Trains from East Midlands Airport
With flights to many European destinations, including the Canary Islands, East Midlands Airport has become a popular choice for travellers from both Britain’s East Midlands and further afield. Many travellers choose to take the train there, to save on both money and time.
The airport is located between Leicester, Nottingham and Derby. Convenient 24/7 Skylink East Midlands Airport shuttle buses run from these three cities. All buses run every 20 minutes through the day and hourly through the night. Leicester, Nottingham and Derby lie at the heart of the East Midlands. These cities are well connected to the UK rail networks, which makes East Midlands Airport easily accessible via train.
Read on to learn more about buying train tickets, timetables and possible connections.
Trains from East Midlands Airport
If you’re flying into East Midlands Airport, then getting the train is one of the cheapest and most accessible ways of getting to locations around mainland UK. The airport is located between Leicester, Nottingham, and Derby. Convenient 24/7 Skylink East Midlands Airport shuttle buses provide direct access to all three of these cities. From each of them, it’s easy to get to the main towns and cities of mainland Britain, using the UK rail network.
Each of the shuttle buses run-up to every 20 minutes through the day and hourly through the night.
Read on to learn more about buying train tickets, timetables, and possible connections.
Travelling from East Midlands Airport
You can use Trainline to book cheap train tickets from Leicester, Nottingham, Derby or other stations to your chosen destination. This will save you money on taxis and airport parking, which means you can budget more for your holidays. To get the lowest prices, Trainline recommends you book long before your journey starts. National Railcards can help you save even more. An adult railcard gets you 1/3 off the fare and a kids’ railcard saves you 60%.
You can use the Skylink East Midlands Airport shuttle buses to get from East Midlands Airport to Leicester (via Long Eaton), Nottingham, and Derby stations. All shuttle buses run 24/7 at intervals of up to 20 minutes during the day and every hour at night.
Nottingham, Derby, and Leicester are all well connected to the mainland UK train network. This puts all the major towns and cities within easy reach of East Midlands airport. If you have a late flight or an early train the next morning, there’s a Jurys Inn hotel only a few minutes’ walk from the East Midlands Airport terminal.
Useful travel tips
We want to make travel easier for you, which is why we’ve compiled a selection of useful travel tips to help you on your way.
Off-peak fares
Learn more about peak and off-peak fares, and how they can affect the cost of your journey.
Seat reservations
Need information about seating? Read our guide to find out more about what's available.
Railcards
Want to see how much you could save by using a railcard? Read our handy guide on all the different railcards available.
Things to do around East Midlands Airport
All three of East Midland’s neighbouring cities: Derby, Leicester and Nottingham offer plenty to do. Although Derby’s Silk Mill is undergoing development, you can still see the 18th century building from across the River Derwent. Derby Cathedral also has England’s second highest perpendicular church tower, the oldest set of 10 bells in the world, and a nest of peregrine falcons.
On Grey Friars in Leicester, was the site of Richard III’s excavation in 2012. The King Richard III Visitor Centre explores the history of this nearby. He was reburied in 2015 within his tomb inside Leicester Cathedral. Leicester also houses the National Space Centre with Britain’s largest planetarium and the 42-metre high Rocket Tower containing space rockets.
In Nottingham, one of the major sites is the 17th century Nottingham Castle, made famous by the legends of Robin Hood. Underneath the castle runs a network of caves, for which guided tours run year-round. To the northwest and northeast of East Midlands Airport also lies the Peak District and Lincolnshire Wolds respectively, two areas of outstanding natural beauty.