How To Reach Chester

A walled city in Cheshire, northwest of England, Chester borders Wales on the River Dee. Set as a Roman citadel in the first century A.D, Chester is renowned for its far-reaching fortifications that are made of red sandstone. Each aspect of this ancient city is captivating and reflects deep in the core of it. With its largest Amphitheatre from the Roman lineage, the oldest racecourse and a 1000-year-old Church with some of Europe’s finest ancient engravings, in addition to the row galleries which are nearly 700 years old, Chester has a picture perfect past filled with unique antique treasures and a colorfully bright café culture. Here's a snapshot of some of the best ways to reach Chester.

It takes roughly 13½ hours to travel to Chester from India, and flight operators like KLM, Air France, Etihad, Lufthansa, Air India and British Airways operate on the route. The fastest and best way to reach Chester is to fly to Birmingham with a direct flight that takes about 8½ hours from New Delhi. On arrival at Birmingham International Airport, there’s a train that leaves for Chester every half hour for Crewe and then onward to Chester. The total duration for the train journey is approx. an hour and fifty minutes.

Another flight alternative would be to take a flight to Manchester Airport which is about 11 hours plus and then board a train from Manchester to Crew to Chester, which takes about an hour.

The train journey from Birmingham to Chester takes about 1 hour 50 minutes. A train leaves for Crewe every 20 minutes from Birmingham New Street and takes an hour and 12 minutes. From Crewe, Chester is roughly 19 minutes and there’s a train every 30 minutes. The train fare costs INR 2,300-6,500. There are 2 train operators that function on this route, including Virgin West Coast Trains and Arriva Trains Wales.

Another alternative to reaching Chester from Birmingham is to drive down 130 km/ 1.3 hours. The fuel cost in addition to the car rental costs roughly INR 1,200-1,900. You can also take a bus from Birmingham Coach Station to Chester, operated by National Express that has a bus leaving twice a day at an estimated fare of INR 1,300-1,800. The bus journey takes an hour and 50 minutes.

Most of Chester is closed for traffic between 10.30 am and 4.30pm, hence the best way to get around the city is on foot, with most attractions being near the wall; and to visit the zoo or the aquarium, there are ample buses plying.