Cheapest€13.93
- FlixBus FB941306:503h 37m10:27Cardiff Sophia GardensIslington bus station
Door to door 4h 21mCO2 6.6 kgChanges 0Changeable for a fee
Traveling from Cardiff to Islington costs €13.93 at the cheapest and takes 2h 28m door to door at the fastest, across 2 modes and 2 operators. The route covers 245 km. Cheapest is by coach, fastest is by train.
At a glance
- Distance
- 245 km
- Fastest
- 2h 28m
- Average
- 3h 24m
- Services per day
- 6
- Cheapest
- €13.93
- CO2 per passenger
- 7.3 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 September 28, 2026.
| Mode | Door to door | Moving | At the ends | From | CO2 | Per day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Train | 2h 36m | 1h 52m | 44m | €34.99 | 8.1 kg | 5 |
| Coach | 4h 21m | 3h 37m | 44m | €17.23 | 6.6 kg | 1 |
- 2h 36mFastest, by Train
- €17.23Cheapest, by Coach
- 6.6 kgLowest CO2, by Coach
- 245 kmDistance traveled
The cheapest and the fastest on September 28, 2026
Two journeys we can sell today, with the service number each operator files them under.
Fastest€37.19
- South Western Railway SW219806:261h 52m08:18Cardiff CentralIslington station
Door to door 2h 36mCO2 8.1 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 modeled until our booking connectors are live.
Checking the live timetables.
Live from the operators' own published timetables, through the open transit feeds they publish. Times and services are real. Fares are modeled 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 traveling are marked.
| Cheapest fare by mode and day for Cardiff to Islington | SunSep 13 | MonSep 14 | TueSep 15 | WedSep 16 | ThuSep 17 | FriSep 18 | SatSep 19 | SunSep 20 | MonSep 21 | TueSep 22 | WedSep 23 | ThuSep 24 | FriSep 25 | SatSep 26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coach | €38.68 | €26.03 | €27.13 | €19.98 | €31.53 | €28.78 | €22.73 | €19.98 | €17.78 | €17.23 | €19.43 | €18.88 | €21.63 | €23.28 |
| Train | €68.54 | €47.64 | €48.19 | €49.83 | €61.94 | €54.79 | €52.03 | €37.19 | €34.99 | €37.19 | €36.64 | €45.43 | €37.19 | €44.89 |
Cheapest day: 2026-09-28 · €13.93
Arriving in September changes what you want from a room in Islington. It is not a thing we sell, so here is who does.
A room in Islington for the night the bus gets in
The search opens on Islington with your nights already filled in, so it is one step to a real price.
Search Islington on Booking.comOr compare on Expedia
Partner links. We do not sell accommodation. We earn a commission when a booking completes, and it never changes what you pay.
When to book Cardiff to Islington
The same search run across the whole booking window, so the shape of the curve is visible rather than described.
- €18.3390 days
- €13.3860 days
- €11.7345 days
- €13.9330 days
- €16.1321 days
- €23.2814 days
- €22.737 days
- €27.133 days
- €38.681 days
- Cheapest lead time
- Fares bottom out around 45 days ahead, at €11.73.
- How much it moves
- The gap between the cheapest and most expensive lead time is 230 percent. The most expensive point is €38.68, 1 days out.
- What that means
- Today sits inside the cheap window, which closes about 45 days before departure. Waiting from here has usually cost money on this corridor rather than saved it.
Book now Fares on this route are lowest around 45 days ahead. You are inside that window.
Which departure day costs least
Median cheapest fare for each weekday, taken across the next three weeks of real prices.
- €19.98Sun
- €17.78Mon
- €17.23Tue
- €19.43Wed
- €18.88Thu
- €21.63Fri
- €22.73Sat
How the fare moves month by month
The same journey priced on the fifteenth of each of the next six months.
- €27.13Sep
- €17.78Oct
- €14.48Nov
- €15.58Dec
- €15.58Jan
- €11.18Feb
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 245 km against 213 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 Swindon, Reading, High Wycombe, Bristol. The gap between arriving and leaving is 62 minutes, of which about 5 is walking.
- If the connection is missed
- The tightest connection we sell here has a 15 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 Cardiff at 06:26 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.
Cardiff
Rail
- Cardiff Central
- Cardiff Riverside Branch
- Cardiff Bay railway station
Bus
- Cardiff Sophia Gardens
- Cardiff Bus Interchange
Air
- CWL
Ferry
- Cardiff Sailing Centre Pontoons
- City Centre Water Bus Stop
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 FlixBus | €13.93 | 4h | 72 km/h | Changeable | Power outlets, Restrooms, Wi-Fi |
 South Western Railway | €31.14 | 2h 28m | 140 km/h | Refundable | Power outlets, 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 | €9.50 | 68% |
| Taxes | €0.95 | 7% |
| Supplier fees | €1.49 | 11% |
| Our service fee | €1.99 | 14% |
| Total you pay | €13.93 | 100% |
A day in Islington hauling a suitcase is a shorter day than it needs to be. We do not store bags.
Somewhere to drop the bags in Islington?
Priced by the bag and by the day, booked before you get there, and insured while it sits.
Check Islington 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 Cardiff to Islington
The questions people actually ask about this trip, 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 Cardiff to Islington?
The fastest journey from Cardiff to Islington takes 2h 28m door to door, of which 1h 52m is spent moving, on the train. Most services take around 3h 24m, 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 Cardiff to Islington?
The cheapest fare from Cardiff to Islington is €13.93, checked on September 12, 2026. A typical fare across the next three weeks is €33.26. 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 Cardiff to Islington?
The cheapest way from Cardiff to Islington is by coach, at €17.23 for one passenger on September 28, 2026. That journey takes 4h 21m 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 Cardiff to Islington?
The fastest way from Cardiff to Islington is by train, at 2h 36m door to door. Only 1h 52m 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 €34.99.
When should I book Cardiff to Islington?
Fares from Cardiff to Islington bottom out around 45 days before departure, at €11.73. Across the whole booking window the gap between the cheapest and the most expensive lead time is 230 percent, measured on September 12, 2026. Booking inside the last week has consistently cost more on this corridor.
Which day of the week is cheapest for Cardiff to Islington?
Tuesday is the cheapest day to depart from Cardiff to Islington, at €17.23. That is the median of 21 priced departure days across the next three weeks, checked on September 12, 2026. Shifting a departure by one day is usually worth more than shifting the booking by one week.
Which month is cheapest for Cardiff to Islington?
February is the cheapest of the next 6 months to travel from Cardiff to Islington, at €11.18 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 service from Cardiff to Islington?
2 operators sell services from Cardiff to Islington across 2 modes: FlixBus, South 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 Cardiff to Islington?
33 percent of the services we sell from Cardiff to Islington are direct. The rest connect at Swindon, Reading, High Wycombe, Bristol, with about 62 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 Cardiff to Islington produce?
Traveling from Cardiff to Islington by coach produces about 6.6 kg of CO2 per passenger, the lowest of any mode on this corridor. The same journey by Train produces about 8.1 kg, roughly 1 times as much for one passenger.
Which station or terminal do services from Cardiff to Islington use?
Services from Cardiff to Islington by train leave from Cardiff Central and arrive at Islington 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 Cardiff to Islington?
2 of the 2 operators we sell from Cardiff to Islington 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 modeled 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 Cardiff to Islington on September 12, 2026: 245 km of route against 213 km in a straight line, 6 services a day, 2 operators, a cheapest fare of €13.93, and 2h 28m door to door on the fastest mode. The return direction is computed separately and its numbers are not these numbers.
The trip is the easy half to plan. The days in Islington are the half people leave until last.
Day trips out of Islington and across United Kingdom
The tickets worth having in advance, because the line at the door is usually the whole morning.
See Islington 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
Leaving Cardiff
Arriving in Islington
Leaving Islington
- 96Places you can leave for
- 5Countries
- 21Operators
Plan a trip from here
Ask Ori for the same corridor under a different constraint, or for a longer trip that starts on it.