Car Hire in UK - Getting to UK

Most of the visitors to the UK arrive at one London’s five airports - Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton, Stansted and London City. Heathrow and Gatwick have regular train and bus shuttles to the city, the others are smaller and further out. There are also shuttles to nearby towns from these, while train services from Luton and Stanstead head north. Trains from Gatwick go south to Brighton. There are international connections to Manchester, Newcastle and Bristol. Manchester has intercontinental flights the other two service European destinations only. Edinburgh’s international airport also serves Glasgow, with limited inter-continental flights, but not trans-Atlantic flights. More details on Heathrow and Gatwick.

The extensive train network links London’s airports to most UK destinations.

Britain has a land link with mainland Europe after centuries of isolation. Two services operate through the Channel Tunnel: Eurostar is a high-speed passenger service between London, Paris and Brussels; Eurotunnel has a shuttle service (Le Shuttle) for cars, motorbikes and buses between the English port of Folkestone and the French port of Calais.

Ferries are still popular from Dover to Calais and Boulogne, while ferries from Harwich are destined for Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Scandinavia. Usually there are at least two sailings a day, conveniently connecting with rail services. The continent can also be reached from Newcastle and Scotland.

Ferries also sail from Portsmouth to the Bay of Biscay and Channel Islands, while Ireland can be reached from Holyhead and Fishguard in Wales and Stranraer in Scotland. From Liverpool it is possible to get sailings to the Isle of Man.