Hemel Hempstead to Reading

Compare trains, coaches, flights and ferries from Hemel Hempstead to Reading. From €11.88, fastest 1h 12m, with the total price and every fee shown up front.

Travelling from Hemel Hempstead to Reading costs €11.88 at the cheapest and takes 1h 12m door to door at the fastest, across 1 mode and 2 operators. The route covers 56 km. Cheapest is by Train, fastest is by Train.

Checked 11 September 2026Priced for 16 September 2026One passenger, all fees included

At a glance

Distance
56 km
Fastest
1h 12m
Average
1h 14m
Services per day
6
Cheapest
€11.88
CO2 per passenger
1.8 kg
Door to door

Every way to make this journey

Journey times below are door to door, so they include getting to the terminal and away from it at the other end. Fares are the cheapest we currently sell on 16 September 2026.

Door to door means the whole journey, including reaching the terminal and leaving it at the far end. Fares are the cheapest sold on each mode.
ModeDoor to doorMovingAt the endsFromCO2Per day
Train1h 15m31m44m€11.881.8 kg6
  • 1h 15mFastest, by Train
  • €11.88Cheapest, by Train
  • 1.8 kgLowest CO2, by Train
  • 56 kmDistance travelled
Real services

The cheapest and the fastest on 16 September 2026

Two journeys we can sell today, with the service number each operator files them under.

Cheapest€11.88
  1. First Great Western FG809906:1331m06:44Hemel Hempstead railway stationReading Station

Door to door 1h 15mCO2 1.8 kgChanges 0Refundable

Today's real departures

Live from the operators' own published timetables, through the open transit feeds they publish. Times and services are real. Fares are modelled until our booking connectors are live.

No live timetable for this journey yet.

Live from the operators' own published timetables, through the open transit feeds they publish. Times and services are real. Fares are modelled until our booking connectors are live.

Prices over the next three weeks

Live from our own engine, refreshed on every request. The cheapest days for each way of travelling are marked.

Cheapest fare by mode and day for Hemel Hempstead to Reading
Cheapest fare by mode and day for Hemel Hempstead to ReadingSat12 SeptSun13 SeptMon14 SeptTue15 SeptWed16 SeptThu17 SeptFri18 SeptSat19 SeptSun20 SeptMon21 SeptTue22 SeptWed23 SeptThu24 SeptFri25 Sept
Train€18.49€19.04€15.19€12.99€11.88€15.74€13.54€11.88€11.88€11.88€11.88€11.88€12.44€11.88

Cheapest day: 2026-09-16 · €11.88

That is the travelling done. What happens after you walk out into Reading is not something we sell.

A hotel room

Looking for somewhere to stay in Reading?

The search opens on Reading with your nights already filled in, so it is one step to a real price.

Partner links. We do not sell accommodation. We earn a commission when a booking completes, and it never changes what you pay.

Booking window

When to book Hemel Hempstead to Reading

The same search run across the whole booking window, so the shape of the curve is visible rather than described.

  1. €11.8890 days
  2. €11.8860 days
  3. €11.8845 days
  4. €11.8830 days
  5. €11.8821 days
  6. €11.8814 days
  7. €13.547 days
  8. €15.193 days
  9. €18.491 days
Cheapest lead time
Fares bottom out around 90 days ahead, at €11.88.
How much it moves
The gap between the cheapest and dearest lead time is 56 percent. The dearest point is €18.49, 1 days out.
What that means
Today sits inside the cheap window, which closes about 90 days before departure. Waiting from here has usually cost money on this corridor rather than saved it.
€18.49€11.881371421304560

Book now Fares on this route are lowest around 14 days ahead. You are inside that window.

Day of the week

Which departure day costs least

Median cheapest fare for each weekday, taken across the next three weeks of real prices.

  1. €11.88Sun
  2. €11.88Mon
  3. €11.88Tue
  4. €11.88Wed
  5. €12.44Thu
  6. €11.88Fri
  7. €12.44Sat
Across the year

How the fare moves month by month

The same journey priced on the fifteenth of each of the next six months.

  1. €12.99Sept
  2. €11.88Oct
  3. €11.88Nov
  4. €11.88Dec
  5. €11.88Jan
  6. €11.88Feb

The route

Hemel HempsteadHemel HempsteadReadingReading
The journey

What the journey actually looks like

Direct or connecting, how far the route really runs, and what happens when a connection is missed.

Direct or connecting
33% of the services we sell on this corridor run through without a change. The remaining 67% involve one connection.
How far it really runs
The route covers 56 km against 49 km in a straight line, a detour of 14 percent. Track and road geometry account for the difference.
Where the change is
Connections are made at Gloucester, Swindon, Bedford, Cheltenham. The gap between arriving and leaving is 68 minutes, of which about 5 is walking.
If the connection is missed
The tightest connection we sell here has a 14 percent chance of not being made on the timetable alone. Part of this journey is a self transfer between separate tickets, so leave more time than the minimum and expect to check in again.
First and last departure
The first service of the day leaves Hemel Hempstead at 06:13 and the last at 07:30, across 6 departures. The return direction keeps its own timetable, so the times back are not these times reversed.
Terminals

Where you leave from and where you arrive

The stations, airports and ports each mode on this corridor actually uses.

Hemel Hempstead

Rail
  • Hemel Hempstead railway station
  • Apsley railway station
  • Godwin's Halt railway station
Coach
  • Bus Garage
  • Arriva Bus Depot

Reading

Rail
  • Reading Station
  • Winnersh Station
  • Reading West
Ferry
  • Thames RiverCruise
Carriers

Who runs this route

Speed, flexibility and what is on board. Nothing here is a rating, because we have not earned one.

The price

What the fare is made of

Every part of the total, so the number at checkout is the number here.

The cheapest Train fare we sell on 2026-09-16, broken into its parts. Nothing is added after this.
PartAmountShare
Operator fare€8.9976%
Taxes€0.908%
Our service fee€1.9917%
Total you pay€11.88100%

The train gets in hours before any room is ready. Holding a bag is not what we sell.

Left luggage lockers

Where to leave your bags in Reading

Shops, cafes and hotels that take luggage, with the opening hours on the map so you know what is still open when you come back.

Partner links. We do not run these networks. We earn a commission on a booking, and the price is the same as going direct.

Questions about Hemel Hempstead to Reading

The questions people actually ask about this journey, answered from the same prices and times the page above is built on rather than written once and left to go stale.

How long does it take to get from Hemel Hempstead to Reading?

The fastest journey from Hemel Hempstead to Reading takes 1h 12m door to door, of which 31m is spent moving, on the Train. Most services take around 1h 14m, because that average includes slower stopping services and journeys with a connection. Times include reaching the terminal and leaving it at the far end.

How much does it cost to travel from Hemel Hempstead to Reading?

The cheapest fare from Hemel Hempstead to Reading is €11.88, checked on 16 September 2026. A typical fare across the next three weeks is €11.88. Both figures are the total for one passenger, including taxes, supplier fees and our service fee, so nothing is added at checkout.

What is the cheapest way to get from Hemel Hempstead to Reading?

The cheapest way from Hemel Hempstead to Reading is by Train, at €11.88 for one passenger on 16 September 2026. That journey takes 1h 15m door to door. Cheaper is rarely faster on this corridor, and the comparison table on this page shows what each mode costs against what it saves.

When should I book Hemel Hempstead to Reading?

Fares from Hemel Hempstead to Reading bottom out around 90 days before departure, at €11.88. Across the whole booking window the gap between the cheapest and the dearest lead time is 56 percent, measured on 16 September 2026. Booking inside the last week has consistently cost more on this corridor.

Which day of the week is cheapest for Hemel Hempstead to Reading?

Sunday is the cheapest day to depart from Hemel Hempstead to Reading, at €11.88. That is the median of 21 priced departure days across the next three weeks, checked on 16 September 2026. Shifting a departure by one day is usually worth more than shifting the booking by one week.

Which month is cheapest for Hemel Hempstead to Reading?

October is the cheapest of the next 6 months to travel from Hemel Hempstead to Reading, at €11.88 for one passenger. Each month is priced on its fifteenth, so the comparison is like for like rather than a mix of weekends and midweek departures.

Who runs services from Hemel Hempstead to Reading?

2 operators sell services from Hemel Hempstead to Reading across 1 modes: First Great Western, Great Western Railway. Journey times, fares and fare conditions differ between them, and the operator table on this page compares all of them on speed, flexibility and what is provided on board.

Is there a direct service from Hemel Hempstead to Reading?

33 percent of the services we sell from Hemel Hempstead to Reading are direct. The rest connect at Gloucester, Swindon, Bedford, Cheltenham, with about 68 minutes between the two services. Both legs are sold on one booking, so a missed connection is rebooked at no charge.

Which station or terminal do services from Hemel Hempstead to Reading use?

Services from Hemel Hempstead to Reading by Train leave from Hemel Hempstead railway station and arrive at Reading Station. Allow about 44m in total for reaching the departure terminal and leaving the arrival one, which is already included in every door to door time on this page.

Can I change or refund a ticket from Hemel Hempstead to Reading?

2 of the 2 operators we sell from Hemel Hempstead to Reading allow a change or a refund. A change on a changeable fare costs €5.00. The operator table on this page names which is which, and the condition is shown again before you pay.

Where these numbers come from

Derived from service area No carrier record names this exact pair. The operators listed publish a service area covering both places at a distance their mode plausibly carries people, which is evidence that the corridor is served and not evidence of a specific service. Pages state which, because presenting the two as the same thing would be dishonest.

Schedules, seat counts and fares are generated by our own model until the supplier contracts are signed. Places, coordinates, operators, which operator serves which pair, and every distance are real. We would rather say that on every page than let a modelled number pass for a filed one.

Defined in full at Door to door, Fares, The booking window, Carbon, Distances

On this page
Every figure above was computed for Hemel Hempstead to Reading on 11 September 2026: 56 km of route against 49 km in a straight line, 6 services a day, 2 operators, a cheapest fare of €11.88, and 1h 12m door to door on the fastest mode. The return direction is computed separately and its numbers are not these numbers.

The journey is the easy half to plan. The days in Reading are the half people leave until last.

A guided tour group

Anything to book in Reading before you go?

Day trips that leave Reading in the morning and cover a good part of United Kingdom by evening.

Partner links. We do not sell tours or tickets. We earn a commission on a booking, and it never changes the price.

Other ways to make this journey

Arriving in Reading

Leaving Reading

  • 106Places you can leave for
  • 1Countries
  • 10Operators

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