Reading: 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.
Reading is a city of 318,014 people in United Kingdom (England), 51 m (167 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is London Heathrow Airport (LHR), 35 km (22 mi) from the centre. It has 4 railway stations on record, including Tilehurst railway station.
Key facts
Daylight in Reading runs from about 7 h 54 min a day in late December to 16 h 42 min in late June (computed for 51.46° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
Reading is served by 6 airports with scheduled flights within 100 km. The closest large one is London Heathrow Airport (LHR), 35 km (22 mi) from the centre, whose 12,799-ft runway is long enough for long-haul wide-body aircraft. The alternatives are London Luton Airport (LTN, 62 km), London Gatwick Airport (LGW, 64 km), London Stansted Airport (STN, 96 km), Southampton Airport (SOU, 62 km), London City Airport (LCY, 71 km).
Flights to Reading: every airport, routes and times
By rail: stations on record include Tilehurst railway station, Reading West, Reading Green Park railway station, Reading Southern railway station. Trains to Reading
Buses to Reading · Driving and car hire
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- London, 59 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Paris, 374 km (France) — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- Birmingham, 131 km — tours
- Brussels, 377 km (Belgium) — flights
- Rotterdam, 379 km (The Netherlands) — flights
- Manchester, 241 km — tours
- Sheffield, 217 km — tours
- Leeds, 263 km — tours
- Antwerp, 374 km (Belgium)
- Liverpool, 256 km — tours
Twin towns and sister cities: Clonmel, Düsseldorf, San Francisco Libre.
Common questions
Which airport serves Reading?
London Heathrow Airport (LHR), 35 km (22 mi) from the centre, plus 5 other airports with scheduled flights within 100 km.
How big is Reading?
About 318,014 people live in Reading, across 40 km² (GeoNames and Wikidata).
What time zone is Reading in?
Europe/London, currently UTC+1.
What currency is used in Reading?
The Pound (GBP). Traffic drives on the left.
Which cities are near Reading?
London (59 km), Paris (374 km), Birmingham (131 km), Brussels (377 km), Rotterdam (379 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.