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Home / Travelling to Southampton
Travelling to Southampton
One of Southampton's great advantages is that is so easy to reach.
Southampton's excellent south coast location means that travel links by road,rail,sea and air are unmatched in the region.
By Car
Southampton is just 75 miles from London and 21 miles from the Channel ports. From the North:
London and the Home Counties, the 
M3, M27 and A34 provide fast, direct road links into the heart of the city, The A36 is the major route from the West Country, Bristol and Wales. From the East follow the A27/M27 and leave at Junction 8.
The Southampton Romanse web site gives details of traffic information in and around the city.
By Rail
Southampton has good access by train from London's Waterloo station with a journey time of around 75 minutes. Trains run hourly from:
- Reading
- Oxford
- Birmingham
- Salisbury
- Bath
- Bristol
- Cardiff
- Chichester Hove (for Brighton)
- Gatwick Airport
- Weymouth
- Bournemouth
- Winchester
- Fareham
- Portsmouth
Southampton Airport has 5 trains an hour to Southampton Central journey time 7 minutes and the Unilink bus service U1 leaves every 15 minutes to the city centre and ferry terminals direct from outside the airport door.
The Megatrain offers low cost services to London and Birmingham. Eurostar services from:
- Paris
- Lille
- Brussels
- Avignon
- Disneyland Paris
These services arrive and depart from Waterloo making travelling between Southampton and the near continent easy and convenient. Eurostar services are based at St Pancras International.
By Coach
National Express operates an extensive coach service. There are regular services from:
- Central London
- Heathrow
- Birmingham
- Bournemouth and the North
Megabus provides low cost travel to central London.
By Air
Southampton International Airport is situated on the outskirts of the city and is convenient for the M27 and M3. The airport has its own railway station Southampton Parkway which is on the main London line and 5 trains an hour leave for Southampton Central station in the peak part of the day with a journey time of as little as 7 minutes.. The airport services UK and major European destinations.
By Sea
Cross channel ferry services by Brittany Ferries and LD Lines operate out of the nearby port of Portsmouth (21 miles) offering fast and regular crossings to the near continent. P&O Ferries run from Portsmouth to Bilbao and on summer Sundays Condor Ferries run a fast service from Portsmouth to Cherbourg.
Red Funnel Ferries provide a regular fast and efficient service from Town Quay to Cowes on the Isle of Wight.
The Hythe - Southampton Ferry operates a half hourly ferry service between Town Quay, Southampton and Hythe Pier, passing by Ocean Terminal (home of the QE2) and linking with comprehensive bus services on both sides of Southampton Water.
By Bus
Regular interurban services link to Southampton operated by First Blue Star and Wilts and Dorset and Unilink
Details of all services above can be found at Traveline
Visiting Football supporters
Your ticket allows you to travel free from the central station to St Mary's stadium and back. Take a bus from the stop opposite the platform 1 exit. Any of the following buses will stop near the stadium: Bluestar 18 or 19, Firstbus services 5A, 8,10,10A,17,17A.
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