurotunnel, a railway underwater tunnel between the British town of Folkestone and the French city of Calais.
The tunnel is used by high-speed trains from London to Paris or Brussels, but also by trains carrying cars and trucks that only run between Calais and Folkestone.
Routes and tickets
Only high-speed trains designed for pedestrians and not cars or lorries run on the routes listed below.
- London St. Pancras - Paris Nord
- Eurostar trains
- Journey time - 2 hours 18 minutes
- Frequency - 1x per hour
- Price - from 58 eur if bought in advance, normal prices are between 125 eur and 175 eur one way
- London St. Pancras - Brussels Midi
- Eurostartrains
- Journey time - 2 hours
- Frequency - 1x every 2 hours
- Price - from 65 eur if purchased in advance, normal prices are between 125 eur and 175 eur one way
- London St. Pancras - Lille Europe
- Eurostartrains
- Journey time - 1 hour 25 minutes
- Frequency - 1x every 2 hours
- Price - from 65 eur when purchased in advance, normal prices are between 125 eur and 175 eur one way
We recommend buying tickets at least 6 weeks in advance for the lowest price. Only the first or last trains of the day are usually the cheapest.
Tickets can be booked on eurostar.com or via the popular trainline.com search engine, where you can compare all trains including connecting trains.
By bus
There are also a large number of direct international buses to the UK.
Between mainland Europe and the British Isles, the bus always boards a ferry, where you can leave the bus and buy refreshments or take a walk on board in the ship's restaurants.
Bus fares are often higher than flights, but offer an advantage if you are travelling to Britain with a lot of luggage, for example. In fact, checked luggage is significantly cheaper on bus carriers than on airlines.
By far the largest number of bus connections is provided by Flixbus.com.
In particular, the most frequent connections are to London from the following European cities:
- Paris - up to 7 times a day, journey time 9.5 hours
- Brussels - up to 4 times a day, journey time 11 hours
- Rotterdam - 2x daily, journey time 10 hours
- Bruges - 2x daily, journey time 7.5 hours
Book your ticket on Flixbus.com
By car
You can also arrive in the UK by your own car, just keep in mind that in the UK you drive on the left, the opposite side to continental Europe.
There are two ways to get to the islands by car - by ferry or by train.
Ferries offer many more routes from various cities in the Netherlands, France and Spain and we describe them in detail below.
A special train carrying cars only runs between Calais and Folkestone.
The rail service is operated by LeShuttle and tickets can only be booked via leshuttle.com/uk-en.
The normal price for a car ticket is around 115 gbp one way, but if bought further in advance you can get a ticket under 80 gbp.
The table below compares car transport by train and boat on the route from Calais, France. We give an average price if bought 14 days before the journey.
| Route | Price | Travel time | Frequency | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ship | Calais - Dover | 95 gbp | 90 minutes | 2-5 times per hour |
| Train | Calais - Folkestone | 115 gbp | 35 minutes | 2-3 times per hour |
International ferries
There are a large number of ferries heading to the UK, carrying not only car passengers but also individual walkers.
We describe the details in the Ferry chapter.
