*For most up to date travel information, please ensure you check the University of South Wales information and advice pages.
Travel to Cardiff
We usually* recommend that you book a flight to Cardiff, Bristol, London Heathrow or London Gatwick.
From London Airports
If you arrive at Heathrow you can book a meet and greet service through the USW IISA team to have a university representative meet you at Heathrow airport and provide information and advice on travelling to Cardiff. Please ensure you book 5 working days prior to your arrival. (If you opt to book either service and no longer need it, please ensure you cancel the service by contacting the IISA Team (international.advice@southwales.ac.uk), or you will be liable for an attendance charge).
London Heathrow and London Gatwick airports have train stations linking to Cardiff (Heathrow via Central London (Paddington station) Gatwick via Reading). Tickets can be bought in advance or directly from the train station. Booking your train ticket in advance provides the cheapest option; however please note that this may not be the most practical option as, with an advance booking you must catch the train at a specified time, so if your flight was delayed and you missed that train you might have to buy a whole new ticket. You can find out further information about services and booking by contacting National Rail Enquiries:
Tel: +44 (0)8457 48 49 50. Website- www.nationalrail.co.uk
Both Heathrow and Gatwick airports also have direct coach links to Cardiff, the journey time from Gatwick is around half an hour longer than from Heathrow (Cardiff University and Cardiff, Castle Street are the most central stops). You can find out further information by contacting National Express:
Tel: +44 (0)8717 818181. Website: www.nationalexpress.com
From Bristol Airport
There is a National Express bus service that runs directly from Bristol Airport to Cardiff City Centre approximately every 2 hours and can be booked via the National Express website (Cardiff University and Cardiff, Castle Street are the most central stops). Alternatively, there is a more frequent bus that runs from Bristol Airport to Bristol Temple Meads train station where there are frequent trains to Cardiff Central
You can find further information on the below website:
https://www.bristolairport.co.uk/to-and-from-the-airport/by-bus-and-coach/
From Cardiff Airport
We are pleased to announce that we are able to offer a taxi service for all international students arriving at Cardiff Airport. This service will enable you to travel safely from the airport directly to your accommodation in taxis that are cleaned thoroughly after each journey. This service is open to students who will be staying in private rented accommodation, as well as those who plan to live in college accommodation. Once you have booked your flights, you can register for the taxi service here.
Alternatively, there is a bus service that runs from Cardiff Airport to the city centre and also a bus that runs from Cardiff Airport to Rhoose train station where direct trains run to Cardiff Central approximately every hour.
You can find further information on the below website:
https://cardiff-airport.com/to-and-from-cwl/by-road-cwl/
If you arriving into Cardiff by train, there is a taxi rank located at Cardiff Central Train Station; taxis from here to your accommodation will cost approximately £10-£15, depending where your accommodation is located.
The UK Visa & Immigration have published Ten Top Tips for all international students when they arrive in the UK. Please take the time to read these: UK VI Student Arrivals Ten Top Tips