Torquay is on The English Riviera in the South-West of England. The climate here is milder and you can see palm trees along the coast. Getting here is easy because of the good links to airports, the railway and motorways. www.englishriviera.co.uk
By air: You can fly to Exeter, Bristol, Plymouth or London from many international airports.
By coach: Exeter is 40 minutes and Bristol is 2 hours 45 minutes by coach and train.
London is about 4 hours 39 minutes away by coach from Heathrow or 5 hours from Gatwick. Plymouth is about 50 minutes. www.nationalexpress.com
By train: Many countries now offer cheaper rail travel with a special student card. It is worth asking at your local train company to see what they can do for you. There is also a high-speed train service run by Eurostar from Paris, Brussels or Lille. www.eurostar.com
When you arrive in London, you can take a train direct to Torquay from Paddington Station. www.nationalrail.co.uk Transfers from Eurostar can be made by using the underground. There are airport links from Heathrow and Gatwick to Paddington by bus or you can take the Heathrow Express to Paddington which runs every 15 minutes. www.heathrowexpress.com
The journey by train from Paddington to Torquay takes about 2 hours and 40 minutes for fast services and about 4 hours and 20 minutes if you take a slow train.
By Ferry: If you would like to bring your car, there are many ferry services to the UK from France, Spain, Holland and Belgium. The nearest to us is run by Brittany Ferries from Roscoff to Plymouth and takes 6-8 hours to cross depending on whether it is a day or night crossing. www.brittany-ferries.com. Plymouth to Torquay is around 45 minutes by car.
In all cases when not travelling by car, your host family will be able to meet you at the coach or train station. Please do make sure that you contact them before you come and that they know what time and where you will be arriving.
How to get here
Torquay is on The English Riviera in the South-West of England. The climate here is milder and you can see palm trees along the coast. Getting here is easy because of the good links to airports, the railway and motorways. www.englishriviera.co.uk
By air: You can fly to Exeter, Bristol, Plymouth or London from many international airports.
By coach: Exeter is 40 minutes and Bristol is 2 hours 45 minutes by coach and train.
London is about 4 hours 39 minutes away by coach from Heathrow or 5 hours from Gatwick. Plymouth is about 50 minutes. www.nationalexpress.com
By train: Many countries now offer cheaper rail travel with a special student card. It is worth asking at your local train company to see what they can do for you. There is also a high-speed train service run by Eurostar from Paris, Brussels or Lille. www.eurostar.com
When you arrive in London, you can take a train direct to Torquay from Paddington Station. www.nationalrail.co.uk Transfers from Eurostar can be made by using the underground. There are airport links from Heathrow and Gatwick to Paddington by bus or you can take the Heathrow Express to Paddington which runs every 15 minutes. www.heathrowexpress.com
The journey by train from Paddington to Torquay takes about 2 hours and 40 minutes for fast services and about 4 hours and 20 minutes if you take a slow train.
By Ferry: If you would like to bring your car, there are many ferry services to the UK from France, Spain, Holland and Belgium. The nearest to us is run by Brittany Ferries from Roscoff to Plymouth and takes 6-8 hours to cross depending on whether it is a day or night crossing. www.brittany-ferries.com. Plymouth to Torquay is around 45 minutes by car.
In all cases when not travelling by car, your host family will be able to meet you at the coach or train station. Please do make sure that you contact them before you come and that they know what time and where you will be arriving.