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How to Travel the UK on the Cheap

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The UK is one of the most expensive countries in Europe — and if you’re planning a trip, you might be daunted by the cost of transportation within the UK.

But it is very possible to travel the UK for cheap!

Since settling in Chester, I’ve found a host of ways to save money on transportation.  And all of them have one thing in common:

BOOK EARLY.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re traveling by train, bus, or air — booking early will nearly always save you money, and booking last minute will always be exponentially more expensive.

Now that that’s out of the way, here are some ways to save money on different kinds of UK transportation:

Cheap UK Train Travel

Train travel in the UK is incredibly romantic, and you can easily watch the scenery go by for hours — bright green hills, sheep, newly plowed fields, tiny villages…it’s my favorite way to travel the UK.

Most of the time, it’s also the easiest and fastest way to travel — though not the cheapest.

If you’re not a UK resident and planning on traveling lots of long distances in the UK by train, look into a Britrail Pass .  If you’re just booking occasional journeys, read on.

Check the Megatrain and Virgin Train sites first for absurdly cheap train routes.  These two sites tend to promote the same routes.

Next, no matter which destination you choose, check out The Trainline’s Fare Finder — it will show you the cheapest tickets for various dates and times.  Either way, booking on The Trainline is usually cheaper than other sites.

On all the aforementioned sites, you buy tickets online, then use the same credit card to retrieve your tickets at the station.

What to know:  Be flexible on stations.  I was looking for Chester-Edinburgh round-trip fares and couldn’t find anything for less than an astounding £150.  Then I found out that there are cheap fares on Megatrain from Warrington Bank Quay to Glasgow, a short trip from Edinburgh.  I had never heard of Warrington Bank Quay, but it’s only a few stops away from Chester!

I paid normal fares from Chester to Warrington and from Glasgow to Edinburgh — but from Warrington to Glasgow, the longest part of the journey, I found a super-cheap £9 fare.

Cheap UK Coach Travel

The thing about bus (or coach) travel is that you need to evaluate the positives and negatives.  Yes, bus travel can be much cheaper than the train, but it can also take a lot longer, and most find it less pleasant (though all the coaches I’ve seen have been immaculate).

I usually book a coach when traveling from Chester to London.  The fastest trip is five hours (while the train takes 2.5 hours and costs at least three times as much).   To me, five hours on a bus is definitely doable, while 11 hours to Scotland is not worth it.  I may have managed a 32-hour bus journey in Southeast Asia , but I have no intentions of repeating that here!

First, check out Megabus for the cheapest fares of the bunch, then check out National Express  for cheap fares but more convenient times.

What to know:  Again, book as early as possible, especially on Megabus — they even have £1 fares!  Also, keep in mind that you must wear a seatbelt at all times — it’s UK law.

Cheap UK Air Travel

I wouldn’t recommend air travel in the UK most of the time — the sheer act of flying requires so much more time and effort, that it’s not worth it.  But it can be useful for exceptionally large distances, like London to Aberdeen or Inverness.

My go-to flight search engine is Kayak  because it’s the best.  Be sure to check airline sites as well for unpublished fares.  Budget airline  Easyjet has several domestic routes in the UK.

What to know: Budget airlines usually fly at inconvenient times from out-of-the-way airports. Take this into account and make sure you have someone to drive you, or your Uber might be more expensive.

Creative UK Travel Options

None of these float your fancy?  There are a few other options.  Rideshare sites are growing more popular in the UK.  My friend Dylan swears by hitchhiking.  And you could also do Britain’s most intimidating walk: Land’s End to John O’Groats (also known as walking from Great Britain’s lower left corner to its upper right corner.)

One thing that I’d love to do: rent a narrow boat in Chester and travel by the canals in the northwest, going through canal locks and everything!

The one thing you should NOT skip to save money in the UK? Travel insurance ! I never travel with it and it will save you a lot of money if something happens on your trip. I use and recommend World Nomads.

Any more tips for cheap transportation in the UK?  Share in the comments!

United Kingdom Travel Restrictions

Traveler's COVID-19 vaccination status

Traveling from the United States to the United Kingdom

Open for vaccinated visitors

COVID-19 testing

Not required

Not required for vaccinated visitors

Restaurants

Not required in enclosed environments and public transportation.

United Kingdom entry details and exceptions

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Can I travel to the United Kingdom from the United States?

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter the United Kingdom.

Can I travel to the United Kingdom if I am vaccinated?

Fully vaccinated visitors from the United States can enter the United Kingdom without restrictions.

Can I travel to the United Kingdom without being vaccinated?

Unvaccinated visitors from the United States can enter the United Kingdom without restrictions.

Do I need a COVID test to enter the United Kingdom?

Visitors from the United States are not required to present a negative COVID-19 PCR test or antigen result upon entering the United Kingdom.

Can I travel to the United Kingdom without quarantine?

Travelers from the United States are not required to quarantine.

Do I need to wear a mask in the United Kingdom?

Mask usage in the United Kingdom is not required in enclosed environments and public transportation.

Are the restaurants and bars open in the United Kingdom?

Restaurants in the United Kingdom are open. Bars in the United Kingdom are .

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Learn About Your Destination

While Abroad

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United Kingdom

Travel Advisory July 26, 2023

United kingdom - level 2: exercise increased caution.

Reissued with obsolete COVID-19 page links removed.

Exercise increased caution in the United Kingdom due to terrorism.

Country Summary:  Terrorist groups continue plotting possible attacks in the United Kingdom. Terrorists may attack with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls, local government facilities, hotels, clubs, restaurants, places of worship, parks, major sporting and cultural events, educational institutions, airports, and other public areas.

There is also a risk of isolated violence by dissident groups in Northern Ireland, focused primarily on police and military targets.

Read the  country information page  for additional information on travel to the United Kingdom.

If you decide to travel to the United Kingdom:

• Be aware of your surroundings when traveling to tourist locations and crowded public venues.
• Follow the instructions of local authorities.
• Monitor local media for breaking events and adjust your plans based on new information.
• Enroll in the  Smart Traveler Enrollment Program  ( STEP ) to receive Alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
• Follow the Department of State on  Facebook  and Twitter.com/Travelgov
• Review the  Country Security Report  for the United Kingdom.
• Visit the CDC page for the latest  Travel Health Information  related to your travel and return to the United States.
• Prepare a contingency plan for emergency situations. Review the  Traveler’s Checklist .

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Quick Facts

Must be valid for the duration of your stay in the United Kingdom   (If you have onward travel to countries outside the United Kingdom, you should check the passport validity requirements for each additional country on their respective information pages.)

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Not required for stays less than six months.

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U.s. embassy london.

33 Nine Elms Lane London, SW11 7US United Kingdom Telephone: +(44)(20) 7499-9000 Emergency After-Hours Telephone: +(44)(20) 7499-9000 Fax: +(44) (20) 7891-3845 Email:   [email protected]

U.S. Consulate General Edinburgh, Scotland 3 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh EH7 5BW Scotland Telephone: 013-1556-8315 / from the United States: 011 (44)(13) 1556-8315 Emergency After-Hours Telephone:  020-7499-9000 / from the United States: 011 (44)(20) 7499-9000 Fax: 0131-557-6023 /from the United States: 011 (44) 131-557-6023 Email:   [email protected]

U.S. Consulate General Belfast, Northern Ireland Danesfort House, 223 Stranmillis Road, Belfast BT9 5GR Northern Ireland, United Kingdom Telephone: 028-9038-6100 / from the United States: 011 (44)(28) 9038-6100 Emergency After-Hours Telephone: 01253-501106 / from the United States: 011 (44) 1253-501106 Fax: 028-9068-1301 / from the United States: 011 (44)(28) 9068-1301 Email: [email protected]

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Entry, Exit and Visa Requirements

• To enter the United Kingdom, your passport must be valid for the entire duration of your planned stay.
• Starting June 2019, U.S. passport holders will be able to use the ePassport Gates upon arrival in the United Kingdom. U.S. citizens who had previously registered for the UK’s Registered Traveller Service (RTS) should now also use the ePassport Gates on arrival in the UK.
• If you are planning onward travel after departing the UK, note that many other countries require at least six months’ remaining validity on your passport to enter. If you are bound for Continental Europe, please see our  U.S. travelers in Europe page for additional details.
• Visas for specific categories of visitors must be obtained prior to travel. Visit the  UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) website to determine if you need a visa to enter the United Kingdom. We cannot intervene on your behalf when you apply for a UK visa, nor can we advocate for your admission into the UK if you are denied entry.
• Students and prospective students should visit the  UKVI website  to determine if they need a visa.
• For some U.S. travelers, especially students, an entry stamp is required.  Please consult this website  for more information.
• Unpaid and paid workers, interns, volunteers, charity workers, and temporary workers can find information about obtaining a visa on the  UKVI website .
• Visitors traveling to the United Kingdom to get married, even if they do not plan to reside there, must obtain a visa in advance. See the  UKVI website  for visa information.
• Surcharges apply to certain categories of visas, generally those involving work, study, or residency for more than six months. More information is available on the  UKVI website  and in our Health section below.

The U.S. Department of State is unaware of any HIV/AIDS entry restrictions for visitors to or foreign residents of the United Kingdom.

Find information on  dual nationality ,  prevention of international child abduction  and  customs regulations  on our websites.

Safety and Security

Terrorist groups continue plotting possible near-term attacks in Europe. The UK Security Service publishes specific reasons for any changes in the threat level and recommended actions for the public via its  UK threat levels website .

There is the potential for  isolated violence  related to the political situation in Northern Ireland. The Police Service of Northern Ireland assesses there is a continued threat of violence from dissident groups in Northern Ireland, focused primarily on police and military targets, and may involve the use of  firearms  and  explosives . Tensions may be heightened during the summer marching season (April to August), particularly on and around the July 12 public holiday.

Avoid areas of demonstrations  if possible, and be careful within the vicinity of demonstrations. Demonstrations occur frequently in and around city centers and areas where tourists frequent. Even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and possibly escalate to violence.

The phone number for  police/fire/ambulance emergency services  is  999  in the United Kingdom and  112  in Gibraltar. You should also use these numbers to report security threats or suspicious packages. Also see information for  contacting police from abroad .

• Be cautious and aware of your surroundings.
• Be vigilant, as  pickpocketing ,  mugging,  and “snatch and grab” theft of mobile phones, watches and jewelry can occur.
• Do not leave bags unattended in restaurants, pubs, hotel lobbies, and parked cars.
• Be alert to other criminal schemes, such as  impostors  posing as undercover police officers and “fining” tourists for bogus minor offenses. A legitimate Metropolitan Police Services officer will never demand an immediate cash payment.
• Use only licensed Black Cabs or pre-ordered car services (minicabs) . Unlicensed taxis or private cars posing as taxis may offer low fares, but in some instances, travelers have been  robbed  or  sexually assaulted  while using these cars. See Transport for London for additional information on cabs and car services .
• Avoid using ATMs that look temporary in structure or location  or are located in isolated areas – they may not be legitimate. Use ATMs located inside a bank branch.

Scams : Before sending any money to individuals you have never met in person, visit the  Embassy London website  for more information about  internet financial scams  and how to protect yourself.

See the  Department of State  and the  FBI  pages for information on scams.

Victims of Crime : Report crimes to the local police at 999 (United Kingdom) or 112 (Gibraltar) and contact the U.S. Embassy at +(44) (20) 7499-9000.

• Local authorities are responsible for investigating and prosecuting crimes.

See our webpage on  help for U.S. victims of crime overseas .

• help you find appropriate medical care
• assist you in reporting a crime to the police
• contact relatives or friends with your written consent
• explain the local criminal justice process in general terms
• provide a list of local attorneys
• provide our information on  victim compensation programs in the United States
• The Victim Support website  is maintained by an independent UK charity to help people cope with the effects of crime
• A Northern Ireland-based independent charity maintains a similar  victim support website
• In Scotland, victims of crime should contact  Victim Support Scotland
• provide an emergency loan for repatriation to the United States and/or limited medical support if you are destitute
• help you find accommodation and arrange flights home
• replace a stolen or lost passport

Domestic Violence:  U.S. citizen victims of domestic violence may contact the Embassy for assistance.

Tourism:  The tourism industry is generally regulated and rules are regularly enforced. Hazardous areas/activities are identified with appropriate signage and professional staff is typically on hand in support of organized activities. In the event of an injury, appropriate medical treatment is widely available throughout the country. Outside of a major metropolitan center, it may take more time for first responders and medical professionals to stabilize a patient and provide life-saving assistance. U.S. citizens are encouraged to purchase medical evacuation insurance . 

Local Laws & Special Circumstances

Criminal Penalties:  You are subject to local laws. If you violate local laws, even unknowingly, you may be expelled, arrested, or imprisoned. 

Furthermore, some laws are also prosecutable in the United States, regardless of local law. For examples, see our website on  crimes against minors abroad  and the  Department of Justice  website.

• You will be arrested if you bring pocket knives, blades, mace or pepper spray canisters, or any part of a gun into the United Kingdom . Please refer to the UK government publication  Travelling to the UK , which details the items visitors are prohibited from bringing into the United Kingdom.
• Penalties against  alcohol-related  and other  in-flight  crimes committed aboard aircraft to and from the United Kingdom are stiff and are enforced with  prison sentences . Please also see  our information on U.S. customs regulations  covering your return to the United States.
• Controlled Substances: UK law prohibits possession and trafficking of controlled substances and narcotics, including some substances that may be legal to possess under the law of certain U.S. states. More information on controlled substances is available here . Individuals who violate UK drug laws may face penalties including fines or prison sentences.

Arrest Notification:  If you are arrested or detained in the United Kingdom, ask police or prison officials to notify the U.S. Embassy immediately. See our  webpage  for further information.

Special Circumstances:

• The legal drinking age in the United Kingdom is 18. Parents and organizers of school trips should read our  Students Abroad website  to help plan a safe and enjoyable experience.
• Scotland’s “drink drive limit” law was amended to a lower level (roughly .05 BAC) and is stricter than the rest of the United Kingdom (roughly .08 BAC). This means that  driving after even one drink  can result in a charge of driving under the influence.
• The United Kingdom has very strict gun control laws, and importing firearms is extremely complicated.  Information on applying for a firearm and/or shotgun certificate can be found on the  London Metropolitan Police Firearms licensing webpage .  Licenses from England or Wales may not be valid in Scotland; please check with the appropriate authorities.  For firearms certificates for Scotland, please check with  Police Scotland .

Faith-Based Travelers:  See our following webpages for details:

• International Religious Freedom Report  – see country reports
• Human Rights Report  – see country reports
• Hajj Fact Sheet for Travelers
• Best Practices for Volunteering Abroad

LGBTI Travelers:  There are no legal restrictions on same-sex sexual relations or the organization of LGBTI events in the United Kingdom.

See our  LGBTI Travel Information  page and section 6 of our  Human Rights report  for further details.

Travelers Who Require Accessibility Assistance:

• UK law requires that all public service providers (except in the transportation sector) make “reasonable adjustments” to ensure their services are available to persons with disabilities.  Nevertheless, code exemptions permit many older buildings to have steps up from the street.
• Getting around in cities may be difficult at times because sidewalks can be narrow and uneven.
• Most London Underground and UK National Rail System stations are not readily accessible for people with disabilities.  Many stations do not have elevators, and have stairways and long corridors for changing trains or exiting to the street. Many UK buses are equipped with lowering platforms for limited-mobility or sight- or hearing-disabled travelers.
• Many taxis have swivel-entry seats or retractable ramps to ease entry.
• Disabled parking permits (known as “blue badges”) are issued by local government councils throughout the country. Visit the  UK government website  for contact information. Some councils may not offer permits to temporary visitors.

The  Transport for London  and  National Rail  websites provide information for passengers with disabilities.

Students:  See our  Students Abroad  page and  FBI travel tips .

Women Travelers:  See our travel tips for  women travelers .

While medical services are widely available,  free medical care  under the National Health System (NHS) is allowed only for UK residents, certain EU nationals, and some visa holders.

An NHS surcharge is assessed on certain visa applicants at the time of application.  Tourists and short-term visitors will not be assessed the surcharge, but will be charged 150 percent of the cost of any medical treatment they receive from the NHS. Unpaid balances of £1,000 or more can result in being barred from return to the United Kingdom.

• The U.S. government does not pay medical bills, and U.S. Medicare is not valid overseas.

Medical Insurance:  Make sure your health insurance plan provides  coverage overseas . Most care providers overseas only accept  cash payments . See our webpage for more information on insurance coverage overseas.

• We strongly recommend  supplemental insurance  to cover medical evacuation.

Carry  prescription medication  in original packaging, along with your doctor’s prescription. Traveling with sufficient supplies to last the duration of your trip is recommended. Mailing prescriptions is prohibitive and may be delayed or rejected by British customs.

Certain prescriptions available in the United States are classified as a "controlled drug"  in the United Kingdom and cannot be brought into the country without applying for and obtaining a prior license. This includes prescriptions for medical marijuana or products containing CBD and THC.  Please visit the https://www.gov.uk/travelling-controlled-drugs for additional information. 

Vaccinations:  Be up-to-date on all  vaccinations  recommended for international travel by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Further health information:

• World Health Organization
• U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  (CDC)

Travel and Transportation

Road Conditions and Safety:  Road conditions in the United Kingdom can differ significantly from those in the United States.

• In contrast to the United States, UK traffic drives on the left.  Read the  Highway Code  before driving.
• Emergency call boxes  (orange telephone booths with “SOS” printed on them) are found at half-mile intervals along motorways. White and blue poles point in the direction of the nearest call box. Call boxes dial directly to a motorway center. Use these phones rather than a personal cell phone, because motorway center personnel will immediately know your exact location.
• Generally,  pedestrians do not have the right of way  and should not expect vehicles to stop for them.

Many U.S. citizen pedestrians are injured, some fatally, every year in the United Kingdom, because they forget that oncoming  traffic approaches from the opposite direction  than in the United States.  Exercise extra care when crossing streets; remain alert and look both ways before stepping into the street.

Traffic Laws: 

• UK penalties for driving under the influence of  alcohol  or  drugs  are strict and often  result in prison sentences .
• Using a  hand-held cell phone  or similar device while driving is  illegal  in the United Kingdom. Only hands-free phones may be used. You will be  fined , or in the case of an accident,  arrested  and serve time in  prison .
• The speed limit on highways/motorways in the United Kingdom is 70 mph, or lower when posted.
• You will be  detained  and  arrested  if you cannot provide a UK address to receive a subpoena or are about to depart the United Kingdom and have to be brought to court quickly for a motoring offense.
• In Central London, a congestion charge is levied on all drivers who pass through the congestion zone. You will be  fined  or  arrested  if you do not pay the charge. See  Transport for London  for more information about driving in London.

Public Transportation:  Public transport in the United Kingdom is extensive.

• Information on disruptions to London transportation services can be found on the  Transport for London  website.
• Information about the status of National Rail Services can be found on the  National Rail Enquiries  website.
• Bus and train service information in Northern Ireland can be found on the  Translink  website.
• Bus and train service information in Scotland can be found on the  Traveline Scotland  website.

See our  Road Safety page  for more information. For specific information concerning UK driving permits, vehicle inspection, road tax, and mandatory insurance, refer to the  UK Department for Transport  website or the  Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency  website.

Aviation Safety Oversight:  The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has assessed the government of the United Kingdom’s Civil Aviation Authority as being in compliance with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) aviation safety standards for oversight of United Kingdom’s air carrier operations. Further information may be found on the  FAA’s safety assessment page .

Maritime Travel: Mariners planning travel to the United Kingdom should also check for U.S. maritime advisories and alerts at  www.marad.dot.gov/msci . Information may also be posted to the U.S. Coast Guard homeport website and the NGA broadcast warnings website (select “broadcast warnings”).

For additional travel information

• Enroll in the  Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)  to receive security messages and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
• Call us in Washington, D.C. at 1-888-407-4747 (toll-free in the United States and Canada) or 1-202-501-4444 (from all other countries) from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).
• See the  State Department’s travel website  for the  Worldwide Caution  and  Travel Advisories .
• Follow us on  Twitter  and  Facebook .
• See  traveling safely abroad  for useful travel tips.

Review information about International Parental Child Abduction in the United Kingdom . For additional IPCA-related information, please see the International Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act ( ICAPRA ) report.

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London flights

• Flight Belfast - London (BFS - STN) £31+
• Flight Edinburgh - London (EDI - LTN) £31+
• Flight Edinburgh - London (EDI - STN) £31+
• Flight Glasgow - London (GLA - LTN) £43+
• Flight Glasgow - London (GLA - LGW) £45+
• Flight Glasgow - London (GLA - STN) £45+
• Flight Belfast - London (BFS - LTN) £47+
• Flight Belfast - London (BHD - LTN) £47+
• Flight Edinburgh - London (EDI - LGW) £48+
• Flight Belfast - London (BFS - LGW) £50+
• Flight Belfast - London (BHD - LGW) £50+
• Flight Newcastle upon Tyne - London (NCL - LHR) £60+
• Flight Edinburgh - London (EDI - LHR) £64+
• Flight Glasgow - London (GLA - LHR) £64+
• Flight Manchester - London (MAN - LHR) £70+
• Flight Belfast - London (BFS - LHR) £71+
• Flight Belfast - London (BHD - LHR) £71+
• Flight Edinburgh - London (EDI - LCY) £85+
• Flight Glasgow - London (GLA - LCY) £86+
• Flight Belfast - London (BHD - LCY) £94+
• Flight Belfast - London (BFS - LCY) £94+
• Flight Manchester - London (MAN - LGW) £109+
• Flight Belfast - London (BHD - STN) £117+
• Flight Manchester - London (MAN - LCY) £225+

Amsterdam flights

• Flight Bristol - Amsterdam (BRS - AMS) £57+
• Flight Manchester - Amsterdam (MAN - AMS) £61+
• Flight London - Amsterdam (LGW - AMS) £63+
• Flight London - Amsterdam (LTN - AMS) £63+
• Flight London - Amsterdam (SEN - AMS) £65+
• Flight Liverpool - Amsterdam (LPL - AMS) £66+
• Flight Newcastle upon Tyne - Amsterdam (NCL - AMS) £73+

Paris flights

• Flight Manchester - Paris (MAN - BVA) £27+
• Flight Birmingham - Paris (BHX - BVA) £28+
• Flight London - Paris (LGW - ORY) £41+
• Flight Bristol - Paris (BRS - CDG) £43+
• Flight Manchester - Paris (MAN - CDG) £48+
• Flight London - Paris (LTN - CDG) £49+
• Flight Bristol - Paris (BRS - ORY) £50+
• Flight Manchester - Paris (MAN - ORY) £52+
• Flight London - Paris (SEN - CDG) £52+

Los Angeles flights

• Flight London - Los Angeles (LHR - LAX) £203+
• Flight London - Los Angeles (LGW - LAX) £346+
• Flight Newcastle upon Tyne - Los Angeles (NCL - LAX) £360+
• Flight Manchester - Los Angeles (MAN - LAX) £383+
• Flight Edinburgh - Los Angeles (EDI - LAX) £389+
• Flight Inverness - Los Angeles (INV - LAX) £396+
• Flight London - Los Angeles (LCY - LAX) £430+

Alicante flights

• Flight Exeter - Alicante (EXT - ALC) £43+
• Flight Manchester - Alicante (MAN - ALC) £50+
• Flight Cardiff - Alicante (CWL - ALC) £56+
• Flight Bournemouth - Alicante (BOH - ALC) £57+
• Flight Leeds - Alicante (LBA - ALC) £57+
• Flight London - Alicante (STN - ALC) £59+
• Flight London - Alicante (LGW - ALC) £65+

Pakistan flights

• Flight London - Karachi (LHR - KHI) £356+
• Flight London - Karachi (STN - KHI) £356+
• Flight London - Karachi (LGW - KHI) £426+
• Flight Manchester - Karachi (MAN - KHI) £437+
• Flight London - Islamabad (LGW - ISB) £444+
• Flight London - Lahore (LHR - LHE) £458+
• Flight London - Lahore (LGW - LHE) £470+

India flights

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• Flight London - Mumbai (LGW - BOM) £332+
• Flight London - Mumbai (LHR - BOM) £340+
• Flight London - Chennai (LHR - MAA) £345+
• Flight London - Bengaluru (LHR - BLR) £355+
• Flight London - Ahmedabad (LHR - AMD) £374+
• Flight London - Kochi (LGW - COK) £394+

Belfast flights

• Flight Liverpool - Belfast (LPL - BHD) £42+
• Flight Manchester - Belfast (MAN - BHD) £42+
• Flight Bristol - Belfast (BRS - BHD) £45+
• Flight Glasgow - Belfast (GLA - BHD) £47+
• Flight London - Belfast (LGW - BHD) £54+
• Flight London - Belfast (LTN - BHD) £54+
• Flight Birmingham - Belfast (BHX - BHD) £55+

Glasgow flights

• Flight Birmingham - Glasgow (BHX - GLA) £35+
• Flight Belfast - Glasgow (BFS - GLA) £41+
• Flight London - Glasgow (LTN - GLA) £41+
• Flight Belfast - Glasgow (BHD - GLA) £42+
• Flight London - Glasgow (LGW - GLA) £42+
• Flight London - Glasgow (STN - GLA) £42+
• Flight Southampton - Glasgow (SOU - GLA) £45+

New York flights

• Flight Manchester - New York (MAN - JFK) £166+
• Flight London - Newark (LHR - EWR) £210+
• Flight London - New York (LHR - JFK) £216+
• Flight London - New York (LGW - JFK) £244+
• Flight London - New Windsor (STN - SWF) £279+
• Flight London - New Windsor (LTN - SWF) £290+
• Flight Manchester - New Windsor (MAN - SWF) £297+
• Flight London - Newark (LGW - EWR) £303+
• Flight Manchester - New York (MAN - LGA) £312+

Barcelona flights

• Flight Nottingham - Barcelona (EMA - BCN) £38+
• Flight London - Barcelona (LGW - BCN) £39+
• Flight London - Barcelona (STN - BCN) £39+
• Flight London - Barcelona (LHR - BCN) £41+
• Flight Bristol - Barcelona (BRS - BCN) £44+
• Flight Liverpool - Barcelona (LPL - BCN) £46+
• Flight Birmingham - Barcelona (BHX - BCN) £47+

Orlando flights

• Flight Manchester - Orlando (MAN - MCO) £170+
• Flight London - Orlando (LGW - MCO) £206+
• Flight London - Orlando (LHR - MCO) £223+
• Flight Edinburgh - Orlando (EDI - MCO) £425+
• Flight London - Orlando (LCY - MCO) £437+
• Flight Glasgow - Orlando (GLA - MCO) £452+
• Flight Newcastle upon Tyne - Orlando (NCL - MCO) £457+

Dublin flights

• Flight Birmingham - Dublin (BHX - DUB) £27+
• Flight Bristol - Dublin (BRS - DUB) £27+
• Flight Edinburgh - Dublin (EDI - DUB) £27+
• Flight Glasgow - Dublin (GLA - DUB) £27+
• Flight Leeds - Dublin (LBA - DUB) £27+
• Flight Liverpool - Dublin (LPL - DUB) £27+
• Flight London - Dublin (LGW - DUB) £27+
• Flight London - Dublin (STN - DUB) £27+
• Flight Manchester - Dublin (MAN - DUB) £27+
• Flight Newcastle upon Tyne - Dublin (NCL - DUB) £27+
• Flight Nottingham - Dublin (EMA - DUB) £27+
• Flight London - Dublin (LTN - DUB) £28+
• Flight Newquay - Dublin (NQY - DUB) £31+
• Flight Cardiff - Dublin (CWL - DUB) £40+
• Flight London - Dublin (LHR - DUB) £48+
• Flight Southampton - Dublin (SOU - DUB) £68+
• Flight Exeter - Dublin (EXT - DUB) £70+
• Flight Aberdeen - Dublin (ABZ - DUB) £74+
• Flight London - Dublin (LCY - DUB) £96+
• Flight Belfast - Dublin (BFS - DUB) £120+
• Flight Inverness - Dublin (INV - DUB) £127+
• Flight Belfast - Dublin (BHD - DUB) £140+
• Flight Norwich - Dublin (NWI - DUB) £243+
• Flight London - Dublin (SEN - DUB) £311+

Berlin flights

• Flight Nottingham - Berlin (EMA - BER) £32+
• Flight Manchester - Berlin (MAN - BER) £38+
• Flight Birmingham - Berlin (BHX - BER) £41+
• Flight Edinburgh - Berlin (EDI - BER) £46+
• Flight London - Berlin (STN - BER) £50+
• Flight London - Berlin (LTN - BER) £70+
• Flight London - Berlin (LGW - BER) £71+

Australia flights

• Flight London - Sydney (LGW - SYD) £571+
• Flight London - Perth (LHR - PER) £598+
• Flight London - Melbourne (LGW - MEL) £608+
• Flight London - Melbourne (LHR - MEL) £636+
• Flight London - Perth (LGW - PER) £672+
• Flight London - Sydney (LHR - SYD) £677+
• Flight London - Perth (LCY - PER) £699+

Canada flights

• Flight London - Halifax (LHR - YHZ) £232+
• Flight London - Toronto (LHR - YYZ) £258+
• Flight Manchester - Toronto (MAN - YYZ) £302+
• Flight Manchester - Hamilton (MAN - YHM) £303+
• Flight London - Toronto (LGW - YYZ) £318+
• Flight London - Montreal (LGW - YUL) £332+
• Flight London - Toronto (STN - YYZ) £336+

Edinburgh flights

• Flight Belfast - Edinburgh (BFS - EDI) £27+
• Flight London - Edinburgh (STN - EDI) £27+
• Flight Bournemouth - Edinburgh (BOH - EDI) £29+
• Flight London - Edinburgh (LTN - EDI) £31+
• Flight Birmingham - Edinburgh (BHX - EDI) £35+
• Flight Newquay - Edinburgh (NQY - EDI) £41+
• Flight London - Edinburgh (LGW - EDI) £45+

Manchester flights

• Flight Belfast - Manchester (BFS - MAN) £27+
• Flight Belfast - Manchester (BHD - MAN) £43+
• Flight London - Manchester (LHR - MAN) £69+
• Flight Edinburgh - Manchester (EDI - MAN) £75+
• Flight Glasgow - Manchester (GLA - MAN) £86+
• Flight Newcastle upon Tyne - Manchester (NCL - MAN) £90+
• Flight Bristol - Manchester (BRS - MAN) £98+

Bangkok flights

• Flight Manchester - Bangkok (MAN - BKK) £414+
• Flight London - Bangkok (LGW - BKK) £426+
• Flight London - Bangkok (LHR - BKK) £454+
• Flight Birmingham - Bangkok (BHX - BKK) £476+
• Flight London - Bangkok (STN - BKK) £501+
• Flight London - Bangkok (LCY - BKK) £511+
• Flight Newcastle upon Tyne - Bangkok (NCL - BKK) £512+
• Flight London - Bangkok (LTN - BKK) £530+
• Flight Edinburgh - Bangkok (EDI - BKK) £533+
• Flight Inverness - Bangkok (INV - BKK) £540+
• Flight Darlington - Bangkok (MME - BKK) £569+
• Flight Glasgow - Bangkok (GLA - BKK) £577+
• Flight Aberdeen - Bangkok (ABZ - BKK) £581+
• Flight Nottingham - Bangkok (EMA - BKK) £597+

Dubai flights

• Flight London - Dubai (LTN - DXB) £157+
• Flight London - Dubai (LGW - DXB) £181+
• Flight Birmingham - Dubai (BHX - DXB) £214+
• Flight London - Dubai (STN - DXB) £216+
• Flight Leeds - Dubai (LBA - DXB) £253+
• Flight Manchester - Dubai (MAN - DXB) £266+
• Flight Edinburgh - Dubai (EDI - DXB) £278+
• Flight Glasgow - Dubai (GLA - DXB) £287+
• Flight London - Dubai (LHR - DXB) £292+
• Flight Bristol - Dubai (BRS - DXB) £350+
• Flight Belfast - Dubai (BFS - DXB) £352+
• Flight Belfast - Dubai (BHD - DXB) £367+
• Flight Newcastle upon Tyne - Dubai (NCL - DXB) £368+
• Flight London - Dubai (LCY - DXB) £377+
• Flight London - Dubai (SEN - DXB) £447+
• Flight Aberdeen - Dubai (ABZ - DXB) £472+
• Flight Liverpool - Dubai (LPL - DXB) £477+
• Flight Nottingham - Dubai (EMA - DXB) £518+
• Flight Cardiff - Dubai (CWL - DXB) £598+
• Flight Coventry - Dubai (CVT - DXB) £616+
• Flight Doncaster - Dubai (DSA - DXB) £701+
• Flight Southampton - Dubai (SOU - DXB) £727+

Málaga flights

• Flight London - Málaga (LGW - AGP) £28+
• Flight Birmingham - Málaga (BHX - AGP) £52+
• Flight Glasgow - Málaga (PIK - AGP) £52+
• Flight London - Málaga (STN - AGP) £52+
• Flight London - Málaga (LTN - AGP) £56+
• Flight Glasgow - Málaga (GLA - AGP) £58+
• Flight Bristol - Málaga (BRS - AGP) £67+
• Flight Edinburgh - Málaga (EDI - AGP) £68+
• Flight Liverpool - Málaga (LPL - AGP) £70+
• Flight Manchester - Málaga (MAN - AGP) £70+
• Flight Nottingham - Málaga (EMA - AGP) £70+
• Flight Cardiff - Málaga (CWL - AGP) £71+
• Flight Newcastle upon Tyne - Málaga (NCL - AGP) £72+
• Flight Belfast - Málaga (BFS - AGP) £74+

Rome flights

• Flight London - Rome (LGW - FCO) £39+
• Flight London - Rome (STN - CIA) £40+
• Flight Manchester - Rome (MAN - CIA) £61+
• Flight London - Rome (LTN - FCO) £65+
• Flight London - Rome (STN - FCO) £94+
• Flight Edinburgh - Rome (EDI - CIA) £103+
• Flight London - Rome (LHR - FCO) £104+

Lisbon flights

• Flight London - Lisbon (STN - LIS) £48+
• Flight London - Lisbon (LTN - LIS) £52+
• Flight London - Lisbon (LGW - LIS) £73+
• Flight Bristol - Lisbon (BRS - LIS) £75+
• Flight Manchester - Lisbon (MAN - LIS) £75+
• Flight Birmingham - Lisbon (BHX - LIS) £84+
• Flight London - Lisbon (LHR - LIS) £94+

Europe flights

• Flight London - Barcelona (LTN - BCN) £50+
• Flight London - Lisbon (LTN - LIS) £57+
• Flight London - Alicante (LGW - ALC) £62+

New Zealand flights

• Flight London - Auckland (LGW - AKL) £565+
• Flight London - Auckland (LHR - AKL) £576+
• Flight London - Wellington (LHR - WLG) £669+
• Flight London - Christchurch (LHR - CHC) £670+
• Flight Manchester - Auckland (MAN - AKL) £703+
• Flight London - Queenstown (LGW - ZQN) £713+
• Flight London - Christchurch (LGW - CHC) £747+

Newquay flights

• Flight London - Newquay (STN - NQY) £27+
• Flight Edinburgh - Newquay (EDI - NQY) £48+
• Flight Glasgow - Newquay (GLA - NQY) £74+
• Flight London - Newquay (LGW - NQY) £86+
• Flight Manchester - Newquay (MAN - NQY) £89+
• Flight Leeds - Newquay (LBA - NQY) £135+
• Flight Birmingham - Newquay (BHX - NQY) £149+

Aberdeen flights

• Flight London - Aberdeen (LTN - ABZ) £45+
• Flight London - Aberdeen (LHR - ABZ) £59+
• Flight London - Aberdeen (LGW - ABZ) £63+
• Flight Belfast - Aberdeen (BFS - ABZ) £133+
• Flight Manchester - Aberdeen (MAN - ABZ) £148+
• Flight Belfast - Aberdeen (BHD - ABZ) £152+
• Flight Birmingham - Aberdeen (BHX - ABZ) £154+

Frequently asked questions

What do i need to know before booking a flight.

There are various factors to consider when booking a flight including cost, fare classes, baggage policies, the complications of flying long haul, and complying with airport regulations. To make your booking journey smoother KAYAK has developed a comprehensive flight guide including insights on finding affordable flights, packing efficiently, and utilising the best travel tools.

What is the cheapest day of the week to book a flight?

The best day to book your flight depends on a number of factors, but there are general trends that you can follow to increase your chances of cheaper plane tickets. Based on an analysis of KAYAK data for all flights departing from inside United Kingdom over the last 12 months, the cheapest day to fly for domestic flights is Tuesday. For international flights, Tuesday had the cheapest tickets on average.

Which month of the year are flight prices lowest?

It’s well established that flights in the low season are generally cheaper than ticket prices during the high season. That means that knowing which month to find the lowest priced plane tickets will depend heavily on seasonality and your destination. While avoiding peak travel times can help you keep costs down, our data shows that the month with the lowest priced plane tickets for domestic flights based on all searches made on KAYAK in the last 12 months was January, while the most expensive was August. If you’re booking an international flight, then April is the cheapest month to fly and July the most expensive.

When is the best time to buy plane tickets - Last minute or in advance?

Last minute flight deals are definitely up for grabs, but when exactly to purchase your plane tickets will depend on where you’re travelling to and from. Based on all data for flight searches made on KAYAK over the last 12 months, prices for domestic flights remained below the average price up to 1 week before departure. For international flights, deals could still be had up to 1 week prior to the departure date, with prices remaining below average. If you’re flexible, KAYAK brings you both advance and last minute one-way and round-trip flight deals.

Can flying international flights with a layover save money on airfare?

For many long-haul international flights, flying direct is not possible and you will have to fly with stopover. Some routes will offer both and you could consider flying with a stopover for a number of reasons. Firstly, breaking up what would otherwise be a long-haul flight, taking a rest and then completing the journey might make the flight more manageable. Secondly, prices can also be lower than direct flights, so while it might take longer for you to reach your destination, you could save money. We’ve looked at prices over the last 12 months for the 100 most popular international destinations for KAYAK users and on average, prices for non-stop flights were cheaper than flights with a layover.

How does KAYAK find such low flight prices?

KAYAK processes over 2 billion flight queries annually and displays results from hundreds of airlines and third party sites, allowing it to find a variety of flight prices and options. It also displays results from 2M+ properties along with car hire, holiday packages, activities and millions of verified reviews so users can see as many available travel options as possible.

How do I find the best flight deals on KAYAK?

A simple flight search at https://www.kayak.co.uk/flights scans for prices on hundreds of travel sites in seconds. We gather flight deals from across the web and put them in one place. Then on the search results page you can use various filters to compare options for the same flight and easily choose the best flight deal from all of the deals coming straight from the travel sites to your screen, with no extra fee from KAYAK.

How can Hacker Fares save me money?

Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets on different airlines when it can save you money over a traditional return ticket.

Does KAYAK query more flight providers than competitors?

Yes, KAYAK has access to more data and information than online travel agencies and consistently outperforms the competition in accuracy, globally.

How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy?

KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a given destination and date is likely to change within 7 days, so travellers know whether to wait or book now.

What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care?

Sometimes travel dates aren't set in stone. If your preferred travel dates have some wiggle room, flexible dates will show you flights up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. That way, you can see if leaving a day or two earlier will find you a better deal. You can also select the flexible 'weekend' or 'month' search options to widen your search range and find the cheapest price that works for you.

Search cheap flights with KAYAK. Search for the cheapest airline tickets for all the top airlines around the world, airports around the world and the top international flight routes . KAYAK searches hundreds of travel sites to help you find cheap airfare and book a flight that suits you best. Since KAYAK searches many plane tickets sites at once, you can find cheap tickets from cheap airlines and for trains and buses quickly.

KAYAK also helps you find the right hotels for your needs.

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What are you looking for, travelling around britain.

VisitBritain/ Peter Kindersley

Introduction

Whether its lush green countryside, dramatics coasts, cute villages or bustling cities, you’ll find all you need on the different ways you can get around Britain.

Travelling around London

Britain’s busiest, most populated and diverse city is England’s capital: London. While lots of the central areas are easy to explore by foot, you will no doubt need some form of transport during your stay. If you know where you want go to, you can find the quickest routes for your journeys in and around London using Transport for London’s (TfL) handy journey planner .

Transport tickets and Oyster Cards

The cheapest way to get around is by using a Visitor Oyster Card , a pre-paid electronic card that can be used on buses, the tube, the tram and most rail services within London’s travel fare zones (zones 1 to 6).  You can save time by ordering your card before you arrive.

One-day paper travelcards (which cover bus, tube and inner-city rail services) are also available from all London Underground stations and are a good choice for short breaks. To charge or ‘top up’ your Oyster Card (known locally as an oyster), visit travel information centres, newsagents showing the blue Oyster symbol, and all London Underground stations. You can also use the Oyster Card app .

Contactless bank cards, Apple Pay and Android Pay can also be used on London’s transport system – there are daily caps meaning you can take unlimited journeys in a day for a set price, though these caps change depending on which zones you travel through.

The London Underground

The legendary London Underground network, often just called the tube, has more than 270 stations, each marked with the famous London Underground roundel logo.

Tubes run daily, apart from Christmas Day, from around 5:30am until midnight. Some lines run throughout the night at weekends. There are also fewer services on Sundays and public holidays.

Each tube line is represented by a different colour. Colour-coded maps can be found at every tube station and maps of the central section of the network are displayed on each tube carriage.

If you get lost, flag down a TfL staff member for help or simply ask fellow passengers – most Londoners will be happy to help.

Find out more about travel on the London Underground .

The London Overground and suburban rail services

The London Overground and a number of traditional rail services also operate out of London’s major hubs, such as Waterloo, Liverpool Street and Victoria, and travel to more suburban areas of London, particularly parts of south London which aren’t reachable by tube.

Oyster Cards and contactless bank cards can be used on many services up to certain stations (within the London fare zones). To be sure check the stations you use operate within these zones before travelling.

London buses

London buses come in all shapes and sizes – from double-deckers to single-deckers and Routemaster buses (with doors at the front, centre and rear) and operate all over the city. Check out bus routes with TfL’s handy bus map .

London buses don’t take cash - instead you need to touch your Oyster Card or a contactless bank card against the reader when you board the bus, and a set cost will be deducted from the card, regardless of how long the journey takes. Paper travelcards can also be used on buses - just show this to the driver when you board.

London has the most extensive night bus system in the world, with a number of buses running 24- hours-a-day, meaning you can go clubbing into the small hours without worrying about getting home. 

Cycling is an increasingly popular and green ways to get around London and with hundreds of cycle lanes throughout the city, it’s easy.

Santander Cycle can be hired (and dropped off) from docking stations throughout the city. Just turn up, pay and cycle away.

Folding bikes are allowed on all forms of public transport, while non-folded bikes can only be taken on some services at specific times .

The famous London black cabs (officially known as Hackney Carriages) are as much as an institution as big red buses. Black cabs are safe and reliable and drivers have to undergo strict tests to get a licence. All are wheelchair accessible and accept credit and debit card payments, and some are now electric, making travelling around London even greener.

There are fewer black cabs outside central London, but you will find that plenty of mini-cab companies or check out minicab apps such as Uber or Bolt.

While it’s possible to drive around London, it can sometimes end up being the most time-consuming and expensive way to travel. London is congested, and cars are charged for entering certain central areas. This is known as the Congestion Charge , which is charged per day, and payable online. It applies to drivers who use the congestion zone Monday to Friday between 7am and 6pm, although black cabs are exempt. Certain vehicles will also have to pay to drive within the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) , which is in force 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This zone covers a larger area of London than the Congestion Charge.

Guidance for non-UK registered vehicles

If you intend to bring a vehicle from Europe and it is registered outside of the UK, you will need to register it with Transport for London before driving in the capital. More guidance can be found via the official Transport for London website .

You can also check if your vehicle meets emissions and safety standards. You can check your vehicle here .

London Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ)

The London ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ) costs £12.50 per day (from midnight to midnight) for non-compliant vehicles. It was expanded to cover all London Boroughs in August 2023. It operates 24 hours a day, every day of the year, except Christmas Day (25 December).

A failure to pay the ULEZ for a non-compliant vehicle could result in a penalty charge notice of £180. This can be reduced to £90 if paid within 14 days but can also be increased should you fail to pay or successfully challenge it. Both UK and non-UK registered vehicles can be given penalty charge notices.

Find out more about the London ULEZ .

The Congestion Charge

The Congestion Charge covers central London and is a daily £15 charge. All vehicles driving in the zone are required to pay. It applies from 07:00 – 18:00 Monday to Friday, and 12:00 – 18:00 at weekends and bank holidays. There is no charge from Christmas Day to New Year’s Day bank holiday, inclusive.

A failure to pay the Congestion Charge could result in a penalty charge notice of £180. This can be reduced to £90 if paid within 14 days but can also be increased should you fail to pay or successfully challenge it.

Find out more about the Congestion Charge .

London low emission zone (LEZ)

The low emission zone (LEZ) covers most of Greater London and operates 24 hours a day, every day of the year. The LEZ is not the same as the Congestion Charge zone in Central London and the ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ).

If your vehicle is registered outside of the UK, you will need to register it with Transport for London to ensure that it meets the LEZ emission standards.

Find out more about the low emission zone .

Do driving charges apply to rental cars?

The Congestion Charge in London applies to all drivers. The requirement to pay the ULEZ fee will be dependent on whether your rental car meets emission standards. As most hire fleets are relatively new, the majority of vehicles will be exempt. Check with your car rental company when booking or picking up your vehicle to ensure it is compliant.

Travelling around other British towns and cities

Using public transport is an easy, economical way to travel around Britain’s cities and towns, and is a great way to experience local life.

Local buses

In most UK cities, you can buy bus tickets directly from the driver when you board a bus. Large areas like the West Midlands and Greater Manchester also have their own regional travel cards which are valid on all public transport within their area.

Check local tourist websites for timetables and more information. Regional bus operators may also have their own apps, which can be downloaded via the main app stores.

City tram networks

Edinburgh, Birmingham, Sheffield, Manchester, Newcastle and Nottingham operate tram services – you can purchase tickets for the tram either from an on-board conductor or from ticket machines at tram stops. Get more information from local tourist offices and local tourist board’s websites.

Taxis and minicabs are available in cities and towns across Britain. Taxi ranks can be found just outside most busy train stations or you can phone for one in advance. Minicab apps, such as Uber or Bolt, also provide services in many of the major towns and cities.

Many city roads have cycle lanes and even dedicated traffic lights. Most destinations have somewhere you can hire bikes, and increasingly scooters.

The National Cycle Network , managed by Sustrans, also covers many different parts of Britain, providing signed routes and paths.

Travelling around Britain by train

Travelling by train is a green, scenic and relaxing way to discover Britain. The rail network here covers whole swathes of Britain, with more than 2,000 stations serving England, Scotland and Wales. It’s an easy and efficient was to travel, with different train companies serving different parts. You can plan your journey using the National Rail Journey Planner  and before you know it you could be in Brighton or Scotland or almost anywhere else. Journey lengths aren’t too onerous either - hop on a train in London you can be in Scotland within four hours.

It’s easy to travel within regions and towns too. Plan your journey and buy tickets from large travel agents,  online ticket providers, and at all railway stations.

Buying your ticket further in advance can save you money  and sometimes it’s even cheaper to buy two separate singles than one return, so it pays to check this before booking.  If you opt for a BritRail pass – exclusively for tourists – it offers unlimited journeys and various discounts, giving you the freedom to travel around at your own pace.

VisitBritain/Ben Selway

Travelling around Britain by car

What do you need to drive in britain.

You’ll need a current valid driving licence, and if required, an international driving permit.

You must keep proof of ownership or a rental agreement in your vehicle, plus any insurance documents.

Find out more information on what you’ll need to drive in Britain .

How to hire a car in Britain

With lots of hire car comparison sites, make sure to do your research in advance to find the best price.

You’ll find major car rental company desks at airports and coastal ports as well as others conveniently located in city centres and major towns.

All rental companies should include insurance cover and breakdown cover with car rental, so check this when you book.

You’ll also need to have a credit card in the name of the main driver to hire a vehicle.

Electric vehicles are also available to hire at many large rental companies.

Electric vehicles and charging points

Driving electric vehicles makes travelling around Britain more sustainable. Most major car rental companies will hire them. There’s some advantages with parking not afforded to petrol or diesel powered cars too.

Britain has an extensive and growing network of electric vehicle (EV) charging points with more than 20,000 locations in operation and more being added all the time. Some charging points are free to use while others require payment using an app or a credit or debit card.

Use the Zap Map website or app to find your nearest charging points.

Fuelling stations in Britain

Most petrol stations are self-service and instructions at the pump are easy to follow.

You’ll often pay for your fuel at the counter or at the pump itself using a bank card.

Clean air zones and low emission zones

What is a clean air zone (caz) or low emission zone (lez).

In a bid to reduce air pollution, some cities in the UK have clean air zones (CAZ) or low emission zones (LEZ). Vehicles that do not meet emission standards may be charged for entering the zones. The minimum emission standard can be found in your vehicle logbook or checked via your vehicle manufacturer.

England’s clean air zones

Seven cities in England have clean air zones (CAZ) – Bath, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Portsmouth, Sheffield, and Newcastle/Gateshead. However, charges may only apply to non-compliant cars and motorcycles for the zones in Birmingham and Bristol.

The CAZ minimum standard for cars and vans is Euro 6 (for diesel vehicles) and Euro 4 (for petrol vehicles), motorcycles are Euro 3.

The zones operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every day of the year (midnight to midnight).

Find out more about England’s clean air zones .

Scotland’s low emission zones

Unlike England’s clean air zones, non-compliant vehicles cannot enter Scottish low emission zones at any time. There is no daily charge, just a £60 daily penalty.

The Scottish LEZ minimum standard for cars and vans is Euro 6 (for diesel vehicles) and Euro 4 (for petrol vehicles). The LEZ in Glasgow has been enforced from June 2023. Further zones in Dundee, Edinburgh and Aberdeen will be enforced from late May/early June 2024.

Find out more about Scotland’s low emission zones .

Toll roads and tunnels

Some toll roads, bridges and tunnels on the UK road network will require you to pay a charge. What you will need to pay varies by location and is dependent on the vehicle you are driving.

A full list of UK toll roads can be found on the official government website .

Tips for driving in Britain

Cars drive on the left-hand side of the road.

Speed is measured in miles per hour and distances on road signs are displayed in miles.

Most hire cars will include GPS or offer a satellite navigation system as an extra, but it’s also a good idea to keep a map handy.

Take a look at the Highway Code for an up-to-date guide to all the current British driving regulations and traffic signs.

It is illegal to use a mobile phone while driving.

There are some toll roads, bridges and tunnels within the UK road network. For information on toll road charges see GOV.UK .

Travelling around Britain by coach

If you’re on a budget, travelling by coach is a great alternative to train or car, but journey times can be longer. 

If you know where you want to go, plan ahead and book your coach in advance from major operators like National Express or Megabus . You can also take a coach tour of places of interest - lasting anything from a couple of hours to couple of weeks. Choose from seaside towns to chocolate-box villages, historic sites to buzzing cities. It’s a good idea to book coach excursions or longer coach trips before you arrive here.

VisitBritain/Jon Attenborough

Travelling around Britain by air

If you’re short on time, then major cities and some towns are well connected by airports. This is an expensive option and once you’ve factored in getting to and from the airports, not always the most time efficient.

You can catch domestic flights from major cities like London to Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen in around 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Travelling around Britain by boat

Britain has thousands of miles of inland waterways and hundreds of islands scattered along its coastline, many of which can be explored by cruising in a canal boat or by hopping on a ferry.

You can hire canal and narrowboats, or take an organised boat tour. For more information of Britain’s canals, rivers and lakes, visit the Canal & River Trust website .

Ferries in Scotland sail to a myriad of destinations including the Isle of Skye, Stornaway and Lochboisdale in the Western Isles. Most of the ferry companies offer a variety of different ticket types including island-hop passes.

River ferries are an interesting alternative to the more usual forms of transport, like the ferry across the Mersey River between Liverpool and Birkenhead and the London river boats that run from Westminster to Greenwich and beyond. You can discover more about ferry routes and timetables by visiting local destination websites.

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Transport Statistics Great Britain: 2021

• Department for Transport

Published 16 December 2021

© Crown copyright 2021

This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: [email protected] .

Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.

This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/transport-statistics-great-britain-2021/transport-statistics-great-britain-2021

Given the increased interest in more timely indicators of transport activity, we are assessing how relevant the current format of our Transport Statistics Great Britain ( TSGB ) statistics release is. We are keen to hear your views on how TSGB currently looks, and how it could look moving forwards, which you can email us.

We are also publishing TSGB in HTML format and, for the 2021 release, including a summary of daily domestic transport usage. We would like to hear your feedback on this new format, which you can email us.

About this release

This release presents an annual summary of statistics for passenger transport, freight transport and the environment, mostly relating to the calendar year 2020. This condensed set of highlights is complemented by other Department for Transport ( DfT ) releases presenting more detailed and recent statistics.

This release includes an overview of daily domestic transport usage from 1 March 2020 to the end of the year.

The coronavirus ( COVID-19 ) pandemic and transport statistics

Most of the statistics in this release cover the period when national and regional measures were introduced to prevent and reduce the global spread of coronavirus ( COVID-19 ). Transport trends have been affected by these measures, which can be seen in the official annual statistics, and daily transport usage indicators in this report. Figures for the environment section of this publication are for 2019, reflecting the usual lag in this data, and are therefore not impacted by the pandemic.

The daily 2020 indicators have been included to provide further context to the impact of COVID-19 and associated restrictions on transport trends. Statistics on transport use during the COVID-19 pandemic, and in 2021, can be found on GOV.UK .

Overview of Transport Statistics

Infographic 1: Overview of Transport Statistics by topic

Below is a summary of the main points from the latest transport trends in Great Britain ( Infographic 1 ).

For domestic trips in 2020:

580 billion passenger kilometres were travelled in Great Britain, down 33% from 2019, after long-term growth since 1960

people made 739 trips on average across private and public transport in England, down 22% from 2019

the average time taken to travel to work was 28 minutes across all modes, 3 minutes faster than 2019’s average

For air, sea and international rail journeys in 2020:

73.7 million international and domestic passengers travelled by air, down 75% from 2019

8.3 million rail passengers travelled internationally, down 62% from 2019

6.9 million sea passengers travelled internationally, down 63% from 2019

86% of air passengers and 25% of sea passengers travelled internationally, down from 87% and 31% respectively in 2019

For freight in 2020:

176 billion tonne-kilometres of domestic freight were moved within the UK, down 10% from 2019

77% of domestic freight was moved by road

95% of freight arriving in the UK came by sea

For the environment, in 2019 (where figures were not affected by the pandemic):

transport remains the largest emitting sector of greenhouse gases

122 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent was produced by the domestic transport sector, down 2% from 2018

road transport accounted for 23% of the UK’s domestic nitrogen oxide emissions

Domestic Passenger Transport

How much we travel.

Data Source: TSGB0101, TSGB0102

580 billion passenger kilometres were travelled in Great Britain in 2020, down 33% on 2019.

Of this total, 92% of passenger kilometres travelled in Great Britain was made by cars, vans and taxis .

Chart 1: Passenger kilometres by mode, Great Britain, 1960 to 2020

Passenger kilometres travelled by cars, vans and taxis steadily increased from 139 billion passenger kilometres in 1960, to 738 billion passenger kilometres in 2019, an all-time high in the series. 2020 saw the largest decline in distance travelled for this mode in this series, down 27% on 2019’s level to 536 billion passenger kilometres ( Chart 1 ).

Distance travelled by rail increased steadily from 1983 onwards, after a period of relative stability since 1960. This steady increase reached its all-time peak in 2018, with 2019’s level being similar to that of 2018, before declining by 80% to 16 billion passenger kilometres in 2020 ( Chart 1 ).

Distance travelled on buses and coaches continued its long-term decline since 1960, where 2019’s distance (33 billion passenger kilometres) was less than half of what it was in 1960 (79 billion passenger kilometres). 2020’s distance was down 58% on 2019’s distance, falling to 14 billion passenger kilometres ( Chart 1 ).

Distance travelled on other modes remained relatively stable between 1960 and 2019, where 2019’s distance (20 billion passenger kilometres) was 4 billion passenger kilometres less than the level in 1960 ( Chart 1 ). In 2020, it fell further by 29% to 14 billion passenger kilometres.

Considerations

Further information on the average distance travelled per person in England can be found in table TSGB0104 . Such as, in 2020, walking and bicycle were the only modes of transport to see an increase in the average distance travelled in England.

Other includes pedal cycles, motorcycles and scheduled and non-scheduled domestic flights by UK airlines.

Passenger traffic by water is excluded in this section.

How many trips we make in a year

Data Source: TSGB0103

This section provides a summary of the average number of trips an individual in England makes in the year, across domestic modes of transport.

On average, people in England made 739 trips across private and public transport modes in 2020.

Chart 2: Average number of trips made per person, England, 2020

In 2020 ( Chart 2 ):

the average number of trips fell 22% compared to 2019

private transport accounted for the vast majority of trips (94%)

Other public transport includes trips by air, ferries, and light rail.

Other private transport includes trips by private hire bus, such as school buses, and motorcycles.

The data source of statistics in this section is DfT ’s National Travel Survey , which relate to England only.

How much we travel on public transport

Data Source: TSGB0102

This section provides a summary of all trips recorded on public transport modes, up to the financial year ending 2021.

Non-ticketed modes of public transport, such as taxis and minicabs, are excluded from this section.

69% of public transport journeys in Great Britain were made on local buses in the financial year ending 2021.

In the financial year ending 2021 in Great Britain, there were:

2.5 billion passenger journeys made on public transport vehicles, down 68% on the financial year ending 2020

1.7 billion local bus passenger journeys, down 68% on the financial year ending 2020, and down 86% from 1960

0.7 billion journeys made by rail, down 78% on the financial year ending 2020, and down 60% from 1960

• of which 0.4 billion of journeys were made on the National Rail, down 78% on the financial year ending 2020

0.1 billion passenger journeys made on light rail and tram systems, down 69% on the financial year ending 2020

Chart 3: Passenger journeys by mode: Great Britain from the financial year ending 1986 to the financial year ending 2021

In Great Britain, since the financial year ending 1986 ( Chart 3 ):

journeys taken on buses outside London continued their long-term decline

• the decline was relatively steady in years prior to the financial year ending 2021, where there was a 64% fall in journeys

passenger journeys on London buses, National Rail and London and Glasgow underground trains remained stable until the financial year ending 1994, before gradually increasing until the financial year ending 2020

• the number of journeys across all modes sharply fell in the financial year ending 2021

journeys on light railway systems and trams saw a gradual long-term increase, before declining sharply in the financial year ending 2021

Why we travel

Data Source: TSGB0104

Just under a quarter (23%) of all trips in England were for leisure purposes.

Other purposes of travelling in 2020 were:

shopping, accounting for 19% of all trips

commuting and education, each accounting for 12%

personal business and other escort, each accounting for 8%

business, accounting for 2%

other purposes, including just walking, accounting for 15% of all trips

Most modes of travel are used for a mixture of purposes, however, in 2020:

• almost a half ( 46% ) of all trips by rail are for either commuting or business purposes

Commuting and business trips saw the greatest change in the proportion of across modes. Compared to 2019:

trips done by car and van saw the greatest increase in its proportion in 2020

commuting increased 9 percentage points ( pp ) to 70%

business trips fell 12 pp to 84%

trips on rail saw the greatest fall in its proportion in 2020

commuting fell 5 pp to 7%

business trips fell 6 pp to 4%

Leisure trips include trips to visit friends, sport, holidays, and day trips.

Due to changes in the methodology of data collection, changes in travel behaviour and a reduction of data collected during 2020, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, care should be taken when interpreting this data and comparing to other years.

Chart 4: Average trips by purpose and main mode, as a proportion of all modes: England, 2020

Table 1: Average trips by purpose and main mode, as a proportion of all modes: England, 2020 (Chart 4)

How we commute

Data Source: TSGB0108 to TSGB0112

The average usual commuting time in Great Britain was 28 minutes in 2020.

This ranged from:

16 minutes for walking

58 minutes for travelling by rail

The data source of statistics in this section is the labour force survey , published by the Office of National Statistics (ONS). Respondents were asked about their usual working arrangements. This may differ from actual working arrangements whilst COVID-19 restrictions were in place. For reported activity in England, including the year 2020, please see DfT ’s National Travel Survey .

Across Great Britain, those who usually travel to work by car in 2020 accounted for 68% of commuting journeys by all modes. This varied by region, with only 27% of those living in London reporting using a car for their commute.

The usual method of travel’s proportion across modes in 2020 remained relatively stable compared to 2019.

Chart 5: Usual method of travel to work, Great Britain, 2020

Chart 6: Percentage of workers usually travelling to work by car by region of workplace, Great Britain, 2020

Table 2: Percentage of workers usually travelling to work by car by region of workplace, by Great British Country and English Region, 2020 (Chart 6)

International Passenger Transport

Where we travel by air, sea and international rail.

Data Source: TSGB0201, TSGB0202, TSGB0205 , TSGB0507, TSGB0509, TSGSB0510

The vast majority (86%) of air passenger movements were on international routes in 2020, whilst most passengers travelling by sea were on domestic routes (75%).

Definitional differences exist between air and sea passengers. In this chapter of the release, air passengers travelling to oil rigs and sea passengers on pleasure cruises were excluded from annual figures as destination breakdowns by Europe and Rest of the World were not available.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) receives passenger data directly from airports. They count a terminal passenger as a passenger joining or leaving an airport at the reported airport. A passenger travelling domestically between two reported airports is therefore counted twice (once as a departure and once as an arrival).

Rail in this section refers to traffic handled on the Channel Tunnel, which includes Eurotunnel and Eurostar passengers.

For air, sea and international rail passenger movements in 2020, there were:

73.7 million by air , of which 86% were international passenger movements

27.5 million by sea , 25% of whom travelled internationally by sea

6.9 million on short sea (ferry) routes, down 63% on 2019, of which

72% travelled between France and the UK

28% travelled on other international ferry routes between Europe and the UK

8.3 million who used the Channel Tunnel to and from Europe, down 62% on 2019

Of the 62.7 million international passenger movements at UK airports, excluding air travel to oil rigs, in 2020:

71% travelled to and from Europe

7% travelled to and from North America

22% travelled to and from the rest of the world

Chart 7: International passenger volumes by air, sea, and rail, from 2010 to 2020

From 2010 to 2019, the number of air passengers to and from the rest of the world steadily rose to 70.8 million in 2019, from 54.9 million in 2010. However, the number fell sharply (by 74%) in 2020.

The number of sea passengers to and from the rest of the world has fluctuated between 40,000 and 90,000 since 2010. In 2019, there were 75,000 passengers travelling to and from the rest of the world, 15% greater than in 2010. In 2020, the number of passengers fell sharply, by 85%, to 11,000 ( Chart 7 ).

In line with previous years, passengers to and from Europe were much higher for air travel than sea or rail. Passenger numbers travelling by sea and international rail have been similar since 2010 which were similar in terms of absolute volumes. From 2010 to 2019, the number of passengers on air and rail gradually rose, whilst passengers travelling by sea started to decline in 2014, from 21.3 million in 2014 to 18.4 million in 2019. In 2020, the number of passengers across all modes sharply decreased, where air passengers declined by 76%, sea passengers by 63% and rail passengers by 62% ( Chart 7 ).

Short sea traffic consists of any maritime traffic that travels along a coast without having to cross an ocean. This consists of European Union (EU) and ‘Other Europe and Mediterranean’ (Extra-EU) countries. See DfT’s port freight notes and definitions for further information on which countries are included in these regions.

Overseas monthly air and short sea travel in 2020, compared to 2019

Data Source: TSGB0205 , TSGB0507, TSGSB0508

April 2020, the month following the announcement of the first national lockdown, saw the largest year-on-year difference in air and short sea passenger traffic compared to April 2019.

Compared to April 2019, international passenger volumes in April 2020 were down ( Chart 8 ):

99% for air

95% for short sea

In 2020, there were:

63.7 million passengers travelling internationally by air at UK airports, down 75% on 2019

6.9 million passengers travelling internationally by sea at UK seaports on short sea (ferry) routes, down 63% on 2019

Sea passenger figures include tourist, leisure, business travel, and freight drivers accompanying cargo. Freight drivers were exempt from many travel restrictions the government put in place to ensure continual flow of freight.

Chart 8: Monthly international air and short sea passenger movements in 2019 and 2020

Air and sea passenger numbers for 2020 and 2019 were similar for January and February, at around 15 million and 1 million respectively, but both declined after that with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. 2020 numbers fell sharply in March for both modes and continued the same trajectory for April. April 2020 was the lowest month for both modes, where air passenger volumes were around 300,000, compared to over 21 million in April 2019, and sea passenger volumes were around 250,000, compared to 1.7 million in April 2019. Both modes saw a slight increase until August, mirroring 2019’s monthly trend.

Air passenger volumes in August 2020 were almost 80% lower than August 2019, and this percentage difference increased slightly for the remainder of the year. August was the month with the largest absolute discrepancy between the 2 years for international sea passenger volumes (1.9 million). Although this discrepancy generally fell as the year progressed, 2020 monthly volumes for sea passengers were still less than half the volumes seen in 2019.

After August, passenger volumes for both modes for both years declined as the year progressed, with a slight increase in December, in line with usual seasonal trends. Air passenger volumes in December 2020 were still 88% lower than December 2019, and 59% lower for sea passengers for the same period ( Chart 8 ).

Further statistics relating to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on sea passenger routes, as well as a timeline of events relating to international travel, are published in the sea passenger statistics, all routes 2020 release.

Freight Transport

Domestic freight.

Data Source: TSGB0401 to TSGB0403

176 billion tonne-kilometres of domestic freight were moved in the UK in 2020.

77% was moved by road

14% was moved by water

9% was moved by rail

Compared to 2019, in 2020:

goods moved in the UK by GB-registered heavy goods vehicles ( HGVs ) decreased by 11%

goods moved by rail decreased by 9%

waterborne freight continued its long-term decline since 2000, down by 2%

Chart 9: Goods moved by domestic freight mode, from 2000 to 2020 (billion tonne-kilometres)

Road freight made up the largest proportion of domestic freight being moved in the UK, accounting for 77% of all domestic freight moved in 2020. Road freight remained relatively stable between 2000 and 2006. After which, goods moved by road declined to its lowest level in 2009, and only saw a consistent recovery from 2015 onwards. This recovery was stunted by 2020’s 11% decrease in traffic, likely to have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic ( Chart 9 ).

Goods moved by water continued its long-term decline since 2000 ( Chart 9 ), with the rate of decline slowing down in recent years; there was a 2% decrease in the volume of goods moved by water in 2020 from 2019.

Rail freight accounted for the lowest amount of domestic freight, with 9% of all domestic freight moved by rail in 2020. Rail freight has been relatively stable since 2000 and this trend has been particularly consistent from 2015 until 2019 ( Chart 9 ). In 2020, goods moved by rail decreased by 9%.

Tonne-kilometres is the tonnage of goods lifted multiplied by the distance travelled.

Road freight trade across the Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland border is excluded from these totals.

Imports and Exports

373.2 million tonnes of freight were traded with the UK in 2020.

Of which, an estimated:

240.9 million tonnes of freight arrived in the UK

132.3 million tonnes left the UK

Chart 10: UK trade by direction and international modes of transport in 2020 (million tonnes)

imports accounted for 65% of freight trade moved by sea

the proportion of rail and air freight import and export volumes were almost equal, with

rail at 52% and 48% respectively

air at 55% and 45% respectively

This section excludes domestic traffic from totals.

Sea and air figures reflect 2020 data, however we have not been able to obtain recent rail figures and therefore this figure is representative of year 2017. Data for Eurotunnel for 2017 is the latest available data, therefore totals for 2020 should be treated as estimates.

Energy and Environment

Greenhouse gas emissions by sector.

Data Source: TSGB0306

Transport remained the largest emitting sector of greenhouse gases in 2019.

the UK produced 455 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent ( mtCO2e ) of greenhouse gas ( GHG ) emissions

total UK domestic emissions were down 3% from 2018, and 44% from 1990

domestic transport was responsible for 122 mtCO2e , down 2% from 2018, despite a 2% increase from 2018 in vehicle miles

domestic transport produced 27% of the UK’s total emissions

domestic transport emissions decreased by 5% since 1990

Chart 11: Greenhouse gas emissions by sector, 2019

Since 1990, emissions from ( Chart 11 ):

the energy sector continued its long-term decline, down from 278 mtCO2e to 95.8 mtCO2e in 2019

• the fall in emissions in this sector is due to the UK switching away from coal power and towards gas

domestic transport remained relatively stable, with levels in 2019 being down 5% from 1990

domestic transport exceeded those from the energy sector in 2016, to become the largest emitting sector in the UK

the business and residential sectors have slowly declined since 2000, after a period of stability

the waste and other sectors declined sharply, before stabilising from 2013 onwards

• levels in 2019 were 19 mtCO2e for waste and 18 mtCO2e for other, down 71% and 75% respectively compared to 1990

agriculture declined steadily until 2008, from which it has remained stable

The sector agriculture includes emissions from land use, land use change and forestry.

The other sector in this section includes emissions from the public and industrial processes sectors.

Greenhouse gas emissions by transport mode

91% of domestic transport’s total emissions came from road transport vehicles in 2019.

67.7 mtCO2e (61%) were from cars and taxis

19.5 mtCO2e (18%) were from HGVs

other domestic transport emissions accounted for 6.7 mtCO2e , comprising of:

rail (1.7 mtCO2e )

domestic aviation (1.4 mtCO2e )

motorcycles and mopeds (0.5 mtCO2e )

emissions from vehicles using propane, biofuels and other sources (0.7 mtCO2e )

other transport, such as military aircraft, and shipping and aircraft support vehicles (2.3 mtCO2e )

Chart 12: Greenhouse gas emissions by transport mode, 1990 and 2019

Table 3: Greenhouse gas emissions by transport mode, 1990 and 2019, in mtCO2e (Chart 12)

Other emissions comprise of rail, domestic aviation, motorcycles and mopeds, and other transport modes.

GHG data is published by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), with final figures for 2020 expected to be published in Summer 2022.

Air pollution

Data Source: TSGB0308

Air pollutants of interest in this section, emitted by domestic transport, are:

carbon monoxide ( CO )

nitrogen oxides ( NOx )

particulate matter

matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 10 micrometres ( PM10 )

matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 micrometres ( PM2.5 )

sulphur dioxide ( SO2 )

Chart 13: Air pollutants, from 1990 to 2019

Comparing 2019’s domestic transport emission levels with 1990’s ( Chart 13 ):

all pollutants have declined at varying rates :

pollutants CO , benzene, butadiene, lead, and SO2 have decreased by at least 90%

NOx levels were down 34%

PM2.5 levels were down 13%

PM10 levels were down 11%

Air quality data is published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), with figures for 2020 expected to be published in February 2022.

Daily Domestic Transport Usage in 2020

Data source: Domestic transport use by mode: Great Britain, since 1 March 2020

This chapter provides an overview of daily domestic transport usage from 1 March 2020 to the end of the year to illustrate how COVID-19 and the associated restrictions impacted transport modes over the year. Modes covered are road traffic, bus and rail journeys. These statistics are Official Statistics, but based on different, and novel, sources and methods to the more authoritative annual statistics (see the background information in this report for further details).

Following the passing of the Coronavirus Act 2020 on the 25 March 2020, usage of transport across all modes fell to unprecedented low points in the March 2020 lockdown, where:

weekday usage across public transport modes fell to less than 20% of pre-COVID-19 baseline in all cases

road traffic usage dropped to just 35% of baseline at its lowest weekday point

Patterns of usage across all modes have been heavily influenced by COVID-19 and related policies . To help compare between modes, all figures are presented as percentages of a baseline figure; a pre-COVID-19 date which represents normal usage of that particular mode (details provided in the methodology note ).

Since March 2020 ( Chart 14 ):

by 16 March, all modes saw a decline in usage

this was largely impacted by the recommendation to stay at home where possible

however some public transport modes had already started to see a decline, likely linked to domestic users and international visitors exercising caution as the pandemic developed

usage of public transport modes remained low for the duration of the first lockdown period

road traffic showed an increase in this time; from 36% on 30 March 2020 to 49% by 11 May 2020 ( step 1 of the recovery plan was introduced on 10 May)

Following the end of the first lockdown, usage rose generally across all modes as restrictions were relaxed. This was step 3 of the recovery plan, which was introduced on 4 July. The rate of recovery varied by transport mode, and by 6 July:

motor vehicle usage had returned to 83% of pre-COVID-19 usage

• HGV usage in particular returned close to pre-Covid-19 levels

bus usage in London (37%) and nationally (29%) showed a slower recovery

TfL tube and National Rail usage remained low (both at 19%), with many rail commuters who could work from home chose to continue to do so

The national restrictions introduced in November showed a corresponding fall in transport usage, although no mode returned to the usage levels seen in the first lockdown period. During this period:

weekday usage across public transport modes varied according to mode

bus usage fell to slightly less than 50% of the baseline

TfL tube and National Rail usage fell to slightly less than 25% of the baseline

weekday road traffic usage fell to around 75% of the baseline

Chart 14: Combined timeline of transport usage by mode, March to December 2020

In Chart 14 , the national lockdown periods between March and May and November and December are indicated using grey shading.

Please note that there is a data gap in TfL bus from 19 April to 28 June due to a change in boarding policy.

National holidays throughout the year would have also likely impacted transport activity, which can be seen especially around the end of the December period.

Although not shown on the chart, cycle usage has been collected daily. The number of miles cycled on the road rose to 5 billion in 2020, overall a 46% increase on 2019. Cycling was the only form of transport to grow during the pandemic, with cycling levels at times 100 or even 200% greater than before.

More recent data on transport use during the pandemic can be found in the domestic transport use by mode table .

Background Information

We would welcome any feedback on these statistics by email . We will attempt to address any comments in a subsequent release.

Each topic covered in the annual statistics covered in this release are available in the relevant notes and definitions document . For the daily transport use statistics, further information can be found in the COVID-19 domestic transport data: methodology note .

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• Pedestrian safety on the road to net zero: cross-sectional study of collisions with electric and hybrid-electric cars in Great Britain
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• http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4431-8822 Phil J Edwards ,
• Siobhan Moore ,
• Craig Higgins
• London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine , London , UK
• Correspondence to Dr Phil J Edwards, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, UK; phil.edwards{at}LSHTM.ac.uk

Background Plans to phase out fossil fuel-powered internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles and to replace these with electric and hybrid-electric (E-HE) vehicles represent a historic step to reduce air pollution and address the climate emergency. However, there are concerns that E-HE cars are more hazardous to pedestrians, due to being quieter. We investigated and compared injury risks to pedestrians from E-HE and ICE cars in urban and rural environments.

Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study of pedestrians injured by cars or taxis in Great Britain. We estimated casualty rates per 100 million miles of travel by E-HE and ICE vehicles. Numerators (pedestrians) were extracted from STATS19 datasets. Denominators (car travel) were estimated by multiplying average annual mileage (using National Travel Survey datasets) by numbers of vehicles. We used Poisson regression to investigate modifying effects of environments where collisions occurred.

Results During 2013–2017, casualty rates per 100 million miles were 5.16 (95% CI 4.92 to 5.42) for E-HE vehicles and 2.40 (95%CI 2.38 to 2.41) for ICE vehicles, indicating that collisions were twice as likely (RR 2.15; 95% CI 2.05 to 2.26) with E-HE vehicles. Poisson regression found no evidence that E-HE vehicles were more dangerous in rural environments (RR 0.91; 95% CI 0.74 to 1.11); but strong evidence that E-HE vehicles were three times more dangerous than ICE vehicles in urban environments (RR 2.97; 95% CI 2.41 to 3.7). Sensitivity analyses of missing data support main findings.

Conclusion E-HE cars pose greater risk to pedestrians than ICE cars in urban environments. This risk must be mitigated as governments phase out petrol and diesel cars.

• WOUNDS AND INJURIES
• CLIMATE CHANGE

Data availability statement

Data are available in a public, open-access repository. Numerator data (numbers of pedestrians injured in collisions) are publicly available from the Road Safety Data (STATS19) datasets ( https://www.data.gov.uk/dataset/cb7ae6f0-4be6-4935-9277-47e5ce24a11f/road-safety-data ). Denominator data (100 million miles of car travel per year) may be estimated by multiplying average annual mileage by numbers of vehicle registrations (publicly available from Department for Transport, https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/veh02-licensed-cars ). Average annual mileage for E-HE and ICE vehicles may be estimated separately for urban and rural environments using data that may obtained under special licence from the National Travel Survey datasets ( http://doi.org/10.5255/UKDA-Series-2000037 ).

https://doi.org/10.1136/jech-2024-221902

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WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ON THIS TOPIC

Electric cars are quieter than cars with petrol or diesel engines and may pose a greater risk to pedestrians.

The US National Highway Transportation Safety Agency found that during 2000–2007 the odds of an electric or hybrid-electric car causing a pedestrian injury were 35% greater than a car with a petrol or diesel engine.

The UK Transport Research Laboratory found the pedestrian casualty rate per 10 000 registered electric or hybrid-electric vehicles during 2005–2007 in Great Britain was lower than the rate for petrol or diesel vehicles.

WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS

In Great Britain during 2013–2017, pedestrians were twice as likely to be hit by an electric or hybrid-electric car than by a petrol or diesel car; the risks were higher in urban areas.

HOW THIS STUDY MIGHT AFFECT RESEARCH, PRACTICE OR POLICY

The greater risk to pedestrian safety posed by electric or hybrid-electric cars needs to be mitigated as governments proceed to phase out petrol and diesel cars.

Drivers of electric or hybrid-electric cars must be cautious of pedestrians who may not hear them approaching and may step into the road thinking it is safe to do so, particularly in towns and cities.

Introduction

Many governments have set targets to reach net-zero emissions to help mitigate the harms of climate change. Short-term health benefits of reduced emissions are expected from better air quality with longer-term benefits from reduced global temperatures. 1

Transition to electric and hybrid-electric (E-HE) cars

One such target is to phase out sales of new fossil fuel-powered internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles and replace these with E-HE vehicles. 2 3

Pedestrian safety

Road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death for children and young adults. 4 A quarter of all road traffic deaths are of pedestrians. 5 Concerns have been raised that E-HE cars may be more hazardous to pedestrians than ICE cars, due to being quieter. 6 7 It has been hypothesised that E-HE cars pose a greater risk of injury to pedestrians in urban areas where background ambient noise levels are higher. 8 However, there has been relatively little empirical research on possible impacts of E-HE cars on pedestrian road safety. A study commissioned for the US National Highway Transportation Safety Agency based on data from 16 States found that the odds of an E-HE vehicle causing a pedestrian injury were 35% greater than an ICE vehicle. 9 In contrast, a study commissioned by the UK Department for Transport found pedestrian casualty rates from collisions with E-HE vehicles during 2005–2007 were lower than for ICE vehicles. 10 Possible reasons for these conflicting results are that the two studies used different designs and estimated different measures of relative risk—the first used a case–control design and estimated an OR, whereas the second used a cross-sectional study and estimated a rate ratio. ORs will often differ from rate ratios. 11 Other reasons include differences between the USA and the UK in the amount and quality of walking infrastructure. 12

Aim and objectives

We aimed to add to the evidence base on whether E-HE cars pose a greater injury risk to pedestrians than ICE cars by analysing road traffic injury data and travel survey data in Great Britain.

We sought to improve on the previous UK study by using distance travelled instead of number of registered vehicles as the measure of exposure in estimation of collision rates.

The objectives of this study were:

To estimate pedestrian casualty rates for E-HE and ICE vehicles and to compare these by calculating a rate ratio;

To assess whether or not the evidence supports the hypothesis that casualty rate ratios vary according to urban or rural environments. 8

Study design

This study was an analysis of differences in casualty rates of pedestrians per 100 million miles of E-HE car travel and rates per 100 million miles of ICE car travel.

This study was set in Great Britain between 2013 and 2017.

Participants

The study participants were all pedestrians reported to have been injured in a collision with a car or a taxi.

The exposure was the type of propulsion of the colliding vehicle, E-HE or ICE. E-HE vehicles were treated as a single powertrain type, regardless of the mode of operation that a hybrid vehicle was in at the time of collision (hybrid vehicles typically start in electric mode and change from battery to combustion engine at higher speeds). 13

The outcome of interest was a pedestrian casualty.

Effect modification by road environment

We used the urban–rural classification 14 of the roads on which the collisions occurred to investigate whether casualty rate ratios comparing E-HE with ICE vehicles differed between rural and urban environments.

Data sources/measurement

Numerator data (numbers of pedestrians injured in collisions) were extracted from the Road Safety Data (STATS19) datasets. 15

Denominator data (100 million miles of car travel per year) were estimated by multiplying average annual mileage by numbers of vehicle registrations. 16 Average annual mileage for E-HE and ICE vehicles was estimated separately for urban and rural environments using data obtained under special licence from the National Travel Survey (NTS) datasets. 17 We estimated average annual mileage for the years 2013–2017 because the NTS variable for the vehicle fuel type did not include ‘hybrid’ prior to 2013 and data from 2018 had not been uploaded to the UK data service due to problems with the archiving process (Andrew Kelly, Database Manager, NTS, Department for Transport, 23 March 2020, personal communication). Denominators were thus available for the years 2013–2017.

Data preparation

The datasets for collisions, casualties and vehicles from the STATS19 database were merged using a unique identification number for each collision.

Statistical methods

We calculated annual casualty rates for E-HE and ICE vehicles separately and we compared these by calculating a rate ratio. We used Poisson regression models to estimate rate ratios with 95% CIs and to investigate any modifying effects of the road environment in which the collisions occurred. For this analysis, our regression model included explanatory terms for the main effects of the road environment, plus terms for the interaction between type of propulsion and the road environment. The assumptions for Poisson regression were met in our study: we modelled count data (counts of pedestrians injured), traffic collisions were independent of each other, occurring in different places over time, and never occurring simultaneously. Data preparation, management and analyses were carried out using Microsoft Access 2019 and Stata V.16. 18

Sensitivity analysis

We conducted an extreme case analysis where all missing propulsion codes were assumed to be ICE vehicles (there were over a 100 times more ICE vehicles than E-HE vehicles on the roads in Great Britain during our study period, 16 so missing propulsion is more likely to have been ICE).

The sample size for this study included all available recorded road traffic collisions in Great Britain during the study period. We estimated that for our study to have 80% power at the 5% significance level to show a difference in casualty rates of 2 per 100 miles versus 5.5 per 100 miles, we would require 481 million miles of vehicle travel in each group (E-HE and ICE); whereas to have 90% power at the 1% significance level to show this difference, 911 million miles of vehicle travel would be required in each group. Our study includes 32 000 million miles of E-HE vehicle travel and 3 000 000 million miles of ICE vehicle travel and therefore our study was sufficiently powered to detect differences in casualty rates of these magnitudes.

Between 2013 and 2017, there were 916 713 casualties from reported road traffic collisions in Great Britain. 120 197 casualties were pedestrians. Of these pedestrians, 96 285 had been hit by a car or taxi. Most pedestrians—71 666 (74%) were hit by an ICE car or taxi. 1652 (2%) casualties were hit by an E-HE car or taxi. For 22 829 (24%) casualties, the vehicle propulsion code was missing. Most collisions occurred in urban environments and a greater proportion of the collisions with E-HE vehicles occurred in an urban environment (94%) than did collisions with ICE vehicles (88%) ( figure 1 ).

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Flow chart of pedestrian casualties in collisions with E-HE or ICE cars or taxis from reported road traffic collisions in Great Britain 2013–2017. E-HE, electric and hybrid-electric; ICE, internal combustion engine.

Main results

During the period 2013 to 2017, the average annual casualty rates of pedestrians per 100 million miles were 5.16 (95% CI 4.92 to 5.42) for E-HE vehicles and 2.40 (95% CI 2.38 to 2.41) for ICE vehicles, which indicates that collisions with pedestrians were on average twice as likely (RR 2.15 (95% CI 2.05 to 2.26), p<0.001) with E-HE vehicles as with ICE vehicles ( table 1 ).

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Pedestrian casualties due to collisions with cars or taxis from reported road traffic collisions in Great Britain 2013–2017—by vehicle propulsion type

In our extreme case analysis, the 22 829 pedestrian casualties where vehicle propulsion was missing were all assumed to have been struck by ICE vehicles. In this case, average casualty rates of pedestrians per 100 million miles were 3.16 (95% CI 3.14 to 3.18) for ICE vehicles, which would indicate that collisions with pedestrians were on average 63% more likely (RR 1.63 (95% CI 1.56 to 1.71), p<0.001) with E-HE vehicles than with ICE vehicles ( table 2 ).

Extreme case sensitivity analysis—pedestrian casualties due to collisions with cars or taxis from reported road traffic collisions in Great Britain 2013–2017 by vehicle propulsion type where 22 829 missing vehicle propulsion codes are assumed to be ICE vehicles

Relative risks according to road environment

Casualty rates were higher in urban than rural environments ( tables 3 and 4 ).

Pedestrian casualties due to collisions with cars or taxis from reported road traffic collisions in Great Britain 2013–2017—by vehicle propulsion type in urban road environments

Pedestrian casualties due to collisions with cars or taxis from reported road traffic collisions in Great Britain 2013–2017—by vehicle propulsion type in rural road environments

Urban environments

Collisions with pedestrians in urban environments were on average over two and a half times as likely (RR 2.69 (95% CI 2.56 to 2.83, p<0.001) with E-HE vehicles as with ICE vehicles ( table 3 ).

The extreme case sensitivity analysis showed collisions with pedestrians in urban environments were more likely with E-HE vehicles (RR 2.05; 95% CI 1.95 to 2.15).

Rural environments

Collisions with pedestrians in rural environments were equally likely (RR 0.91; 95% CI 0.74 to 1.11) with E-HE vehicles as with ICE vehicles ( table 4 ).

The extreme case sensitivity analysis found evidence that collisions with pedestrians in rural environments were less likely with E-HE vehicles (RR 0.68; 95% CI 0.55 to 0.83).

Results of Poisson regression analysis

Our Poisson regression model results ( table 5 ) showed that pedestrian injury rates were on average 9.28 (95% CI 9.07 to 9.49) times greater in urban than in rural environments. There was no evidence that E-HE vehicles were more dangerous than ICE vehicles in rural environments (RR 0.91; 95% CI 0.74 to 1.11), consistent with our finding in table 4 . There was strong evidence that E-HE vehicles were on average three times more dangerous than ICE vehicles in urban environments (RR 2.97; 95% CI 2.41 to 3.67).

Results of Poisson regression analysis of annual casualty rates of pedestrians per 100 million miles by road environment and the interaction between vehicle propulsion type and environment

Statement of principal findings

This study found that in Great Britain between 2013 and 2017, casualty rates of pedestrians due to collisions with E-HE cars and taxis were higher than those due to collisions with ICE cars and taxis. Our best estimate is that such collisions are on average twice as likely, and in urban areas E-HE vehicles are on average three times more dangerous than ICE vehicles, consistent with the theory that E-HE vehicles are less audible to pedestrians in urban areas where background ambient noise levels are higher.

Strengths and weaknesses of the study

There are several limitations to this study which are discussed below.

The data used were not very recent. However, ours is the most current analysis of E-HE vehicle collisions using the STATS19 dataset.

Before we can infer that E-HE vehicles pose a greater risk to pedestrians than ICE vehicles, we must consider whether our study is free from confounding and selection bias. Confounding occurs when the exposure and outcome share a common cause. 19 Confounders in this study would be factors that may both cause a traffic collision and also cause the exposure (use of an E-HE car). Younger, less experienced drivers (ie, ages 16–24) are more likely to be involved in a road traffic collision 20 and are also more likely to own an electric car. 21 Some of the observed increased risk of electric cars may therefore be due to younger drivers preferring electric cars. This would cause positive confounding, meaning that the true relative risk of electric cars is less than we have estimated in our study. Regarding selection bias, it is known that the STATS19 dataset does not include every road traffic casualty in Great Britain, as some non-fatal casualties are not reported to the police. 22 If casualties from collisions are reported to the police differentially according to the type of vehicle propulsion, this may have biased our results; however, there is no reason to suspect that a pedestrian struck by a petrol or diesel car is any more or less likely to report the collision to the police than one struck by an electric car.

We must also address two additional concerns as ours is a cross-sectional study: The accuracy of exposure assignment (including the potential for recall bias) and the adequacy of prevalence as a proxy for incidence. 23 First, the accuracy of exposure assignment and the potential for recall bias are not issues for this study, as the exposure (type of propulsion of the colliding vehicle, E-HE or ICE), is assigned independently of the casualties by the UK Department for Transport who link the vehicle registration number (VRN) of each colliding vehicle to vehicle data held by the UK Driver Vehicle and Licensing Agency (DVLA). 10 Second, we have not used prevalence as a proxy for incidence but have estimated incidence using total distance travelled by cars as the measure of exposure.

We may therefore reasonably infer from our study results that E-HE vehicles pose a greater risk to pedestrians than ICE vehicles in urban environments, and that part of the risk may be due to younger people’s preference for E-HE cars.

A major limitation of the STATS19 road safety dataset used in this study was that it did not contain a vehicle propulsion code for all vehicles in collisions with pedestrians. We excluded these vehicles from our primary analysis (a complete case analysis) and we also conducted an extreme case sensitivity analysis. We will now argue why imputation of missing vehicle propulsion codes would not have added value to this study. Vehicle propulsion data are obtained for the STATS19 dataset by the UK Department for Transport who link the VRN of each colliding vehicle recorded in STATS19 to vehicles data held by the UK DVLA. The STATS19 data on reported collisions and casualties are collected by a Police Officer when an injury road accident is reported to them; Most police officers write details of the casualties and the vehicles involved in their notebooks for transcription onto the STATS19 form later at the Police station. 24 The VRN is one of 18 items recorded on each vehicle involved in a collision. Items may occasionally be missed due to human error during this process. Where a VRN is missing, vehicle propulsion will be missing in the STATS19 dataset. The chance that any vehicle-related item is missing will be independent of any characteristics of the casualties involved and so the vehicle propulsion codes are missing completely at random (MCAR). As the missing propulsion data are very likely MCAR, the set of pedestrians with no missing data is a random sample from the source population and hence our complete case analysis for handling the missing data gives unbiased results. The extreme case sensitivity analysis we performed shows a possible result that could occur, and it demonstrates our conclusions in urban environments are robust to the missing data. Lastly, to impute the missing data would require additional variables which are related to the likelihood of a VRN being missing. Such variables were not available and therefore we do not believe a useful multiple imputation analysis could have been performed.

Strengths and weaknesses in relation to other studies

Our study uses hundreds of millions of miles of car travel as the denominators in our estimates of annual pedestrian casualty rates which is a more accurate measure of exposure to road hazards than the number of registered vehicles, which was used as the denominator in a previous study in the UK. 10 Our results differ to this previous study which found that pedestrian casualty rates from collisions with E-HE vehicles during 2005–2007 were lower than those from ICE vehicles. Our study has updated this previous analysis and shows that casualty rates due to E-HE vehicle collisions exceed those due to ICE vehicle collisions. Similarly, our study uses a more robust measure of risk (casualty rates per miles of car travel) than that used in a US study. 9 Our study results are consistent with this US study that found that the odds of an E-HE vehicle causing a pedestrian injury were 35% greater than an ICE vehicle. Brand et al 8 hypothesised, without any supporting data, that “hybrid and electric low-noise cars cause an increase in traffic collisions involving vulnerable road users in urban areas” and recommended that “further investigations have to be done with the increase of low-noise cars to prove our hypothesis right.” 8 We believe that our study is the first to provide empirical evidence in support of this hypothesis.

Meaning of the study: possible explanations and implications for clinicians and policymakers

More pedestrians are injured in Great Britain by petrol and diesel cars than by electric cars, but compared with petrol and diesel cars, electric cars pose a greater risk to pedestrians and the risk is greater in urban environments. One plausible explanation for our results is that background ambient noise levels differ between urban and rural areas, causing electric vehicles to be less audible to pedestrians in urban areas. Such differences may impact on safety because pedestrians usually hear traffic approaching and take care to avoid any collision, which is more difficult if they do not hear electric vehicles. This is consistent with audio-testing evidence in a small study of vision-impaired participants. 10 From a Public Health perspective, our results should not discourage active forms of transport beneficial to health, such as walking and cycling, rather they can be used to ensure that any potential increased traffic injury risks are understood and safeguarded against. A better transport policy response to the climate emergency might be the provision of safe, affordable, accessible and integrated public transport systems for all. 25

Unanswered questions and future research

It will be of interest to investigate the extent to which younger drivers are involved in collisions of E-HE cars with pedestrians.

If the braking distance of electric cars is longer, 26 and electric cars are heavier than their petrol and diesel counterparts, 27 these factors may increase the risks and the severity of injuries sustained by pedestrians and require investigation.

As car manufacturers continue to develop and equip new electric cars with Collision Avoidance Systems and Autonomous Emergency Braking to ensure automatic braking in cases where pedestrians or cyclists move into the path of an oncoming car, future research can repeat the analyses presented in this study to evaluate whether the risks of E-HE cars to pedestrians in urban areas have been sufficiently mitigated.

Conclusions

E-HE vehicles pose a greater risk to pedestrians than petrol and diesel powered vehicles in urban environments. This risk needs to be mitigated as governments proceed to phase out petrol and diesel cars.

Ethics statements

Patient consent for publication.

Not applicable.

Ethics approval

This study involves human participants and was approved by the LSHTM MSc Research Ethics Committee (reference #16400). The study uses the anonymised records of people injured in road traffic collisions, data which are routinely collected by UK police forces. The participants are unknown to the investigators and could not be contacted.

Acknowledgments

We thank Rebecca Steinbach for her advice on analysis of National Travel Survey data, Jonathan Bartlett for his advice on missing data, and Ben Armstrong for his advice on Poisson regression. We are grateful to the reviewers and to Dr C Mary Schooling, Associate Editor, whose comments helped us improve the manuscript. We are grateful to Jim Edwards and Graham Try for their comments on earlier versions of this manuscript.

• H Baqui A ,
• Benfield T , et al
• Gilchrist J
• ↵ WHO factsheet on road traffic injuries . Available : https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/road-traffic-injuries#:~:text=Approximately%201.19%20million%20people%20die,adults%20aged%205%E2%80%9329%20years [Accessed 14 Apr 2024 ].
• ↵ Reported road casualties great Britain, annual report . 2022 . Available : https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-annual-report-2022 [Accessed 14 Apr 2024 ].
• Maryland General Assembly
• Haas P , et al
• Morgan PA ,
• Muirhead M , et al
• Greenland S
• Buehler R ,
• Alternative Fuels Data Center
• Government-Statistics
• Department for Transport
• Department for Transport. (2023
• Hernán MA ,
• Hernández-Díaz S ,
• Barriers Direct
• Savitz DA ,
• Wellenius GA
• Transport Scotland

Contributors CH and PJE developed the idea for this study and supervised SM in performing the literature search, downloading, managing and analysing the data. SM wrote the first draft of the manuscript, which was the dissertation for her MSc in Public Health. PJE prepared the first draft of the manuscript for the journal. All authors assisted in editing and refining the manuscript. The corresponding author attests that all listed authors meet authorship criteria and that no others meeting the criteria have been omitted. PJE (guarantor) accepts full responsibility for the work and the conduct of the study, had access to the data and controlled the decision to publish.

Funding This study was conducted in part fulfilment of the Masters degree in Public Health at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. The second author was self-funded for her studies for this degree.

Competing interests None declared.

Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

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Savvino-storozhevsky monastery and museum.

Zvenigorod's most famous sight is the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery, which was founded in 1398 by the monk Savva from the Troitse-Sergieva Lavra, at the invitation and with the support of Prince Yury Dmitrievich of Zvenigorod. Savva was later canonised as St Sabbas (Savva) of Storozhev. The monastery late flourished under the reign of Tsar Alexis, who chose the monastery as his family church and often went on pilgrimage there and made lots of donations to it. Most of the monastery’s buildings date from this time. The monastery is heavily fortified with thick walls and six towers, the most impressive of which is the Krasny Tower which also serves as the eastern entrance. The monastery was closed in 1918 and only reopened in 1995. In 1998 Patriarch Alexius II took part in a service to return the relics of St Sabbas to the monastery. Today the monastery has the status of a stauropegic monastery, which is second in status to a lavra. In addition to being a working monastery, it also holds the Zvenigorod Historical, Architectural and Art Museum.

Belfry and Neighbouring Churches

Located near the main entrance is the monastery's belfry which is perhaps the calling card of the monastery due to its uniqueness. It was built in the 1650s and the St Sergius of Radonezh’s Church was opened on the middle tier in the mid-17th century, although it was originally dedicated to the Trinity. The belfry's 35-tonne Great Bladgovestny Bell fell in 1941 and was only restored and returned in 2003. Attached to the belfry is a large refectory and the Transfiguration Church, both of which were built on the orders of Tsar Alexis in the 1650s.  

To the left of the belfry is another, smaller, refectory which is attached to the Trinity Gate-Church, which was also constructed in the 1650s on the orders of Tsar Alexis who made it his own family church. The church is elaborately decorated with colourful trims and underneath the archway is a beautiful 19th century fresco.

Nativity of Virgin Mary Cathedral

The Nativity of Virgin Mary Cathedral is the oldest building in the monastery and among the oldest buildings in the Moscow Region. It was built between 1404 and 1405 during the lifetime of St Sabbas and using the funds of Prince Yury of Zvenigorod. The white-stone cathedral is a standard four-pillar design with a single golden dome. After the death of St Sabbas he was interred in the cathedral and a new altar dedicated to him was added.

Under the reign of Tsar Alexis the cathedral was decorated with frescoes by Stepan Ryazanets, some of which remain today. Tsar Alexis also presented the cathedral with a five-tier iconostasis, the top row of icons have been preserved.

Tsaritsa's Chambers

The Nativity of Virgin Mary Cathedral is located between the Tsaritsa's Chambers of the left and the Palace of Tsar Alexis on the right. The Tsaritsa's Chambers were built in the mid-17th century for the wife of Tsar Alexey - Tsaritsa Maria Ilinichna Miloskavskaya. The design of the building is influenced by the ancient Russian architectural style. Is prettier than the Tsar's chambers opposite, being red in colour with elaborately decorated window frames and entrance.

At present the Tsaritsa's Chambers houses the Zvenigorod Historical, Architectural and Art Museum. Among its displays is an accurate recreation of the interior of a noble lady's chambers including furniture, decorations and a decorated tiled oven, and an exhibition on the history of Zvenigorod and the monastery.

Palace of Tsar Alexis

The Palace of Tsar Alexis was built in the 1650s and is now one of the best surviving examples of non-religious architecture of that era. It was built especially for Tsar Alexis who often visited the monastery on religious pilgrimages. Its most striking feature is its pretty row of nine chimney spouts which resemble towers.

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