In today’s blog I wanted to share with you how I usually travel to Guildford from the airport. There are typically 4 different airports in the UK to which people from Spain fly to when they want to get to Guildford. These are Gatwick Airport, Heathrow Airport, Luton Airport and Stansted Airport.
I usually travel to Gatwick Airport. There are cheap flights to Gatwick from the Canary Islands, albeit departures are at extremely early hours (6a.m, that is fine if you are an early bird!). There is a North and South Terminal in Gatwick. You can travel from one to the other quickly with the cost-free shuttle. The train station is in the South Terminal, from which you can take direct trains to Guildford from 10 to 15 GBP (approximately 40 mins). Taxis or Ubers are a good option if you are travelling in groups of 3 or 4, since you can share the cost! These typically cost around 70 GBP & the journey is usually 40 minutes, depending on the traffic :).
Luton and Stansted airports offer the cheapest flights, however, travelling from these to Guildford can be tiring, costly and time-consuming. The journey from these airports is usually around and hour by car, or 2 hours via public transport (bus and train). From Heathrow Airport, there are some underground transport connections involved – perhaps a bit confusing if it is your first time travelling to Guildford! The journey from Heathrow Airport is approximately 40 minutes by car, or 1 hour and 40 minutes by train & bus). Alternatively, you can also look at direct buses from the airports to Guildford, such as the National Express.
In the Canary Islands there are no trains, so the first time I travelled to Guildford I was in all honestly lost. My top tip would be to have a quick look in Google prior to the flight, and do not be afraid to ask the Station agents, they will be happy to help!
Once you arrive to Guildford’s train station, moving around is very easy. First-year students typically live either in Stag Hill Campus or Manor Park Campus. Stag Hill is only five minutes away, whilst Manor Park is a short bus journey too!
Tip: Check that you have an official document (such as the university registration letter) confirming that you are a student at the University. Agents at the airports sometimes ask for this documentation.
