FlixBus stop: London Victoria Coach Station

London Victoria Coach Station at a glance

Catching a FlixBus from central London? London Victoria Coach Station is the country's busiest coach terminal and its main hub for long-distance journeys, with 20 numbered gates serving around 15 domestic and international operators. The departures concourse is open daily for scheduled services, and it's worth arriving at least 15 minutes before your coach leaves. The terminal is run by Victoria Coach Station Ltd, part of Transport for London.

About London Victoria Coach Station

London Victoria Coach Station opened on 10 March 1932 and has been the country's main long-distance coach hub ever since. The terminal was commissioned by the London Coastal Coaches consortium and designed in Art Deco style by Wallis, Gilbert and Partners, the firm best known for the Hoover Factory in Perivale. The corner block on Buckingham Palace Road, with its tall fin tower, was given Grade II listed status by Historic England in 2014.

Operation passed through the Tilling Group, the National Bus Company and London Transport before transferring to Transport for London in 2000. The site occupies around 3.3 acres split across a departures terminal on Buckingham Palace Road and a smaller arrivals building across Elizabeth Street, and the longer-term future of the building forms part of the wider Victoria-area redevelopment discussion. Earlier proposals to relocate operations to Royal Oak were dropped in 2019.

How to get to London Victoria Coach Station

London Victoria Coach Station sits on Buckingham Palace Road, a short walk south-west of Victoria Underground and Victoria mainline station. The terminal is well served by Tube, London buses and licensed taxis, with options from most parts of central London.

By Underground

The closest Tube stop is Victoria, served by the Victoria, District and Circle lines. From the Underground ticket halls, follow signs for Buckingham Palace Road and walk south. London Victoria Coach Station sits roughly 300 metres south-west of the railway and Tube stations along Buckingham Palace Road, so the walk is short and clearly signposted.

By local bus

Multiple London Buses (TfL) routes call at stops on Buckingham Palace Road and adjacent streets within a short walk of the coach station, so there are options from across central London. Specific route numbers change from time to time, so check the live TfL bus map for the most direct route from where you are starting.

By taxi or drop-off

Black-cab and private-hire drop-off use the streets immediately around the coach station, primarily Elizabeth Street and Eccleston Place by the arrivals building, opposite the main departures entrance on Buckingham Palace Road. If you are being dropped off, this side of the terminal is usually quicker than waiting in the bus lanes on Buckingham Palace Road itself.

When you arrive at London Victoria Coach Station

The main departures entrance sits on Buckingham Palace Road, on the corner with Elizabeth Street, beneath the building's distinctive Art Deco fin tower. As you come in, you are inside the departures terminal: ticket sales, shops and the left-luggage office are all on the main concourse, and a separate, smaller arrivals building sits across Elizabeth Street and handles services pulling in.

Electronic departure screens are positioned above the entrance area inside the departures terminal, listing gate numbers and times for upcoming services. London Victoria Coach Station runs an airport-style gate system with 20 numbered departure gates arranged around the terminal, each with its own waiting bench area. Find your service on the screens, then settle in the main hall until your gate is called.

Facilities at London Victoria Coach Station

The departures terminal has the practical essentials for a coach journey close to hand: somewhere to wait, somewhere to leave a bag, and a choice of food and drink before you board.

Waiting areas and toilets

Seating is provided in the main hall of the departures terminal and at each numbered gate, so you can stay close to where your coach will board once boarding is called. Toilets are located inside the departures terminal, signposted from the main concourse.

Left luggage and lockers

A staffed left-luggage office operates inside the departures terminal, useful if you have arrived early in London and want to head out without your bags before your onward service. Opening hours and per-item rates are posted at the desk and tend to be shorter than the building's public access window, so check the schedule when you arrive.

Food, drink and shops

A small number of cafés and convenience kiosks sit inside the departures terminal for snacks and a drink before you board. For a wider choice of named chains, the Cardinal Place complex and Victoria mainline station are a short walk away, with plenty of grab-and-go options for the road. Elizabeth Street in Belgravia, on the other side of the coach station, is a quieter alternative for a sit-down meal.

Accessibility at London Victoria Coach Station

London Victoria Coach Station is described as wheelchair accessible, with step-free access into the main departures terminal directly from Buckingham Palace Road. Step-free routes connect the main concourse to the gate waiting areas inside the departures building, so you can move between the screens, the seating area and your numbered gate without stairs.

For boarding assistance with your FlixBus, please contact FlixBus customer service at least 36 hours before your scheduled departure so we can confirm the right help is in place for the day. The departures terminal is well lit and signposted, with seating across the main hall and at each gate if you would rather stay seated until your service is called. Service animals are welcome on board if you are travelling with a registered assistance dog.

Boarding your FlixBus from London Victoria Coach Station

Arrive at London Victoria Coach Station at least 15 minutes before your scheduled departure time. Once inside, check the bank of departure screens above the entrance area for your gate number, then watch for boarding to be called. FlixBus gate assignments are confirmed shortly before boarding rather than fixed in advance, so you won't find the gate number on your booking. Keep an eye on the screens.

Have two things ready: your booking confirmation (in the FlixBus app or as a printout) and valid photo ID. The driver checks both at the gate before you board.

Boarding usually opens 10 to 15 minutes before departure. Your ticket includes one small soft bag or backpack to keep with you in the cabin (up to 7 kg, fits under your seat or in the overhead), plus one larger check-in bag for the hold (up to 20 kg). Hand your check-in bag to the driver as you board, and they will stow it for you.

The numbered gates sit around the departures terminal, each with its own waiting bench. Head to your gate as soon as it appears on the screens.

What to expect on board your FlixBus

Once you are settled in, FlixBus coaches come with reclining seats, free Wi-Fi (signal permitting) and a power socket at every row, so you can keep working, watching or scrolling for the journey. Every coach has a toilet on board.

Peckish? London Victoria Coach Station sits next to plenty of places to grab a sandwich, snacks or a drink before you board, with a wider choice inside Victoria mainline station and the Cardinal Place complex a short walk away. Picking up something packed for the road tends to beat motorway-service prices once you are on your way. Capped drinks are welcome on board.

If you want to follow your trip in real time, open the FlixBus app. You can see exactly where you are along the route and when your stop is coming up. Handy if you've got a friend collecting you, a connection to make later in the day, or you just want to know how much longer until you arrive.

Things to do near London Victoria Coach Station

If your coach is not for a couple of hours, or you have just arrived in London and want to stretch your legs, there is plenty within walking distance of the terminal.

Westminster Cathedral is a short walk via Victoria Street and is free to enter; its red-brick Byzantine interior is one of the more distinctive religious buildings in central London. Buckingham Palace is a short walk through Green Park and St James's, a good loop if you have got an hour or two before your departure. Belgravia, with its grand white stucco terraces and quiet garden squares around Eaton Square and Belgrave Square, is a few blocks west, and Pimlico, closer to the river with a more relaxed neighbourhood feel, is a similar walk south.

For food and a sit-down, Cardinal Place off Victoria Street and Elizabeth Street in Belgravia both have a cluster of cafés and restaurants within walking distance. The wider Victoria area is also a major hotel cluster, so if you are staying overnight you have plenty of options close to the coach station.

Travel tips for London Victoria Coach Station

A few things that make London Victoria Coach Station easier to navigate:

• From Victoria Underground (Victoria, District and Circle lines), follow signs for Buckingham Palace Road and walk south. The coach station sits roughly 300 metres south-west of the railway and Tube stations and the route is clearly signposted.
• Arrive at least 15 minutes before departure and head to your gate as soon as it appears on the screens. Coaches will not wait once everyone listed has boarded, so do not leave it until the last moment.
• Arrivals use the smaller terminal on the opposite side of Elizabeth Street to the main departures building, so if you are meeting friends, agree which side you will use before travelling.
• There is no public car park on the coach station site itself. For drop-off, use the streets immediately around the building rather than waiting in the bus lanes on Buckingham Palace Road.