I will be traveling from Dublin to Cork, then from Liverpool to Stratford to Bath to London. Is it better to buy train or bus tickets? And is it better (money wise) to buy tickets in advance or wait and get them while traveling?
Posted by
London, UK
356 posts
In the UK you should buy train tickets in advance. They can be horrendously expensive if you buy them on the day. When I book head to visit my mum it costs £25 if I book a few weeks ahead, approximately £80 if it's a few days ahead and over £100 if I bought tickets on the day.
Coaches are usually cheaper than trains, but it can depend. If you book the train far enough in advance there may not be much difference. You also need to bear in mind the time differences. When I visit my mum by train it takes 3 hours whereas the coach takes twice as long.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
If you want to travel by bus from Dublin to Cork (4.5 hours), you can wait until you get to Dublin to buy your ticket. For timetables and fares go to www.buseireann.ie.
If you want to travel by train (3 hours), it would be cheaper to buy your ticket online in advance from www.irishrail.ie. The walk up fare can be as high as 36 EUR. The advance discount fare can be as low as 10 EUR.
There is only one National Express bus/day from Liverpool to Stratford-upon-Avon. There is only one bus/day from Stratford-upon-Avon to Bath Spa. For timetables and fares go to www.nationalexpress.com.
As Laura says, walk up fares for longer train routes in the UK are very expensive. For example, the walk up fare for Stratford-upon-Avon to Bath Spa is around 70 GBP. The best discount fare is 12.50 GBP. Book all your train tickets at www.eastcoast.co.uk. The site accepts US credit cards. The farthest advance booking date will be shown on the right-hand side of the home page.