Royal Holloway is ideally placed for travelling to and from if you live in the southeast of England and we provide support and opportunities to help make commuting to university an alternative to living in student accommodation.
Travelling to campus
Egham is on the Reading to Waterloo train line, managed by South Western Railway. Trains run regularly throughout the day, with additional services during busy times. See National Rail for up-to-date timetables. A 16-25 railcard can save you a 1/3 on rail fares. You can find details of all the travel discounts available to Royal Holloway students, including the 18+ Student Oyster Card, 16-25 Railcard, and reduced rates on some local buses.
Look into your train travel options independently to see where you can make savings. For example, if you’re travelling on a long route via train, it may be worth looking into ‘split ticket’ options. You can use the Raileasy website to find cheaper routes for you.
The campus is a 20-minute walk from the station. For £1 per journey, you can catch the subsidised University shuttle bus service operated by Diamond South East from Egham station to the main campus. This runs every 40 minutes. It leaves the station from the bus stop on the south side of the station on Manorcrofts Road. The bus leaves campus from the bus stop near the tennis courts and car park 12. You can pay using cash or contactless. Check the bus timetable.
Two local bus services operated by White Bus run outside of Royal Holloway and serve the bus stops on the A30. They are as follows:
Cash, contactless payments, or tickets purchased on the White Bus phone app (available on the App Store or Google Play) are all accepted on the services. There is a 33% student discount on services in Surrey, and a special £1 fare from Royal Holloway to either Egham or Englefield Green, but you will need to show a valid student ID card. Period tickets, including weekly and four-weekly passes, are available for any students living slightly further afield.
Some of our students share car journeys to help save money by sharing petrol costs. Please make sure that you follow basic security measures to stay safe if you explore this option, such as meeting for the first time in a public space, telling family and friends who you’ll be travelling with and checking driving documents.
There are a number of ways to walk to campus from the station and Egham town centre. The quickest way (roughly 20 min walk) is via Rusham Road and through some residential streets – there are yellow AA signs directing you. However, this way brings you to the University’s back gate, next to the Sports Centre and then up some steps to the Shilling Building – and from there you can walk up through our woodland to the centre of campus. You can also get to campus through Egham High Street and up Egham Hill entering either by the pedestrian entrance next to Future Studios or further up the hill via Gate Lodge.
Cycling is a great way to get around Royal Holloway and the local area. We're lucky to be in an area with dedicated cycle paths linking Egham and Englefield Green to our neighbouring towns and villages, including Staines, Windsor and Virginia Water. If done safely, cycling can bring many health benefits to your daily life as well as reducing your carbon footprint!
Royal Holloway has over 600 spaces to park your bike throughout our Egham campus (see the Cycle Facilities Map for more details). Many of these spaces are covered so your bike stays safe and dry. Showers are available for all cyclists at the Sports Centre or in Founders' East 127.
If you live further than 1.5 miles away and wish to drive to campus, you can apply for a free parking permit to park on campus. These permits allow you to park in car parks 4, 7, 8, 9, 13, 14, and 14a. Royal Holloway has approximately 870 parking spaces and issues around 3,500-4,000 permits each year. The main car parks (4, 12, and 14) are usually full by 9.30-10am, however this does fluctuate during the day. Usually, Tuesdays and Thursdays are the busiest days for parking, while Wednesday and Friday afternoons are typically quieter. You must register – and have a permit confirmed – before parking on campus.
Once you submit your application for a permit, you will receive an email requesting documentation to process your application. You will be asked to provide:
- Valid photo identification
- Certificate of insurance
- Proof of your term-time address
That email also serves as your "Permit Applied For" voucher, which temporarily allows you to park on campus until your application is approved.
- If your application is approved, your official parking permit will be sent to you via email.
- If your application is not approved, your "Permit Applied For" voucher will become invalid.
Do note that parking on campus without a valid permit or voucher could result in a fine!
If you arrive at campus and no parking is available, you could consider using JustPark to find an alternative (paid) spot near campus. Additional spaces may be available in the church on Harvest Road. Paid alternatives are further afield, including Egham Waspe Farm Car Park, Egham Hummer Road Car Park, and Egham Station Car Park. These are right by the station, which is just over one mile from campus - a 20-minute walk, and we even provide a subsidised bus ( £1 bus) from Egham Station. Please try to avoid using nearby residential streets for parking.
Campus parking map
Spaces on campus to socialise and study
Our fantastic Student Lounges are located in the Windsor Building, Wettons and Shilling. These spaces have been co-designed with our students and are great places to relax, catch up with friends, or study between lectures. Our existing Lounge area has been hugely popular, so we’ve worked with your VP Education and the Students’ Union to create more space for September 2025. We will also create additional space across campus throughout the year, working closely with our students to meet current needs.
Each Lounge has a refreshment station with a hot tap and microwave, allowing you to enjoy a warm drink, heat soup, or prepare instant noodles. Just make sure you leave it tidy! There's also a community fridge, if you need it.
The Lounges also host a wide range of fun events throughout the year, including painting, crafts, and jewellery making. Have a look at the events section on your student app to find out what’s going on.
They are open from 8am to 8pm every day during term time.
Visit a Student Lounge
You can also find Tommy's Lounge in the Students' Union main building on the ground floor. Tommy's Lounge is a great non-transactional space to spend time in between lectures. Not only are there comfortable sofas and chairs, but also two microwaves and a selection of books!
The space often hosts events for student communities on campus, making it a great place to meet other students. In the past, these events have included community officer cafes with the commuting officer and others, as well as badge-making and canvas-painting. This makes it the perfect place to socialise and get to know people by coming to an event.
The space is open from 9am until 5pm every day during term time.
We also have a network of common rooms across our campus, situated in or near departments, for students to use for relaxation or studying.
For example, the Rumford Library, located in the McCrea building, offers a relaxed atmosphere for students of politics, international relations, and philosophy to study together.
The Humanities Common Room located in the International Building (IN246), also offers a space to socialise.
We have a range of online services that you can access without having to be on campus. Before you commute, discover our online and physical library resources using LibrarySearch. If you need help and support remotely, you can contact us in real time via Live Chat and find helpful information in our subject guides, including bookable online appointments for more in-depth support.
When you visit campus, the Library in the Davison Building offers a range of silent and group study spaces across three floors and a mezzanine level, as well as a Whisper Zone on the first floor. Group study rooms can be booked in advance of your campus visit. From Monday 29 September 2025, you can now also book individual study desks in the Whisper Zone, so you can be sure of having the right study space ahead of your visit to campus. Whisper Zone desks and group study rooms can be booked on Resource Booker. Founder’s Reading Room (silent study) and PC Lab 1 in the Computer Centre are also available 24/7 across the year.
If you need a place to store your belongings while on campus, library lockers are available to loan from the help desk for either 24 hours or a full term, on a first-come, first-served basis. Loanable laptops are also available if you don’t want to carry your own to campus, as well as access to printers and fixed PCs.
The ground floor also features a wellbeing area where you can relax, admire the view, or browse our Reading for Pleasure and Wellbeing collection.
For more information about Library services and study spaces, please visit our intranet pages.
Founder's Reading Room is open for individual, silent study. It can be accessed via the South Tower (see the campus map or our 'How to find Founders Reading Room' video and is open 24 hours a day, providing you with a place to study overnight when the Emily Wilding Davison building is closed.
Take a break
We have a wide range of short and longer walks around campus. You can find details below of our Meadow Walk (1.25km), the Campus Circle Walk (2.2km), the Tree Walk (1km) and the Bee Walk (10 mins).
Our campus walks
But there’s also lots more to see on campus, including the 3.5-acre hidden garden at the arboretum.
Explore our Arboretum
For a longer walk off campus try the 3.8 mile Long Walk to Windsor Castle where you’ll passes through the Deer Park, Copper Horse statue, and into Windsor Great Park.
There’s also the Virginia Water Lake. This is a nearby scenic lake with walking paths and picnic areas, or the Runnymede Pleasure Grounds, which offers riverside walks and historical significance.
There are many food outlets on campus offering a variety of meals and snacks to keep you fuelled throughout the day, including The Hub, Founder’s Building, Boilerhouse café, Café on the Square, and the Union shop. There’s a weekly fruit and vegetable market in the Students' Union.
In addition to the Student Lounges, you also have access to a whole range of microwave and kettle stations across campus if you’d like to bring your own lunch and heat it up, or you would like a hot drink.
Located in Founders East, the Multifaith Room offers a tranquil environment for quiet reflection, meditation, or prayer. It’s open to all students, regardless of faith or belief, providing a peaceful space to recharge.
Our Muslim Prayer Room is open for daily prayers and is located in Wetton's Annexe, across the bridge by the main entrance. It is decorated with beautiful calligraphy and has excellent washing facilities. The Prayer Room is open and accessible to our staff and students 24 hours a day.
The Chapel in our Founder's Building on our Egham campus is open every day from 8.30am until 8pm. Come in to sit, look around, or stop for prayer or contemplation.
Services take place in term-time only; details can be found on our Multifaith Chaplaincy's intranet pages. For the latest details, visit the Chaplaincy Facebook or Instagram pages.
The University's art collection includes world-class paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings and watercolours including works by William Powell Frith, John Everett Millais and Edward Burne-Jones.
The Gallery is open to explore on Wednesdays between 10am-3pm in terms 1 and 2.
Inside the Davison Building, our Exhibition space offers unique curated displays. To learn more and discover whats on, visit the Royal Holloway events page.
The Students' Union is dedicated to making student life better at Royal Holloway and is a vibrant hub on campus. Drop by to relax, meet friends, or learn more about the various clubs and societies you can join. The Students’ Union also has the SU Advice Centre which is free, impartial, confidential, and can be used by all students to discuss issues they may have.
Take advantage of Royal Holloway Sport and leisure facilities. Whether you're interested in fitness classes, gym sessions, or just want to unwind, there are plenty of options to keep you active and healthy.
Meeting people
Speak to the Students' Union about the Commuting Students Community – a community designed to connect fellow commuters. They help provide a platform for commuting students to share experiences, exchange tips, and support each other in making the most of university life while commuting. The SU also hosts commuter-friendly events and offers a space for commuters to connect with fellow students. Explore this community and other inclusion communities you can join.
The best way to meet people when not living in student accommodation is to chat with students on your course, volunteer, or join a society. The Student Union's societies and sports clubs host activities and events at various times, with Wednesday afternoons typically clear of lectures and seminars, allowing you to get involved in other activities, such as sports matches. This year, the University and the Students' Union are collaborating on Academic Communities. This will bring members of your department and your academic representatives closer to your student groups, making this year's student-led events even better!
If the timing of all of these activities and events is inconvenient to you, consider the Student Union’s give-it-a-go events stream, where you can find plenty of free daytime and non-alcoholic events.
Several academic departments also have WhatsApp groups for commuters. If you are not sure whether your department has one, feel free to ask your tutor, who will be able to find out for you.
Staying on campus occasionally
If you cannot get back home because you’re going to an event late in the day, or you might need to be on campus early in the morning, you can stay at The Hub Guest House, down by the Hub. This is our on-site guest house, offering en-suite, room-only accommodation throughout the year for stays of up to 14 nights. The hub features four- and five-star rated campus accommodation spread across five floors. You’ll have a choice of single, double, executive double and adapted rooms. All rooms are equipped with Wi-Fi, televisions, and tea and coffee-making facilities, and there’s free car parking. Apply to stay in the Hub.
Hearing from our commuting student Naveen
Our Central London campus
Discover study spaces, cafes, and more in the heart of London
