Airports Close to the Glastonbury Festival

by Jessica

April 8th, 2010

glastonbury3 Super-planners will note that the official Glastonbury Festival website gives you the name of the airport that’s closest to the festival grounds – but what the official site doesn’t tell you is what other airports are in the area that you might consider flying into as well.

There are several ways to save money when you’re booking airfare, and one of the best tips is to look at all area airports rather than limiting yourself to just one – so it’s important to know which airports are reasonably close to the Glastonbury Festival site. In this article we’ll look at which airports are nearby, and which other airports might be options to consider even if they’re not as close to the festival grounds.

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Bristol International Airport

The airport recommended on the Glastonbury Festival website is the Bristol International Airport (BRS), which is less than an hour’s drive from the festival location. There are two budget airlines that fly into Bristol – easyJet and Ryanair – so that makes finding cheap flights to Bristol easier, but festival-goers coming from across the Atlantic aren’t left out entirely. Continental Airlines has regular flights to Bristol from Newark Airport (EWR).

The festival runs shuttles from the Bristol Airport to the festival grounds, making the trip back and forth easy. But there are official festival shuttles from one other England airport, and from two train stations near the festival – so you don’t have to fly to Bristol if you find a better deal on airfare elsewhere.

Exeter International Airport

Although Exeter International Airport (EXT) is smaller than Bristol’s airport, it’s less than 1.5 hours by car from the festival site. So if you find cheap flights to Exeter you can easily rent a car at the Exeter airport and drive the rest of the way – or take a train to either the Bristol or Castle Cary stations, where there are buses running to and from the festival.

If you’re looking for a cheap fare to Exeter from within Europe, check low-cost carrier Flybe, which operates flights in and out of Exeter.

Cardiff Airport

The city of Cardiff in Wales lies across the water from Bristol, and Cardiff Airport (CWL) is a major hub for the discount carrier bmibaby. Other airlines that have regular flights in and out of the Welsh capital are Flybe, Aer Lingus Regional, and Thomson Airways.

The trip from Cardiff’s airport to the festival site is roughly two hours by car, and if you’d prefer to continue your journey by rail there’s a free shuttle bus from the airport to the nearby train station.

London Airports

For anyone who’s already in Europe – or already in England – the idea of flying to London to go to a music festival near Glastonbury may seem crazy (especially if you’re then planning to drive the rest of the way). But the truth is that if you’re coming from outside Europe, your choices for airports to fly into without paying an incredibly high fare are pretty limited. And since there are a few airports in London, it’s worth looking to see if you can find cheap flights to London – heck, it could even be a good excuse to extend your trip and spend a few days in London before you head to the festival.

London Heathrow Airport (LHR) is the largest and busiest airport in the country, and a major international gateway for England. Unfortunately, it’s also not terribly popular with budget airlines, so fares into Heathrow aren’t always the lowest. There are two other major international airports in London, however, so you have options.

Gatwick Airport (LGW) is fairly popular as an entry point from the United States, and also has regular service from budget carriers easyJet, Thomson Airways, and Thomas Cook (among others). Stansted Airport (STN) is even more popular with budget carriers, with regular service from Ryanair, easyJet, Air Berlin, and Wizz Air. If your goal is to get to your London airport and then hop on a short flight to Bristol, Gatwick and Stansted are your best bets because easyJet and Ryanair both fly into Bristol.

If you’re planning to drive from the airport to the festival, the rough drive times – not counting any traffic delays or wrong turns, of course – are: