GREAT BRITAIN - Best of Europe 2014 - page 884

To Other Destinations: Windsor (2/hour, 1 hour, direct from Waterloo Station; also
2-3/hour, 35 minutes, from Paddington Station with change in Slough), Greenwich (from
BankorMonumentTubestoptaketheDLR—DocklandsLightRailway—toCuttySarkSta-
tion), Dover (hourly,1.25hours,fromSt.PancrasInternationalStation;alsohourly,2hours,
direct from Victoria Station or Charing Cross Station), Brighton (4-5/hour, 1 hour, from
Victoria Station and London Bridge Station), Portsmouth (3/hour, 1.5-2 hours, most from
Waterloo Station, a few from Victoria Station), and Salisbury (1-2/hour, 1.5 hours, from
Waterloo Station).
By Bus
Buses are slower but considerably cheaper than trains for reaching destinations around Bri-
tain, and beyond. Most depart from Victoria Coach Station, which is one long block south
of Victoria Station (near many recommended accommodations and Tube: Victoria). Inside
the station, you'll find basic eateries, kiosks, and a helpful information desk stocked with
schedulesandreadytopointyoutoyourbusoransweranyquestions.Watchyourbagscare-
fully—luggage thieves thrive at the station.
Most domestic buses are operated by National Express (tel. [phone],
www.nationalexpress.com ) ; their international departures are called Eurolines (tel.
0871-781-8177, www.eurolines.co.uk ) .
Anewer,smallercompanycalled Megabus undersellsNationalExpresswithdeeplydis-
counted promotional fares—the further ahead you buy, the less you pay (some trips for just
£1.50, toll tel. [phone], www.megabus.com ) . While Megabus can be much cheaper
than National Express—even half the price—they tend to be slower than their competitor
andtheirroutesmainlyconnectcities (ratherthanincludesmaller towns).Theyalsoselldis-
counted train tickets on selected routes.
TrytoavoidbustravelonFridayandSundayevenings,whenweekendtravelersaremore
likely to make buses sell out.
To ensure getting a ticket—and to save money with special promotions—you can book
your ticket in advance online (see websites above). The cheapest pre-purchased tickets can
bechanged(fora£5fee),butthey'reusuallynonrefundablewithin72hoursoftravel.Ifyou
have a British mobile phone, you can order online and have a “text ticket” sent right to your
phone.
Ideallyyou'llbuyyourticketsonline.Butifyoumustbuyoneatthestation,trytoarrive
anhourbeforethebusdeparts—ordropbythedaybefore.(ForbusestoStanstedAirportand
Oxford, you can buy the ticket on board; otherwise you'll buy it at a ticket window.) Auto-
mated ticketing machines are scattered around the station (separate machines for National
Express/Eurolines and Megabus; you can buy either for today or for tomorrow); there's also
a ticket counter near gate 21.