Travel to and from Southampton

Road

Southampton has good transport links with the rest of the country. The M27 motorway runs just to the north of the city. The M3 motorway links the city to London and the M271 motorway links the M27 with the Western Docks and city centre.

Rail

Southampton is served by a rail network used both by freight services and passenger services as part of the national rail system.

The main station in the city is Southampton Central. Local train services operate in the city with stations at Swaythling, St Denys, Millbrook, Redbridge, Bitterne, Sholing and Woolston.

Air

Southampton Airport is a regional airport located in the town of Eastleigh. It offers flights to UK and nearby European destinations. It is connected to the city by rail service from Southampton Airport Parkway railway station.

Cruise shipping

Many of the world’s largest cruise ships can regularly be seen in Southampton water.

At certain times of the year, the Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria may all visit Southampton at the same time, in an event commonly called ‘Arrival of the Three Queens’.

Ferry

Southampton is the terminus for three internal ferry services, operating from terminals at Town Quay. Two of these provide links to East Cowes and Cowes. The 3rd ferry provides passenger services to Hythe on the other side of Southampton Water.

Bus

Both bus networks in Southampton are privately funded. The University of Southampton commissions the first to provide transport from the university to the town. Another runs between the central station to Red Funnel’s port.

Map showing Southampton stations