The most convenient airport for Bath is Bristol airport, which is 45 minutes by taxi. There are direct flights to Bristol from many European cities on Air France, KLM, SN Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa and EasyJet. If you cannot get a direct flight, you can make a connection via Amsterdam and Brussels. If you decide to fly to London, you should get a direct flight to Heathrow airport. Heathrow is about 2 hours from Bath and can be reached easily by car, train or coach.  We do not advise travelling to Gatwick, Stansted or Luton, as travelling to and from these airports involves a longer and complicated journey.

If you are travelling to Bath by car, take the M4 west to Junction 18. Click here to find a road map and directions from the M4 motorway to LTS.

Travel from Bristol Airport (the nearest airport to Bath)

Most participants arrive at Bristol Airport. There are direct flights either daily or every day except Saturday to Bristol from Paris, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Nice, Bergerac, La Rochelle, Marseille, Brussels, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin, Bremen, Duesseldorf, Geneva, Zurich, Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Malaga, Alicante, Murcia, Rome, Milan, Venice, Pisa, Prague, Budapest, Faro, Krakow and many more.

The most convenient transport from Bristol Airport to Bath is by taxi. The journey takes approximately 45 minutes and costs £42 (€ 63) using LTS' recommended chauffeuring service. The advantage of a pre-booked taxi is that the driver knows exactly where to take you in Bath. If we have booked a taxi to meet you and you miss your flight or have another delay, please contact the taxi company directly to inform them, otherwise you may be charged for the extra waiting time.

There is also a taxi service at Bristol Airport which you can use on your arrival, but you may have to wait for a car to be free. You can also book it in advance on the internet (www.checkercars.com).

There is also the possibility to take the airport shuttle bus to Bristol train station (Temple Meads) and then the train to Bath train station (Bath Spa). A one-way ticket for the airport shuttle bus costs about £5 and the train from Bristol to Bath is also about £5. There are always taxis waiting outside Bath train station to take you to your hotel/ host family. Depending on where your hotel/ host family is located, the cost of a local taxi is about £4-8.

For more information, please see:

www.bristolairport.co.uk/getting_to_bia/by_airport_express_link.aspx

(airport express) and www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk (trains).

Car Hire from Bristol Airport

There are four car hire companies located at Bristol International. The car hire office is situated next to the short-term car park opposite the terminal building.

Avis: Tel +44 (0)1275 473534 or Fax +44 (0)1275 473535

Europcar: Tel +44 (0)1275 474623 or Fax +44 (0)1275 474663

Hertz: Tel +44 (0)1275 472807

National Car Rental: Tel +44 (0)1275 474821

For further information please see www.bristolairport.co.uk.

Travel from Central London

All trains to Bath leave from Paddington Station. The journey time to Bath is 90 minutes. Please note that Bath station is called Bath Spa. Departures from Paddington on Sunday are approximately every hour. On other days they are every 30 minutes, except after 19.00. For more information, please refer to our website on www.lts-training.com/travel.html, or www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk for an up-to-date timetable.

Travel by bus/train combination direct from Heathrow Airport to Bath

A special Rail/Air Link coach to Reading Station leaves Heathrow Central Bus Station, beginning at 06:45 and then every 20 minutes until 23:15. Follow signs marked Rail/Air Link to Reading. Do not take Airbus to London as this is in the opposite direction! Passengers arriving at Terminal 4 need to get an airport shuttle bus or the Heathrow Express to the Central Bus Station to pick up the coach to Reading.

Journey time from Heathrow to Reading is about 45 minutes. You should allow 15 minutes to transfer to your train after the arrival of the coach. Total journey time Heathrow - Bath is between 2 hours and 2.5 hours, depending on connections. A return ticket costs £46.50 - £52.00 depending when you travel. If you book 7 days in advance, the cost may be lower. For fares and times, please see www.firstgreatwestern.com.

Travel from Heathrow to Bath by Coach

National Express coaches run from Heathrow Central Bus Station (opposite Terminals 1 and 2) to Bath. The times of coach departures from Heathrow are as follows: 8:45 (Sat/Sun only), 9.00 (Sat/Sun only), and Mon to Fri, 10:15, 11:45, 13:15, 15:15, 17:15, 18:45, 19:45, 21:15 and 23:40. The journey takes about 2.5 hours. A single ticket costs £15.50 and a return ticket costs £22.50. See www.nationalexpress.co.uk for more details, where you can also book and pay by credit card on line.

Car Hire from Heathrow Airport

London Heathrow Airport provides car hire facilities at each of the four terminals. Courtesy buses provided by the car hire companies operate from each of the four terminals, providing easy access to the car parks.

Avis: Tel +44 (0)20 8750 2511

Budget: Tel +44 (0)20 8897 0811

Europcar: Tel +44 (0)20 8897 2072

Hertz : Tel +44 (0)20 8897 3232

National Car Rental: Tel +44 (0)20 8899 1000

For further information please see www.heathrowairport.com. 

Travel by Taxi from Heathrow

The cost of a pre-booked taxi from Heathrow to Bath is £125.00.  We can book a taxi for you on request.  The journey takes about 90 minutes depending on traffic.

Travel by Eurostar

Trains from Paris/Brussels to London St. Pancras International run daily, at regular intervals and the journey takes 2 hours 40 minutes.  From St. Pancras (Kings Cross), take the underground (Hammersmith & City line) to Paddington Station (allow 30 mins) and take a direct train to Bath. For further information, see "travel from Central London" and for an up-to-date timetable and fares see www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk.

Travel from Gatwick Airport

This is a longer journey than from Heathrow, and involves a change of trains at Reading.   There is an hourly rail connection from Gatwick to Reading where you change trains to get the train to Bath. The total journey time is about 2 hours 30 minutes. See www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk for an up-to-date timetable and fares. If you require a taxi from Gatwick airport to Bath the cost of a pre-booked taxi (one way) will be £165.

Car Hire from Gatwick Airport

Car hire is available from the following companies that are located in the dedicated Car Rental Buildings on the Lower Forecourt Road at both terminals.

Car Hire Centre: Tel +44 (0)8707 27 17 27

Car Hire Express: Tel +44 (0)870 753 1790

Avis: Tel +44 (0)870 606 0100

National: Tel +44 (0)870 600 6666

Europcar: Tel +44 (0)870 607 5000

Hertz: Tel 0990 996699

For further information please see www.gatwickairport.com.

Travel from Portsmouth connecting with boats from Le Harve and Cherbourg

There is an hourly rail service from Portsmouth Harbour Railway Station to Bath.  The journey takes about 2 hours. See www.qjump.co.uk for an up-to-date timetable and fares.

Travelling by Car

Leave the M4 at junction 18 signposted A46 Bath. Take this road for about 2 miles, going past the entrance to Dyrham Park (National Trust). Soon after this, there is a right turn indicated but with no name. There is a right hand turning lane in the middle of the road at the top of a small incline. Turn right here and proceed on this small country road till you reach a large road (A420 Chippenham - Bristol). Turn right and then immediately left, and continue on another small country road. After going down and then up a steep hill, you will join a bigger road by turning left onto it. Continue up the steep hill and then you will reach a high plateau. Continue on this fairly straight road which leads directly to Bath. As you enter the outskirts of Bath, you will go down a steep hill. This is Lansdown Road. At the bottom of this long hill turn right and continue down the hill. This is still Lansdown Road. You can now look for a parking space either here or a bit further down the road past the Lansdown Grove Hotel. You could also try the side road beside the hotel. All of this is unrestricted parking subject to space (Alternatively, there is pay and display parking opposite LTS). Walk down the hill, passing a small row of shops on your left. On the right hand side of the road, the pavement is raised well above road level. This is Belvedere. LTS is two thirds of the way down Belvedere, on the right. Our front door is in a narrow passage called Nicholl's Place.

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