manchester to london...train or plane?

louisechackett

Hi there
myself and a friend need to get from manchester to london for a couple of nights away in Feb 08. We want to be travelling in the morning, perhaps 8.30-9.30am which i understand is peak time...am i not going to be able to find reasonable train fare? it is quoting around £120 per person on virgin for a return journey!

What about flying, or is that a silly idea?

Nordictat2

Try here...

http://www.travelsupermarket.com/travelmerge/travelsearch.aspx?package=4

I took a quick peek for feb. and saw £66 r/t with bmi for 1 person

daveyjp

Flying isn't such a silly idea - your times are outside peak which is usually around 7am. You need to factor in the cost of getting to and from airports.

louisechackett

Thanks to you both, we had seen the £66 flights, but as you say would need to consider the amount of time spent in airports etc, as we want to be in london for 11am really, hence the wanting to travel direct to euston via train. are there likely to be any offers on the trains?

Idiophreak

...is driving out of the question?

pompeyrich

You should be able to get cheaper fares than £120 on the train, at the moment Virgin are doing singles on that route from £1-£9 with lots of availability during the day, although only currently available until October, it may be extended. The cheapest Virgin single, booked in advance is £12:50 but again you will need to check their website from around 12 weeks before you want to travel.

louisechackett

driving a no no as we dont drive!

Will check virgin again! thanks!

jillie1974

with virgin you can pay £25/32
and you can arrive in london after 11.30 which is when most hotels etc allow you to check in
i too am planning a trip in Feb with my mum to see the Terracotta Warriors and the Tutankhamun exhibitions
it will our be first time ever to London (transferrring at heathrow for an onward flight doesnt count!)

duchy

Timewise there isn't a lot in it I found unless you live in central London or really close to the airport. Door to door for me in Kent train was slightly faster (I did two trips 2 weeks apart).
Try looking for two one way fares rather than returns-I found that was cheaper (£12 single)
I realise I was travelling in the opposite direction but the same principle applies