Getting to Plymouth

Plymouth has good transport links with the rest of England and visitors can arrive by train, plane, ferry, bus or car.

By air

Plymouth Airport is conveniently located close to the city and buses and taxis are available for the short transfer to the city centre. The airport has flights to major cities in the UK including Bristol, Leeds, London and Manchester.

By car

English roads are generally very well maintained and have good signposts. Reaching Plymouth by car is relatively straightforward as the road system connects with all of the large cities. From west or east of the country take the M4 motorway to Bristol and continue until you reach Exeter (90 miles from Bristol). From there, take the A380 dual carriageway to Plymouth.

By train

Plymouth is on a main line rail route connecting to Bristol, London and the North of England. Frequent trains run from London's Paddington Station to Plymouth in approximately four hours. Trains also continue on to Penzance in Cornwall.

By bus

National Express run coaches from all over the country to the Bretonside Bus Station in Plymouth. It is one of the most cost effective and reliable ways of travelling to the South West. There are regular daily services from Victoria Coach Station in London departing early morning, early afternoon and evening.

By ferry

A regular ferry service provided by Brittany Ferries operates year-round to Roscoff in France. Summer timetables also include ferry crossings to Santander, Spain. The Millbay dock at Plymouth has recently been expanded and future plans are to transform the harbour into a major port that will also accommodate incoming cruise liners.

Plymouth International Airport

Plymouth City Airport is a small airport located four miles north of the city centre, just off the A386 road to Tavistock. Regular flights are provided exclusively by Air Southwest to destinations in the UK and the Channel Islands including Bristol, Jersey, London, Manchester and Leeds.

Plymouth airport transportation

By far the easiest way of reaching Plymouth from the airport is by taxi. Services are provided by Taxifest and the journey time to the city centre is just 15 minutes. Citybus and First Bus services are available from Derriford Roundabout, which is a ten minute walk from the airport terminal. Hire cars are also available from the airport.