Exeter: how to get there and around
Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.
Exeter is a city of 130,709 people in United Kingdom (England), 46 m (151 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is Cardiff International Airport (CWL), 76 km (47 mi) from the centre.
Key facts
Daylight in Exeter runs from about 8 h 2 min a day in late December to 16 h 34 min in late June (computed for 50.72° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
Exeter is served by 3 airports with scheduled flights within 100 km. The closest large one is Cardiff International Airport (CWL), 76 km (47 mi) from the centre, with a longest runway of 7,723 ft, which limits it to short and medium-haul aircraft. The alternatives are Bristol Airport (BRS, 93 km), Exeter International Airport (EXT, 8 km).
Flights to Exeter: every airport, routes and times
Buses to Exeter · Driving and car hire
What people come for
| Sight | Visitors a year | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery | 340,000 | 2012 |
The busiest is Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery at 340,000 visitors in 2012. Figures are the latest each site has published, so they are not all for the same year.
Tours, tickets and day trips from Exeter
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- London, 253 km — flights · buses · car rental · tours
- Birmingham, 225 km — flights · tours
- Dublin, 345 km (Ireland) — flights
- Manchester, 319 km
- Sheffield, 328 km
- Leeds, 367 km
- Liverpool, 301 km
- Bristol, 104 km — buses · car rental · tours
- Cardiff, 88 km — buses · car rental · tours
- Leicester, 269 km — tours
Twin towns and sister cities: Bad Homburg vor der Höhe, Rennes, Terracina, Yaroslavl.
Common questions
Which airport serves Exeter?
Cardiff International Airport (CWL), 76 km (47 mi) from the centre, plus 2 other airports with scheduled flights within 100 km.
How big is Exeter?
About 130,709 people live in Exeter, across 27 km² (GeoNames and Wikidata).
What time zone is Exeter in?
Europe/London, currently UTC+1.
What currency is used in Exeter?
The Pound (GBP). Traffic drives on the left.
Which cities are near Exeter?
London (253 km), Birmingham (225 km), Dublin (345 km), Manchester (319 km), Sheffield (328 km).
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 13 September 2026. Hotel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.