Today, I am here to help you to book the best value trains from London to York.
I will be traveling to Belgrade in Serbia for February half term. My flight is with Serbian airlines from Heathrow airport. I will need to travel from York to London Heathrow by train. My journey needs to be stress-free and also come in at a budget of less than £100.
York is a very popular UK destination for tourists and international travelers. As it was the Roman capital of England and York is home to York Minster, one of the largest Gothic Cathedral in Europe.
Flying into the UK to Heathrow is cost-effective, and Heathrow airport offers direct flights to many cities that Manchester, Liverpool, and Birmingham airports but Belgrade is one of these!
Here are my tips on traveling from York to London Heathrow by train.
Plan your journey from York to London Heathrow in advance!
You may already know that train travel in the UK can be extremely expensive. However, train travel in the UK is comfortable and efficient. Most trains run on time, but be aware that there may be some delays due to weather or engineering. It’s always best to plan your journey in advance and that includes traveling from York to London Heathrow.
My initial quote for Travelling from York to London Heathrow by Train
My initial quote for traveling from York to London Heathrow by Train was £175.55. This was even with a Disabled Adult Railcard (I have epilepsy so I get one of these!) Much too expensive, I’m sure you will agree. This train was with flexible times throughout the day (a Friday), which you don’t really need when you are traveling to catch a flight.
This initial quote also included a ticket for the Heathrow Express, which, believe it or not, is NOT the most efficient or cheapest way to get to Heathrow airport. Did you know that it works out much cheaper if you just book a train to London, get an Oyster card and take the Tube (London Underground)?
In addition, Central London to the Airport is £23.70 with the Heathrow Express compared to £11.70 as a capped price with an Oyster card on the Underground…
How I reduced the cost of my ticket from York to London
By specifying my time of travel in advance, and traveling later in the day, I managed to get my ticket below £100. I also cut out the Heathrow leg of the journey (I can get the Tube for that) and booked a direct train from York to London Kings Cross. The York to London Kings Cross train is the quickest from York to London – the total travel time is just over 2 hours.
By booking over a week in advance, and being specific about train times and booking directly from York to London Kings Cross, I managed to get my ticket price down to £63.30.
However, I must admit that I like to pay the extra £1 to relieve myself of the sometimes busy and stressful queues at the ticket machine.
How to Book your Train Journey from York to London Heathrow
- Book over a week in advance.
- Avoid traveling at peak times (7-9 am is an expensive time to travel).
- Book a train to London Kings Cross and then get an Oyster Card and take the Underground to get to Heathrow.
- Use your railcard (see Travel Hacking UK Trains).
- If you are flying on a Friday morning, it might still be cheaper to travel to London on Thursday night, stay overnight somewhere near Kings Cross (like Keystone House) and take the Tube to Heathrow in the morning.
- If you collect Nectar, book your train through Virgin Trains East Coast to earn 2 Nectar Points for every £1 you spend.
For Stress-Free Travel
- Get to the train station 30 minutes before your train leaves to allow for collecting tickets, using the toilets, buying food and finding the platform.
- Allow extra time between transfers.
- Upgrade to First Class if you can afford it – upgrades for between £10-£20 onboard on a weekend.
- Travel to London and stay overnight before your flight – don’t travel from one city to another on the day of your flight.
And finally, good luck with your journey from York to London Heathrow.
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