Cheapest€23.28
- FlixBus FB696006:507h 22m14:12Edinburgh Bus StationCardiff Sophia Gardens
Door to door 8h 6mCO2 13.4 kgChanges 0Changeable for a fee
Traveling from Edinburgh to Cardiff costs €23.28 at the cheapest and takes 4h 8m door to door at the fastest, across 3 modes and 4 operators. The route covers 502 km. Cheapest is by Coach, fastest is by Flight.
At a glance
- Distance
- 502 km
- Fastest
- 4h 8m
- Average
- 5h 30m
- Services per day
- 10
- Cheapest
- €23.28
- CO2 per passenger
- 51.9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight | 4h 17m | 1h 7m | 3h 10m | €60.91 | 126.0 kg | 2 |
| Train | 4h 26m | 3h 42m | 44m | €64.69 | 16.4 kg | 6 |
| Coach | 7h 23m | 6h 39m | 44m | €29.88 | 13.4 kg | 2 |
- 4h 17mFastest, by Flight
- €29.88Cheapest, by Coach
- 13.4 kgLowest CO2, by Coach
- 502 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€63.86
- CityJet CJ832006:471h 7m07:54Edinburgh EDICardiff CWL
Door to door 4h 17mCO2 126.0 kgChanges 0Fixed, no changes
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.
| Operator | Service | Departs | Arrives | Takes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LNER2 changes | LNER | 08:00 | 14:25 | 6h 25m |
| CrossCountry1 changes | CrossCountry | 08:05 | 15:06 | 7h 1m |
| LNER3 changes | LNER | 08:30 | 15:06 | 6h 36m |
| LNER1 changes | LNER | 09:00 | 15:38 | 6h 38m |
| Avanti West Coast1 changes | Avanti | 09:52 | 15:46 | 5h 54m |
| LNER2 changes | LNER | 10:00 | 16:26 | 6h 26m |
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 Edinburgh to Cardiff | SatSep 12 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coach | €57.93 | €50.78 | €39.23 | €36.48 | €45.83 | €49.68 | €39.78 | €36.48 | €34.28 | €30.98 | €32.63 | €32.63 | €45.28 | €29.88 |
| Flight | €116.37 | €93.95 | €75.66 | €78.02 | €73.30 | €106.34 | €78.61 | €83.33 | €76.84 | €63.86 | €74.48 | €80.38 | €81.56 | €60.91 |
| Train | €140.59 | €124.64 | €113.09 | €80.64 | €108.14 | €114.74 | €95.49 | €82.29 | €89.44 | €76.24 | €71.84 | €81.74 | €105.94 | €64.69 |
Cheapest day: 2026-09-28 · €23.28
The trip ends at Cardiff Central. Everything past the gates belongs to somebody else, the rooms included.
Where to stay in Cardiff
Filter by neighborhood and by nightly price, and the map tells you what is a walk and what is a cab.
Search Cardiff 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 Edinburgh to Cardiff
The same search run across the whole booking window, so the shape of the curve is visible rather than described.
- €37.0390 days
- €23.2860 days
- €22.1845 days
- €22.1830 days
- €31.5321 days
- €29.8814 days
- €39.787 days
- €39.233 days
- €57.931 days
- Cheapest lead time
- Fares bottom out around 45 days ahead, at €22.18.
- How much it moves
- The gap between the cheapest and most expensive lead time is 161 percent. The most expensive point is €57.93, 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 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.
- €34.28Sun
- €30.98Mon
- €32.63Tue
- €32.63Wed
- €45.28Thu
- €31.53Fri
- €36.48Sat
How the fare moves month by month
The same journey priced on the fifteenth of each of the next six months.
- €36.48Sep
- €28.78Oct
- €24.93Nov
- €22.73Dec
- €22.73Jan
- €18.88Feb
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
- 60% of the services we sell on this corridor run through without a change. The remaining 40% involve one connection.
- How far it really runs
- The route covers 502 km against 497 km in a straight line, a detour of 1 percent. Track and road geometry account for the difference.
- Where the change is
- Connections are made at Birkenhead, Preston, Manchester, Liverpool. The gap between arriving and leaving is 52 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. Both legs are sold on one booking, so a missed connection is ours to fix and you are rebooked at no charge.
- First and last departure
- The first service of the day leaves Edinburgh at 06:42 and the last at 06:47, across 2 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.
Edinburgh
Rail
- Edinburgh Waverley
- Edinburgh Gateway station
- Edinburgh Park railway station
Bus
- Edinburgh Bus Station
- Halbeath Park & Ride
Air
- EDI
Ferry
- Cruise Liner Terminal
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
CWL is not in Cardiff, and the drive in from it is the part of the trip nobody plans. We sell the flight and stop at the terminal door.
Getting from CWL into Cardiff?
Settled in advance, so the ride into Cardiff costs what it said it would rather than what the cab stand says.
Book a ride from CWL with Welcome PickupsOr check Daytrip
Partner links. We do not operate transfers. We earn a commission on a booking, and the fare is the same as going direct.
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 | €54.24 | 4h 8m | 140 km/h | Refundable | Power outlets, Wi-Fi |
 CityJet | €51.47 | 4h 14m | 740 km/h | Fixed fare | Not published |
 FlixBus | €23.28 | 7h 14m | 72 km/h | Changeable | Power outlets, Restrooms, Wi-Fi |
| Loganair | €48.52 | 4h 14m | 740 km/h | Fixed fare | Not published |
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 | €18.00 | 77% |
| Taxes | €1.80 | 8% |
| Supplier fees | €1.49 | 6% |
| Our service fee | €1.99 | 9% |
| Total you pay | €23.28 | 100% |
We cannot promise Cardiff Central still has a baggage check, because plenty of stations closed theirs.
Where to leave your bags in Cardiff
Stores, cafes and hotels that take luggage, with the hours on the map so you know what is still open when you come back.
Check Cardiff 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 Edinburgh to Cardiff
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 Edinburgh to Cardiff?
The fastest journey from Edinburgh to Cardiff takes 4h 8m door to door, of which 1h 7m is spent moving, on the Flight. Most services take around 5h 30m, 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 Edinburgh to Cardiff?
The cheapest fare from Edinburgh to Cardiff is €23.28, checked on September 28, 2026. A typical fare across the next three weeks is €68.82. 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 Edinburgh to Cardiff?
The cheapest way from Edinburgh to Cardiff is by Coach, at €29.88 for one passenger on September 28, 2026. That journey takes 7h 23m 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 Edinburgh to Cardiff?
The fastest way from Edinburgh to Cardiff is by Flight, at 4h 17m door to door. Only 1h 7m of that is spent moving; the remaining 3h 10m is reaching the terminal and leaving it at the far end. The cheapest fare on that mode is €60.91.
When should I book Edinburgh to Cardiff?
Fares from Edinburgh to Cardiff bottom out around 45 days before departure, at €22.18. Across the whole booking window the gap between the cheapest and the most expensive lead time is 161 percent, measured on September 28, 2026. Booking inside the last week has consistently cost more on this corridor.
Which day of the week is cheapest for Edinburgh to Cardiff?
Monday is the cheapest day to depart from Edinburgh to Cardiff, at €30.98. That is the median of 21 priced departure days across the next three weeks, checked on September 28, 2026. Shifting a departure by one day is usually worth more than shifting the booking by one week.
Which month is cheapest for Edinburgh to Cardiff?
February is the cheapest of the next 6 months to travel from Edinburgh to Cardiff, at €18.88 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 service from Edinburgh to Cardiff?
4 operators sell services from Edinburgh to Cardiff across 3 modes: Arriva Cross Country, CityJet, FlixBus, Loganair. 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 Edinburgh to Cardiff?
60 percent of the services we sell from Edinburgh to Cardiff are direct. The rest connect at Birkenhead, Preston, Manchester, Liverpool, with about 52 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 Edinburgh to Cardiff produce?
Traveling from Edinburgh to Cardiff by Coach produces about 13.4 kg of CO2 per passenger, the lowest of any mode on this corridor. The same journey by Flight produces about 126.0 kg, roughly 9 times as much for one passenger.
Which station or terminal do services from Edinburgh to Cardiff use?
Services from Edinburgh to Cardiff by Flight leave from Edinburgh EDI and arrive at Cardiff CWL. Allow about 3h 10m 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 Edinburgh to Cardiff?
2 of the 4 operators we sell from Edinburgh to Cardiff 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
Observed service A carrier record shows this named operator serving this named pair, and we carry that through unchanged.
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 Edinburgh to Cardiff on September 11, 2026: 502 km of route against 497 km in a straight line, 10 services a day, 4 operators, a cheapest fare of €23.28, and 4h 8m door to door on the fastest mode. The return direction is computed separately and its numbers are not these numbers.
The flight is the simple part. What you do once you are in Cardiff is somebody else's catalog.
Things to do in Cardiff
Day trips that leave Cardiff in the morning and cover a good part of United Kingdom by evening.
See Cardiff 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 Cardiff
Leaving Cardiff
- 118Places you can leave for
- 15Countries
- 22Operators
Plan a trip from here
Ask Ori for the same corridor under a different constraint, or for a longer trip that starts on it.