This page aims to offer travel advice and tips for conference attendees visiting Swansea and the wider area to attend MobileHCI 2026. For general information on travel, tourism and transport in the area, you may also wish to visit the Visit Swansea Bay webpages.

International Travel

  • Please note that EU, EEA or Swiss citizens need to obtain an Electronic Travel Authorisation prior to entering the UK. See also Guidance for Visiting the UK as an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen and Rules for entering the UK.
  • Despite the availability of cheap air travel, rail remains a viable choice for reaching the UK from many destinations in northern Europe. For originating travel destinations beyond northern Europe, air travel remains the most viable option. If flying is unavoidable, air travellers are encouraged to limit their carbon footprint through their choice of fare class, route and airline and to consider whether more value can be obtained from the visit (e.g., spending a little longer in the UK to meet others/carry out collaborative research). We offer a variety of tips below to help in minimising the amount of air travel.

International Train

Taking the Eurostar to London is very easy from many places in northern or western Europe. After arriving at St. Pancras, transfer using the London Underground to Paddington station, and take a direct train to Swansea.

Airports

Heathrow Airport

Heathrow Airport is probably the most commonly used airport for Swansea.

  • The easiest way to get directly to Swansea University Bay Campus is to use National Express (direct connection from Heathrow). Other bus options include Megabus, or Flixbus to Swansea Bus Station.
  • If you prefer to travel by train you can choose:
    • Elizabeth line to Hayes & Harlington, then change for the Elizabeth line to Reading, and then take the direct train to Swansea. To see this option when booking, you need to choose the option “avoiding London” on the National Rail Journey Planner (start an advanced search and look for “Route via/avoid”, then avoid London).
    • Heathrow Express to London Paddington and then a direct train to Swansea. This is more expensive and sometimes a little bit faster, although in many cases you save only a few minutes.
  • In all cases, booking your connection in advance is recommended, as it will be much cheaper.

Bristol Airport

  • The easiest way to get to Swansea/Bay Campus is to take Flixbus (direct connection from Bristol Airport to Swansea/Bay campus) or National Express (change at Cardiff).
  • You can also take the bus to Bristol Temple Meads Station (see Bus Timetable) and then a train to Swansea (National Rail Journey Planner), usually changing at Cardiff Central.

Cardiff Airport (closest airport to Swansea)

  • You can travel to Swansea via either train or bus.
  • There is a shuttle bus to Rhoose Cardiff Airport station (Shuttle Bus Timetable) with trains to Swansea (National Rail Journey Planner). If you use the “Cardiff Airport via Rhoose” station option, your train ticket includes the shuttle bus ticket.
  • There is also a bus to Cardiff Central (Bus Timetable) from which you can take the train to Swansea. (Please check Google Maps for how to get from the bus stop to Cardiff Central).
  • Alternatively, you can take a bus to the Cardiff Coach Station - Sophia Gardens (see Traveline Cymru Planner) and then the National Express bus to Swansea.

Gatwick Airport (longer journey but well connected)

  • You can take a train either via London or (usually cheaper) a train which goes to Reading and from there change to Swansea (National Rail Journey Planner). To find connections avoiding London, use the advanced search and choose “Route via/avoid” and then avoid London.
  • You can also take National Express, Megabus, or Flixbus to Swansea. A direct coach from Gatwick Airport to Swansea is a long journey, but usually much cheaper.

Other London Airports (Stansted, Luton, London City, London Southend)

  • You will usually need to travel from the airport to London.
  • This is typically quite a long journey (but you might get cheaper flights).
  • From Stansted, there are direct coaches to Heathrow where you can change for coaches to Swansea.

Swansea Airport

  • Swansea Airport is only usable by private planes at the moment.

Ferry

  • There are several routes from the Continent to the UK.
  • Ferries sail to Portsmouth from the north of France (e.g., Caen, St Malo, Cherbourg, Le Havre), and there is a reasonably good train connection from Portsmouth via Cardiff to Swansea.

Coaches to London (from mainland Europe)

Local Travel

Once you arrive in Swansea, there are several options for getting to your hotel or the Bay Campus, depending on how you arrive. The Bay Campus is located on Fabian Way, which is the main road into Swansea from the east. It is about 3 miles (5 km) from Swansea city centre.

Train

By train you will usually arrive at Swansea High Street Station, though if you are travelling direct to the Bay Campus it can be quicker to alight at Port Talbot Parkway.

  • There are bus services from Swansea Station, but it is often more convenient to take a taxi to your hotel or the Bay Campus.
  • There is a taxi stand to your right as you exit the station.
  • Alternatively, you can walk to Fabian Way and take a bus from there.
  • National Rail Journey Planner
  • Great Western Railway (for direct trains from London)
  • Transport for Wales (for regional and local trains in Wales)
  • Tip: Full fare tickets purchased on the day of travel from London or Heathrow are very expensive. Try to use Saver, Super Saver (only available off-peak) or advance tickets (book online).

Coach

  • Main coach companies: National Express, Megabus, or Flixbus.
  • Some coaches stop at the Bay Campus directly. This is only recommended if you are staying on-site, or travelling straight to the conference.
  • The main coach stop is Swansea Bus Station:
    • There are good bus connections from Swansea Bus Station to the Bay Campus.
    • There is no taxi stand at Swansea Bus Station; you will need to order a taxi (see below).

Local bus

Taxi

Need support or have a question?

If you need any support or have questions about travel to Swansea, please contact us by email at local2026@mobilehci.acm.org.