Getting to Manchester
Information about travelling to Manchester and the University.
Before you travel
Whether you’re arriving by air, rail or road, read our latest travel guidance.
Take time to familiarise yourself with any requirements based on your circumstances before you travel to England. For example, most students from outside the UK must apply for a Student Route visa before they travel.
Getting to Manchester
Transport for Greater Manchester have developed a University of Manchester travel guide, including information on getting the tram, bus, walking or cycling to and from campus.
Our maps and travel advice will help you make your way to and around the University.
Manchester Airport is located just 14 kilometres south of the city centre and is about 20 minutes away by car. If you're making your own way from the airport the easiest way to get to your accommodation will be by taxi, especially if you have a lot of luggage. Your driver can take you to exactly where you need to go and you won’t have to worry about finding your way around as soon as you arrive. It's likely to cost between £25 and £35 to travel by taxi to your University accommodation, depending on how much traffic there is and how much luggage you have.
As you arrive in the Arrivals hall look out for the signage for 'Taxis' and you will see ranks of Black Cab taxis outside each of the terminals. Alternatively you can book with Streetcars. The details can be found on the Airport website.
Travelling from Manchester Airport to other destinations in the North
If you’re travelling on to a destination other than Manchester, the airport has plenty of travel options to easily get to places such as Liverpool, Bolton and Huddersfield.
You can take a train direct from Manchester Airport to all of these destinations, with only one change at either Manchester Piccadilly or Manchester Oxford Road train stations. These are both located in the city centre, just a 20-minute journey from Manchester Airport. Your onward journey from here to your destination will vary in time.
Please see the links below for useful information on planning your train journey from Manchester Airport. There’s also advice and tips for students who commute to the University from outside the city centre.
We offer an Airport Support Service to new University of Manchester international students arriving at Manchester International Airport.
Our University representatives will be located in the Arrivals Terminals between 8am and 8pm from Wednesday, 11 September to Friday, 13 September 2024, where they will help you with any questions and assist with your onward travel to your student accommodation.
Our representatives will be wearing purple and holding signs – look out for them as you come through Arrivals. If you arrive outside of the Airport Support Service hours, Manchester Airport staff will be able to assist with your onward travel to your accommodation.
Public transport is clearly signposted in the Airport Terminals. The easiest way to travel from Airport Arrivals to your onward destination in Manchester is by taxi. Street Cars is the official Airport transfer service, which you can also book in advance. Manchester Airport is a short distance from the University campus and city, and approximately 25 to 30 minutes by taxi.
Things to remember:
- Before travelling, please check you’re able to arrive at your student accommodation in-line with your contract start date.
- For international students moving into University of Manchester accommodation, please check the ‘Arrivals and moving in’ section of our Accommodation information for full guidance.
- If you arrive without accommodation arranged, our airport representatives will be able to direct you to hotels in the city.
If you are flying to the UK we advise you to fly directly to Manchester, if you are able to. There are flights to Manchester Airport from London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Southend and London City Airports. You can also find flights to Manchester from other major European cities. If you are flying into London and transferring to another flight, remember to allow yourself enough time to get to your connection.
If you arrive in London by plane and are going to Manchester by coach, in most cases you will first have to travel by underground train (tube) to Victoria coach station in the centre of London. You should be aware that most tube stations don't have lifts and some have lots of stairs. As well as this, space on trains can be limited and services are often very busy, especially in central London.
If you decide to fly into London Heathrow and travel to Manchester by coach, there are some direct services. The journey takes around six hours, but can be longer depending on traffic. The two most popular coach services in the UK are National Express and Megabus.
Manchester has two main city centre coach stations – Manchester Central on Chorlton Street and Shudehill Interchange.
If you decide to travel via London, remember to allow yourself enough time to collect your luggage, pass through immigration and travel across the city.
Information on transport in the London area can be found on the Transport for London website.
Trains from London to Manchester leave from Euston Station in central London. The quickest way to get here from any of the London airports is to take the tube (underground train). Again, we strongly advise against travelling through London on the underground with lots of luggage because of the difficulty of navigating tube stations, which don't usually have lifts, and busy tube services with limited space.
Remember to allow yourself enough time to collect your luggage, pass through immigration and travel across London.
Information on transport in the London area can be found on the Transport for London website.
Manchester has three main train stations: Piccadilly, Victoria and Oxford Road. The train from London Euston arrives at Piccadilly and usually takes just over two hours. You can find information on train times and book train tickets on the National Rail website or on Trainline. The cost of train tickets varies from around £25 to over £100 depending on the day, how far in advance you are booking, and the time of travel.
The University is located on the south side of Manchester city centre. You can find your way around our campus using our interactive map. All of our buildings are in the same general area of the city and are within easy walking distance of each other, making getting around our campus simple. There are regular shuttle buses to pick up and drop off students at various points around the campus. These are also highlighted on the campus map.
Take a self-guided tour of campus
To get yourself orientated with campus you can also do a self-guided tour using our self-guided tour app.
You can take a tour the main campus, showcasing our learning and study spaces, outdoor spaces, our historic buildings, and subject buildings for all three Faculties. The guide also features tailored tours for each Faculty specifically, so you can visit general spaces on campus, along with buildings specific to your preferred area of interest. All the tours come with audio narration.
You can download the app from the App Store or Google Play by searching 'Visit UoM.'
Cars
At Manchester, we're committed to making greener travel choices.
If possible, we advise that you don't bring your car with you when you move into University accommodation. With the exception of blue badge-holders, we do not provide parking permits for University car parks.
Bus
You can catch the 147 bus for free between north and south campus.
Cycling
Cycling is popular in Manchester and the city is home to several dedicated cycling routes, including on Oxford Road where much of our campus is based.
We offer subsidised bike hire for students through Biko Bikes and second-hand bike sales at our Owens Park Campus, as well as free or subsidised bike lock schemes.
The Bee Network cycle hire scheme is also available for student use. A docking station is situated opposite the gates of Owens Park Campus.
Watch our 'How to use a Beryl bike' video for guidance on how to get involved in this green scheme.