Cheapest
Average
The best way to find a cheap fare is to book your ticket as far in advance as you can and to avoid traveling at rush hour.
Find all the dates and times for this journey
Fastest Journey
5 h 35 m
Average
6 h 14 m
Buses per day
10
Distance
231 km
Of the 10 buses that leave Cardiff for Manchester every day 10 travel direct so it’s quite easy to avoid journeys where you’ll have to change along the way.
Distance | 143 miles | |
Average coach duration | 5 h 35 min | |
Average coach ticket price | £18 (€21) | |
Direct coach | Yes | |
Coach companies | National Express or Megabus |
Coaches from Cardiff to Manchester cover the 143 miles long trip taking on average 5 h 35 min with our travel partners like National Express or Megabus. There are direct coach services available. While the average ticket price for this trip costs around £18, you can find the cheapest coach ticket for as low as £14. Travellers depart most frequently from Cardiff Central and arrive in Manchester, Coach Station.
Buy your official National Express coach tickets to Manchester from Cardiff from £14 with Omio. Find coach times and tickets for over 1000 travel companies to compare and book the most popular route.
National Express is the leading coach operator for routes throughout the United Kingdom, operating over 550 coaches a day and serving over 900 destinations across the country. National Express even offers routes to and from major UK airports like Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton and Bristol 24 hours a day at affordable prices for the budget traveller in mind. All National Express coaches are air-conditioned and provide free WiFi and onboard entertainment. Most coaches are equipped with seat belts and power outlets in each seat, so you can charge your phone or laptop during a long journey. You can select between three ticket types for the Cardiff - Manchester coach: Restricted Fare, Standard Fare, and Fully Flexible Fare. Refundable tickets provide more flexibility than other ticket options, meaning you can cancel or change your ticket easily, should you need to.
Sophia Gardens in Cardiff is the departure point for buses from Cardiff to Manchester with the first bus of the day departing around 7:30 a.m. National Express runs these buses and the final service departs from Cardiff at about 5:00 p.m. Journeys can take around 6 hours, but at certain times of the day, travel times can extend to over 8 hours. There is a change of bus during the journey in either Birmingham or Bristol, depending on the route taken. Buses from Cardiff to Manchester run every couple of hours between the first and last departure times and the service runs from Monday to Sunday.
Cardiff is an exciting city with much to attract any visitor. It was ranked 6th in National Geographic’s 2011 Alternative Tourist Destinations and is often considered the most popular tourist destination in Wales, with 14.6 million visitors in 2009. The city is steeped in history and you don’t need to travel far (in fact, just straight to the city centre) to see one of its oldest historical attractions: Cardiff Castle. The castle is surrounded by beautiful parkland (an abundance of green space is also a reason for Cardiff’s popularity) and visitors can marvel at the intricate artworks covering many of the walls inside. Much of the area surrounding the city is very interesting also. If you head to the outskirts of the city to the Llandaff district you can visit the 12th century Llandaff Cathedral, made more famous in recent years for the Ghost Walks on offer. Those feeling brave will love this renowned, exciting, and educational activity.
A large city in the north west of England, Manchester is an important industrial and musical centre with a large and eclectic array of attractions and activities to keep you busy. Consider exploring the fascinating Museum of Science & Industry, a 2.8-hectare urban heritage park encompassing old brick buildings, rusting viaducts, and massive warehouses, to get a glimpse of 19th-century industrial Manchester. Literature enthusiasts will love visiting the John Rylands Library, which is complete with high-vaulted ceilings and stained glass windows, and the Elizabeth Gaskell house, where this famous author lived from 1850 to 1865. The Godlee Observatory is largely unvisited but one of the most interesting sites in town. Head to the Whitworth Art Gallery to see a wonderful collection of British watercolours.
When taking the coach to Manchester from Cardiff, you can choose to depart from coach stations like Cardiff, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, University and Cardiff, Gorsedd Gardens Rd / Museum Ave. Your trip can end in coach stations such as Manchester, Coach Station, Manchester, Arena and Manchester, Etihad Stadium.
Omio customers who travel this route most frequently depart from Cardiff Central and arrive in Manchester, Coach Station.
Passengers board their coach most frequently from Cardiff Central and travel around 1.1 miles (1.8 km) from the city centre to this coach station.
Passengers travelling this route most often arrive at Manchester, Coach Station and need to travel approximately 0.8 miles (1.3 km) from the coach station to the city centre in Manchester.
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