Heading to Britain from Victoria Coach Station

Let’s the British adventure begin. During my last trip to UK, I tried not only to see a lot of destinations outside the capital city, but also to use various ways of transportation across the country. Mission accomplished: I’ve been not only with the National Express – that I used regularly before from and to Stansted airport, but also with a couple of regional train networks, including the out-of-time Heart of Wales railway line. I am a big fan of the train trips across the countryside as it allows me to observe at length the people and places.Victoria Coach Station is situated a couple of minutes away from the Victoria tube station, on Buckingham Palace Road. Commuting from a station to another may take longer if you carry a big luggage, especially due the construction works around. The building is easily identified: an Art Deco Style construction, that since its 1932 inauguration, suffered minor changes. A bit of refurbishing was done in 1993, but without changing fundamentally the initial plans of the architects from Wallis, Gilbert and Partners. The same architects designed several art deco buildings in London and elsewhere, among which the Wrigley’s Factory in Wembley and the Solex Factory on Marylebone Road.Since the 1932 inauguration, the station operated continuously, including during the WWII. It remains the largest and the most important connection point in London, heading to around 1,200 destinations in UK and around 400 in Europe. All round the year, the buses are ready to go from the 21 departure gates. The bus stations are always a good occasion to know more about the local diversity. For the simple travellers only stopping in London for a couple of hours, there are good news: it is possible to leave your luggage here and take a tour of the city. Other stations I’ve been too – such as Bicester and Oxford, don’t and thus one needs to be brave enough to carry the big luggages overall. Inside the station there are various small shops for newspapers or take away coffee, but also bureaux de change.