Don't worry, our campuses are accessible by public transport.
Public transport in the UK is generally of a high standard, but can be more expensive than in your home country. Buses or coaches are cheaper than trains, but you may have a longer journey time. Taxis are very expensive.
Remember, it’s always best to arrive at your campus during working hours (9am–5pm, Monday–Friday).
The most convenient and closest airport to ARU's campuses is Stansted. If a flight to Stansted Airport is less expensive for you than a flight to Heathrow, we recommend that you fly to Stansted and use public transport to take you to your campus.
Our Cambridge and Peterborough campuses can be accessed by a safe and reliable coach service from Heathrow and Stansted airports. Tickets can be purchased in advance online at nationalexpress.com.
If you're coming to our Chelmsford campus, you can travel from Stansted Airport using a local bus service. See our 'travel to Chelmsford' information below for further details.
Trains can be fast and convenient, but also expensive and crowded at peak times.
We recommend downloading the Trainline app to your mobile phone, where you can plan your journey, find train times and costs, and find information about delays or cancellations. You can also visit nationalrail.co.uk.
The London Underground, often referred to as the ‘Tube’, has different lines running for around 20 hours every day (some lines run a night service on Fridays and Saturdays). At certain times of the day (between 8am–10am and 4pm–7pm), the Underground will be very busy as people are using it to travel to and from work.
Each line has a name and is shown in a different colour on the Underground map. The London Underground does not travel to any of our campuses outside of London, but you may need to use it to get to one of the main London railway stations that will take you to Cambridge, Chelmsford or Peterborough.
You may need to change lines on the Underground during your journey. You can do this by getting off the train at a station where the line you are travelling on crosses the line which goes to the station you need.
Before you can enter the Underground, you must identify the Underground station you need to get to. Tube maps are displayed at stations, or you can download the TfL Go app or visit tfl.gov.uk, which includes information on how to pay for Tube journeys.
Taking a taxi from any airport to any of our campuses will be very expensive, although it is normally cheaper if you book in advance.
If you have a large amount of heavy luggage, you may decide that the convenience of a door-to-door service is worth the expense, but please do read the information on this page and consider other travel options that can save you money.
National Express operates a coach service from Heathrow airport to Cambridge from the Central Bus Station. Coaches also leave from Terminal 4 and 5 and then travel on to the Central Bus Station.
The journey takes approximately three hours and costs around £31. You will arrive in the centre of Cambridge and our campus is only a five-minute walk from there.
For more information and to book your ticket in advance, visit nationalexpress.com.
The Heathrow Express is the quickest way into central London, although it does involve more changes than taking the Underground to the main London train stations.
Follow the signs and take the Heathrow Express from Heathrow to Paddington Station. From there, take the Underground to London Kings Cross using the eastbound Circle line (yellow) or the eastbound Hammersmith and City line (pink), and then a train to Cambridge.
The journey takes approximately one hour and 20 minutes, and costs around £60.
Alternatively, you can take the Underground directly from Heathrow to London Kings Cross on the Piccadilly Line, which is cheaper than the Heathrow Express but will take longer. Visit tfl.gov.uk for options.
For more information and to book your ticket in advance, visit thetrainline.com or nationalrail.co.uk.
Follow the signs for the main line station and buy a single ticket to Cambridge. The journey takes approximately two hours and costs around £40.
For more information and to book your ticket in advance, visit thetrainline.com or nationalrail.co.uk.
National Express operates a coach service from Stansted Airport to Cambridge from the bus station outside the terminal. The journey takes approximately one hour and costs around £13.
For more information and to book your ticket in advance, visit nationalexpress.com.
Follow the signs to the main line station and buy a single ticket to Cambridge. Trains go direct to Cambridge from Stansted Airport. The journey takes approximately 30–50 minutes and costs around £15.
We recommend taking the train to Cambridge Central (not Cambridge North), as this is the station closest to the campus.
If you come into the country by rail via the Eurostar through France, you will arrive at St Pancras Station.
There are some trains that go direct to Cambridge from St Pancras. Alternatively, you may need to follow the signs to London Kings Cross (a short 10-minute walk) and take a train to Cambridge from there.
The journey takes approximately one hour and 10 minutes and costs around £30.
There are lots of taxi companies that can be booked in advance to take you to Cambridge.
For example, Panther Taxis operate an airport transfer from all major London airports and rail stations. Depending on the airport or rail station you arrive in, the cost of getting a private taxi can vary. A single journey from Heathrow airport will cost around £130.
For more information and to book in advance, visit panthertaxis.co.uk
Follow the signs and take the Underground to London Liverpool Street using the eastbound Elizabeth line (purple), and then a train to Chelmsford.
The journey takes approximately two hours and costs around £35.
For more information and to book your ticket in advance, visit thetrainline.com or nationalrail.co.uk.
Follow the signs to the train station and take the Thameslink train to Farringdon. From there, take the Underground to London Liverpool Street using the eastbound Elizabeth line (purple), and then a train to Chelmsford.
The journey takes approximately two hours and costs around £35.
For more information and to book your ticket in advance, visit thetrainline.com or nationalrail.co.uk.
We recommend that you travel by bus, as this is much cheaper than the train and is a direct service.
Follow the signs to the coach station and buy a single ticket to Chelmsford, costing £11.
The X10 bus leaves every half-hour, and the journey takes about one hour.
For more information, download the First Bus app or visit firstbus.co.uk.
There is no direct train to Chelmsford from Stansted. You will have to take a train to London Liverpool Street, and then take another train to Chelmsford.
The journey takes approximately one hour and 30 minutes and costs around £40.
For more information and to book your ticket in advance, visit thetrainline.com or nationalrail.co.uk.
If you come into the country by rail via the Eurostar through France, you will arrive at St Pancras Station.
Follow the signs and take the Underground to London Liverpool Street using the eastbound Metropolitan line (magenta), and take a train to Chelmsford from there.
The journey takes approximately one hour and costs around £25.
For more information and to book your ticket in advance, visit thetrainline.com or nationalrail.co.uk.
There are lots of taxi companies that can be booked in advance to take you to Chelmsford.
For example, Happicabs operate an airport transfer from all major London airports and rail stations. Depending on the airport or rail station you arrive at, the cost of getting a private taxi can range from £69 to £180.
For more information and to book in advance, visit happicabs.com.
Follow the signs and take the Heathrow Express from Heathrow to Paddington Station. From there, take the Underground to London Kings Cross using the eastbound Circle line (yellow) or the eastbound Hammersmith and City line (pink), and then a train to Peterborough.
The journey takes approximately two hours and costs vary between £38 to £48.
Alternatively, you can take the Underground directly from Heathrow to London Kings Cross station on the Piccadilly line (dark blue), which is cheaper than the Heathrow Express but will take longer. Visit tfl.gov.uk/ for options.
For more information and to book your ticket in advance, visit thetrainline.com or nationalrail.co.uk.
There may be occasional direct trains to Peterborough, depending on the time and date you arrive. The journey takes approximately two hours and 20 minutes and costs around £52.
If you cannot get a direct train, follow the signs and take the Thameslink train to St Pancras International. Follow the signs to London Kings Cross (a short 10-minute walk), then take a train to Peterborough. The journey takes approximately two hours and costs around £30.
For more information and to book your ticket in advance, visit thetrainline.com or nationalrail.co.uk.
National Express operates a coach service from Stansted Airport to Peterborough from the bus station opposite the terminal. The journey takes approximately two hours and costs around £17.
For more information and to book your ticket in advance, visit nationalexpress.com.
There are frequent direct trains to Peterborough from Stansted. The journey takes approximately one hour and 30 minutes and costs around £27.10.
For more information and to book your ticket in advance, visit thetrainline.com or nationalrail.co.uk.
If you come into the country by rail via the Eurostar through France, you will arrive at St Pancras Station.
You can get a train to Peterborough from St Pancras International. The journey takes approximately one hour and 30 minutes and costs around £35.
Alternatively, you can follow the signs to London Kings Cross (a short 10-minute walk) and take a train to Peterborough from there. The journey takes approximately 50 minutes and costs around £20.
For more information and to book your ticket in advance, visit thetrainline.com or nationalrail.co.uk.
Peterborough Cars operates an airport transfer from all major London airports and rail stations.
For more information and to book in advance, visit peterboroughcars.com.