Glasgow to Paris bus

Buses from Glasgow to Paris

Coaches from Glasgow to Paris are available once a day, every day of the week except for Tuesdays, and including weekends. The journey takes between about 21h 30min and 22h. They all require one stop en route in London, which includes a bus change. You’ll travel via the Channel Tunnel, so there’s no need to budget for a ferry trip on top of the normal bus ticket price.

Glasgow to Paris Bus Time: Daily Departures

There are six buses coaches from Glasgow to Paris a week, at a frequency of one every day, with the exception of Tuesdays when no buses are available. They all leave at the same time in the late afternoon, from Wednesday to Sunday, but the Monday bus is a morning one. The earliest you can catch a bus to Paris from here is at around 9:15 a.m., with evening buses leaving each day at around 9:15 p.m.

How long is the journey by bus from Glasgow to Paris?

Coaches from Glasgow to Paris are regular and dependable, and all take roughly the same amount of time, with about a 30min differential. The Monday buses take about 21h 30min to get there, with all the others taking roughly 21h 55min. Both these journeys require a single change in London, at different stations, depending on the carrier with whom you choose to book your ticket. These change-overs take about 1h 55min on Mondays and around 2h 15min on other days of the week.

Paris Eiffel Tour Yellow Girl. Source: Shutterstock

What are the departure and arrival stations for buses from Glasgow to Paris?

Departure bus station: All buses to Paris from Glasgow leave from Glasgow Buchanan Bus Station. It’s one of the largest bus terminals in the city, and you can get there from the centre of Glasgow using the McGills Bus Service X7 or X23 lines in about 4min. These leave every 30min from Glasgow Bath Street stop. Buchanan Bus Station has three small general convenience stores and a café, plus a couple of cash machines. All parts of the station are wheelchair accessible.

Arrival bus station: You’ll arrive in Paris at either Quai de Bercy (Bercy Seine) bus station or at Place du Panthéon bus station. It will take you about 14min to get from Bercy Seine to the centre of Paris, on a Paris Metro train via Line 14. Otherwise you can catch a Line 87 bus for a trip of about 17min. The station has a small café, and a few vending machines and food kiosks. Only a night bus is available from Place du Panthéon to central Paris. It will take about 16min. During the day you’ll have to rely on a taxi, which will only take about 4min. This is a smaller station with a cash machine and a coffee bar. SNCF runs comprehensive nationally-standardised accessibility services at both stations.

Which bus companies travel from Glasgow to Paris?

FlixBus operates five of the six bus trips from Glasgow to Paris each week. These run from Wednesday to Sunday at around 9:15 p.m. On the way you’ll make a single stop in London at Victoria Coach Station, where you’ll transfer to a different Flixbus. You’ll arrive in Paris at Bercy Seine Station after a trip through the Channel Tunnel. National Express operates the Monday buses, together with Union Ivkoni International. After leaving Glasgow you’ll stop at Victoria Coach Station, where you’ll switch to a Union Ivkoni International bus that will take you to Paris Place du Panthéon bus station via the Channel Tunnel. The trip is slightly shorter than the others, as you’ll spend less time at the Victoria Coach Station stopover.

FlixBus buses from Glasgow to Paris

FlixBus operates most of the buses on this route, with one departing each day of the week except for Mondays and Tuesdays. They all take the same amount of time to make the journey, roughly 21h 55min, travelling at standard motorway speed. You can book a trip once a day at around 9:15 p.m., so be prepared to travel overnight on these journeys. You’ll travel all the way on FlixBus, but you will make a change to a different bus at London Victoria Coach Station.

National Express and Union Ivkoni International buses from Glasgow to Paris

We can consider National Express and Union Ivkoni International buses together, as they each operate a different leg of the trip. National Express buses leave once a week on a Monday morning, making a single stop in London, where you’ll transfer at Victoria Coach Station to the Victoria Green Line, and switch to Union Ivkoni International for the trip to Paris. Your total travel time on this route will be about 2h 30min.

Bus Glasgow to Paris: Services on board

Flixbus is one of the budget bus operators, so it only offers a single class – you won’t be able to book a First class ticket. Standard class is perfectly comfortable and convenient, though. You’ll enjoy free Wi-Fi on board and each seat has a power plug point. Snacks and drinks are available for purchase. You can take a single luggage item up to 44 lbs (20 kg) in weight, as well as a carry-on luggage item weighing no more than 15 lbs (7 kg). You won’t be able to travel with any pets, but you can bring a bicycle with you. Wheelchair and limited mobility assistance is always available, and service dogs are welcome.

National Express also offers a single Standard class. It’s very much a commuter train service, rather than a long-haul carrier, without many perks, but you will get free Wi-Fi. You can take two medium-sized suitcases along in the hold, or place one in the hold and bring a soft piece of carry-on luggage on board with you. Foldable bicycles can count as one of these items. Wheelchair space is available and service dogs are allowed. Union Ivkoni is also somewhat utilitarian, offering a single class that has power sockets in comfortable seats, free Wi-Fi and air-conditioning. You can make arrangements for limited mobility assistance beforehand.

How to find cheap bus tickets from Glasgow to Paris?

On this route you can get cheaper bus tickets by travelling with FlixBus. This can save you up to about a third of the price, particularly if you leave on Saturday or Sunday. You’ll also often find cheaper tickets by staying completely flexible with your travel dates and times, which will allow you to take advantage of discounted tickets as soon as they go on sale.

The Omio online ticket platform is an ideal place to look for these. If you like to plan your holidays or business trips well in advance, you can sometimes also get cheaper tickets by buying them far ahead of your travel date, when they’re often cheaper. On other routes you can choose bus companies and routes that take longer to make the journey or stop more often on the way, as these are also usually cheaper trips.

Paris Tourist Notre Dame River. Source: Shutterstock

To Paris by bus—travel tips

Paris is one of the world’s most iconic travel destinations, and its tourist landmarks are household names. While you’re there you can tick off many of your bucket list items, like the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre Art Museum, the Arc de Triomphe and the Notre Dame Cathedral.

French cuisine is also world-famous, and this will give you the opportunity to taste authentic local dishes in places ranging from tiny family bistros to top-class restaurants. Theatre and opera lovers shouldn’t miss the chance to visit Palais Garnier, Opéra National de Paris, not least for its fine architecture and acoustics. It dates back to 1860, when Napoleon commissioned its construction.

You can also visit what was the heart of Paris in the 18th century, Place de la Concorde, with its hallmark Egyptian obelisk at its centre. It’s still a central socialising square for Parisians. For more ideas on what to do and see in Paris, have a look at the Omio online magazine, The Window Seat.