Buses from London to Madrid

If you’re looking for the cheapest way to get from the capital of the UK to the capital of Spain, buses from London to Madrid are your best choice.

To travel between the UK and Spain, you must first take a bus from London to Paris and then transfer to a bus from Paris to Madrid.

National Express run buses from London to Paris. Coaches depart London Victoria Coach station for Paris Gallieni bus station five times a day. Three daytime buses to Paris leave at 8:00, 10:00, and 12:00 and two overnight buses to Paris depart at 21:30 and 22:30.

The scheduled journey time on this route is 8.5 to 10.25 hours, depending on your departure time. Tickets for buses from London to Paris cost from £9 if you buy them online ahead of travelling. More information about this route can be found here.

Once you arrive in Paris, you can transfer to a bus from Paris to Madrid. These are offered by a company called Eurolines. Their coaches depart Paris Gallieni bus station for Madrid South bus station twice a day at 14:30 and 18:00. The scheduled travel time from Paris to Madrid is 16.5 to 18.5 hours.

Bus tickets from Paris to Madrid on Eurolines buses cost from 37 euros if you book your tickets online in advance. You can find out more information about this route here.

A good way to travel by bus from London to Madrid is to plan an overnight stay in Paris on the way. This will allow you to rest and ensure that you don’t miss your connection if your coach from London is delayed.

Ferries from Holyhead to Dublin

If you need to get from the UK to Ireland, taking a ferry from Holyhead to Dublin is a great way to travel. Holyhead is located on the Isle of Anglesey in North Wales, and is one of the closest points in Great Britain to Ireland. Ferries between these cities are run by two companies: Irish Ferries and Stena Line. Below is a comparison of their offerings.

Irish Ferries from Holyhead to Dublin

Irish Ferries offer daily ferry services on this route. Their ships make up to four crossings each day: one in the early morning at 2:40, two in the daytime at 11:50 and 14:10, and one in the early evening at 17:15. There are additional sailings at certain times of the year, including the Christmas period.

Irish Ferries’ ships from Holyhead to Dublin take from 1 hour and 49 minutes to 3 hours and 15 minutes, depending on whether you take the fast “Jonathan Swift” ferry (11:50 and 17:15) or a slower ferry (2:40 and 14:10).

You can buy ferry tickets online, and you can travel with your car if you need to. If you travel as a foot passenger, an adult ferry ticket costs £28.00. If you travel with a car, a ticket is £79.00 for one adult. These prices are valid for online bookings.

Stena Line Ferries from Holyhead to Dublin

Like Irish Ferries, Stena Line operate daily ferries between the UK and Ireland. The company’s ships make four crossings a day: one in the early morning at 2:30, two in the daytime at 8:55 (no foot passengers) and 13:50, and one at night at 20:30 (no foot passengers). Stena Line also offer additional crossings during Christmastime.

The Stena Line ferries take 3 hours and 15 minutes to make the crossing.

Tickets for ferries from Holyhead to Dublin cost £28.00 for an adult ticket if you travel without a car, and from £79.00 for one adult with a car. You can buy ferry tickets online before you travel.

Trains from London to Madrid

If you do not plan to fly from the UK to Spain, taking the train is the best way to get from London to Madrid.

To take a train from London to Madrid, first take the Eurostar from London to Paris (details on how to do this can be found here).

After you arrive in Paris, take the overnight Elipsos trainhotel train from Paris to Madrid (details on how to do this can be found here).

Note that trains from London to Paris arrive at the Gare du Nord station, while trains from Paris to Madrid depart from the Gare d’Austerlitz station.

As such, make sure to leave yourself plenty of time to take a taxi or metro Line 5 between the two train stations. A taxi will take 15 minutes without traffic and around 35 minutes with traffic. The metro will take 20 minutes, but queues for tickets can be long, so leave yourself at least 30 to 40 minutes for this option.