5 Ways How To Get From London To Balmoral Castle (Scotland) – 2023

Are you looking for ways how to get from London to Balmoral Castle in Scotland? Balmoral Castle is a historic Scottish estate located in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, known for its association with the British royal family.

You can reach Balmoral Castle from London by train, coach, car, flight and private transfer. The road distance between London and Balmoral Castle is 817 kilometres or 507.7 miles while its direct distance is 651.7 kilometres or 405 miles. It takes about 9 hours and 2 minutes to travel this distance by car. 

Hoping to reach Balmoral Castle sooner? Let’s begin by checking out the various transportation accessible options for your journey from London to the Balmoral Castle!

How to get from London to Balmoral Castle

OPTION 1: How to get from London to Balmoral Castle by Train

• Travel Duration: about 8 hours and 34 minutes
• Travel Fare: from £81

It is possible to ride a train from London to get to Balmoral Castle. However, take note that this journey is not direct and you will have to take another mode of transport to ultimately reach your destination.

To do so, you must take a train from London Kings Cross or London Euston. All trains stop at Aberdeen Station. The journey takes around 7 to 8 hours and has beautiful scenic views along the way. You can book your train tickets online via Omio.

Another option is to take the Caledonian Sleeper Train from London to Aberdeen.

BEST SLEEPER TRAIN DEALS!

If you are planning to travel from London to Scotland via sleeper trains, I recommend booking your comfortable room with the Caledonian Sleeper Trains. You can travel in style and comfort from London to various cities and towns in Scotland.

Below are sample train and bus schedules from London to Balmoral Castle:

Train from London to Aberdeen

After reaching Aberdeen Station, you will need to continue your journey by bus or car to Balmoral Castle. You can take a Stagecoach North Scotland bus from Nellfield Cemetery in Aberdeen to Ballater for £10 to 14. This trip will take around 1 hour and 28 minutes. 

Alternatively, a cab will get you there in only 56 minutes but will cost around £100 to 130. Book from Westhill Taxis, Rainbow City Taxis, or Aberdeen Taxi. Make sure to agree on a set price before the start of the journey so that you won’t have to deal with negotiations afterwards.

BEST TRAIN DEALS!

If you are looking to travel by train for your upcoming trip, I recommend searching for the best train fares with Omio. They are a one-stop shop for trains, buses, flights, and ferries so you can get the best travel deals that suit your budget and schedule.

OPTION 2: How to get from London to Balmoral Castle by Coach

• Travel Duration: about 12 hours and 45 minutes
• Travel Fare: from £27

Getting to Balmoral Castle by bus is not an easy feat, but it is totally doable. Just make sure you know what you are signing up for – and that means at least five bus rides from London in order to get there.

The start of your journey will be in London, Victoria Coach Station. Book a bus ticket from Omio for the London to Aberdeen route. It will offer you trips that stop at Aberdeen, Guild Street, with one required transfer at Glasgow, Buchanan Bus Station.

For this leg of the journey, this is what it looks like:

Coach from London to Aberdeen

Here is one sample route which you will have to take:

1. Ride a bus from London Victoria Coach Station. Transfer once you reach Glasgow Buchanan Bus Station. Stop at Aberdeen Bus Station.
2. Change to 201 Bus from Union Square Bus Station to Banchory
3. Change to 201 Bus from Banchory to Ballater
4. Change to 201 Bus from Ballater to Braemar, stopping at Crathie, Balmoral Road End bus stop.

Alternatively, you can also catch a bus from London going to Pitlochry or Aviemore. From there, you can take a taxi to Balmoral Castle.

BEST COACH / BUS DEALS!

If you are planning to travel via coach or bus for your upcoming UK trip, I recommend searching for the best coach or bus fare deals with OMIO. They have a great network of coach or bus services across the four corners of the UK.

OPTION 3: How to get from London to Balmoral Castle by Car

• Travel Duration: about 9 hours and 2 minutes
• Travel Fare: from £24.70

If you prefer to drive and travel at your own pace, you can rent a car in London via Discover Cars and take the A90 or M90 motorways north to Aberdeen and then continue on the A93 towards Balmoral Castle. The drive will take approximately 8 to 9 hours, depending on traffic and stops along the way. Below are some of the vehicles you can rent:

This option is great for those travelling as a group and would like to have privacy as they get from London to Balmoral Castle. Having your own rental car also gives you the chance to extend your itinerary to cover additional tourist spots which are within the area.

If you are keen to drive on your own, make sure to read my tips for first-time drivers in the UK. Furthermore, be prepared for a long drive as this journey takes at least nine hours to complete. It is essential to make rest stops along the way as deemed necessary.

Time your driving wisely, too, in order for you to be in line with the timings of the Balmoral Castle. Research on the parking areas near the castle beforehand so your journey will be smooth.

BEST CAR RENTAL DEALS!

If you are planning to book a car rental for your upcoming trip. I recommend searching for the best car rental deals with Discover Cars. They have various options that suit your budget.

OPTION 4: How to get from London to Balmoral Castle by Flight

• Travel Duration: about 1 hour and 30 minutes
• Travel Fare: from £30

Many travellers still prefer flying over full-on land transportation, and if you are one of them, it is actually possible to get from London to Balmoral Castle by flight and then by another mode of transport after landing.

You can book a flight from London to Aberdeen, which is the nearest major airport to Balmoral Castle. Airlines like British Airways and EasyJet operate flights between London (Heathrow, Gatwick, or London City Airport) and Aberdeen. 

Here are sample bookings which you can conveniently book through Skyscanner:

Flights from London to Aberdeen

What’s good with Skyscanner is that it gives you the greatest deals from different airlines all in one place. Make sure to secure your ticket in advance so you don’t miss out on the exclusive offers.

Once you arrive at Aberdeen Airport, you can rent a car or take a train or bus to reach Balmoral Castle. This leg will take another one hour, at least, so take that into consideration while planning. 

While taking a bus will be your best bet if you are trying to save some pocket money, this would require you to take at least two bus rides before reaching Balmoral Castle. It will cost you about £15 for this mode.

Alternatively, you can take a taxi from the airport to Balmoral Castle. This will be quite expensive, though, with rates ranging from £100 to 130.

BEST FLIGHT DEALS!

I love good flight deals! If you are looking for the best airline fares for your vacation, I recommend searching for the latest deals on Skyscanner. They will show the best comparison flight deals between airlines that will suit your budget and schedule.

OPTION 5: How to get from London to Balmoral Castle by Tour

• Travel Duration: about 7 hours and 30 minutes from Aberdeen
• Travel Fare: from £70

If you wish to have most of the planning cut out for you, you can book a tour with Get Your Guide and have your transport and itinerary all laid out. All that is required of you is to take that train from London to Aberdeen so that you can meet the group at the meetup point next to the William Wallace Statue at the Union Terrace Gardens on Rosemount Viaduct.

For your reference, you can check out the sample timetable for London and Aberdeen in this article’s Option 1. As this part of the trip takes at least 9 hours to complete, it is wise to give at least three days for your London to Balmoral Castle escapade: one to spend going to Aberdeen, one to spend on the tour itself, and another one to reach London from Aberdeen.

This sample tour takes you not only to Balmoral Castle but also to the following tourist destinations:

• Village of Ballater
• Cambus O’May Suspension Bridge
• Tomnavarie Stone Circle
• Migvie Kirk and Pictish Carved Stone
• The Queen’s View

This Get Your Guide tour includes roundtrip transportation to Aberdeen and a tour guide to help you make the most out of your journey. Lunch, refreshments and entrance fees are not yet included in the published rate, so make sure to allot enough budget for these.

More About Balmoral Castle

• Want to know exactly where Balmoral Castle is located? Check that out in this article where I highlighted the castle’s location including some interesting stories that surround it! 
• You can also get to Balmoral Castle from Edinburgh. You can reach Balmoral Castle from Edinburgh by train, bus, car or tour. Find out more on the different ways to get there in this article that I wrote. 
• Balmoral Castle is definitely one of the most beautiful palaces and castles in Scotland that are worth visiting. Other places that made it to my list include Edinburgh Castle, the Holyrood Palace, and the Hermitage Castle.
• A journey to the Balmoral Castle and Estates is one of the best day trips you can take from Glasgow. Did you know? Before she passed away, Queen Elizabeth II made the yearly pilgrimage to Scotland’s north at the end of each summer to spend several weeks on vacation at Balmoral Castle.
• Explore the estate and its attractions through Get Your Guide, which has all the best tour packages for Balmoral Castle!

FAQs on How to Get from London to Balmoral Castle

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