Getting Around, Swansea Travel, Transport and Car Rental
(Swansea, West Glamorgan, South Wales, UK)
Public transport in the Swansea area is everything that you would expect and more. Day tickets are available for local buses and can be purchased onboard, providing all-day bus travel both in the city and the neighbouring Mumbles area.
Various other tickets offer discounts for transport around Glamorgan and include unlimited travel on all of the country's mainline train lines and the majority of the bus network, in some cases even including money off when visiting top attractions.
Also available around Swansea are regular ferries, which travel to and from
Ireland, as well as car rental and a fleet of local taxis, and also the nearby
Cardiff International Airport (CWL), which is just a short drive away.
Cardiff International Airport (CWL) / Arriving by Air
Address: Cardiff, Glamorgan, CF62 3BD, Wales, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1446 711 111
Cardiff International Airport (CWL) is less than a one-hour drive from central Swansea and features scheduled flights to many top cities around
England, together with
Belfast and Cork in
Ireland,
Paris>, Brussels and some parts of
Canada. A range of ground transport is on offer outside of the terminal, such as car hire, buses, shuttles, trains and taxis.
Car Rental
Driving is a great way to get around Swansea and if you arrive in the city by other means of transport, you will be pleased to find various car rental agencies available. The city itself is fairly easy to drive around and most locations are well-signposted, with more than 20 prominent car parks all around the city centre, particularly along the Kingsway, Oystermouth Road, West Way and Wind Street, and also at the Swansea Railway Station, at the Plantasia attraction and on Trawler Road - next to the marina. Two inexpensive 'Park and Ride' services stand in both Landore and on Fabian Way, linked to the city centre by reliable bus transport.
Trains
Tel: +44 (0)08457 484 950
Numerous trains travel from Swansea to many cities around
England, via
Cardiff, including
Bristol (one and a half hours) and London Paddington (three hours), running every hour between Monday and Saturday, and every two hours on Sunday. Further trains travel to Fishguard twice daily, connecting ferry transport to
Ireland.
Swansea is an important southerly train terminus for the 'Heart of Wales Line', which connects parts of the Gower Peninsula, the Brecon Beacons and areas of mid-Wales, such as Llandeilo (one hour), and also Llanwrtyd (just less than two hours). Operated by First Great Western, other popular destinations reached by train transport from the city include
Newport,
Manchester, Shrewsbury and Swindon. The Swansea Railway Station can be found on the northern side of the city centre, close to Castle Square, the Central Library and the Parc Tawe shopping area, off the A483 and on the western banks of the River Tawe.
Buses and Coaches
Tel: +44 (0)870 608 2608
Various buses are available all around Swansea and local bus transport is operated by First Cymru. Popular routes link the Swansea Bus Station and also the Oystermouth Bus Station, stopping at various locations along the way. Buses around the city travel every 30 minutes from Monday to Saturday, and every hour on Sundays. Also worth noting, the
Cardiff to Swansea shuttle bus runs every hour Monday through Saturday and less frequently on Sundays, while National Express buses and coaches travel directly to and from
London Heathrow International Airport (LHR) (four and a half hours),
London Gatwick Airport (LGW) (five and a half hours) and various other locations, including many parts of
Wales, Yorkshire and the Midlands.
Gower Explorer buses are also available and connect many areas around the Gower Peninsula, including Horton, Llangennith, Oxwich, Port Eynon and Rhossili, amongst other locations.
Boats and Ferries
Swansea-Cork Ferries travel to and from Cork Harbour, in the Republic of Ireland. Ferries sail six times a week during the summer months and less frequently outside of this period, with the journey lasting approximately ten hours. Further sailings connect Pembroke Dock and Fishguard Harbour to Ireland's Rosslare Harbour in around four hours. Useful contact details are as follows:
- Swansea-Cork Ferries
Tel: +44 (0)1792 456 116
- Irish Ferries
Tel: +44 (0)8705 171 717
- Stena Sealink
Tel: +44 (0)8705 707 070
Taxis
Yellow Cabs operate a large number of taxis around the city and are one of the main taxi companies in Swansea. Taxis can usually be found outside of the train station and a trip to nearby Mumbles is surprisingly inexpensive.