Category: Travel Writing

Mysa (I hope) is the Swedish equivalent of the cosy concept of hygge.

In July 2024 I travelled back from Sweden to the UK by train after a wonderful holiday in Stockholm. I love all things Scandinavia and sometimes visit IKEA here in the UK to get my Scandi fix (apologies to any actual Scandinavians here, I know IKEA isn’t Sweden). And not your usual travel writer destination.

But I did recently demonstrate that you can get to IKEA by train.

Sweden doesn’t have to be expensive.

My nearest IKEA store is just outside Exeter and I happened to spot it on my way back from a train adventure in Exmouth (lovely coast walk). It sits conveniently between two stations so last time I fancied meatballs and cinnamon buns (as well as a browse of the bargain area) I suggested we hopped on board.

Why go to IKEA by train?

I know! There’s a limit to how much flat-pack furniture you can comfortably fit in a train station lift or a GWR carriage but that might be one of the advantages of taking the train to IKEA.

You won’t come home with unexpected furniture.

But the lack of unauthorised items in my IKEA bagging area wasn’t the only advantage to an IKEA adventure by train.

• We had zero car parking issues
• We felt smug about our travel eco-credentials
• We had great sea views from the train
• We saved cinnamon buns for the journey home

How many IKEA stores are there in the UK?

By some magical travel weirdness, I once visited the first IKEA store to open in the USA. That was in the days when my nearest IKEA was in Birmingham (not the Birmingham in Alabama).

Today there are 21 IKEA stores across the UK.

Or 22 or 20 depending on which IKEA web page you read. Most of them are in England but there are two in Scotland, one in Cardiff and one in Belfast.

Nobody needs to visit them all.

Map showing the location of the UK’s IKEA stores.

Getting to IKEA stores by train

It could be argued that buying plants and candles I don’t need were acts of unnecessary consumerism. But hopefully, by arriving by train I managed to mitigate some of that (at the same time as enjoying meatballs for lunch).

Sustainability for outdoor adventurers.

It’s not possible to easily get to all 20 IKEA stores by train but I’ve given you the station details for nine below. I’ve only chosen stores within a 30-minute walk of a train station. That’s plenty far enough to carry a plant, a picture frame and a bag of frozen meatballs.

The research took ages so don’t complain if your nearest store isn’t there.

I can’t promise you a picturesque walk but there will be a loo when you get there. Walking times are from Google Maps because I didn’t visit all the stores.

Even I can’t eat that many cinnamon buns!

Train to IKEA Bristol

• Location – Eastgate Shopping Centre
• Nearest train station – Ashley Down
• Walking time – 20 minutes

Train to IKEA Cardiff

• Location – Ferry Road
• Nearest train station – Grangetown
• Walking time – 15 minutes

Train to IKEA Edinburgh

• Location – Costkea Way
• Nearest train station – Straiton Mains
• Walking time – 12 minutes

Train to IKEA Exeter

Is it possible to have a ‘home IKEA’? If so, Exeter is mine. And yes, that is its real address.

• Location – IKEA Way!
• Nearest train station – Newcourt station
• Walking time – 12 minutes

Train to IKEA Greenwich

• Location – Bugsby’s Way
• Nearest train station – Westcombe Park
• Walking time – 15 minutes

Train to IKEA Manchester

• Location – Ashton-Under-Lyne
• Nearest train station – Ashton-Under-Lyne
• Walking time – 10 minutes

Train to IKEA Reading

• Location – Pincents Kiln Industrial Park
• Nearest train station – Theale
• Walking time – 20 minutes

Train (and tram) to IKEA Sheffield

• Location – Tinsley
• Nearest train station – Meadowhall Interchange (then tram to Carbrook)
• Walking time – 1 minute (from Carbrook)

Train to IKEA Southampton

• Location – West Quay Road
• Nearest station – Southampton Central
• Walking time – 11 minutes

So there we have it. IKEA by train isn’t quite as much of an adventure as Sweden by train or indeed anywhere else in Europe by train. But arriving at your Swedish-ish shopping destination car-free might give you a less stressful experience than having to negotiate the IKEA parking.

And if you buy the wrong thing, a great story to tell.