By plane
Manchester International Airport is in reasonably close proximity, some 25 miles away with access directly by rail every hour from Wigan Wallgate via Manchester Piccadilly 55 minute journey, whilst Liverpool John Lennon Airport is almost equidistant but best accessable from Wigan by train to Liverpool Lime Street and then connecting bus to the airport. This could take in excess of 2 hours or more.
By road
The M6 runs north - south through the Wigan districts of Orrell, Standish and Ashton in Makerfield. The M61 is also nearby, the nearest exit being J6. This will take you via rural Westhoughton in Bolton Borough and then through to Aspull in Wigan Borough and into Wigan town centre.
By train
The town has two railway stations:
Wigan North Western Station is run by Virgin Trains and has services to London Euston 2h15m, Glasgow Central and regional services with 3 per hour to Liverpool 23 miles, 1 per hour to Blackpool 27 miles, 3 per hour to Preston, and 3 per hour to Warrington. Wigan is approximetly 16 miles north west of Manchester.
Wigan Wallgate Station, which is run by Northern Rail and Transport for Greater Manchester, deals with local services to Manchester with 5 trains per hour. As well as Bolton, Salford and Rochdale. Suburban rail stations of Wigan, Bolton, Salford, Manchester and Rochdale are also served.
By bus
Wigan is also well served by buses from around Greater Manchester and beyond, including direct services daytime estimates, evening & Sundays will vary to Manchester every 30 mins from Wigan, every 20 mins from Leigh and hourly peak from Lowton, Salford every 15 minutes, The Trafford Centre every 30 minutes Bolton every 7-8 minutes, Chorley every 15 minutes, St Helens every 15 minutes, Warrington every 30 minutes, Skelmersdale & Ormskirk 20 minutes and Preston hourly.
This is along side local high frequency services to Kitt Green, Worsley Hall, Platt Bridge, Orrell, Pemberton, Leigh, Hindley, Ince, Higher Folds, Hawkley Hall, Ashton in Makerfield, Golborne, Lowton, Tyldesley and Atherton in the Wigan Borough. Most services operating in the Wigan Borough and out to Bolton, Salford, Manchester and The Trafford Centre are operated by First Manchester or SLT.
Other services operating beyond Gt Manchester are operated by Arriva, Prestonbus, Strawberry or Stagecoach. The exception being some local services to Golborne and daytime routes to Bolton. First Manchester operates a Sunday 113 between Wrightington and Wigan only as it does not extend out of Greater Manchester into Preston or Lancashire on Sunday.