With a BritRail South West Pass travel throughout Great Britain’s charming Southwest region to popular destinations including: London, Bath, Oxford, Windsor Castle, Salisbury Cathedral, King Arthur’s round table in Winchester and any stop in between. Also, the Southwest coast boasts beautiful seaside resorts and picturesque waterfront towns such as: Torquay, Dawlish, Teignmouth, Bournemouth, Portsmouth, St. Ives, Exeter, Plymouth and Penzance. How does a scenic ride through Cornwall and Devon sound?
Valid for travel in South West England, defined below with Flexible or Consecutive durations. You can hop on and off the trains as you please!
Available Classes
You can choose between First and Standard Class. First Class offers more space and comfort and is mostly less busy.
Please note: First Class is not offered on all services. Local and regional services often only have Standard Class accommodation.
Seat Reservations
Seat Reservations are never mandatory in Britain but we do recommend them at peak times.
The BritRail South West Pass covers most mainline and branch line carriages operated by First Great Western, South West Trains and Heathrow Express trains. Check the detailed south west map
You can buy a BritRail pass if you are not a UK resident.
Customers can select a first date of travel that is up to 11 months from the purchase date.
*Please note that discounts cannot be coupled with other discounts, only one discount per pass
The BritRail South West Pass cannot be used to travel on the following routes: any train west of Swansea; any train between Gloucester and Newport via Chepstow; First Western’s Night Riviera sleeper service, unless a berth has been purchased in addition to the BritRail South West Pass; any train services east of Portsmouth, even if this route is operated by First Great Western; any route in South Wales other than the Newport – Cardiff – Swansea mainline; any service operated by Arriva Cross Country, Arriva Trains Wales, Chiltern, Southern, First Capital Connect, Southeastern or London Midland. [SEE LIST OF INCLUDED CITIES].
Some trains in Great Britain do not have 1st class accommodations. The price of First class passes has been adjusted to reflect this.
Enjoy unlimited train trips on each travel day and the ability to hop on and off trains en route.
If a paper pass is selected, this pass is printed on official railway ticket paper that will be shipped to you. You can select from the available shipping options during checkout. Please allow sufficient time to receive your pass before your departure.
If an M-Pass is selected, an email with an activation link will be sent. When you are ready to use the M-Pass, click the link to select your first day of use or travel dates. After you have completed the check-in, you will be able to download your M-Pass.
Seat Reservations are never mandatory in Britain but we do recommend them at peak times.
Reserve a seat.
Note: Passengers who wish to upgrade a Standard Class BritRail Pass to First Class will need to pay the difference in excess between the Standard and First Class Ordinary Fare for the leg of the journey that has not been taken. This may be paid at the ticket office before boarding the train or to the ticket inspector on the train.
Please see our Terms and Conditions for Refund Rules regarding Rail Strikes.
4.44out of5Value  5.00 User Friendliness  4.00 Experience 4.00 Comfort 5.00 Service 4.00 | Jacob YJune 05, 2023 Worth the spend and very convenient. The flexi pass saved me a lot of money compared to the tickets. Thoroughly enjoyed my time and was satisfied by the end of the trip!
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Value 5.00 User Friendliness  1.00 Experience  3.00 Comfort 4.00 Service 4.00 | John / TorontoApril 04, 2022 I used a mobile phone pass in September 2021. The pass only scanned if checked by an onboard conductor. It almost never scanned at a station gate, which meant its advantage of not having to find a human to gain access to the platform was a waste of time. The gate-keepers were generally aware of this failure and were resigned to it. No-one could tell me the cause of the fault or if/when it was going to be rectified.
You have been warned.
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Value 5.00 User Friendliness 4.00 Experience 5.00 Comfort 3.00 Service 4.00 | Elizabeth CNovember 21, 2019 We bought a 4-day consecutive use pass (purchased while we were in the US), which offered us a lot of flexibility. Overall, the experience of taking the train was FANTASTIC -- no driving worries, no navigating through narrow streets, no parking hassles. We found it to be worry-free, with lots of schedule options. Special care should be taken to understand the different train lines as you head toward the far south of Devon -- your pass won't get you around this area. Wi-Fi connectivity comes and goes and is obviously stronger in high-population areas. The seats were mostly comfortable, most of the time plentiful (except for one leg from Bath to Newton Abbot, I think, that many people had to stand), all had charging plugs, and safety was not a concern. We would definitely travel like this again. Bon Voyage!
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Value 5.00 User Friendliness 5.00 Experience 5.00 Comfort 5.00 Service 5.00 | dgwinston@gmail.comSeptember 26, 2019 We saved about 50% on the price of First Class fare for three adults. Bought the “3 Days in 30” BritRail pass and couldn’t have been more satisfied. The pass came from ACP right on schedule, and that was a lifesaver, because you can’t purchase online directly from BritRail unless you have a UK bank issued credit card. A US bank issued card, even though it’s Visa or M/C, will not work for purchasing directly from BritRail. ACP also took care of our advance seat reservations (for $10/person - well worth it).
Most Brits don’t bother with reservations in First Class - they just hop on, expecting there will be a seat. But we were boarding the train immediately after an overnight flight of 13 hours, so we wanted to make sure we had seats together, and at a four seat table. For our other rides (we actually took four trips, not three, as we squeezed in a round trip to Newbury - and no one ever checked our pass after it was validated), we just did the Brit-style hop on and there was always plenty of available seating in First Class.
Not having actual tickets to swipe at the entrance and exit gates in the stations was never an issue - there was always an attendant nearby who swiped us in after a glance at the BritRail pass - it’s like a Golden Ticket!
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Value 4.00 User Friendliness 4.00 Experience 4.00 Comfort 3.00 Service 4.00 | Bris nashSeptember 07, 2018 More luggage area required & more leg room between seats, population getting talller!!!! Trains were on time, office staff friendly & helpful. Share this review: |
Value 4.00 User Friendliness 4.00 Experience 4.00 Comfort 4.00 Service 4.00 | AnnAugust 03, 2018 Overall, I would highly recommend train travel and Brit Rail passes for touring England. Use of the application to see train schedules, gate info and other info was extremely handy. WiFi connectivity on different trains was a bit variable but functional. Trains were punctual and staff helpful and friendly. Access to outlets for charging devices was also dependent on the age of train you happen to get. The train that we took from Gloucester to London was the most modern, clean, comfortable and accommodating. Even the toilets were relatively clean!
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Value 5.00 User Friendliness 5.00 Experience 5.00 Comfort 5.00 Service 5.00 | The Examined LifeJuly 27, 2018 These rail passes can't be beaten for convenience, flexibility, and value for money. I've used the Flexi Pass in England several times and it's been a great experience. At the U.S. end, I've found the information on this web site to be accurate and complete, and the actual pass has been delivered into my hands very quickly. When traveling in England, most of the time I only have to show the pass envelope to the station staff or conductor, and I'm good to go. I've never had a problem getting a seat in the 1st Class carriages and the free tea-coffee-snack trolley is a bonus. You do have to get the pass stamped at a station ticket office before your first ride, and you should fill in the dates of usage in the provided places on the pass in case you run across someone who's a stickler for the rules. I highly recommend this to you.
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Value 5.00 User Friendliness 5.00 Experience 5.00 Comfort 4.00 Service 5.00 | BrianJuly 25, 2018 Good value, easy to use, saves the headache of buying a ticket each time. Railway staff facilitate getting through the turnstiles. Important though to get your pass validated by the info desk or ticket counter staff before getting on your first train.
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Value 4.00 User Friendliness 5.00 Experience 4.00 Comfort 4.00 Service 5.00 | Eric and FlorenceJune 30, 2018 We really enjoyed the 'freedom' of having a Brit Rail pass. We didn't need to commit way in advance to particular times and destinations. Once we were in the U.K., though, and knew what we'd need, we were able to make reservations for most trips at one of the offices located in major tube stations in London. Sometimes trains were crowded and reservations went by the wayside, but that was okay. The reservation system is a bit hit-and-miss. Travellers should be aware that if they reserve for a table, they may have to share (two seats facing two seats) if the train is crowded. But other times it's great -- you can spread out a bit and write postcards!
It's hard to determine value because train trip prices vary. Our passes, for 8 non-consecutive days over one month, cost $775 Cdn for two seniors. We used just seven days. We really liked the convenience of just showing our passes and not having to bother with purchasing tickets.
Our feeling overall was positive -- one less thing to worry about while getting from place to place.
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Value 4.00 User Friendliness 4.00 Experience 4.00 Comfort 5.00 Service 4.00 | Elizabeth AndradeJune 25, 2018 I enjoyed my trip to Bath, Truro and London. taking Britrail was most comfortable and convenient. The fares are lower when taking for 3 or more trips. I bought it in the US and in London just checked for the first trip and after that just showed the ticket in each train. What is best is the punctuality, you know they come and go right "on Time" It was a great experience and I will always use Britrail when I travel in the UK !! First class was so comfortable and not crowed at all, plus have complementary beverages and snacks. Just wish they had more and better selection of snacks, which will improve the service !! Share this review: |
