GETTING TO CAMBRIDGE
This page describes methods for getting to Cambridge by rail,
coach, car,
air, Eurostar or boat.
Once in Cambridge, consult the arrival
information to find out where the accommodation and the conference locations
are.
Rail
General information about UK train services is available
at the Railtrack web site.
In general, trains are quicker but more expensive than coaches.
Stagecoach
Cambus runs services between Cambridge rail station and the city
centre, or take a taxi from the queue just outside the
station.
There are regular train
connections to Cambridge from London. Trains depart from King's
Cross or Liverpool Street stations in London. The journey time of the
faster King's Cross trains (Cambridge Cruiser trains) is about 45
minutes, while the other trains are slower and take around 70 minutes,
or longer.
For convenience, maps of the London underground are here.
Coach (i.e. Bus)
There are frequent coach connections from the centre of London to
Cambridge. These depart from Victoria coach station (near Victoria
railway station) and take about 2 hours (more in peak hours).
Coach tickets can be bought from the driver. Please note that delays
are common because of heavy traffic in and around London.
The Cambridge coach station is close to the city centre and there is an adjacent taxi rank.
Long-distance coach services are run by JetLink and NationalExpress.
A combined timetable can be found at the GoByCoach
web site. Stagecoach Cambus runs
services in Cambridge and to/from nearby villages and towns.
Car
Directions on how to find Cambridge by car from various directions can be found
on the DAMTP pages here.
Air
London Stansted Airport
This is the closest major airport, about 25 miles (40 minutes by car)
from Cambridge. It is well served by airlines flying to european
destinations. For flight information contact the BAA Stansted
website or contact the airlines directly.
Cambridge is within easy reach by rail, coach or taxi. The railway
station is part of the terminal. The services to Cambridge are
operated by Central
Trains and take about 30 minutes. The service operates seven days
a week, the first train departing at 05:51 (Monday to Sunday). The
last direct train to Cambridge departs at 21:18 Monday to
Saturday and 22:40 on Sundays. If you arrive late, you can take the
Liverpool Street train and change at Bishops Stortford for the
Cambridge train. This may involve a wait of 30 to 60 minutes so it is
then better to take the coach (see below).
The coach services to Cambridge run with the same
frequency as the trains, and take about 1 hour (JetLink lines 757 or 797).
Tickets can be purchased from the coach ticket desk in the arrivals area
of the terminal or on the coach.
London Heathrow Airport
Many airlines fly to London
Heathrow. The easiest way to get to Cambridge is to
take a direct coach service. There is an hourly coach (Jetlink 787 or
797, see the GoByCoach web site) which takes a scheduled 2.5 hours to reach Cambridge (often
longer, depending on traffic jams).
A fast train service, the Heathrow Express,
connects the airport with London Paddington station. From there use
the underground to
connect with rail or coach
services listed above to reach Cambridge.
The airport is also served by the Picadilly line of the underground
which will take you directly (in about one hour) to King's Cross
station, from which the fast trains to Cambridge depart (see
instructions above).
London Gatwick Airport
This airport is located to the south of London. A fast train service,
the Gatwick Express
connects the airport with Victoria train station. From there, use
the underground (Victoria line, northbound) to reach King's Cross
station, and follow the instructions above. Alternatively, coach services run directly
from Victoria coach station (next to the railway station) to Cambridge.
There is also a direct coach service to Cambridge (Jetlink 797, see the GoByCoach web site)
which takes around 4 hours.
London Luton Airport
Some budget airlines (e.g. EasyJet) use Luton airport, which is
about 35 miles from Cambridge. No intercontinental flights
operate from Luton. Contact the Luton Airport web site for a
list of operating companies.
There is no efficient train connection from Luton airport to
Cambridge, but there is a coach service (JetLink 787) once
every two hours, departing just outside the terminal building. It
takes about 1.5 hours to reach Cambridge.
London City Airport
The City airport is located very close to the centre of London. It
serves major european cities. See the London City Airport web
site for details. There is a shuttle bus from the airport that
connects with the underground network.
Train or boat from the continent
London can be reached from Paris or Brussels by the Eurostar train which uses the
channel tunnel. You will arrive at London Waterloo station. Use the
underground to reach King's Cross station (Bakerloo line, northbound
until Oxford Circus, then Victoria line northbound), and follow the
directions above.
There are also various boat connections from Ireland, France, Belgium
and Holland which have train connections to London or directly to
Cambridge. See the sites of P&O, StenaLine and SeaFrance
for more information.
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