By bus
National Express (http://www.nationalexpres...) serve Reading with express bus UK English:coach services from around the country; advanced ticketing is necessary. Note that they serve a stop called Reading Coachway, which sounds grand, but is actually a drafty bus stop near M4 J12 with the only amenities being a nearby McDonald's restaurant and a Sainsburys supermarket. You will need to catch a local bus or taxi if you can find one to take you into Reading. Buses to the station in the city centre are quite frequent during the week.
Be warned that the buses in Reading do not give change, so if all you have is a £20 note, you would be wise to change it by buying a newspaper or chocolate bar from the petrol station next to the bus stop.
If you are planning to catch more than one bus within Reading then ask the driver for a busabout day ticket. This gives you unlimited travel within Reading for the rest of the day and through the night for less than the price of two single tickets.
Currently, on a Reading bus, a daytime single fare is £1.80, and a daily busabout is £4, there is also a group ticket for 4 persons, costing £8 per day in weekdays and £5 per day on weekends. Other concession and group tickets are also available on Reading Buses (http://www.reading-buses....).
By plane
Reading is well served by London's collection of airports. For travellers coming directly to Reading, here are the most convenient in increasing travel time ones:
Heathrow Airport
(http://www.baa.co.uk/main...) is about 40 min down the M4 eastbound motorway. Alternatively, it is linked directly to Reading rail station by the RailAir (http://www.railair.com/) express bus service running every 20 min or so and taking about an hour and, indirectly, by the Heathrow Connect (http://www.heathrowconnec...) train service change at Hayes & Harlington station.Luton Airport
(http://www.london-luton.c...) is about 50 min away via the M1 southbound, M25 westbound and M4 westbound motorways. Luton Airport Parkway connects the airport to Kings Cross station every 35 min, the tube to London Paddington station and then follow the directions below.Gatwick Airport
(http://www.baa.co.uk/main...) is about 60 min away via the M23 northbound, M25 clockwise and M4 westbound motorways. There is an hourly direct train service to Reading from the rail station located in the South Terminal with a journey time of 75 min.Stansted Airport
(http://www.baa.co.uk/main...) is about 90 min away via the M11 southbound, M25 anti-clockwise and M4 westbound motorways. By train you will need to catch a Stansted Express train to London Liverpool Street station, the tube to London Paddington station, then follow the directions below.
By train
Wikitravel has a guide to Rail travel in the United Kingdom.
Reading is served by inter-city and regional train services from many different directions, including through services from Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, London, Manchester, Oxford, Plymouth, Exeter, Cornwall, Portsmouth, Southampton, Swansea, Winchester and York as well as the airports described above.
From London, you should travel from London Paddington station and catch an intercity train whose first stop is Reading there are several of these an hour, the travel time will be about 30 min. There are other stopping services from Paddington with travel times of up to an hour. Reading is also served by twice-hourly direct stopping services from London Waterloo. The typical journey time on this route is one hour 25 minutes and so is only suitable for travellers from south west London.
Train times can be found on the National Rail Planner (http://www.nationalrail.c...) or by calling 0845-748-4950 from anywhere in the UK.