getting to Southampton from Ireland or the French Coast

[malcbern]

We booked a July cruise out of Southampton but haven't booked travel yet. Does anyone know about travel to Southampton other than by air to Heathrow/Gatwick? We are thinking about stopping in Dublin or Paris first and would like to find out if there is any quick connection from Ireland or the French Coast. Maybe hovercraft or hydrofoil. If we do the other destination first we will need an efficient transfer to Southampton.

[Globaliser]

Does anyone know about travel to Southampton other than by air to Heathrow/Gatwick? We are thinking about stopping in Dublin or Paris first and would like to find out if there is any quick connection from Ireland or the French Coast.

You can fly to Southampton airport from both Dublin and Paris. The airlines concerned are Air France (Paris Orly) and Flybe (Dublin and Paris Charles de Gaulle). Depending on where exactly you are in France, if you go further afield than Paris, you might also be able to fly from Brest or Rennes (Flybe). See this page on the airport's website.

[John Bull]

We booked a July cruise out of Southampton but haven't booked travel yet. Does anyone know about travel to Southampton other than by air to Heathrow/Gatwick? We are thinking about stopping in Dublin or Paris first and would like to find out if there is any quick connection from Ireland or the French Coast. Maybe hovercraft or hydrofoil. If we do the other destination first we will need an efficient transfer to Southampton.

 

To Southampton from Dublin

 

: The various ferry/train options are cumbersome, time-consuming & & convoluted.

: by air from Dublin to Bournemouth airport with Ryanair. Then bus or 10 min taxi ride to Bournemouth rail station & train to Southampton (30 mins or less) & a £5 to £8 taxi hop to your cruise terminal. Or taxi direct from Bournemouth airport to your cruise terminal, about 28 miles - book a private hire taxi, cheaper than one at the rank. When pricing a Ryanair flight, go through a dummy booking - incl luggage - to get a genuine price, a £1 ticket :rolleyes: will cost you anywhere between £30 and £70

: by air from Dublin to Southampton airport with Flybe. Then £15 - £20 taxi to your cruise terminal (savings by pre-booking not worth the effort) or short train ride (frequent service) to central rail station then £5 to £8 taxi hop. Again, go through a dummy booking, though their pricing is more transparent. Simpler than the Ryanair option, but flights usually more expensive.

 

To Southampton from Paris

 

: simplest ferry option is 2 hr train ride Paris - Le Havre for hydrofoil or ferry (LD Lines or Brittany Ferries) to Portsmouth (3 - 6 hrs), taxi hop ferry terminal to rail station, train (30 mins or less) to Southampton rail station then £5 - £8 taxi hop to your cruise terminal. Or taxi from ferry to cruise terminal 19 miles (again, cheaper to pre-book)

: by air to Southampton airport from Paris (CDG) with Flybe or from Paris (ORY) with Air France.

: by Eurostar train Paris - London (St Pancras), 2-3 miles taxi or tube across central London to to London (Waterloo) for frequent trains to Southampton central rail station (vaguely 80 mins)

 

Stax of options, stax of different time/cost/convenience considerations.

 

John Bull

[sddsddean]

One other point; be aware that luggage limits on budget airlines such as Ryanair and FlyBe are usually one bag plus one carry on.

 

Simon

[scottbee]

We booked a July cruise out of Southampton but haven't booked travel yet. Does anyone know about travel to Southampton other than by air to Heathrow/Gatwick? We are thinking about stopping in Dublin or Paris first and would like to find out if there is any quick connection from Ireland or the French Coast. Maybe hovercraft or hydrofoil. If we do the other destination first we will need an efficient transfer to Southampton.

 

From Southampton's cruise docks;

 

SOU/Southampton Airport: about 5 miles

BOH/Bournemouth Airport: about 30 miles

LGW/London Gatwick: about 80 miles

LHR/London Heathrow: about 75 miles