RT train ticket London to Manchester
 

Hi!

We'll be in London at the end of March. We want to make a one day round trip between London and Manchester (and then back to London, of course). I see tickets available through Virgin Trains. Is that the correct site for purchasing a train ticket? And do you know if you have to pick a seat or is it open seating on these trains?

First time in London. Thanks in advance!

If you're buying an advance ticket (which is almost certainly what you will want to do) then it'll reserve you a seat automatically. Virgin's site is fine, they don't charge any fees unlike certain other sites and if they're running any applicable special offers exclusive to their site then you'll see these (can't see any right now). Just make sure that the date showing is actually open for advance bookings, it should be by now.

Also consider going First class, at least one way. Advance First tickets can be good value and can be mixed with standard in the other direction.

Note that Advance can only be used on the particular train booked. As such what you might want to do is book an Advance (First if you like) for the outbound and an Off-Peak (standard class) for the inbound, which gives you the flexibility to take any train you want coming home. The Virgin website lets you do this - the Off-Peak element being calculated on a half round trip basis. You'd still get a seat reservation for a specific train coming home but if you decided on the day you wanted to leave MAN earlier or later you could do so without having to change your ticket - just get on any train.

Also are you going on a weekend? You'll want to keep an eye on the football fixture list as if there is a Man City or especially a Man Utd game on, in particular a lunchtime fixture, then expect the trains to be absolutely packed. You'll definitely want a seat reservation in that case.

Good Friday is the 30th March this year, and that's a public holiday in the UK, and school holidays will typically start at some point the previous week. The trains will be *very* busy. Definitely get a seat reservation, and definitely upgrade to 1st if you can!

Do book through Virgin Trains - they operate the trains, and won't charge you commission for booking.

The other advantage of Virgin (certainly on the East Coast routes) is that on many (maybe all?) mainline trains they allow you to select your own seat if you book through them - whereas most other operators simply assign you one.

I'm not familiar with the arrangements on the London-Manchester route specifically - perhaps someone with greater experience might help though.

Yes, Virgin West Coast will also now allow you to select your seat if you book through them. You also get the option of booking an e-ticket (print it out) or m-ticket (you need to install their app) which is also compatible with Apple wallet and the like, if your journey is 100% with them (which Euston-Manc is).

If it's the weekend, you can also upgrade onboard for £20 each way. The downside of this vs upgrading beforehand is that you don't get lounge access.

Thanks for all of the replies! :-) We have few public transport options where I live, so learning new systems when we travel is always a fun challenge.

The "off peak return" ticket costs £87, and is valid on every train on Good Friday. If you prefer flexibility (the ability to spend as much time or as little...) as you wish in Manchester, this is a good choice.
The "advance" fares are USUALLY cheaper than a flexible ticket but not always, so do bench mark them against the £87 flexible ticket. Remember that the "advance" ticket has so flexibility, booked train only.

What others haven't said, and may not be obvious, is that train ticket pricing is similar to airline prices. In other words, walk-up fares are extortionate. A peak return fare in standard class is over £300, and the "peak" period lasts for most of the day. If you find yourself in the situation, a separate peak single plus an off-peak single in the other direction will work out cheaper than a return.
Make sure you get an advance fare if at all possible.

I suspect the OP will want to be in Manchester quite a bit before midday, assuming they want a full day's activities before returning. The 9.40, being the first off-peak train, will most likely be very full too.
My point is you should always check and not expect to be able to just walk up and get a ticket for a reasonable price.

Thanks again for all the great advice! :-)