Cheapest€17.23
- FlixBus FB535206:314h 58m11:29Reading bus stationPreston Bus Station
Door to door 5h 42mCO2 8.7 kgChanges 0Changeable for a fee
Traveling from Reading to Preston costs €17.23 at the cheapest and takes 5h door to door at the fastest, across 1 mode and 1 operator. The route covers 324 km. Cheapest is by Coach, fastest is by Coach.
At a glance
- Distance
- 324 km
- Fastest
- 5h
- Average
- 5h 21m
- Services per day
- 5
- Cheapest
- €17.23
- CO2 per passenger
- 8.7 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 30, 2026.
| Mode | Door to door | Moving | At the ends | From | CO2 | Per day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coach | 5h 42m | 4h 58m | 44m | €20.53 | 8.7 kg | 1 |
- 5h 42mFastest, by Coach
- €20.53Cheapest, by Coach
- 8.7 kgLowest CO2, by Coach
- 324 kmDistance traveled
The cheapest and the fastest on September 30, 2026
Two journeys we can sell today, with the service number each operator files them under.
Fastest€42.68
- Cross Country CC282107:302h 5m09:35Reading StationManchester Piccadilly
- Arriva Cross Country AC741810:2027m10:47Manchester PiccadillyPreston railway station
Changes at Manchester, with 45 minutes between services and a walk of about 5 minutes.
Door to door 4h 1mCO2 10.8 kgChanges 1Refundable
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CrossCountry1 changes | CrossCountry | 08:15 | 11:50 | 3h 43m |
| GWR2 changes | GWR | 08:28 | 11:38 | 3h 18m |
| GWR1 changes | GWR | 08:43 | 11:38 | 2h 59m |
| GWR2 changes | GWR | 08:51 | 12:09 | 3h 22m |
| CrossCountry1 changes | CrossCountry | 09:15 | 12:51 | 3h 44m |
| GWR2 changes | GWR | 09:27 | 12:39 | 3h 16m |
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 Reading to Preston | ThuSep 10 | FriSep 11 | SatSep 12 | SunSep 13 | MonSep 14 | TueSep 15 | WedSep 16 | ThuSep 17 | FriSep 18 | SatSep 19 | SunSep 20 | MonSep 21 | TueSep 22 | WedSep 23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coach | €50.23 | €40.88 | €29.33 | €35.93 | €27.68 | €28.78 | €20.53 | €33.18 | €30.43 | €23.83 | €24.93 | €22.18 | €21.08 | €21.08 |
| Train | €113.64 | €85.04 | €77.34 | €70.74 | €66.34 | €69.64 | €64.69 | €59.19 | €59.74 | €56.98 | €52.03 | €54.23 | €48.19 | €44.34 |
Cheapest day: 2026-09-30 · €17.23
The bus gets you into Preston. It does not get you a bed, and neither do we.
Where to stay in Preston
Filter by neighborhood and by nightly price, and the map tells you what is a walk and what is a cab.
Search Preston 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 Reading to Preston
The same search run across the whole booking window, so the shape of the curve is visible rather than described.
- €19.9890 days
- €15.0360 days
- €18.8845 days
- €16.1330 days
- €17.2321 days
- €21.0814 days
- €20.537 days
- €29.333 days
- €50.231 days
- Cheapest lead time
- Fares bottom out around 60 days ahead, at €15.03.
- How much it moves
- The gap between the cheapest and most expensive lead time is 234 percent. The most expensive point is €50.23, 1 days out.
- What that means
- Today sits inside the cheap window, which closes about 60 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 60 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.
- €24.93Sun
- €22.18Mon
- €21.08Tue
- €20.53Wed
- €33.18Thu
- €30.43Fri
- €25.48Sat
How the fare moves month by month
The same journey priced on the fifteenth of each of the next six months.
- €28.78Sep
- €22.73Oct
- €17.78Nov
- €18.88Dec
- €19.98Jan
- €13.93Feb
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
- 20% of the services we sell on this corridor run through without a change. The remaining 80% involve one connection.
- How far it really runs
- The route covers 324 km against 282 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 Manchester, Coventry, Birmingham, Derby. The gap between arriving and leaving is 45 minutes, of which about 5 is walking.
- If the connection is missed
- The tightest connection we sell here has a 20 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 Reading at 06:31 and the last at 06:31, across 1 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.
Reading
Rail
- Reading Station
- Winnersh Station
- Reading West
Ferry
- Thames RiverCruise
Preston
Rail
- Preston railway station
- Cottam (Preston) railway station
- Preston Fishergate Hill railway station
Bus
- Preston 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 FlixBus | €17.23 | 5h | 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 | €12.50 | 73% |
| Taxes | €1.25 | 7% |
| Supplier fees | €1.49 | 9% |
| Our service fee | €1.99 | 12% |
| Total you pay | €17.23 | 100% |
We cannot promise Preston railway station still has a baggage check, because plenty of stations closed theirs.
Somewhere to drop the bags in Preston?
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 Preston 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 Reading to Preston
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 Reading to Preston?
The fastest journey from Reading to Preston takes 5h door to door, of which 4h 58m is spent moving, on the Coach. Most services take around 5h 21m, 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 Reading to Preston?
The cheapest fare from Reading to Preston is €17.23, checked on September 30, 2026. A typical fare across the next three weeks is €23.83. 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 Reading to Preston?
The cheapest way from Reading to Preston is by Coach, at €20.53 for one passenger on September 30, 2026. That journey takes 5h 42m 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.
When should I book Reading to Preston?
Fares from Reading to Preston bottom out around 60 days before departure, at €15.03. Across the whole booking window the gap between the cheapest and the most expensive lead time is 234 percent, measured on September 30, 2026. Booking inside the last week has consistently cost more on this corridor.
Which day of the week is cheapest for Reading to Preston?
Wednesday is the cheapest day to depart from Reading to Preston, at €20.53. That is the median of 21 priced departure days across the next three weeks, checked on September 30, 2026. Shifting a departure by one day is usually worth more than shifting the booking by one week.
Which month is cheapest for Reading to Preston?
February is the cheapest of the next 6 months to travel from Reading to Preston, at €13.93 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 Reading to Preston?
1 operators sell services from Reading to Preston across 1 modes: 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 Reading to Preston?
20 percent of the services we sell from Reading to Preston are direct. The rest connect at Manchester, Coventry, Birmingham, Derby, with about 45 minutes between the two services. Both legs are sold on one booking, so a missed connection is rebooked at no charge.
Which station or terminal do services from Reading to Preston use?
Services from Reading to Preston by Coach leave from Reading bus station and arrive at Preston Bus 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 Reading to Preston?
1 of the 1 operators we sell from Reading to Preston 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 Reading to Preston on September 9, 2026: 324 km of route against 282 km in a straight line, 5 services a day, 1 operators, a cheapest fare of €17.23, and 5h door to door on the fastest mode. The return direction is computed separately and its numbers are not these numbers.
The bus is the simple part. What you do once you are in Preston is somebody else's catalog.
Things to do in Preston
The tickets worth having in advance, because the line at the door is usually the whole morning.
See Preston 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 Preston
Leaving Preston
- 50Places you can leave for
- 1Countries
- 9Operators
Plan a trip from here
Ask Ori for the same corridor under a different constraint, or for a longer trip that starts on it.