Best way to get from Heathrow airport to Bath

If you google Heathrow to Bath, then click on the train symbol above the map, you will see the public transportation options. Below the map, you’ll see “Leave now”. Change this to a time closer to your arrival time. You will need to make at least one transfer, maybe several.

There is a bus that goes directly from Heathrow to Bath. I think to take the train you have to go into the city and then to Bath. The bus was really easy.

Fastest way- train- you can book a through ticket- change at Hayes & Harlington (the first station on the Elizabeth line out of Heathrow) and again at Reading- advance fares start from £27.60, overall journey 1 hr 45 minutes, every 30 minutes-
https://www.gwr.com/tickets/#/3081/3271/2023-05-10/D10:00/N/N/1/0/0/1/1/N/N/N

Coach- National Express- get a coach which is straight there, not one where you have to change at Bristol- journey time 2 hrs 15 minutes- every 2 or 3 hours- fares start at £1 if booked in advance;-
https://book.nationalexpress.com/coach/#/choose-journey?journeyType=single&departureStopId=57286&destinationStopId=87025&departureDate=10%2F05%2F2023&departArrive=DepartAfter&outboundTime=00:00&returnDate=10%2F05%2F2023&departArriveReturn=DepartAfter&returnTime=00:00&adults=1&children=0&infants=0&euroAdults=1&euroChildren=0&euroSixtyPlus=0&euroInfants=0&ouiAdults=1&ouiChildren=0&usingCoachCard=false&youngPersonCards=0&seniorCards=0&disabledCards=0&partnerId=NX&campaignId=DEFAULT&request_locale=en&numResults=4

The trouble with the National Express bus service is lower frequency than the trains - which are every 30 minutes BUT you have to change twice. It sounds complicated but should work like clockwork. So, you go by Elizabeth Line train (not Heathrow Express) to the first stop at Hayes & Harlington. You then catch a westbound stopping train to Reading and then catch the next Inter City Express heading for Bath. It takes 1 hour 45 minutes.

If you are good to go from the airport at 9.37 you buy an off-peak single to Didcot Parkway for £26.50 plus a Super off peak single from Didcot to Bath for £18.10 TOTAL = £44.60 per person. (You stay on the same train at Didcot). If you are good to go from the airport at 10.07 you purchase a Super Off Peak Single to Bath for £45.10 per person and this remains the rate for most of the day except evening peak. These are the prices without a Railcard discount and on a weekday. Earlier weekday trains are more expensive. Note the timings given here are for the current timetable which ends on 20 May 2023. Summer timetable begins 21 May 2023.

Check out on the following website and select ‘Advanced Options’ > tick ‘Avoid London’.https://www.traintickets.com/?/

Why on earth fiddle about with this re-ticketing nonsense at Didcot or anywhere else. James is renowned for this fiddling around with dividing tickets for the simplest journey, and for having a downer on the bus.
He has even merited adverse comment from another forum member on a you tube video for his split ticket obsession.
If you have a through fare as good as £27.60 why on earth fiddle around breaking it up and paying more.
Many people prefer the bus for it's ease (forget the price)- just get on and settle back.
Do not listen to people who ignore the bus.
You choose what is best for you.
The maximum fare you can pay after 0930 from Terminal 4 station is £45.10 Super Off Peak Single (a walk up fare) as a through fare.
From T2/3 and T5 that fare starts half an hour later, so rather than what is called split ticketing most sensible people would wait 30 minutes for the first cheap train.

The other benefit of the bus is that for you can book a fully amendable fare for £5 more, up to 12 hours later or earlier

The reason why I have given the split fare at Didcot is because it reduces the overall price on that particular service. This is because you can get from Didcot to Bath at the Super off Peak price rather than just pay the off peak price for the whole journey. Sure, you can buy cheaper Advance fares but that ties you down to a specific train and if your flight is delayed and you miss it, you might have to purchase a whole new ticket again - it depends whether or not you get a ‘jobsworth' train manager on the express from Reading.

Martin Lewis is an economics gradate who advises the British public about ways of saving money and has a TV show on ITV = the commercial equivalent of the BBC. His website also mentions split ticketing as a way of saving money on certain routes. Those interested can read about it here:>https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-train-tickets/

From the new timetable in May, only half of the trains to Bath/Bristol will be stopping at Didcot, this making split ticketing less convenient without considering any cost aspect.

"Why on earth fiddle about with this re-ticketing nonsense at Didcot or anywhere else. James is renowned for this fiddling around with dividing tickets for the simplest journey, and for having a downer on the bus."

James gave good advice on how to reduce cost on the journey in question and I'm struggling to see where his downer on the bus is - he just mentioned its frequency, which is a matter of fact.

it depends whether or not you get a ‘jobsworth' train manager on the express from Reading.

They are not being a" jobsworth", they are doing their job they are paid to do. If you buy an advance train ticket you are accepting it's conditions. That fare is cheap because the train you have booked is a quiet train, so there is room to fill.
If you attempt to travel on another train, you are committing fraud. I don't know about GWR, but on Northern Rail that is an instant £100 fine, if caught. Only a TTI (Travelling Ticket Inspector) can levy that. But a train Manager/Guard/Conductor would be within his rights to call for British Transport Police assistance to impose the fine. Here on Northern you can no longer, legally, buy a ticket on a train unless there are no working ticket issuing facilities at the station or you intend to pay by cash and have a permit to travel. Otherwise a £100 penalty fare.
One other interesting thing I saw yesterday for the first time at Manchester Airport was that Transpennine Express advance ticket holders (but not seemingly Northern ones) are only allowed in the station 30 minutes before departure to "reduce congestion". Before that you wait in the adjacent bus station or on airport premises. Presumably the ticket gates can enforce that rule. Wait for that bright idea (not) to become more widespread.

So, Disneygal48, are you confused yet?

Here's a simple guide of you choices:

You can take a coach from Heathrow direct to Bath without changes. For times and fares go to:

http://www.nationalexpress.com

You can take a coach to Reading and then a train to Bath. Both National Express (the link above) and:

http://www.railair.com

offer coach service to Reading. From there go to:

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk

for train schedules.

You can also take the Elizabeth Line from Heathrow to Hayes Harrington, switch to another Elizabeth Line train to Reading, and then onto another train from Reading to Bath. The Elizabeth line runs every few minutes.

Lastly, you could take either the Heathrow Express or Elizabeth Line to Paddington Station and then switch to a train to Bath. This is sort of backtracking the other direction and you are probably better off with one of the other.

Keep in mind you are probably coming off a long flight so how complicated you want this to be is your decision.

National Express do NOT offer coach service to Reading as stated above- except (oddly) 2 services within half an hour of each other very late at night.
In fact they barely offer any service from London to Reading either.
Both routes existed pre Covid, and were well used, but not now.
There is a route on Green Line Coaches to Reading but it makes no sense to visitors (whether fresh off a flight or otherwise), so is deliberately never mentioned on this forum.
As I, at least, do not want to confuse people.
Oh and the interchange station is called Hayes and Harlington, per my original post not Hayes Harrington

I took the bus. It was easy and comfortable. Easy was important since we were tired and dealing with jet lag.

The problem with the National Express bus to Bath is frequency. I see that direct buses (coaches) leave Heathrow at 8.20am, 12.23, 14.25 and 16.25 (as well as later). These direct buses take 2 hours 15 minutes for the trip to Bath but note the 2 hour gaps between them. That’s a heck of a lot of hanging about if you just happen to have missed one. Sure, there are other services in the hour in between but these take you first to Bristol where you have to change for another bus to go eastward back to Bath with that whole journey taking a whopping 3 hours 40 minutes. That’s why I am more in favour of the trains with half hourly frequency and by changing at Hayes & Harlington along with Reading makes it cheaper than going into Paddington and then out on the GWR express. The train journey is usually about 1 hour 45 minutes from the airport to Bath whichever way you do it.

The cheaper advance fares are not user friendly - especially if it is hard to figure out what train you will be on. I have been on the ‘wrong’ GWR train out of Paddington and the train manager has said nothing when checking my ticket. I dare say that had the train been rammed with people, that they would have demanded a supplement fare. I have also known people wanting to catch an earlier train than the one they are booked on and waited where the rear of the train will land up (where they will find the train manager/guard) & asked permission to board if no penalty and this has been granted. I have found most guards/train managers to be friendly and this helps promote good relations with the customers. They will come down hard on deliberate fare evasion.

When I travel by train, I do not like to pre book advance specific train tickets in case I am ill or the weather is bad & I do not wish to travel. That’s where split ticketing for day returns can really work out cheaper and avoid being tied to a specific train and all the stress that involves. You can still buy the split tickets direct from the train company if you know where the splits are that work out cheaper - BUT you must know which trains stop at any split point and Didcot Parkway is one of the places where about half the trains stop on the Great Western Mainline to Bath/Bristol and south Wales. Nearly all stop at Swindon - which I have also found to be a place to split the ticket to reduce the price - especially when buying return tickets.

Trans Pennine Express and Great Western Railway are both run by First Group. Trans Pennine Express have a user friendly policy for those arriving at Manchester Airport with advance tickets for specific trains. It’s a pity that GWR don’t have the same policy for those starting journeys from Heathrow. See this TPE webpage.

If you are good to go from the airport at 9.37 you buy an off-peak single to Didcot Parkway for £26.50 plus a Super off peak single from Didcot to Bath for £18.10 TOTAL = £44.60 per person. (You stay on the same train at Didcot).

Hilariously from the timetable change in May the 9.37 from Heathrow (1005 from Hayes and Harlington) is one of the Reading to Bath trains which will not be stopping at Didcot, so that split won't work anyway.
From May you will either have a 7 or a 23 minute wait at Hayes and Harlington for Reading, as 1/2 of the trains to Reading will then be terminating at Maidenhead, not Reading.

I gave a very succinct explanation, much earlier, aimed at someone arriving jet lagged off a flight (and possibly new to UK mass transit), just wanting to buy a simple straightforward ticket for their onward journey, not worrying about peripheral matters like where the train stops, and how to reduce their fare to the barest minimum possible. Quite different to how James or I might typically travel. Even different to how I would travel from LHR after a TA flight, using my own experience.
It is the OP's choice as to whether to wait for the next coach to save £20 or more, or to spend the money on a train. That depends on the person and the day.
There is clearly a good reason why so many people on this forum use the bus/coach.

Some people on this thread, and this forum, have some serious ego problems.

The OP asked a simple question...detailed answers were given, then the arguing began, and the thread has turned into "my way is better than your way" disagreement.

If someone has a different opinion than you, they are entitled to it.

You don't have to argue with everyone who thinks different from you. That's how we roll. If your ego can't handle it, then go to another travel board where infighting is acceptable.

Your way is not better than others. It's just your way.

Share it and then let it go.

We're planning on taking the bus next month. We arrive at Heathrow at 6a. We can't officially check in to the hotel until 4p. Between the long day of travel and the jet lag, I don't care if it takes four hours to get there. Since it's direct, I'll be asleep the whole way with no changes to wake me up. I don't see much point in getting to Bath in a hurry; the day of arrival is usually a wasted zombie stupor anyway.

Wait; I do care. I wish it DID take four hours.

Heathrow Coach station--either one.
Signs posted throughout the airport how to get there or ask someone.
Go up to the ticket window.
Buy a bus/coach ticket direct to Bath.
(Our journey did not include any changing of coaches.)
Go out the glass sliding doors, sit on the bench.
Your coach will pull into the stalls.
It will say "Bath" on the header.
Get on the coach, taking carry on bags with you.
The coach driver will put any larger bags in a hold area under the bus.
Soon you'll be in Bath.
Bath coach station and Bath train station are right beside one another.
Taxis will be waiting if you want one.
The historic center of Bath is mere blocks away; an easy walk from the stations.
I highly recommend this journey. The coaches have comfy seats--better than most airplane seats--and wifi.
You will see a lot, riding up high as one does in coaches.
Small towns, countryside, and lovely buildings as you pull into Bath.
Enjoy the ride.

The coach in England is NOT the same thing as our buses here in the USA (Greyhound or whatever). MUCH nicer.
The coach goes directly from Heathrow to Bath.
To get the train, you must go into London and back out again.
*(Or do it the way isn31c said in his first post on this thread, using the Elizabeth line)
What's the fastest?
The coach was fast enough for me.

*isn31c said in his first post on this thread,
"Fastest way- train- you can book a through ticket- change at Hayes & Harlington (the first station on the Elizabeth line out of Heathrow) and again at Reading- advance fares start from £27.60, overall journey 1 hr 45 minutes, every 30 minutes-
https://www.gwr.com/tickets/#/3081/3271/2023-05-10/D10:00/N/N/1/0/0/1/1/N/N/N "

"Some people on this thread, and this forum, have some serious ego problems.
The OP asked a simple question...detailed answers were given, then the arguing began, and the thread has turned into "my way is better than your way" disagreement."

^^absolutely^^.

I have never raised a smile at a timetable, let alone laughed at one hilarously. You know when something like that is said, the thread has gone south.

What Rebecca and Charlie said.

I loved taking the coach directly to Bath from LHR. It left from Heathrow Central Bus Station where there is lots of seating, a large toilet facility and a café with decent coffee. There was also a large display with the destinations and times listed.

I deliberately sat on the left side of the bus so I'd have an unobstructed view of the green fields full of sheep we passed. I was also quite close to the lorries in the lane next to us on multi-lane roads and to the buildings we worked around on the narrow streets in the towns and villages we went through dropping off and picking up other passengers.

The trip is direct from LHR to the bus terminal next to the train station in Bath. There are the stops I mentioned above, but there are no bus changes. I was so excited to be there that my eyes were like saucers, taking in everything there was to see along the way. Napping was out of the question.

This is a link to learn more about this option: https://www.nationalexpress.com/en/destinations/bath/heathrow-to-bath

More seriously the connection at Hayes and Harlington is worth noting. The journey planners are clear that the 7 minute connection is not a recognised one, that it is a station with an 8 minute scheduled connection. While I am more than happy that 7 minutes is entirely adequate, if I was travelling on an advance ticket I would need to allow the 23 minute connection, as if I missed the 7 minutes due to late running it would have invalidated my next leg. I know that 90 odd % of the time I would be accepted on the next train from Reading, but wouldn't risk the rare time when it wasn't.
That just makes it a less attractive journey to me, and means that I would be more likely to look at an alternative route. It is simply an observation, a fact that I have quietly noted in my own mind.
It's a shame that the timetable planners didn't or weren't able to give that extra minute, it is not joined up thinking.
"Hilarious" can have more than one meaning- both "funny" and, in this case, rather more "how stupid and unhelpful" or "disappointing/frustrating". I am not especially thinking about Didcot, more the general principle.
If, as I did on Monday, I can get from the far end of Platform 13/14 at Manchester Pic to the city centre free bus stop outside in 5 1/2 minutes I think I can change platforms at a small station like Hayes in 7 minutes.

No matter whether you take the coach or the train, planning to sleep the whole way is a really bad idea. That will just keep your body on your home time zone and delay your adjustment to UK time.

"Hilarious" can have more than one meaning- both "funny" and, in this case, rather more "how stupid and unhelpful" or "disappointing/frustrating".

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hilarious

The dictionary does not agree.

I suspect this is another example of two countries separated by a common language.

We are also doing Heathrow straight to Bath next month--crazy question but is the bus to Bath scary? We are still traumatized from the bus to Positano (where you're on a cliff's edge basically). Hoping the journey to Bath is mostly just flat!

Signed a concerned Bus rider

TravelBrooke!, it's not a scary drive. No cliffs or mountains to climb. It's pretty much like a boring US interstate highway all the way.

TravelBrooke!, we're still emotionally scarred by the bus excursion from Sorento to Almalfi. Fortunately, the return trip went over the middle of the peninsula, not back around the coast.

"is the bus to Bath scary?"
No, not at all.
The route goes through flat and level open countryside, through small towns, stops at one or two mid-size towns to let off or take on more passengers.
At no time does it go along a clifftop.

Heathrow - Elizabeth line to Paddington

Paddington to Bath by train

You can do all sorts of smart changes to avoid going to Paddington but will save yourself so little time it's not really worth the changes in the end. And if the timings go against you you might even end up on exactly same train for a lot more effort

Heathrow - Elizabeth line to Paddington. Paddington to Bath by train. You can do all sorts of smart changes to avoid going to Paddington but will save yourself so little time it's not really worth the changes in the end. And if the timings go against you you might even end up on exactly same train for a lot more effort

If you have booked a through rail ticket from Heathrow to Bath, then you are NOT allowed to route via Paddington. You have to route via Hayes and Harlington and Reading which is not "all sorts of smart changes". It is proceeding in a straight line. If you want to route via Paddington you will have to pay more and will end up on the next train.

At the end of my southern England RS tour, I travelled from Bath to Heathrow by train and bus using RailAir. The train is from Bath to Reading and then you take the bus directly to Heathrow. It was my first time traveling in England and found the bus very safe and clean. I would definitely use RailAir again. In fact, I used it based on a recommendation from the helpful folks of the travel forum.
https://www.railair.com/timetables
Happy travels!!

Stacie
I just looked at the railair website. It says to pick up the bus at the Heathrow central bus station.
Anyone know where this is, and when you get off in Redding, is it easy to find the train to Bath?

Heathrow Central Bus Station is in between Terminals 2 and 3, and is accessible by clearly signposted routes from both- this map shows it's location-https://maps.heathrow.com/?s=eyJvbmxpbmUvcG9pVmlldyI6eyJwb2lJZCI6IjE3MDEifSwibWFwUmVuZGVyZXIiOnsidnAiOnsibGF0Ijo1MS40NzEwODMsImxuZyI6LTAuNDUzMjYyLCJ6b29tIjoxNi44MDAxMTIsImJlYXJpbmciOjAsInBpdGNoIjowfSwib3JkIjowfX0%3D

The coach sets down outside the Railway Station at Reading. See the Bus sign where it says Forbury Road on this station plan-
https://www.networkrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Reading-Station-Map.pdf

Just look at the information monitors on the concourse and around the station to determine which platform the train is leaving from- it can leave from quite a few platforms. Usually it will be a train with a final destination of Bristol Temple Meads. If in doubt ask the gateline staff. The departure screens show all calling points for each train.

You could take the Heathrow Express from Heathrow airport to Paddington Station which is an easy short ride. Then take a train from Paddington to Bath. Check https:///www.heathrowexpress.com for the Heathrow Express and then www.nationalrail.co.uk or www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk for a train to Bath.