Cheapest€10.07
- Oxford O355606:031h07:03Luton DART ParkwayReading bus station
Door to door 1h 44mCO2 1.9 kgChanges 0Changeable for a fee
Travelling from Luton to Reading costs €10.07 at the cheapest and takes 1h 18m door to door at the fastest, across 2 modes and 2 operators. The route covers 70 km. Cheapest is by Coach, fastest is by Train.
At a glance
- Distance
- 70 km
- Fastest
- 1h 18m
- Average
- 1h 34m
- Services per day
- 6
- Cheapest
- €10.07
- CO2 per passenger
- 2.1 kg
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 13 September 2026.
| Mode | Door to door | Moving | At the ends | From | CO2 | Per day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Train | 1h 18m | 34m | 44m | €11.88 | 2.3 kg | 5 |
| Coach | 1h 44m | 1h | 44m | €10.07 | 1.9 kg | 1 |
- 1h 18mFastest, by Train
- €10.07Cheapest, by Coach
- 1.9 kgLowest CO2, by Coach
- 70 kmDistance travelled
The cheapest and the fastest on 13 September 2026
Two journeys we can sell today, with the service number each operator files them under.
Fastest€17.94
- Great Western Railway GW954106:3834m07:12Luton railway stationReading Station
Door to door 1h 18mCO2 2.3 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.
| Operator | Service | Departs | Arrives | Takes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GWRdirect | GWR | 09:12 | 09:38 | 1h 29m |
| EMR1 changes | EMR | 08:26 | 09:40 | 1h 18m |
| GWRdirect | GWR | 09:23 | 09:47 | 1h 22m |
| GWRdirect | GWR | 09:32 | 09:56 | 1h 17m |
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 Luton to Reading | Thu10 Sept | Fri11 Sept | Sat12 Sept | Sun13 Sept | Mon14 Sept | Tue15 Sept | Wed16 Sept | Thu17 Sept | Fri18 Sept | Sat19 Sept | Sun20 Sept | Mon21 Sept | Tue22 Sept | Wed23 Sept |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coach | €11.73 | €10.63 | €10.63 | €10.07 | €10.07 | €10.07 | €10.07 | €10.07 | €10.07 | €10.07 | €10.07 | €10.07 | €10.07 | €10.07 |
| Train | €27.29 | €25.08 | €22.34 | €17.94 | €16.84 | €16.29 | €15.74 | €18.49 | €15.74 | €12.99 | €14.64 | €11.88 | €11.88 | €12.44 |
Cheapest day: 2026-09-13 · €10.07
That is the travelling done. What happens after you walk out into Reading is not something we sell.
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.
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When to book Luton to Reading
The same search run across the whole booking window, so the shape of the curve is visible rather than described.
- €10.0790 days
- €10.0760 days
- €10.0745 days
- €10.0730 days
- €10.0721 days
- €10.0714 days
- €10.077 days
- €10.633 days
- €11.731 days
- Cheapest lead time
- Fares bottom out around 90 days ahead, at €10.07.
- How much it moves
- The gap between the cheapest and dearest lead time is 16 percent. The dearest point is €11.73, 1 days out.
- What that means
- Today sits outside the cheap window, which opens around 90 days before departure. There is no advantage to booking this minute.
Book now Fares on this route are lowest around 7 days ahead, so there is no rush yet.
Which departure day costs least
Median cheapest fare for each weekday, taken across the next three weeks of real prices.
- €10.07Sun
- €10.07Mon
- €10.07Tue
- €10.07Wed
- €10.07Thu
- €10.07Fri
- €10.07Sat
How the fare moves month by month
The same journey priced on the fifteenth of each of the next six months.
- €10.07Sept
- €10.07Oct
- €10.07Nov
- €10.07Dec
- €10.07Jan
- €10.07Feb
The route
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 70 km against 61 km in a straight line, a detour of 15 percent. Track and road geometry account for the difference.
- Where the change is
- Connections are made at Islington, Slough, City of Westminster, London. The gap between arriving and leaving is 51 minutes, of which about 5 is walking.
- If the connection is missed
- The tightest connection we sell here has a 18 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 Luton at 06:38 and the last at 07:30, across 5 departures. The return direction keeps its own timetable, so the times back are not these times reversed.
Where you leave from and where you arrive
The stations, airports and ports each mode on this corridor actually uses.
Luton
Rail
- Luton railway station
- Luton Hoo railway station
- Luton Bute Street railway station
Coach
- Luton DART Parkway
- Luton Airport Coach Terminal
Reading
Rail
- Reading Station
- Winnersh Station
- Reading West
Ferry
- Thames RiverCruise
Who runs this route
Speed, flexibility and what is on board. Nothing here is a rating, because we have not earned one.
| Operator | From | Fastest | Typical speed | Flexibility | On board |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Western Railway | €11.88 | 1h 18m | 140 km/h | Refundable | Power sockets, Wi-Fi |
 Oxford | €10.07 | 1h 44m | 72 km/h | Changeable | Power sockets, Toilets, Wi-Fi |
What the fare is made of
Every part of the total, so the number at checkout is the number here.
| Part | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Operator fare | €5.99 | 59% |
| Taxes | €0.60 | 6% |
| Supplier fees | €1.49 | 15% |
| Our service fee | €1.99 | 20% |
| Total you pay | €10.07 | 100% |
The train gets in hours before any room is ready. Holding a bag is not what we sell.
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.
Check Reading on StasherOr try Bounce
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 Luton 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 Luton to Reading?
The fastest journey from Luton to Reading takes 1h 18m door to door, of which 34m is spent moving, on the Train. Most services take around 1h 34m, 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 Luton to Reading?
The cheapest fare from Luton to Reading is €10.07, checked on 13 September 2026. A typical fare across the next three weeks is €11.81. 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 Luton to Reading?
The cheapest way from Luton to Reading is by Coach, at €10.07 for one passenger on 13 September 2026. That journey takes 1h 44m 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.
What is the fastest way to get from Luton to Reading?
The fastest way from Luton to Reading is by Train, at 1h 18m door to door. Only 34m of that is spent moving; the remaining 44m is reaching the terminal and leaving it at the far end. The cheapest fare on that mode is €11.88.
When should I book Luton to Reading?
Fares from Luton to Reading bottom out around 90 days before departure, at €10.07. Across the whole booking window the gap between the cheapest and the dearest lead time is 16 percent, measured on 13 September 2026. Booking inside the last week has consistently cost more on this corridor.
Which day of the week is cheapest for Luton to Reading?
Sunday is the cheapest day to depart from Luton to Reading, at €10.07. That is the median of 21 priced departure days across the next three weeks, checked on 13 September 2026. Shifting a departure by one day is usually worth more than shifting the booking by one week.
Which month is cheapest for Luton to Reading?
September is the cheapest of the next 6 months to travel from Luton to Reading, at €10.07 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 Luton to Reading?
2 operators sell services from Luton to Reading across 2 modes: Great Western Railway, Oxford. 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 Luton to Reading?
33 percent of the services we sell from Luton to Reading are direct. The rest connect at Islington, Slough, City of Westminster, London, with about 51 minutes between the two services. Both legs are sold on one booking, so a missed connection is rebooked at no charge.
How much CO2 does the journey from Luton to Reading produce?
Travelling from Luton to Reading by Coach produces about 1.9 kg of CO2 per passenger, the lowest of any mode on this corridor. The same journey by Train produces about 2.3 kg, roughly 1 times as much for one passenger.
Which station or terminal do services from Luton to Reading use?
Services from Luton to Reading by Train leave from Luton 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 Luton to Reading?
2 of the 2 operators we sell from Luton 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 Luton to Reading on 9 September 2026: 70 km of route against 61 km in a straight line, 6 services a day, 2 operators, a cheapest fare of €10.07, and 1h 18m 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.
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.
See Reading on GetYourGuideOr browse Viator
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
Plan a trip from here
Ask Ori for the same corridor under a different constraint, or for a longer trip that starts on it.