Victoria Coach Station is London's main terminal for long-distance and international coaches, run by TfL at 164 Buckingham Palace Road, about 300 metres from Victoria Tube and rail stations. Coaches are usually the cheapest way to leave London, and National Express, FlixBus and Megabus all use the station; arrive at least 30 minutes before a UK departure and an hour before a coach to Ireland or mainland Europe.
A coach, in British English, is a long-distance bus with luggage space underneath and reclining seats. Coaches link London with most British cities, with the main airports and with cities in Europe. They are slower than trains, but fares are often much lower, especially if you book only a few days ahead, when train prices can climb steeply.
Most coach journeys from central London start or end at Victoria Coach Station. It is a large, busy building with separate departure and arrival halls, a ticket office, luggage storage and cafés. Knowing how it works before you arrive takes a lot of the stress out of the first or last day of a trip.
Victoria Coach Station: the basics
- Address
- 164 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 9TP
- Run by
- Transport for London (TfL)
- Nearest stations
- Victoria (Tube and rail), about 300 m away
- Gates
- 20
- Ticket office
- Daily 07:00–21:00; pounds sterling (GBP) only
- Arrive before departure
- 30 minutes (UK); 1 hour (Ireland and mainland Europe, or if buying a ticket at the station)
- Left luggage
- Friday–Wednesday 08:00–22:00, Thursday 08:00–20:00; from £2.00 per item
Who runs the station and which coaches use it
The station belongs to TfL, the same organisation that runs the Tube and London's buses, but the coaches themselves are run by private companies. TfL lists these operators at Victoria Coach Station: National Express, FlixBus, Megabus, BlaBlaCar, Evan Evans, Premium Tours, Sindbad and Brigit's Afternoon Tea.
National Express is the biggest name for journeys within Britain and to the airports. FlixBus and Megabus compete on price on many intercity routes, and several operators run to destinations overseas. Evan Evans and Premium Tours run organised sightseeing trips, so some of the coaches you see leaving in the morning are sightseeing tours rather than scheduled services. If you would rather plan an outing yourself, our guide to day trips from London covers the options by train and coach.
Each company has its own help point in the building. According to TfL, the National Express information desk is next to the ticket office, the Megabus office is opposite gate 15, and FlixBus staff are found between gates 15 and 20. For timetables, TfL advises contacting the coach company directly.
Photo: Kk70088 · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized
Getting to Victoria Coach Station
The simplest route is by Tube or train to Victoria, then a walk of about 300 metres south-west along Buckingham Palace Road. Victoria Tube station is on the Victoria, District and Circle lines, and Victoria rail station has trains to Gatwick Airport and the south coast. Allow extra time with heavy bags: the pavements around Victoria are crowded at rush hour. If you are new to the city, our guide to London's main railway stations shows where Victoria fits in.
Buses 11, 44, 170, 211, C1 and C10 stop outside the coach station, as do night buses N11 and N44, which helps with very early or late coaches. Our guide to London's buses and night buses explains how to pay and ride. There is a taxi rank outside on Eccleston Place, and a public car park on Semley Place next to the station.
Pay for the Tube or bus as you would anywhere else in London. Contactless and Oyster both work, and the fares are the same; our explainer on Oyster, contactless and daily caps covers the details.
The Green Line terminal is a different stop. Some coaches that serve towns around London, such as Green Line services, use their own coach stop near Victoria rather than the main station. Check the departure point on your ticket, and if you are unsure, ask a porter or member of staff in the Arrivals hall.
Departures, arrivals and finding your gate
The building has two main parts: the Departures hall, where you wait for your coach, and a separate Arrivals area where incoming coaches set down passengers. Most facilities are in Departures.
Your ticket shows the departure time, the service number and the destination, but not the gate. To find it, TfL suggests these steps:
- Look at the departure board in the main entrance or next to gate 11.
- Match the time, service number and destination on your ticket to a line on the board.
- Note the coach company shown under the service number, so you board the right vehicle.
- Go to the gate shown, and ask a member of staff if anything is unclear. Staff are available from 07:15 to 21:45.
TfL says gates close 2 minutes before departure. For journeys within the UK, arrive at least 30 minutes before your coach leaves. For Ireland or mainland Europe, arrive an hour ahead, because you may need to check in first. If you still need to buy your ticket at the station, TfL also recommends allowing at least an hour.
Buying coach tickets: online or at the ticket office
Most travellers book online or in the operator's app, which is usually where the lowest fares appear. Prices change with demand, so the same seat can cost much more on the day than a week before.
If you prefer to buy in person, the TfL ticket office in the station is open daily from 07:00 to 21:00 and sells tickets on behalf of the coach operators. It accepts payment in pounds sterling only. After 21:00, TfL directs travellers to the ticket booths on the wall opposite gate 0.
The ticket office also sells National Express Senior, Young Persons and Disabled Coachcards, which give discounts on National Express fares. You need to bring proof of eligibility, such as student ID. Check the current price and discount on the National Express website before you decide whether one pays off for your trip.
You can buy or top up an Oyster card at the ticket office too, which is handy if you arrive from the airport or from abroad without one. Oyster refunds, however, cannot be processed here.
Coaches to London's airports
National Express runs coaches to Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Luton. They are rarely the fastest option, but they can be the cheapest, and they carry luggage underneath so you do not have to manage cases on the Tube. These are the prices National Express published (fares correct 13 July 2026, limited availability, including a £1.50 booking fee):
| Route | Fare from | Journey time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| London Victoria to Gatwick | £6.00 | About 1 hour 5 minutes | Service 025, 32 a day |
| To Heathrow | £10.50 one way | Check the timetable | Stops at Heathrow Central Bus Station (Terminals 2 and 3) and at Terminals 4 and 5 |
| To Stansted | £10.50 one way | About 45 minutes from Tottenham Hale | More than 100 services a day on routes A6, A8 and A9 |
| To Luton | £13.20 one way | Check the timetable | Stops in north-west London, including Golders Green and Finchley Road |
| Heathrow to Gatwick | £14.70 | About 1 hour 5 minutes | 63 services a day |
The Heathrow price is a general "from" fare for the airport and not specifically for the journey from Victoria, so check your exact route when booking. For comparison, the Gatwick Express from Victoria costs £24.00 with contactless or Oyster, and Southern trains from Victoria cost £10.70 off-peak. Our guides to Gatwick and its rail links, getting to Stansted, travel to Luton Airport and transfers between Heathrow and Gatwick compare every option.
Coaches also help at awkward hours, when trains and the Tube are not running. For very early flights, see our advice on late-night and early-morning airport transport.
Is the coach really cheaper than the train?
Often, but not always. A coach fare booked at short notice is usually far below a walk-up train fare for the same journey. But a train ticket bought weeks ahead, especially with a railcard, can come close to the coach price and saves hours of travelling. Before you book either, compare both for your date. Our guide to buying UK train tickets without overpaying explains Advance fares and railcards.
When the coach makes sense
- You are booking late and train fares have risen
- You have plenty of luggage and want it stored under the coach
- You are going to an airport and want to avoid changing trains with cases
- Your budget matters more than the extra hours on the road
When the train is the better choice
- Time is short, as coaches can be delayed by motorway traffic
- You have booked well ahead and found an Advance train fare
- You want space to walk around, a table or a buffet
- You are travelling with young children who dislike long periods in a seat
For a family, the difference can be large. Four coach tickets at a low advance fare may cost less than two adult train fares bought on the day. But children aged 5 to 15 get 50% off most train fares, and a Family & Friends Railcard cuts adult fares by a third, so run both searches before assuming the coach wins. Our wider tips for keeping the cost of London down apply to travel days too.
Facilities inside the station
Toilets are by gate 2 (down stairs to basement level) and by gate 12 (ground level) in Departures, and there are unisex toilets in Arrivals. Accessible toilets are in Arrivals and in the Mobility Lounge opposite gate 0. Baby changing rooms are next to the toilets in Arrivals and by gates 2 and 12. For toilets elsewhere in the city, see our guide to public toilets in London.
There are food outlets in both halls, including chain cafés and bakeries near gates 1, 3, 4 and 11. They are fine for a sandwich and a coffee before a long trip, but for a proper meal you will find more choice in the streets around Victoria station.
Left luggage at the coach station
TfL runs a luggage storage office opposite the ticket office. All items are screened, and you need your original receipt to collect them. It is open Friday to Wednesday from 08:00 to 22:00 and on Thursday from 08:00 to 20:00. Online booking is through Stasher, TfL's booking partner.
| Time | Price per item |
|---|---|
| Up to 1 hour | £2.00 |
| 1–3 hours | £5.00 |
| 3–6 hours | £7.50 |
| 6–24 hours | £10.00 |
| Each extra 24 hours | £6.00 |
This is useful if you arrive in the morning and your coach home leaves in the evening: Buckingham Palace is a short walk away, and a day in Westminster is easier without a suitcase. For storage at other stations, see our left luggage guide.
The cash machines inside the station are out of order. TfL says the ATMs in the building are currently out of service and points travellers to the cash machine outside the Sainsbury's Local at 14-20 Elizabeth Street. Since the ticket office takes pounds only, pay by card if you can.
Porters, accessibility and safety
Licensed luggage porters work in the Arrivals area. They can help you get to Departures, to Victoria rail and Tube stations, or to the Green Line coach terminal. They are self-employed and a payment is expected, so agree what you will pay before they start.
If you need assistance, you can book mobility help from Arrivals to Departures in advance through TfL's online form. The Mobility Lounge, opposite gate 0, is open from 08:00 to 21:00 and has staff and an accessible toilet. Ramps are available on some coaches only, so contact your coach company before you travel. Our guide to step-free transport in London covers the journey to the station.
The station has CCTV, and night security is on duty from 22:00. To report non-urgent incidents to the British Transport Police, text 61016. In an emergency, dial 999 or speak to the nearest member of staff.
Coaches to Ireland and mainland Europe
International coaches leave from the same building, but the process is stricter. Arrive an hour before departure, have your passport ready, and check whether your operator needs you to check in. Journeys to Europe cross a border, so you pass through passport control on the way. Coach journeys to Paris take far longer than the Eurostar from St Pancras, but can be much cheaper at short notice.
If you are not British or Irish and will return to the UK, make sure your permission to enter is in order. Most visitors who do not need a visa need a UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), which costs £20. Our guide to UK entry requirements explains who needs one.
Luggage rules vary by company. FlixBus, for example, includes one small bag or backpack and one piece of check-in luggage in its standard fare, and TfL advises checking baggage allowances with your coach company before you travel. Label your bags with your name and contact details, as they travel in the hold.
Frequently asked questions
How far is Victoria Coach Station from Victoria train station?
About 300 metres, according to TfL. It is a short walk south-west along Buckingham Palace Road from both Victoria rail station and Victoria Tube station, which is served by the Victoria, District and Circle lines. Allow extra time if you have heavy luggage.
How early should I arrive at Victoria Coach Station?
TfL advises arriving at least 30 minutes before a coach within the UK, and an hour before a coach to Ireland or mainland Europe. If you still need to buy your ticket at the station, allow at least an hour. Gates close 2 minutes before departure.
Can I pay by card at the Victoria Coach Station ticket office?
The TfL ticket office sells tickets for the coach companies and only accepts payments in pounds sterling. The cash machines inside the station are currently out of service, so using a card is the easier option. Most travellers book online or in the operator's app instead.
Is there left luggage at Victoria Coach Station?
Yes. TfL runs a luggage storage office opposite the ticket office, open Friday to Wednesday 08:00–22:00 and Thursday 08:00–20:00. Prices start at £2.00 per item for up to one hour and reach £10.00 for 6 to 24 hours. All bags are screened.
Which coach companies leave from Victoria Coach Station?
TfL lists National Express, FlixBus, Megabus, BlaBlaCar, Evan Evans, Premium Tours, Sindbad and Brigit's Afternoon Tea. National Express runs most domestic and airport routes, while some operators run international services and others offer sightseeing tours.
Sources
- Transport for London - Victoria Coach Station (checked September 2026)
- Transport for London - Victoria Coach Station facilities (checked September 2026)
- Transport for London - Help with your coach journey (checked September 2026)
- Transport for London - Coach companies (checked September 2026)
- National Express - Heathrow Airport coaches (checked September 2026)
- National Express - Gatwick Airport coaches (checked September 2026)
- FlixBus - Baggage policy (checked September 2026)