Coming to King's for interview or to start your studies? This page contains information about arriving by air, by train, by bus or coach, and by car.
London Stansted Airport (North East of London)
London Stansted is the nearest airport, situated 25 miles (40km) south of Cambridge. It is approximately 45 minutes from Cambridge by bus, or 30 minutes by train.
Stansted Airport's bus and coach station is located opposite the main terminal entrance. Coach tickets can be bought at the ticket desk in arrivals (open 06:00 to 01:00), in the coach station (24 hours, 7 days a week) or on board. The airport coaches are operated by National Express and you can look up coach times and fares on the National Express website. The set-down point in Cambridge for coaches from Stansted is Parkside (CB1 1JE) a 15 minute walk from King's.
Stansted Airport train station is located directly beneath the terminal building and it is only a two minute walk from the the terminal to the train station. Tickets to Cambridge can be booked online via National Rail Enquiries or can be purchased at the train station.
London Luton Airport (North West of London)
London Luton is less than two hours from Cambridge by coach. You can look up coach times and fares on the National Express website. On the day, you can use the Onward Travel Centre which is located opposite the Departures entrance. The coach pick up and drop off points and bus bays are situated in front of the terminal building. The service 787 goes to Cambridge, 10 times a day. The set-down point in Cambridge for coaches from Luton is Parkside (CB1 1JE), a 15 minute walk from King's.
Travelling from London Luton by train is slightly complicated so make sure that you've checked the details in advance. For trains from London Luton airport to Cambridge, a shuttle bus service operates to and from Luton Airport Parkway Station and this is normally a 10 minute trip from the airport terminal building. The shuttle service runs every ten minutes between 05:00 and midnight and connects with all trains calling at Luton Airport Parkway overnight. From Luton Airport Parkway, take the train to London St Pancras International. From here follow the signs to London King's Cross (which is next door to London St Pancras) for trains to Cambridge. You can check train times and book tickets from the London Luton website.
London Heathrow Airport (West London)
London Heathrow is 2-3 hours from Cambridge by coach. Coaches call at all Heathrow Terminals. Tickets for all coaches can be bought from the ticket office at Heathrow central bus station (06:00 - 22:10) or online at National Express. Ticket machines are also available 24 hours a day. The set-down point in Cambridge for coaches from Heathrow is Parkside (CB1 1JE) a 15 minute walk from King's.
Trains to Cambridge via London depart from Heathrow Underground or from Heathrow Terminal 5 Rail. Tickets can be booked online via National Rail Enquiries.
London Gatwick Airport (South of London)
London Gatwick Airport is four hours from Cambridge by coach. The airport coaches are operated by National Express and you can look up the coach times and fares on the National Express website the set-down point in Cambridge for coaches from Gatwick is Parkside (CB1 1JE) a 15 minute walk from King's.
For trains from Gatwick to Cambridge, the railway station is located at the South Terminal and is also just a few minutes from the North Terminal by a free shuttle. You can buy tickets at the station or at the rail information desks located in arrivals at both terminals. The non-stop Gatwick Express goes to London Victoria; you would then need to transfer to London King's Cross to travel to Cambridge. See National Rail Enquiries for train times and changes.
Cambridge Railway Station (there are two stations, so you need to be careful to go to the main station) is located at the end of Station Road (CB1 2JW). Please bear in mind that the railway station is not in the city centre and you should allow time to get from the station to King's College.
The College is a 25 minute walk away from the train station, or if you want to take a taxi to King's there is a taxi rank right outside of the station (you'll see it as soon as you exit the station). If you need a taxi from King's to the station you can book through a variety of taxi companies including Panther taxis (01223 715715) CamCab (01223 704704).
Alternatively you can take the Citi bus 3, 7 or 8 (from the bus stops to the left as you exit Cambridge station) to the bus station on Drummer Street. Note that these buses actually stop in Emmanuel Street or St Andrew's Street (CB2 3AX) rather than going right into the bus station. Drummer Street is approximately 15 minutes' walk from the College.
Cambridge is on the line from King's Cross and Liverpool Street stations in London. The journey from London to Cambridge generally takes between an hour and 90 minutes. Do be careful which train you get, however, since some of them stop at virtually every station along the way and take a lot longer!
Please bear in mind that Cambridge gets extremely congested and there are often long queues both on the approach to Cambridge and in the city itself. Once you get into Cambridge beware of rising bollards which close various roads in the centre for parts of the day. When you are planning your journey you should consult the Council’s information on rising bollard closures. There are also a number of one-way streets in the centre.
King's College has no parking spaces. The town car parks are a short distance from the College, but parking can be expensive. The nearest car park to King’s is the Grand Arcade on Corn Exchange Street (CB2 3QJ). A cheaper option is Queen Anne's Terrace car park (this one is about 15 minutes' walk from King's). You might find the city's Park and Ride system easier. The buses will normally take you from the relevant car park to Drummer Street bus station.
