London to Southampton coach services

NATIONAL EXPRESS BUS SERVICES BETWEEN LONDON & SOUTHAMPTON

The three London to Southampton National Express coach services are:.

London Victoria - Southampton

travelling direct between Southampton and London the coaches are scheduled to take between 1 hour 55 mins and 2 hours 30 mins, Frequent schedules throughout the day. London Victoria Coach Station is just 300 metres from Victoria Underground and railway station, a major transport hub for London.

Heathrow Airport - Southampton

Coaches take from just 2 hours 5 mins between Heathrow Airport and Southampton with up to 19 services a day. At Heathrow the coach terminates at Heathrow Bus Station, connected by underground walkways to terminals 2 and 3. The coach also visits terminals 4 and 5 separately on the journey.

Gatwick Airport - Southampton

Coaches take from just 2 hours 20 mins between Gatwick Airport and Southampton with up to 8 services a day. At Gatwick the coach picks up and drops at both Gatwick passenger terminals, North and South outside the arrivals halls.

Southampton coach station

Southampton Coach Station is small with just three coach bays and exclusively used by National Express. The coach station is very close to Southampton Central railway station.and Southampton city centre.

Facilities are basic with just a ticket office, small waiting area, toilets and a small coffee shop. A taxi rank is outside the coach station.

How to transfer between Southampton train & coach stations and cruise terminals, port & hotels

The railway and coach stations at Southampton are within 400 yards of each other in the city centre. There are no shuttles or public transport to any of Southampton's four cruise terminals. A local taxi cab is required for the cruise terminal transfer. The cost will vary depending on cruise terminal, one way budget around £10.

Both railway and coach stations are in the heart of Southampton city centre, there is a good choice of hotels close to both, a few within 5 minutes walk. All the main hotels are identified and compared including their relative locations on our Southampton map.

National Express coaches - what to expect

All National Express coaches are equipped with toilet and wash-room facilities. Power sockets or USB ports are on all vehicles and free wifi is available on most services.

Coaches are operated with a single driver. On boarding you will present your ticket and hold luggage to the driver by the coach. The driver will load your hold luggage into the luggage bay and you board the coach with hand luggage. Seating is not allocated, seats are taken on a fisrt come, first serve basis although it is possible to pay a supplement for front seats.

National Express luggage policy

Hold luggage

For each person you are allowed to take one or two medium sized suitcases or rucksacks (no more than 20kg per item) free of charge and one small piece of soft hand luggage. Alternatively, you may take 1 large item (no more than 20kg) and one small piece of hand luggage
Hold luggage maximum sizes defined as: Medium case: 70cm x 30cm x 45cm; Large case: 75cm x 50cm x 32cm

Hand luggage

An item of soft hand luggage taken into the passenger cabin must be able to be placed under the seat in front of passengers or in an overhead locker. With the exception of briefcases, no hard-shelled cases, wheeled bags or hard-framed rucksacks/backpacks are permitted on board for safety reasons and must be stowed with hold luggage. You will not incur an additional charge for this.
Soft hand luggage maximum size: 45cm x 35cm x 20cm

Excess luggage and outsize items

Excess luggage can be taken for which there is a charge. You can reduce this cost by 20% if your excess luggage is pre booked on-line. If there is a group of you travelling on the same ticket, then its ok to pool the luggage between you all to help prevent a surcharge.
The drivers load and unload the luggage into the hold directly from yourself, immediately prior to boarding, you do not check-in the luggage prior.

Foldable pushchairs and foldable bicycles are all accepted in addition to the allowance however that is providing there is enough space in the hold. Lightweight manual wheelchairs and mobility scooters (under 20kg) are also accepted but prior arrangements are needed (at least 36 hours ahead of travel).

Fare & ticket options

The cheapest fares are on-line direct on the National Express web-site. E-tickets are sent to you by e-mail immediately after payment.

When you buy a National Express ticket it is for a specific journey. Prices are dynamic, where different schedules may have different prices and the fares for the same journey are often cheaper the farther you purchase in advance.

National Express fares will vary according to demand and how far you book in advance. Generally, the lower the demand and the earlier the booking takes place, the cheaper the fare will be.

The National Express website charges a small booking fee per transaction, not ticket. The coach stations and travel agents also charge a much larger booking fee. Just like the airlines the cheapest fares offer no flexibility, flexible fare types are available with a price premium.

Payment on-line can be performed using Visa, Visa Debit/Delta, Visa Electron, Mastercard, Mastercard Debit, Maestro and Solo cards. Amazon Pay and PayPal are also supported.

Child fares are for the ageband 5 to 15 years and seniors fares are for those 60+

Tickets are not allocated a seat number, you select your seat on boarding on a first come first served basis. Subject to availability you can reserve the front seats of the coach for a supplement.

If you have a non-flexible ticket and are boarding at an airport you can pay a supplement that gives you flexibility to board a later coach if your flight is late.

SHARED SHUTTLE TRANSFERS - LONDON, HEATHROW & CRUISE SHIPS

Key features of cruise ship shuttle transfers

• Guaranteed to operate - there is no minimum group size and will run with only 1 passenger
• Executive vehicles are used with wifi and uniformed drivers.
• All Central London hotels, Air bnbs and Heathrow hotels are visited in both directions
• Luggage allowance per person is 1 item of hold luggage (23kg each) and 1 item of carry- on luggage (10kg each)

London and Heathrow Airport to Southampton direction

• Maximum of 6 passengers, 4 pickups/drop offs per journey
• Pickups mid-morning in London and Heathrow
• Arrival at cruise terminals by 1:00pm - 1:30pm

Southampton to London and Heathrow Airport direction

• Maximum of 8 passengers, 4 pickups/drop offs per journey
• Meet n Greet at the Southampton cruise terminal between 0800 – 0830 am
• Scheduled arrival into Heathrow is approx. 1030am and into central London 11am

Joining the cruise ship transfer service

Pick-up times are provided before you make a booking.

For the transfer to Southampton relax in your Central London or Heathrow hotel reception with your luggage, ready to board when the vehicle arrives.

At Heathrow Airport we cannot pick up from passenger terminals due to parking restrictions. The Sofitel Heathrow Hotel and the Hilton Heathrow Terminal 4 are linked to terminals 5 and 4 respectively. If you are using passenger terminals 2 or 3 you will need to take a hotel bus called the Heathrow Hoppa to one of the supported hotels.

For the transfer from Southampton you will be greeted by a representative as you enter the public area of the cruise terminal. airline style and directed to your vehicle. At Heathrow vehicles will drop you off at both Heathrow hotels and passenger terminals.

Private transfers between Southampton, London and beyond

Cars, vans and touring coaches catering for all party sizes

We offer a comprehensive private transfer service to or from your Southampton cruise ship.

We have a wide range of vehicles of all sizes that cater from single travellers to large groups. All transfers are competitively priced with no hidden extras. Prices include all taxes, parking and London congestion charges.

At airports and Southampton cruise terminals the you will personally be met and greeted as you exit into the public area of the terminal. At airports our drivers track your incoming flight and will time their arrival based on actual landing time. No need to worry if your flight is early or late.

Sightseeing options like Stonehenge or Windsor Castle on the way!

A host of world class attractions are accessible during Southampton transfer route and with a private transfer you have the freedom to stop and explore. Windsor Castle, Stonehenge and Salisbury Cathedral are just three heritage sites of many you could visit.