Manchester to London bus with National Express

Buses from Manchester to London

Taking a trip from Manchester to London is a popular trip for many visitors and locals. Thanks to the popularity of this route, you'll find numerous buses operating this route daily. Your train will travel from one of four stations in Manchester and make its way to one of two stations in London. There are direct trips without a changeover en route and routes with a single stopover along the way at Birmingham Station. The most popular options are direct routes with an average travel time of around 5 h. If you're taking a bus from Manchester to London, you'll travel with one of the two major companies.

Manchester to London Bus Time: Daily Departures

Thanks to the popularity of trips from Manchester to London, you'll be glad to find more than 30 bus routes operating between these two cities daily. Buses start as early as 2:30 a.m. approx each day and run a couple of times an hour from then until around 11:50 p.m. every evening. Megabus operate the most frequent journeys, with nearly 20 trips between these cities daily. The second bus company is National Express, which has close to 10 trips a day, starting around 4:00 a.m. each morning and running until aproximately 11:50 p.m. when the last bus leaves the station.

How long is the journey by bus from Manchester to London?

Your travel time between Manchester and London largely depend on which bus you take and the length of the route. Megabus usually offers the quickest route, with buses running between Manchester Shudehill Interchange and London Heathrow International Airport. The next quickest route is usually between Manchester Airport and London Victoria Coach Station. Both of these options tend to take around 4 h. These are direct routes without changeovers. If you're taking a Megabus bus from Manchester Victoria Station to London Victoria Station, expect your travel time to be around 4h 35min. National Express buses between these same stations tend to take close to 4h 50 min for direct journeys. If you're hopping on a National Express bus travelling from Manchester Coach Station to London Victoria with a stopover in Birmingham en route, your travel time will usually be around 6h 5min.

Buses from Manchester to London: Hulme Arch and Beetham Tower in Manchester. Source: Shutterstock

What are the departure and arrival stations for buses from Manchester to London?

Departure bus station:If you're taking a bus from Manchester to London, you'll have the choice of four different departure stations. All National Express buses will travel between Manchester Coach Station and London Victoria Station. Megabus operates out of Manchester Shudehill, Manchester Airport, and Manchester Victoria station. Manchester Coach Station is the main bus station in the city, offering guests a variety of amenities, including disabled assistance, information desks, accessible and standard toilets, and shopping and dining opportunities. Manchester Airport is the next most popular departure station, located further away from the city centre but easily accessible by public transport. Although the airport station doesn't have facilities, you'll have access to everything inside the airport, including shopping and dining opportunities, souvenir shops, free WiFi, cash machines and more.

Arrival bus station:Your arrival station in London will either be London Victoria Station, one of the major train stations in the city, or London Heathrow International Airport. London Victoria Station is the most popular choice for these journeys as it's closer to the city centre and easily accessible to the rest of the city through the Metro, the subway, trains, taxis, and buses. London Victoria is the second busiest station in the city. It offers travellers a choice of services and amenities, including cash machines, luggage storage, payphones, refreshment facilities, shops, and accessible toilets. London Heathrow is one of the largest and busiest airports in the world. The buses stop at Terminals 1, 2, and 3, and although there are no facilities specific to the station, you'll have the choice of facilities available at the airport.

Which bus companies travel from Manchester to London?

If you're taking a bus from Manchester to London, one of two bus companies will handle your bus. The most popular option is Megabus, which operates close to 20 buses a day starting as early as 02:30 a.m. each morning until almost midnight every evening. All Megabus routes are direct routes between Manchester and London. At the same time, National Express, the other bus company, provides routes between Manchester Coach Station and London Victoria Station that include direct trips and trips with a changeover in Birmingham en route.

Megabus buses from Manchester to London

Megabus operate the most frequent journeys between Manchester and London. You'll find upwards of 20 trips a day starting as early as 2:30 a.m. every morning. These buses are all direct routes and operate from one of three stations in Manchester to one of two stations in London. Your travel time will depend on your route, with an average travel time of around 4h 30min.

National Express buses from Manchester to London

National Express is one of the country's leading bus companies and operates close to 10 trips from Manchester Coach Station to London Victoria Station every day. These journeys start around 4:10 a.m. each morning and run until close to 12:00 a.m. every day. Most of these routes are direct trips between the two stations, but there are a couple of options every day with a single changeover in Birmingham en route. The average travel time for a direct trip will be around 5h, while the route with a stopover increases to around 6h.

Bus Manchester to London: Services on Board

When travelling on a bus from Manchester to London, you'll only have one type of ticket class available. All tickets allow you to travel with two medium-sized stowaway bags or one large one weighing no more than 20kg, as well as carry-on luggage like a laptop bag or handbag. You will only be able to take service animals with you when travelling, and you'll need to provide all of the information, certificates, and proof that they're a service animal. If you're travelling with a disability, all bus companies offer assistance. We recommend calling 48h in advance to ensure you get the help you need.

How to find cheap bus tickets from Manchester to London?

There are several ways to ensure you pick up the cheapest tickets available and travel efficiently. Check out the Omio Magazine for tips on travelling efficiently. Searching on Omio gives you the chance to filter according to price, and you'll receive information from numerous online sources. Try booking as far in advance as possible to pay the cheapest rates for the tickets, and if you book with flexible dates, you could pick up better deals on different days. If you're a senior citizen or student, make sure to enquire about discounts afforded to you.

Buses from Manchester to London: friends travelling by coach to London. Source: Shutterstock

To London by bus —travel tips

London is one of the most popular cities in the world to visit. The city is the capital of England and the UK and has a history that dates back to the Roman Empire, with a variety of things to do in the city, places to see and food to try. There is no shortage of things to do while visiting London. Take advantage of everything the city has to offer and try out these things on your next visit. Wander through Hyde Park, one of the most well-known parks in the world, check out the London Eye and visit one of the trendiest areas in the city, Shoreditch.