My 90-day allowance in the Schengen Zone was running out. I travelled from Warsaw to London on Flixbus.
Cheapest way to get from Warsaw to London
I say it’s the cheapest because all the ‘great deals’ that come up on Google Search involving flying don’t exist. By the time you’ve added the taxes, the baggage fees, they are just a false economy.
I’d had a blast in Warsaw, backpacking the Stare Miasto, the Nowe Miasto and then with Jonny Blair, the Osiedle Przyjazn neighbourhood and The Cool Globes.
August, and flights out of Warsaw are expensive. My buddy Paul, who you can always count on to find you the cheapest deal ever, suggested going back to London on a bus.
This meant no lengthy waits at Warsaw Airport, no hidden fees with bags associated with all airlines these days, unless you travel with only a toothbrush.
Though the downside of Warsaw to London is the time it takes to complete the journey, hey, I had never taken a bus out of London to another country or returned by bus. Yes, I have used the ferry and the Eurostar, but there was something cool about the idea of doing the journey by bus..
Could I handle the 27 hours? I can handle the lack of sleep, but the jumping legs are an issue because they stop me from sleeping when I could be.
Scrolling through the results on Flixbus, they weren’t too encouraging, but there among all the departures was a bus which, with seat selection and booking fee, amounted to £59.98.
5 pm departure, 7.30 pm arrival at London Victoria. I booked it.
Screenshot of the ticket with price:
£59.98 for 1700 km, including the ferry, which, if you bought it alone, would cost you more than the whole trip put together. People had loads of bags, no one cared! I had a day bag and an 8 kg bag that is 50 cm, so I would have to pay extra on the cheap airlines when the bag size is just 40 cm
Flixbus services currently leave from the Warsaw, Bus Station West, Dworzec Autobusowy, Warszawa Zachodnia:
6th from the bottom is the bus to London:
Trip Report: Warsaw to London
So the trip went ok. But it’s a long way, 1700km or so. Mental.
The bus left on time.
At the border between Poland and Germany, you will have your documents checked. The German Border Police board the bus.
We lost 45 minutes here because two Ukrainians didn’t have the correct documents.
The planned stops were NOT taken. We stopped to fill up with gas, just once, then just made quick stops at Lodz, Berlin, Hanover, Bielefeld, Duisburg, Eindhoven and Antwerp.
So, make sure you have enough water and snacks to sustain you for 21 hours until you reach the ferry in Calais.
The air con is set to COLD, so make sure you have your jacket and a hat with you.
And then near Gent, we got stuck in traffic, so we missed the 14.30 ferry and got rescheduled for the 16.30 instead.
You get a free meal voucher.
And despite taking the later ferry, arrival at the Victoria bus station was at 19:45, just 15 minutes over the scheduled time.
On board the Flixbus, Warsaw to London:
Waiting in Calais:
First coffee of the day:
The free food voucher for Fish ‘n’ chips and peas:
The sunglasses hide the exhausted Nomadic Backpacker:
A welcome sight? Was just pleased that bus ride was soon to be over:
Arrival is at the Victoria Coach Station, from where it’s a short walk to the Victoria Underground station. I then made the short journey to my hostel, the Palmers Lodge Swiss Cottage.