There are 5 ways to get from Gatwick Airport to Cardiff by train, bus, car, or plane
Select an option below to see step-by-step directions and to compare ticket prices and travel times in Rome2Rio's travel planner.
Train
best- Take the train from Gatwick Airport to Readingtrain Gatwick Airport - Reading / ...
- Take the train from Reading to Cardiff Centraltrain London Paddington - Swansea / ...
3h 16m£68–139Bus
cheapest- Take the bus from South Terminal Bus Station to Sophia Gardensbus 201
4h 35m£21–80Drive 161.6 mi
- Drive from Gatwick Airport to Cardiffcar 161.6 mi
2h 58m£40–57Fly to Bristol Airport, train
- Fly from London Gatwick Airport (LGW) to Bristol Airport (BRS)plane LGW - BRS
- Take the train from Bristol Temple Meads to Cardiff Centraltrain
5h 10m£80–172Fly to Cardiff Airport
- Fly from London Gatwick Airport (LGW) to Cardiff Airport (CWL)plane LGW - CWL
6h 1m£75–153
Gatwick Airport to Cardiff by train
Questions & Answers
The cheapest way to get from Gatwick Airport to Cardiff is to bus which costs £21 - £80 and takes 4h 35m.
The fastest way to get from Gatwick Airport to Cardiff is to drive which takes 2h 58m and costs £35 - £60.
Yes, there is a direct bus departing from South Terminal Bus Station station and arriving at Sophia Gardens. Services depart hourly, and operate every day. The journey takes approximately 4h 35m.
No, there is no direct train from Gatwick Airport to Cardiff. However, there are services departing from Gatwick Airport and arriving at Cardiff Central via Reading. The journey, including transfers, takes approximately 3h 16m.
The distance between Gatwick Airport and Cardiff is 161 miles. The road distance is 162.5 miles.
The best way to get from Gatwick Airport to Cardiff without a car is to train which takes 3h 16m and costs £65 - £140.
It takes approximately 3h 16m to get from Gatwick Airport to Cardiff, including transfers.
Gatwick Airport to Cardiff bus services, operated by National Express, depart from South Terminal Bus Station.
Gatwick Airport to Cardiff train services, operated by Great Western Railway (GWR), depart from Gatwick Airport station.
The best way to get from Gatwick Airport to Cardiff is to train which takes 3h 16m and costs £65 - £140. Alternatively, you can bus, which costs £21 - £80 and takes 4h 35m, you could also fly, which costs £75 - £160 and takes 6h 1m.
What companies run services between Gatwick Airport, England and Cardiff, Wales?
You can take a train from Gatwick Airport to Cardiff Central via Reading in around 3h 16m. Alternatively, National Express operates a bus from South Terminal Bus Station to Sophia Gardens hourly. Tickets cost £30–80 and the journey takes 4h 35m. FlixBus also services this route hourly.
- Website
- easyjet.com
Flights from London Gatwick Airport to Bristol Airport via Paris Charles de Gaulle
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 5m
- When
- Monday, Friday, and Sunday
- Estimated price
- £35–160
Flights from London Gatwick Airport to Bristol Airport via Belfast (Aldergrove)
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 15m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- £35–160
Flights from London Gatwick Airport to Bristol Airport via Amsterdam Schiphol
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 15m
- When
- Thursday to Wednesday
- Estimated price
- £35–160
Flights from London Gatwick Airport to Bristol Airport via Belfast City
- Ave. Duration
- 5h 30m
- When
- Friday and Sunday
- Estimated price
- £35–160
Flights from London Gatwick Airport to Bristol Airport via Isle Of Man
- Ave. Duration
- 6h 35m
- When
- Monday and Friday
- Estimated price
- £35–160
- Website
- ryanair.com
Flights from London Gatwick Airport to Bristol Airport via Dublin
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 38m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- £28–130
Flights from London Gatwick Airport to Cardiff Airport via Dublin
- Ave. Duration
- 8h 55m
- When
- Wednesday and Friday
- Estimated price
- £45–140
- Website
- aurigny.com
Flights from London Gatwick Airport to Bristol Airport via Guernsey
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 40m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- £70–230
- Website
- aerlingus.com
Flights from London Gatwick Airport to Cardiff Airport via Belfast City
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 40m
- When
- Monday
- Estimated price
- £60–270
- Website
- vueling.com
Flights from London Gatwick Airport to Cardiff Airport via Alicante–Elche
- Ave. Duration
- 6h 45m
- When
- Tuesday and Friday
- Estimated price
- £95–270
- Website
- klm.com
Flights from London Gatwick Airport to Cardiff Airport via Amsterdam Schiphol
- Ave. Duration
- 8h 40m
- When
- Sunday
- Estimated price
- £55–320
- Phone
- +44 (0)345 7000 125
- [email protected]
- Website
- gwr.com
Train from Gatwick Airport to Reading
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 28m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- £23–45
- Website
- https://www.gwr.com/
Train from Reading to Cardiff Central
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 22m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- £45–95
- Website
- https://www.gwr.com/
Train from Bristol Temple Meads to Cardiff Central
- Ave. Duration
- 44 min
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- £17–35
- Website
- https://www.gwr.com/
- Phone
- 03333 211 202
- Website
- tfw.wales
Train from Bristol Temple Meads to Cardiff Central
- Ave. Duration
- 52 min
- Frequency
- Every 4 hours
- Estimated price
- £15–26
- Website
- https://tfw.wales/
- Phone
- +44 3447 369 123
- [email protected]
- Website
- crosscountrytrains.co.uk
Train from Bristol Temple Meads to Cardiff Central
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 1m
- Frequency
- 6 times a week
- Estimated price
- £20–29
- Website
- https://www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk/
- Phone
- +44 (0)3717 81 81 81
- Website
- nationalexpress.com
Bus from South Terminal Bus Station to Sophia Gardens
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 35m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- £30–80
- Website
- https://www.nationalexpress.com/en
Rome2Rio's guide to FlixBus
Contact DetailsContact Details
- Phone
- +49 30 300 137 300
- [email protected]
- Website
- https://www.flixbus.fr
Bus from South Terminal Bus Station to Sophia Gardens
- Ave. Duration
- 5h 10m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- £21–35
- Website
- https://www.flixbus.co.uk
Want to know more about travelling around United Kingdom
Rome2Rio's Travel Guide series provide vital information for the global traveller. Filled with useful and timely travel information, the guides answer all the hard questions - such as 'How do I buy a ticket?', 'Should I book online before I travel? ', 'How much should I expect to pay?', 'Do the trains and buses have Wifi?' - to help you get the most out of your next trip.
Related travel guides
Travelling to the UK: What do I need to know?
Read the travel guide
Want to know more about Flixbus?
Read the travel guide
More Questions & Answers
Gatwick Airport to Cardiff bus services, operated by National Express, arrive at Sophia Gardens station.
Gatwick Airport to Cardiff train services, operated by Great Western Railway (GWR), arrive at Reading station.
Yes, the driving distance between Gatwick Airport to Cardiff is 163 miles. It takes approximately 2h 58m to drive from Gatwick Airport to Cardiff.
Book your Gatwick Airport to Cardiff train tickets online with Omio.
Book your Gatwick Airport to Cardiff bus tickets online with Omio and FlixBus.
There are 1722+ hotels available in Cardiff.























