Cheapest€16.29
- Brittany Ferries BF902106:156h 24m12:39Exeter QuayThames RiverCruise
Door to door 7h 54mCO2 23.7 kgChanges 0Changeable for a fee
Traveling from Exeter to Reading costs €16.29 at the cheapest and takes 2h 13m door to door at the fastest, across 2 modes and 2 operators. The route covers 206 km. Cheapest is by Ferry, fastest is by Train.
At a glance
- Distance
- 206 km
- Fastest
- 2h 13m
- Average
- 5h 11m
- Services per day
- 6
- Cheapest
- €16.29
- CO2 per passenger
- 15.2 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 22, 2026.
| Mode | Door to door | Moving | At the ends | From | CO2 | Per day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Train | 2h 21m | 1h 37m | 44m | €29.49 | 6.8 kg | 3 |
| Ferry | 7h 54m | 6h 24m | 1h 30m | €19.04 | 23.7 kg | 3 |
- 2h 21mFastest, by Train
- €19.04Cheapest, by Ferry
- 6.8 kgLowest CO2, by Train
- 206 kmDistance traveled
The cheapest and the fastest on September 22, 2026
Two journeys we can sell today, with the service number each operator files them under.
Fastest€32.24
- South Western Railway SW843306:351h 37m08:12Exeter CentralReading Station
Door to door 2h 21mCO2 6.8 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 modeled until our booking connectors are live.
No live timetable for this trip yet.
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 Exeter to Reading | TueSep 8 | WedSep 9 | ThuSep 10 | FriSep 11 | SatSep 12 | SunSep 13 | MonSep 14 | TueSep 15 | WedSep 16 | ThuSep 17 | FriSep 18 | SatSep 19 | SunSep 20 | MonSep 21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ferry | €27.29 | €32.24 | €31.69 | €28.94 | €32.24 | €28.38 | €21.79 | €19.04 | €23.44 | €23.44 | €21.24 | €25.08 | €23.99 | €19.59 |
| Train | €66.89 | €53.14 | €72.94 | €42.69 | €43.79 | €42.14 | €34.44 | €32.24 | €36.64 | €43.79 | €46.54 | €39.39 | €35.54 | €29.49 |
Cheapest day: 2026-09-22 · €16.29
The ferry gets you into Reading. It does not get you a bed, and neither do we.
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 Exeter to Reading
The same search run across the whole booking window, so the shape of the curve is visible rather than described.
- €20.6990 days
- €15.1960 days
- €15.1945 days
- €14.6430 days
- €18.4921 days
- €19.5914 days
- €21.797 days
- €31.693 days
- €27.291 days
- Cheapest lead time
- Fares bottom out around 30 days ahead, at €14.64.
- How much it moves
- The gap between the cheapest and most expensive lead time is 116 percent. The most expensive point is €31.69, 3 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.
- €23.99Sun
- €19.59Mon
- €19.04Tue
- €23.44Wed
- €23.44Thu
- €21.79Fri
- €25.08Sat
How the fare moves month by month
The same journey priced on the fifteenth of each of the next six months.
- €19.04Sep
- €17.94Oct
- €14.09Nov
- €12.99Dec
- €12.99Jan
- €11.89Feb
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 206 km against 196 km in a straight line, a detour of 5 percent. Track and road geometry account for the difference.
- Where the change is
- Connections are made at Didcot, Weymouth, Bristol, Poole. 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. 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 Exeter at 06:35 and the last at 07:30, across 3 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.
Exeter
Rail
- Exeter Central
- Exeter Central railway station
- Exeter St Davids railway station
Bus
- Exeter Bus Station
Air
- EXT
Ferry
- Exeter Quay
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Brittany Ferries | €16.29 | 7h 38m | 33 km/h | Changeable | Bar, , Cabins, Cafe, Restaurant, Restrooms |
 South Western Railway | €29.49 | 2h 13m | 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 | €13.00 | 80% |
| Taxes | €1.30 | 8% |
| Our service fee | €1.99 | 12% |
| Total you pay | €16.29 | 100% |
A day in Reading hauling a suitcase is a shorter day than it needs to be. We do not store bags.
Where to leave your bags in Reading
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 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 Exeter to Reading
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 Exeter to Reading?
The fastest journey from Exeter to Reading takes 2h 13m door to door, of which 1h 37m is spent moving, on the Train. Most services take around 5h 11m, 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 Exeter to Reading?
The cheapest fare from Exeter to Reading is €16.29, checked on September 22, 2026. A typical fare across the next three weeks is €31.97. 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 Exeter to Reading?
The cheapest way from Exeter to Reading is by Ferry, at €19.04 for one passenger on September 22, 2026. That journey takes 7h 54m 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 Exeter to Reading?
The fastest way from Exeter to Reading 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 €29.49.
When should I book Exeter to Reading?
Fares from Exeter to Reading bottom out around 30 days before departure, at €14.64. Across the whole booking window the gap between the cheapest and the most expensive lead time is 116 percent, measured on September 22, 2026. Booking inside the last week has consistently cost more on this corridor.
Which day of the week is cheapest for Exeter to Reading?
Tuesday is the cheapest day to depart from Exeter to Reading, at €19.04. That is the median of 21 priced departure days across the next three weeks, checked on September 22, 2026. Shifting a departure by one day is usually worth more than shifting the booking by one week.
Which month is cheapest for Exeter to Reading?
February is the cheapest of the next 6 months to travel from Exeter to Reading, at €11.89 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 Exeter to Reading?
2 operators sell services from Exeter to Reading across 2 modes: Brittany Ferries, 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 Exeter to Reading?
33 percent of the services we sell from Exeter to Reading are direct. The rest connect at Didcot, Weymouth, Bristol, Poole, 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 Exeter to Reading produce?
Traveling from Exeter to Reading by Train produces about 6.8 kg of CO2 per passenger, the lowest of any mode on this corridor. The same journey by Ferry produces about 23.7 kg, roughly 3 times as much for one passenger.
Which station or terminal do services from Exeter to Reading use?
Services from Exeter to Reading by Train leave from Exeter Central 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 Exeter to Reading?
2 of the 2 operators we sell from Exeter 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 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 Exeter to Reading on September 7, 2026: 206 km of route against 196 km in a straight line, 6 services a day, 2 operators, a cheapest fare of €16.29, and 2h 13m door to door on the fastest mode. The return direction is computed separately and its numbers are not these numbers.
The ferry is the simple part. What you do once you are in Reading is somebody else's catalog.
Anything to book in Reading before you go?
The tickets worth having in advance, because the line at the door is usually the whole morning.
See Reading on GetYourGuideOr browse Viator
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Other ways to make this journey
Arriving in Reading
Leaving Reading
- 106Places you can leave for
- 1Countries
- 10Operators
Plan a trip from here
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