Getting here

Swansea Bay is in south-west Wales, in the west of the United Kingdom, and is easy to reach by car, train, coach, sea, or air. Just a 3½ hour drive from London, and 2¾ hours from Birmingham, it’s the ideal place to escape to for a relaxing short break, or longer holiday, in peaceful surroundings. In addition, fast and frequent train and coach services link major UK cities to Swansea Bay. If you’re travelling from further afield, it’s straightforward to reach us by sea or air.

Coming by Car

The M4 motorway from the east gives direct access to all parts of Swansea Bay.

• For Swansea city, Mumbles and south Gower, leave the motorway at Junction 42
• Leave at Junction 42 for Swansea, Mumbles and Gower
• Leave at Junction 42 for the Swansea Valley and north Swansea
• Leave at Junction 47 for north Gower
• Leave at Junction 43 for Neath and the Vale of Neath
• Leave at Junction 40 for Port Talbot and the Afan Forest Park

From M4 West

• Leave at Junction 47 for Swansea, Mumbles and Gower;
• Leave at Junction 43 for Neath and the Vale of Neath
• Leave at Junction 41 for Port Talbot and Afan Forest Park

Carparks

For more information on where to park, parking charges, Park & Ride, etc. go to the council’s Car Parks pages.

Swansea Park and Ride

To avoid parking problems in Swansea, you may wish to use one of two Park and Ride sites.

• Fabian Way: SA1 8LD, M4 at Junction 42 then A483 (1.5 miles from city centre)
  Bus service 34, every 15 minutes daytime Mondays to Saturdays
• Landore: SA1 2JT, M4 Junction 45, then A4067 (1.5 miles from city centre)
  Bus service 9, every 15 minutes daytime Mondays to Saturdays
• At both Park & Ride sites, it normally costs just £2.50* but currently a special offer of £1 for a car and up to 4 people*prices correct as of March 2023

Travelling to Swansea Bay by train

Travel by train from within the UK

Fast and frequent train services link all regions of the UK to Swansea Bay either direct or with one easy interchange.

Direct trains run from London Paddington, Bristol Parkway, Cardiff, Newport, Hereford, Shrewsbury, Crewe and Manchester to the Swansea Bay area, and there are good connections from the Midlands, north-east, south, and south west England at Bristol Parkway.

For train times and information

National Rail Enquiries on 08457 48 49 50
Great Western Railway
GWR.com 

Transport for Wales Rail
https://tfwrail.wales/

Travel by train from mainland Europe

Frequent Eurostar trains link Paris, Lille and Brussels directly with London St Pancras International then via Underground or taxi link to London Paddington for onward train travel to Swansea Bay. Eurostar runs frequently between 0600 and 2100 daily and is for foot passengers only.

Travel by train from the Republic of Ireland

Trains to Swansea connect with the Stena Line day sailings from Rosslare at Fishguard.
Through trains to Cardiff (with onward service to Swansea) connect with Stena Line and Irish Ferries at Holyhead

Travelling on to Gower, Mumbles and the Valleys

You can buy your bus ticket for onward travel from your destination station when you buy your train ticket at principal National Rail stations. Plus Bus tickets give unlimited travel for one day by bus in Swansea city and Mumbles*, Neath, Port Talbot and valleys at a modest add-on fare. At Swansea, frequent buses link the train and bus stations for connections to all other points.
*not valid in most of Gower

Travelling to Swansea Bay by Bus and Coach

There are frequent coach services to Swansea Bay from all regions of the UK, either direct or with one easy interchange

National Express runs direct to Swansea from Central London, Gatwick and Heathrow Airports, Birmingham, Bristol and Cardiff; and with intermediate transfers from most other parts of the UK.

Flixbus runs direct from London and Bristol to Swansea.

Local bus services leave from stops adjacent to the coach station at Swansea for all parts of the city and region including Gower and Mumbles.

For comprehensive information on travel to local attractions, beaches walks and other points of visitor interest, visit Swansea Bay Without a Car

Travelling to Swansea Bay by air

From outside the UK

There are excellent train and coach links to Swansea from London Gatwick and Heathrow Airports and good train links from Bristol International and Cardiff International. The nearest international airport to Swansea is at Cardiff – a little over an hour away from Swansea Bay by road or rail.

From within the UK

Internal flights to Cardiff are available from UK airports at Aberdeen, Anglesey, Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Newcastle. 

Travelling to Swansea Bay by sea

Swansea, Wales’ Waterfront City, has a Blue Flag Marina and docks at the heart of a multi-million pound development. Ferry services arrive at the West Wales ports of Fishguard and Pembroke Dock and at the North Wales port of Holyhead.

Rosslare – Pembrokeshire ferries

Ferries travel between Rosslare (south-east Ireland) and ports in Pembrokeshire (south-west Wales). These ports are approximately 1½ hours’ drive from Swansea Bay. Fishguard has a train link to Swansea connecting during daytime.

Rosslare – Pembroke Dock

Operator: Irish Ferries Journey time: from 3¾ hours tel: 0871 7300400 web: www.irishferries.com.

Rosslare – Fishguard

Operator: Stena Line Journey time: from 3½ hours tel: 0844 7707070 web: www.stenaline.co.uk.

Useful contact information

Cardiff International Airport

• Tel: 01446 711 111
• www.cardiff-airport.com