Getting to Oxford

Oxford is about 80 kilometres from London (Heathrow Airport) and further from Gatwick, Luton and Stansted airports, the sea ports and central London. If you prefer to travel by public transport, these directions will help you travel to Oxford.

Travel from UK airports

London Heathrow Airport

The Airline coach runs from Heathrow central bus station and Terminal 5. Here is the Airline timetable for Heathrow Airport. The Airline coach runs frequently 24 hours a day and stops outside the main University campus (stop B4 on Headington road).

It takes between 70 to 90 minutes to reach Oxford. You can buy your tickets online before you travel or with cash from the bus driver. Tickets from Heathrow to Oxford cost £23. You can make contactless credit/debit card payments up to £100. If the cost of your ticket purchase will be more than this, please ensure you have enough cash or buy your tickets online before you travel.

If you arrive at:

Terminal 2 or 3 - Take the Airline coach from Bay 15 at Heathrow central bus station. The bus station is located between Terminals 2&3 and is a short walk via the underground walkways. Follow the signs to Central bus station and wait for the coach at bay 15.
Terminal 4 - Terminal 4 is currently a Red List Arrivals Facility. As such, follow the instructions given to you by the members of staff at the airport. The UK government will arrange transport to your quarantine hotel".
Terminal 5 - The Airline coach stops at Terminal 5, you do not need to go to Heathrow central bus station. Walk to bus stop 10 on the arrivals concourse outside the terminal building.

Detailed instructions how to get from each terminal to the bus stop (PDF)

You can get off the Airline coach at several bus stops in Oxford. One of the bus stops is just outside the main Oxford Brookes campus in Headington. You can get off there and take a taxi to your accommodation. Alternatively, you may prefer to get off at the last stop in Oxford, called Gloucester Green, and take a ‘black cab’ taxi to your accommodation. There is a taxi rank next to the Odeon Cinema. If you are unsure, ask the coach driver.

London Gatwick Airport

The Airline coach runs from both South and North Terminal coach stations. It runs every 2 hours between 06.00 and 02.55. It takes about 2-2.5 hours to reach Oxford, depending on traffic. The buses leave from outside the terminal buildings.

You can buy your tickets online before you travel or with cash or contactless payment from the bus driver. The bus stops outside the University and you can call a taxi from there. You may prefer to get off at the last stop in Oxford called Gloucester Green and take a ‘black cab’ taxi to your accommodation. There is a taxi rank next to the Odeon Cinema. If you are unsure, ask the coach driver. .

London Luton Airport

If you are arriving at Luton airport you can book coach tickets to Oxford with the National Express coach company. The bus leaves from just outside the terminal building and stops outside the University and in Oxford city centre. If you are travelling with your luggage, you may prefer to get off at the last stop in Oxford called Gloucester Green and take a ‘black cab’ taxi to your accommodation.

There are direct coaches (service 737) or you may need to take the National Express coach to Heathrow (service 707) and then change coach to the Airline coach (service OXF). If you book with National Express, your ticket will include both of these journeys.

Direct tickets cost approx. £25. If you need to change at Heathrow the ticket could cost up to £51. We recommend you book direct tickets in advance on the National Express website.

London Stansted Airport

The National Express 737 coach runs direct from Stansted Airport to Oxford. Pre-booking is highly recommended as the coach is on a reduced service. Check the timetable and book in advance. The bus leaves from just outside the terminal building and stops outside the University and in Oxford city centre. If you are travelling with your luggage, you may prefer to get off at the last stop in Oxford called Gloucester Green and take a ‘black cab’ taxi to your accommodation. There is a taxi rank next to the Odeon Cinema. If you are unsure, ask the coach driver.

Pre-booking is highly recommended, though you can buy a ticket from the driver if there is space. The journey takes approximately 3-4 hours from Stansted depending on traffic.

If you are unable to get the National Express, you can take the Stansted Express train from Stansted airport train station (within the airport terminal) to London Liverpool Street train station. At London Liverpool Street you should take the Underground to London Paddington train station. From London Paddington you can get the train to Oxford. Prices and journey times will vary. We advise you plan your journey using The Trainline to ensure that connecting trains to Oxford are available when your flight lands.

When you arrive at Oxford train station there should be taxis you can take to your accommodation directly outside the station.

Birmingham Airport

Avanti West Coast Trains (formerly known as Virgin trains) run from Birmingham international train station every hour from about 06.00am to 01.00am but do not travel through the night. Travel time is about one hour. There is a free bus called Air-Link which takes you from outside the airport terminal to the train station.

A taxi rank is located at the front of the main entrance to Oxford station.

Southampton Airport

Avanti West Coast Trains (formerly known as Virgin trains) run from Southampton airport parkway station every 60 mins from about 06.00 to 22.00. Travel time is about one hour and ten minutes. You can walk from the airport to the train station. Information and timetables.

A taxi rank is located at the front of the main entrance to Oxford station.

Travel from London and other UK cities

Details on how to travel to Oxford by:

Coach

The Oxford Tube coach service operates between London and Oxford. It runs every 10-15 minutes most of the day, every 20-30 minutes late evenings and hourly right through the night. Travel time 70-110 minutes depending on traffic.

You can buy tickets online or with cash from the driver. You do not need to book. Once you are a student, you can get a discounted fare of £10 return with your BROOKESkey.

The bus stops outside the University, but if you are travelling with your luggage, you may prefer to get off at the last stop in Oxford called Gloucester Green and take a ‘black cab’ taxi to your accommodation. There is a taxi rank next to the Odeon Cinema. If you are unsure, ask the coach driver.

For all other cities, National Express and Megabus run coaches to Oxford.

Train

If you are travelling by train, Network Rail has announced that Oxford train station will be closed over the following weekends as part of its work to improve services:

-10-11 September - 24-25 September

- 17-18 September - 1-2 October

Rail replacement bus services will be provided but Network Rail has advised that, wherever possible, alternative travel arrangements should be made for this period.

There are 2 train stations in Oxford:

Trains from London Paddington go into Oxford station and are run by First Great Western Link approximately every 15 minutes during the day, and approximately every 30 minutes during the late evening. The journey time is about one hour.
Trains from London Marylebone go into Oxford Parkway station and are run by Chiltern Railways approximately every 30 minutes. The journey time is about 1 hour 20 minutes. Trains run throughout the country, some are direct trains and others will require you to change.

If you are coming into London via the Eurostar you will arrive at London St Pancras International and you will need to take the London Underground Tube to Paddington station, then get a train to Oxford.

Walk to Kings Cross Tube station. This is a very short walk via the subway and is well signposted.
From Kings Cross Tube station take the Circle line or the Hammersmith and City line (westbound, platform 1) to Paddington train station.
The Tube station is inside Paddington train station, follow the signs and go up the escalators and you will be in the main train station.
Direct trains to Oxford run approximately every 25 mins and the journey to Oxford is 50 mins- 1hr 10 mins.

You should buy your tickets online and download the app to access your tickets.

You can buy a 16-25 Railcard (also valid for mature students in full time education) to save 1/3 off fares.

From the train station, you can either get a taxi from in front of the main entrance of the station or take a bus. Our maps give details of the bus routes into and around Oxford. For the Headington Campus, please get off at Brookes University bus stop.

Taxi

Travel by taxis from other cities or the airports is expensive but many students use taxis for local journeys, especially if you have a lot of luggage or shopping. For longer journeys, we advise you to travel by coach or train. When you use a taxi, you will need to book in advance unless you use a ‘black cab’ taxi.

If you wish to travel to Oxford from an airport or from St Pancras International Train station by taxi, we strongly recommend you to book this service in advance. You can find a list of private hire taxi operators on the Oxford City Council webpage. By booking the service in advance, you will know how much the service will cost you and you will be able to compare the different services/fares that each company could provide you.

You can find below the average fare from the main picking up points in London to Oxford:

Heathrow Airport - £80
Gatwick Airport - £120
Stansted Airport - £140
Luton Airport - £100
St Pancras International Train Station - £130

Please note that the taxi company will add on the top of the fare the cost of the parking for the time the driver waited for your arrival. Make sure you ask about this cost when you book the service.

If you provide your flight number, most of the taxi companies will be able to track your flight so that the driver will be able to adjust the arrival time to collect you if there is any delay. This might save you extra waiting charges.

You might be able to share the fare with other people. Please check with the taxi company how many people can share the same journey and how many items of luggage can fit in the same vehicle.