How far is Southampton from Central London?
The distance between Southampton & the centre of London is around 80 miles (130km). Furthermore with a clear road a car should do the journey within 2 hours. A wide range of both private and public transport options are, consequently, available for cruise customers.
How to get from Central London to Southampton cruise terminals
There are many choices of transport connecting London with Southampton and on this page we compare all of them.
To go direct to the cruise terminals at Southampton, you can choose between direct dedicated cruise shuttle vans, coach tour transfer options with a stopover at places like Windsor Castle and Stonehenge. Additionally, you have the option of, private transfers by taxi and mini-bus and charter coaches for larger groups.
Public transportation is available between Central London and Southampton; specifically there are options for both train travel and scheduled coach services provided by National Express. However, neither the train or the coach service go to the port and the cruise terminals. Instead, each terminates in Southampton city centre, from where you will need a local taxi cab to the four Southampton cruise terminals.
Private transfers
Private transfers offer the most convenient and flexible option with a meet and greet door to door service, either at the cruise terminal or your Central London or Southampton hotel. Additionally, there is the flexibility to include sightseeing.
- Fastest most convenient transfer. The only option with immediate departure at a time of your choosing.
- Major sightseeing opportunities along the way. Stonehenge, Windsor Castle.
- Most expensive transfer for couples. For groups and families is price competitive.
Shared shuttle transfers
Transfers are exclusive to cruise passengers and provide a convenient door to door service between Central London (and Heathrow Airport) and Southampton cruise terminals with a maximum of 4 pick-ups or drops.
- Small number of passengers (max 8) results in minimal drops or pick-ups.
- You can arrange for pick-up or drop-off at any hotel or Airbnb located in Central London.
- Guaranteed to run, no minimum passengers. Will run with only one person.
Shared stopover and tour transfers visiting Stonehenge, Windsor Castle
Tour and stopover transfers are, in fact, a variation on the shuttle transfers; however, they are sometimes conducted in larger touring coaches. Moreover, these transfers are again exclusive for cruise passengers.
Time efficient and economic world class sightseeing during your Southampton cruise transfer.
Also serves Heathrow Airport. Full days tours from Southampton, half day stopovers to Southampton.
Relatively small extra cost over shuttles offering great value.
Public transport – Trains
Trains run frequently between London’s Waterloo Station and Southampton. Ultimately, using the train is the fastest journey time between London and Southampton, although destination stations will require a taxi to get you to your cruise terminal or hotel, so elapsed time will be slower.
- Only the National Express coach is cheaper for couples.
- There is a need for local taxi services connecting Southampton railway station to the cruise terminals, most hotels, and Waterloo Station.
- Commuter style trains with no luggage car. Potentially stressful if you are not a light traveller.
Public transport – National Express coaches
National Express coaches run direct between London’s Victoria Coach Station and Southampton. The National Express coaches do not visit Southampton cruise terminals, just the coach station in Southampton city centre from where you get a cab to the ships.
- Cheapest option.
- Local cab between Southampton and Victoria coach station and cruise terminals and your London hotel.
- The slowest and most inconvenient transfer. Luggage allowance may well be less than your flight allowance.
There is only one company offering shared transfers between London and Southampton cruise terminals beyond anything your cruise line may offer. There are also both train and coach public transport options between London and Southampton but these will require taxi transfers between your London hotel and coach/train station and between Southampton coach / train station and cruise terminals.
The dedicated shared transfers for cruise passengers come in three variants:
- Direct van shuttles in both directions between the cruise terminals and Central London hotels.
- In the London to Southampton direction half day stopover transfers with sightseeing at Stonehenge, Windsor or Winchester.
- In the Southampton to London direction full day tour transfers with sightseeing at two or three major sights.
Southampton cruise terminal departures are scheduled to leave by 8:30 am. As you exit into the public area of the cruise terminal a representative meets and greets you and shows you to the transfer vehicle. Drops in Central London can be at any hotel or Airbnb property in the centre of London.
Pick-ups in Central London can be at any hotel or Airbnb property. Drops at Southampton cruise terminals are around lunch time / early afternoon. Cruise ship porters take your hold luggage from the vehicle into the ship whilst you proceed to check-in.
Cruise ships supported
Shuttle transfer services are available on all dates when Royal Caribbean, Oceania, NCL, Celebrity, Princess, Azamara and Carnival Mardi Gras cruise ships are visiting Southampton, between the end of April and beginning of November. Cunard ship arrivals are also included during this period.
If you are travelling on another cruise line that is in port on the same day as one of the above, you can still use the cruise transfer service. However, you will need to disembark and take a local taxi to your cruise terminal as the bus will not take you directly there. The cruise terminals are spread along a couple of miles of waterfront.
Luggage allowances and large items
The luggage allowance for shuttle and tour transfers is up to 1 large case per passenger (23kg max) plus 1 piece of hand luggage (10kg max).
You may incur additional charges should you bring additional items of luggage or for items weighing more than the maximum weight stated above. The booking page provides more information.
All suppliers have different policies for travellers with mobility aids so please do read their terms and conditions on the booking page.
These shared shuttle transfers give you an affordable and simple option of travelling between London and Southampton cruise Port, and go in either direction. You choose your pickup/drop offs from one of the London Zone 1 hotels below.
Central London to Southampton Port
Pick-up: *Please choose between A, B and C (click the hotel for more information and exclusive prices):
A. Melia White House
B. The Westminster London Curio Collection by Hilton
C. The Holiday Inn Kensington High Street
*Pick-up will take place between 7:30 am and 9:35 am. The exact time will be advised on your voucher, which you’ll receive approx. 7 days prior to your transfer.
*Please arrive 15 minutes before your scheduled departure time for boarding.
Drop-off: Guests will be transferred to the Southampton Port cruise terminal, arriving approximately at 11:35 am.
Southampton Port to Central London
Pick-up: Following your arrival at Southampton Port via cruise ship, your driver will be waiting to greet you at the cruise terminal exit from 8:00 am. The shared transfer shall depart at 8:30am from Southampton Port and will guide you through to Central London.
Drop-off: *Please choose between A, B and C (click the hotel for more information and exclusive prices):
A. The Holiday Inn Kensington High Street
B. The Westminster London Curio Collection by Hilton
C. Melia White House
Drop offs in London will start at approximately 10:30 am.
Cruise Shuttle Reservations and More Information
- Cancel up to 15 days in advance for a 85% refund
- From Central London to/from Southampton Port
- Convenient pick-ups/drop-offs in central London
- 1 Check-in luggage + 1 Hand luggage per person
- Two free walking tours included: The Wizard Walk walking tour & The Royals and Landmarks tour
Private taxi and coach transfers between London & Southampton
The logistics of the private transfers
With a clear road, London to Southampton is around 2 hours by car. The route can suffer from road congestion so its quite important you budget adequate contingency time. If the motorway is congested or there is an accident, alternative routes are much, much slower.
Going towards Southampton from London should be pretty smooth departing mid to late morning though if you are travelling on a summer Saturday, the road down to Southampton can be at gridlock in the morning as half of London makes for the beaches.
Travelling from Southampton nearly all cruise ships have assisted disembarkation between about 7am and 9am. During weekdays you will be travelling during the morning commute so allow for road congestion delays.
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.
- Prices include all taxes and parking.
- In London we will pick-up from any address in the London area including the suburbs not serviced by the shared shuttle vans and tour transfer coaches.
- At Southampton cruise terminals you will personally be met and greeted as you exit into the public area of the terminals and escorted to the vehicle.
Luggage, outsize items and groups
We can make a proposal for all needs, whether a large group, single traveller, mobility scooters or stopovers and special requests.
Public Shared or Private Southampton Cruise Ship Transfers
With these tour transfers you have the option to choose from either shared or private transfers.
Both shared and private starting rates are based on two sharing a vehicle; you can then choose up to eight passengers. If you are travelling solo you can see the rates by clicking through to book.
Half day tour transfers (shared or private) visiting Windsor Castle or Stonehenge, in either direction between Central London and Southampton
Cruise tour transfers allow you to visit popular attractions in the UK en-route between Southampton and London: Stonehenge and Windsor Castle.
Tours go in either direction so you can choose the tour transfer (and visit the attraction) that is right for you.
A host of world class attractions are accessible in either direction – pre and post cruise. With a private transfer you have the freedom to stop and explore. Windsor Castle, Stonehenge and Salisbury Cathedral , just three heritage sites of many you could visit.
Windsor Castle, the residence of His Majesty King Charles III, is located near Heathrow Airport. Additionally Stonehenge is around 30 minutes off the main route to/from London.
The beauty of a private tour is being able to tailor your day exactly as you want it. See our list of pre and post cruise transfer destinations below for inspiring ideas.
For more information see Public or Shared Southampton Cruise Ship Tour Transfers at the bottom of the page.
London to Southampton using public transport
There are two public transport options between London and Southampton, both of which run frequent services all day. The public transport options are the Southampton train and National Express Coach service.
In London the fast trains to Southampton which most people use depart from Waterloo railway station. Waterloo Station can be a long taxi journey of 15-20 minutes from many popular hotel districts in London. There are trains from Victoria railway station too but these take a route that is much slower.
The National Express coaches depart from Victoria Coach Station. Victoria is a major London hotel district.
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.
The fastest public transport between Southampton and Central London
Regular, direct trains operate to Southampton from Central London from both Waterloo and Victoria railway stations. Unless you are staying in Victoria by the station most people will opt for the route from Waterloo as it is both more frequent and much faster.
At around 1 hour 20 minutes the trains from Waterloo are a full hour quicker than the trains from Victoria.
London Waterloo, Victoria & Southampton train stations – where are they?
Waterloo Station is in the heart of London on the south bank of the River Thames, next to the London Eye with the Houses of Parliament within sight. It is not a major hotel district, though there are some very large chain hotels in the vicinity. These hotels will normally have County Hall or Waterloo in their name. They are not cheap but at the weekend there are good deals as the target audience are those with government business in the vicinity.
Victoria is a major very large hotel district with much better links to the two main airports, Heathrow and Gatwick. Again you do pay a price premium for a hotel in this area compared with districts like Kensington.
Southampton Central Station, is in the heart of the city centre. It’s too far to walk from here to the any of Southampton’s four cruise terminals with luggage. There are no shuttles or public transport serving the cruise terminals. You must therefore take a local cab to your cruise ship. It’s just a few minutes drive and should cost no more than £10. There are no porters to assist you from the station platform to the taxi rank.
Should I pre book my train ticket?
Train tickets allow travel on any train, although the cheapest tickets may have exclusion periods. It’s often much cheaper and more convenient to pre book your ticket on-line in advance. The cheapest rail fares are often advanced purchase, released around 12 weeks prior to travel.
Pre booking tickets on-line enable you to purchase the best value tickets for your itinerary as well as being convenient. You can buy tickets on-line using a credit card opting either for e-ticket or you can collect them at machines at either Gatwick or Southampton stations.
Nearly all stations have manned ticket offices, unlike the London Underground, and all have ticket machines. Ticket offices at the main stations are open all day from early morning to evening. However, queues for the manned ticket offices can be long and much of the time you will get a cheaper fare by buying well in advance.
E-tickets and mobile tickets
E-tickets and mobile tickets are increasingly becoming available from many train operating companies. These include South Western, Southern, Thameslink, Chiltern, London North Western and London North Eastern operating services into London. The airport trains run by Heathrow Express, Gatwick Express and Thameslink are also supported.
Magnetic card tickets
Magnetic card tickets are the traditional tickets dispensed by ticket machines and ticket offices can be ordered in advance and collected at main railway stations. Stations where you can collect tickets include all of London’s mainline terminus stations, Heathrow and Gatwick airports and Southampton and Dover port railway stations. When you purchase these tickets on-line you are given a unique code which you type into the dedicated ticket machines and they then dispense the tickets. Tickets are ready after 15 minutes of order.
Card payments (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Diners Club, Maestro), PayPal and Apple Pay are payment options on-line.
Train Tickets and Timetables
Book train tickets in advance and save money
- Full timetables & journey planning
- Identify the best fares, including advanced fares
- Purchase e-tickets or collect at the station
London Victoria to Southampton by coach
The cheapest public transport between Southampton and London
National Express, the UK’s largest scheduled coach operator run very frequent coach services between London Victoria and Southampton. The fastest scheduled journey time is around 2 hours, so around 40 minutes slower than the train and much more prone to delays through road congestion.
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.
Where do I board the London – Southampton coach?
Victoria Coach Station is like a regional airport with destination boards, toilets, fast food, left luggage etc..
The coaches only stop at a few regional towns on the journey like Basingstoke or Winchester – no stops are made at hotels or Southampton cruise terminals.
For Southampton departures the coach station is in the heart of Southampton city centre. There are no shuttles or public transport between the cruise terminals and the coach station. From Southampton’s four cruise terminals it is too far to walk with luggage, a local taxi cab from the well marshalled cruise terminal rank should cost around £10.
Should I pre book my ticket?
There are National Express ticket kiosks and ticket machines within London Victoria and Southampton coach stations.
We recommend you pre book your ticket on-line in advance. Departures, especially after a cruise ship has docked do get fully booked and when this happens a second bus is not provided. E-tickets are available sent directly to your e-mail in-box.
National Express offer a choice of ticket types. Cheapest fares are advance purchase on-line, some are exclusively on-line. Like many fare structures you pay more for flexibility to change schedules or cancel. Fares will vary according to demand and how far a ticket is booked in advance of their journey.
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.
National Express Coach Tickets and Timetables
Book in advance, confirm seat, save money
- Full timetables & journey planning
- Identify the best fares, including advanced fares
- Pay securely by credit card, e-tickets and mobile tickets
Luggage on the Heathrow to Southampton National Express coaches
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).
For more comprehensive information we have a designated National Express page for full details.
Map of Southampton
