Two London stations have quick trains to Hastings. From London Bridge, Southeastern runs direct, taking about 1h 35m on a typical run and 1h 23m on the quickest, with nine stops on the way. On the weekday timetable we checked, these left roughly every half hour from 06:06 to 21:54, at 24 and 54 minutes past for most of the day. If London Bridge is easy for you to reach, this is the simplest way: one train and no change.
The second option starts at London St Pancras. A Southeastern train reaches Ashford International in about 38 minutes, and a Southern train takes about 46 minutes from there to Hastings, making the whole trip about 1h 30m. That is a few minutes quicker than the London Bridge train on a typical run, and the service ran later as well, about hourly from 06:37 until 22:40.
The catch is the connection at Ashford International. With 84 minutes on the two trains inside a 90-minute journey, there are only about six minutes to change, and missing the Southern train means waiting for the next one, which runs hourly. If you would rather not depend on a six-minute change, the direct train from London Bridge costs only about five minutes more on a typical run.
Southern also runs direct trains from London Victoria, five on the weekday list, at 05:34, 06:46, 13:54, 21:54 and 22:46, and with 17 stops they take about 2h 09m. The planner also returned routes via Brighton, Hampden Park or Polegate, all taking two hours or more, so there is no reason to prefer any of these to the London Bridge or St Pancras trains. For a late start, the 21:54 is the last direct train from London Bridge, and the 22:40 from St Pancras via Ashford is the last of the quicker options on the weekday list; the 22:46 from Victoria leaves later still and reaches Hastings at about 00:55.
Hastings station is about 680 metres from Wellington Place, around nine minutes’ walk, whichever London terminus you started from.
Journey times and changes below come from the rail and bus timetables for Tuesday 1 December 2026. Weekend and holiday timetables differ, so check the day you travel.
From London Bridge on the weekday we checked: about every half hour between 06:06 and 21:54.
From London Victoria on the weekday we checked: 05:34, 06:46, 13:54, 21:54 and 22:46.
From London St Pancras on the weekday we checked: about hourly between 06:37 and 22:40.
By road it is about 73 miles from London to Hastings, mostly via the A21 — roughly 2h 3m with clear roads. Car parks in Hastings are listed on the Getting Here page.