Hack Your Commute: Our Exeter Travel Guide

Luke M. Williams

Two campuses with only a mile and a small hill between them. That is the simple commute Exeter students benefit from when living in the city. The University of Exeter teaches from both Streatham Campus, just outside the city walls, and St Luke’s Campus on Heavitree Road, where medicine, health and nursing students spend most of their week. Sort out which one you will see more of, and the rest of this decision gets a lot simpler.

Hack Your Commute: Our Exeter Travel Guide

Which Campus Are You Studying At?

Streatham Campus is located at Northcote House, 15 minutes on foot from the city centre and 10 minutes from the train station. St. Luke’s, on the other hand, is a similar 15-minute walk from the city centre, but in a different direction. Only a little over a mile separates the two campuses, and you can walk between them in just over half an hour. This is enough of a journey to make most students opt for public transport.

What’s the Fastest Way Around Exeter?

The most commonly used bus routes are Stagecoach’s Line 4 and Line 4A. These routes connect St David’s station to Streatham, the city centre and St. Luke’s, before pushing on to Cranbrook or the airport. Buses arrive every 10 to 15 minutes on weekdays, though they can be less frequent at the weekend. A new timetable launched earlier this year also helped shorten journey times around Exeter by about 10 minutes. Alternatively, the H bus runs every 30 minutes and takes you to the hospital on its way to St Luke’s and the city centre.

Can You Just Ride a Bike?

Plenty of students do, and the university has encouraged it by improving its infrastructure around it. Locked bike storage is in place at both campuses and can only be accessed via a code received from the Campus Service Helpdesk. If you’re having issues with your bike, you’ll find several free repair stations around the city (Amory Building, Geoffrey Pope, St Luke’s and the RILD Building). You can also use the CycleStreets app to plot traffic-free routes along most of the Exeter region, helping keep you safe on your morning commute.

Is Your Exeter Student Accommodation Close By?

Yes, each of Homes for Students’ Exeter student accommodation options is close to campus and easily accessible by public transport. Atlas House sits directly opposite St Luke’s campus, less than five minutes walk away from your lectures and only a few more minutes into the city. The Printworks is also a short walk into the city, and is very close to Exeter Central station, suiting students who want to travel further afield on their days off. Iron Bridge Studios meanwhile, puts you steps away from the shops and still less than 20 minutes from St Luke’s and a short journey to Streatham.

Bonus Exeter Travel Tips

  • Buy a Stagecoach Termrider pass before freshers’ week
  • Travelling by train already? Add a PlusBus ticket to the fare. City buses are capped at £4.30 a day either way.
  • Devon’s £3 single fare cap only remains in place until the end of 2026, so it is worth checking whether a single fare beats a weekly pass before you commit to one.

Most students pick a flat first and work out the walk later. Be the student who does it the other way around and explore our range of student accommodation in Exeter to get your journey off to a flying start.

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