Cheapest€12.28
- FlixBus FB495306:503h 11m10:01Cardiff Sophia GardensHaymarket Bus Station
Door to door 3h 55mCO2 5.9 kgChanges 0Changeable for a fee
Traveling from Cardiff to Leicester costs €12.28 at the cheapest and takes 2h 18m door to door at the fastest, across 2 modes and 2 operators. The route covers 219 km. Cheapest is by coach, fastest is by train.
At a glance
- Distance
- 219 km
- Fastest
- 2h 18m
- Average
- 3h 8m
- Services per day
- 6
- Cheapest
- €12.28
- CO2 per passenger
- 6.6 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 21m | 1h 37m | 44m | €31.14 | 7.2 kg | 5 |
| Coach | 3h 55m | 3h 11m | 44m | €13.93 | 5.9 kg | 1 |
- 2h 21mFastest, by Train
- €13.93Cheapest, by Coach
- 5.9 kgLowest CO2, by Coach
- 219 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€31.69
- Arriva Cross Country AC421906:371h 37m08:14Cardiff CentralLeicester railway station
Door to door 2h 21mCO2 7.2 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 Leicester | 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 | SunSep 27 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coach | €26.58 | €21.08 | €23.28 | €24.38 | €27.68 | €23.28 | €21.63 | €13.93 | €16.68 | €18.33 | €17.78 | €20.53 | €22.73 | €17.23 |
| Train | €52.59 | €42.69 | €44.34 | €53.69 | €48.74 | €47.64 | €34.99 | €35.54 | €31.68 | €34.99 | €42.14 | €39.94 | €43.79 | €31.14 |
Cheapest day: 2026-09-28 · €12.28
Arriving in September changes what you want from a room in Leicester. It is not a thing we sell, so here is who does.
Rooms within reach of Leicester railway station
Hotels and apartments near downtown, most of them with free cancellation, on a map that shows what is walkable.
Search Leicester 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 Leicester
The same search run across the whole booking window, so the shape of the curve is visible rather than described.
- €18.8890 days
- €13.3860 days
- €13.3845 days
- €11.1830 days
- €14.4821 days
- €17.2314 days
- €21.637 days
- €23.283 days
- €26.581 days
- Cheapest lead time
- Fares bottom out around 30 days ahead, at €11.18.
- How much it moves
- The gap between the cheapest and most expensive lead time is 138 percent. The most expensive point is €26.58, 1 days out.
- What that means
- Today sits inside the cheap window, which closes about 30 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 30 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.
- €17.23Sun
- €13.93Mon
- €16.68Tue
- €18.33Wed
- €17.78Thu
- €20.53Fri
- €22.73Sat
How the fare moves month by month
The same journey priced on the fifteenth of each of the next six months.
- €21.08Sep
- €16.68Oct
- €13.93Nov
- €11.73Dec
- €14.48Jan
- €12.28Feb
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 219 km against 190 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 Birmingham, Gloucester, Bristol, Swindon. The gap between arriving and leaving is 75 minutes, of which about 5 is walking.
- If the connection is missed
- The tightest connection we sell here has a 13 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 06:37 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
Leicester
Rail
- Leicester railway station
- Leicester Central railway station
- Leicester West Bridge railway station
Bus
- Haymarket Bus Station
- St. Margaret's Bus Station
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arriva Cross Country | €27.29 | 2h 18m | 140 km/h | Refundable | Power outlets, Wi-Fi |
 FlixBus | €12.28 | 3h 39m | 72 km/h | Changeable | Power outlets, Restrooms, 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 | €8.00 | 65% |
| Taxes | €0.80 | 7% |
| Supplier fees | €1.49 | 12% |
| Our service fee | €1.99 | 16% |
| Total you pay | €12.28 | 100% |
A day in Leicester hauling a suitcase is a shorter day than it needs to be. We do not store bags.
Baggage storage near Leicester railway station
Most of the points near Leicester railway station open before the first train and close after the last one.
Check Leicester 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 Leicester
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 Leicester?
The fastest journey from Cardiff to Leicester takes 2h 18m door to door, of which 1h 37m is spent moving, on the train. Most services take around 3h 8m, 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 Leicester?
The cheapest fare from Cardiff to Leicester is €12.28, checked on September 13, 2026. A typical fare across the next three weeks is €27.49. 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 Leicester?
The cheapest way from Cardiff to Leicester is by coach, at €13.93 for one passenger on September 28, 2026. That journey takes 3h 55m 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 Leicester?
The fastest way from Cardiff to Leicester is by train, at 2h 21m door to door. Only 1h 37m 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 €31.14.
When should I book Cardiff to Leicester?
Fares from Cardiff to Leicester bottom out around 30 days before departure, at €11.18. Across the whole booking window the gap between the cheapest and the most expensive lead time is 138 percent, measured on September 13, 2026. Booking inside the last week has consistently cost more on this corridor.
Which day of the week is cheapest for Cardiff to Leicester?
Monday is the cheapest day to depart from Cardiff to Leicester, at €13.93. That is the median of 21 priced departure days across the next three weeks, checked on September 13, 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 Leicester?
December is the cheapest of the next 6 months to travel from Cardiff to Leicester, at €11.73 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 Leicester?
2 operators sell services from Cardiff to Leicester across 2 modes: Arriva Cross Country, FlixBus. 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 Leicester?
33 percent of the services we sell from Cardiff to Leicester are direct. The rest connect at Birmingham, Gloucester, Bristol, Swindon, with about 75 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 Leicester produce?
Traveling from Cardiff to Leicester by coach produces about 5.9 kg of CO2 per passenger, the lowest of any mode on this corridor. The same journey by Train produces about 7.2 kg, roughly 1 times as much for one passenger.
Which station or terminal do services from Cardiff to Leicester use?
Services from Cardiff to Leicester by train leave from Cardiff Central and arrive at Leicester railway 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 Leicester?
2 of the 2 operators we sell from Cardiff to Leicester 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 Leicester on September 13, 2026: 219 km of route against 190 km in a straight line, 6 services a day, 2 operators, a cheapest fare of €12.28, and 2h 18m door to door on the fastest mode. The return direction is computed separately and its numbers are not these numbers.
Plenty of what is worth seeing sits outside Leicester and elsewhere in United Kingdom. None of it is ours to sell.
What to book in Leicester before you go
The tickets worth having in advance, because the line at the door is usually the whole morning.
See Leicester 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 Leicester
Leaving Leicester
- 59Places you can leave for
- 1Countries
- 11Operators
Plan a trip from here
Ask Ori for the same corridor under a different constraint, or for a longer trip that starts on it.