Getting Around Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton sits in the West Midlands, north-west of Birmingham, and its compact centre makes it a straightforward city to navigate. Visitors generally rely on a mix of walking, buses, and the light rail network, with the railway station anchoring the main arrival point. The suburbs are easily accessible by an excellent network of buses and, south of the city centre, by trams.
By Train
Wolverhampton railway station is the city's main rail gateway and sits on the West Coast Mainline. That means frequent and regular services to London Euston, the North West and Scotland, as well as to the South West and Wales. Services to Birmingham New Street, one of the UK's largest rail interchanges, run approximately every ten minutes, making Birmingham an easy onward connection.
Trams and the Metro
The West Midlands Metro provides very regular and frequent trams. They start at Wolverhampton St George's tram stop on Bilston Street, very close to the main shopping area on Dudley Street. From there the line passes via Bilston, Wednesbury, West Bromwich and Sandwell, terminating at Birmingham's New Street Station. The western terminus of the West Midlands Metro network is located in Wolverhampton, so the city is the natural starting point for a tram journey into the Black Country and on to Birmingham. There are plans to extend the network to Edgbaston and throughout the Black Country.
Buses and Coaches
Bus services originate from the city's bus station, near the railway station. There are regular and frequent services to all parts of the city, although many services stop at around 11PM, so plan evening journeys with that in mind. Buses from Wolverhampton also travel to the towns of the Black Country, including Dudley, Sandwell, West Bromwich and Walsall, and to Birmingham, although the journey by road can be quite long.
For longer-distance travel, GorillaBus operates low-cost intercity services to Liverpool, Stoke, East Midlands Airport, Nottingham and Yorkshire from Faulkland Crescent Coach Station.
Tickets and Passes
You can save a lot of money by buying day tickets if you intend to do a lot of travelling in one day. Transport for West Midlands provides a guide to help you find the best value ticket, which is worth checking before you commit to a pass.
Walking
The city centre is compact, and the main shopping area on Dudley Street sits close to both the railway station and the Wolverhampton St George's tram stop, so key destinations are within easy walking distance of one another. For those who prefer two wheels, Wolverhampton is on the Smethwick to Telford section of Sustrans National Cycle Network Route 81, which follows the Birmingham Main Line Canal towpath. At Broad Street Basin the route splits: one option follows the 21 locks section of the Birmingham Main Line Canal to Aldersley Junction, while the other takes the Cross-City route to visit the city centre, West Park or the Smestow Valley Leisure Ride before returning to Aldersley Junction. NCN81 continues to Autherley Junction along the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal and then along the Shropshire Union Canal towards Pendeford Mill Lane before turning to Bilbrook in Staffordshire.
Getting There from the Airport
Wolverhampton Airport is small. Most scheduled flights arrive at Birmingham Airport (BHX), which can be reached in 30 minutes by direct train. That direct rail link makes Birmingham Airport the practical choice for most visitors flying into the region.