Which airport to fly into and places to stay in Southampton before a cruise

[lovesthebeach2]

Next year we’re taking a cruise from Southampton. We’ve been to Europe many times, but never cruised from there, so we have lots of questions.

 

We would love recommendations for hotels or places to stay close to the cruise terminal, or nearby for a short taxi or Uber ride to the pier. We love B&Bs so if anyone has some to recommend that would be great too

 

Which airport is preferable to fly into for ease of travel to the port (or hotel)

 

What things are not to miss for the few pre-cruise days we’re there? We would love to go to Stonehenge, but don’t know what else is there.

 

Thanks!

[Blue and Green]

We used Gatwick once, then took a train into London...but that was a loooong time ago. Now we always fly into LHR simply because that is where we get direct flights (ease of travel for us). 

 

We use a car service to get us from the airport to the hotel (whether it is London or Southampton). Doesn't get much easier than that. However, if you are interested in trains, buses(coaches), or cruise ship transfers, there is a lot of information about travel to Southampton at the top of this board. 

 

I don't know about B&B's near the port. Hotels--depends on your budget and your preferences. Premier Inn West Quay was reasonably priced, basic but clean, and easy to get a cab to port. Many on this board also seem to like the Holiday Inn and the Moxie hotel for proximity to the port and to shopping/restaurants. 

 

Once we used International Friends as a transfer from the cruise port to a London hotel post-cruise and they include stops at Stonehenge, Salisbury Cathedral, Windsor Castle. It was a busy, full day and the stops felt a bit rushed, but it was an efficient way to see 3 great places. Highly recommend all three. I think International Friends also offers transfers and tours to Southampton. https://www.internationalfriends.co.uk

 

[John Bull]

 

Southampton airport doesn't handle long-haul flights, just domestic and European flights.

Whilst it's possible to fly to a European hub like Amsterdam or Paris then a flight to Southampton it's an expensive, time-consuming and troublesome option, so the vast majority of inter-continental travellers fly into London Heathrow (LHR) or London Gatwick (LGW)

The greater number of US airports fly into Heathrow, the biggest & busiest airport in the UK.

But from Orlando you can get some good deals with Virgin Atlantic to Gatwick

 

Heathrow is very marginally closer to Southampton than Gatwick, Gatwick is less of a zoo.

So don't worry about which of those two airports to fly into - instead  choose according to your preferred airline, flight time, airfare, etc., and the airport will be whichever it is.

From Heathrow, best public transport option is National Express coaches, but from Gatwick it's the train. For a private transfer expect to pay £140 to £160, for Gatwick £160 to £170

 

I'll second @Blue and Green's suggestion of International Friends tour-transfers - but not available from Gatwick, nor for those arriving same-day in Heathrow. Best value are their post-cruise transfers from Southampton to central London, those to Southampton are limited by registration tmes at the port.

 

The cruise terminals in Southampton are close to the city centre, to Southampton's few "old town" sights and to coach & train stations.

Here's a precis of suitable hotels - some are better (therefore more-expensive) than others, there are none that I's caution against altho Ibis Budget is quite limited for a stay of more than one or two nights.

See the thumbnail map at the bottom of that page, it shows the locations of the hotels, cruise terminals & train & coach stations.

https://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/southampton_accommodation.htm

If your main concern is the train station consider hotels ! or 2, if your main concern is shops, pubs, restaurants, ferries & old-town consider hotels 4, 5, 6, 7 & 16. But the two areas are only a ten-minute walk apart.

The city's B&Bs are mainly north of the train station, between Hill Lane & The Avenue, some are walkable to the station and/or the northern end of the city centre. Sorry, can't help with them.

 

Southampton is a working city, not a tourist destination, but it has enough to amuse the visitor for a day.

And it's a rail hub, with direct & inexpensive trains to places like....................

 

Portsmouth & Southsea (conjoined cities), under a hour from Southampton.

Well-worth a very full day.  https://www.visitportsmouth.co.uk/things-to-do/attractions The major attraction is the ships etc of the Historic Dockyard  https://www.visitportsmouth.co.uk/things-to-do/attractions 

 

Salisbury about 35 minutes from Southampton   https://www.visitwiltshire.co.uk/salisbury/things-to-do/attractions 

Major attraction in this historic & laid-back city is its magnificent cathedral   https://www.salisburycathedral.org.uk/visit-us/

And from Salisbury the ho-ho https://www.thestonehengetour.info/ to Stonehenge https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/

Buy tour Stonehenge tickets from the ho-ho operator, those tickets are "entry at any time", so you can ignore the website's need to pre-book an arrival time.

 

Bath About 90 minutes from Southampton.

Compact Georgian city with Roman Baths & Jane Austen connections, Rail station (Bath Spa) right in the centre

https://visitbath.co.uk/

 

Winchester About 15 mins from Southampton

Ancient capital of England. Cathedral much older than Salisbury.

City streets are narrow, much more crowded than Salisbury.

 

Plenty of other destinations by train, your departure station is Southampton Central 

https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

 

Or by ferry to the Isle of Wight. 35 mins (Red Jet fast-cat) or 60 mins (Red Funnel traditional ferry) from Southampton Town Quay. Slow-paced and laid-back island stuck in the 1950's. Attractions include Osborne House (designed in Italianate style by Prince Albert, consort to Queen Victoria, and her favourite home) and The Needles. 

 

Or a ten-minute ride on the little Hythe Ferry from Town Quay across Southampton Water, then from the taxi rank at the pier in Hythe a 6-mile ride across a corner of the New Forest to Beaulieu  https://www.beaulieu.co.uk/ Britains premier motor museum + Bishop's Palace + footprint of Beaulieu Abbey, razed during Henry V111's Dissolution of the Monasteries

(no taxi rank at Beaulieu, arrange a time (3 to 5 hours) with the driver to bring you back to Hythe).

 

JB 🙂

 

[SEA DOGY]

17 hours ago, Blue and Green said:

We used Gatwick once, then took a train into London...but that was a loooong time ago. Now we always fly into LHR simply because that is where we get direct flights (ease of travel for us). 

 

We use a car service to get us from the airport to the hotel (whether it is London or Southampton). Doesn't get much easier than that. However, if you are interested in trains, buses(coaches), or cruise ship transfers, there is a lot of information about travel to Southampton at the top of this board. 

 

I don't know about B&B's near the port. Hotels--depends on your budget and your preferences. Premier Inn West Quay was reasonably priced, basic but clean, and easy to get a cab to port. Many on this board also seem to like the Holiday Inn and the Moxie hotel for proximity to the port and to shopping/restaurants. 

 

Once we used International Friends as a transfer from the cruise port to a London hotel post-cruise and they include stops at Stonehenge, Salisbury Cathedral, Windsor Castle. It was a busy, full day and the stops felt a bit rushed, but it was an efficient way to see 3 great places. Highly recommend all three. I think International Friends also offers transfers and tours to Southampton. https://www.internationalfriends.co.uk

 

Hello. 

We will be arriving in Southampton our arrival time is around 8 AM our flight back  home U S is 3 PM same day  What’s the easiest and fast way to get Heathrow we just don’t miss our flight TIA 

[sddsddean]

Fastest is technically helicopter! However, I'm assuming you haven't got megabucks, so I'd recommend the National Express coach. https://www.nationalexpress.com/en

If you are arriving at City or Horizon cruise terminal, you could walk it to the coach station in 15 mins, otherwise its a quick cab ride. Coaches to LHR will drop you at T5, T4 or the Central Bus station which serves T2&3. Usually the same coach goes to all 3 stops. Cost is around £15-£20 (but can be cheaper) and the trip takes around 2 1/2 hrs. Book as soon as you can, as lots of cruisers use this service (I've just done a dummy booking to check prices in October(!), so if you are travelling this year, go for it!).

 

Simon

[John Bull]

3 hours ago, SEA DOGY said:

Hello. 

We will be arriving in Southampton our arrival time is around 8 AM our flight back  home U S is 3 PM same day  What’s the easiest and fast way to get Heathrow we just don’t miss our flight TIA 

 

Arrivals in Southampton are usually 5am to 7am, so 8am is probably first disembarkation. 

 

Cheapest is Nat Express as per @sddsddean's post - you will want to be at the airport about 2.5 hrs before your flight time, 90 minutes is the bare minimum, so book an appropriately-timed coach - they do book out early.

Add up to £10 for a taxi to Southampton coach station

 

Ship-sponsored coach transfers are rated by the cruise lines as fine for flights after 12.30 / 1pm / 1.30 (depending on which cruse line) so with a 3pm flight you have a wide window.

Some ship-sponsored coaches (incl. Cunard, RCI and Celebrity) are expensive - I've seen over $100 pp - so usually more than a private transfer for two.  Princess offer probably the best value at around $65 pp

 

Pre-booked private transfers (check the top sticky on this forum for suggestions) cost about £140 to £150 for a sedan

 

There is no direct train route Southampton - Heathrow, train travel for this journey is complicated, slow, and expensive.

 

Drive-time monday thru friday is about 90 mins to 2 hrs, much quicker at weekends.

 

JB 🙂

[Blue and Green]

4 hours ago, SEA DOGY said:

 What’s the easiest and fast way to get Heathrow we just don’t miss our flight TIA 

@John Bull always gives thorough, helpful responses. He is the expert and I have learned so much from reading his posts!

 

The only thing I would add is that for us, the easiest and fastest way is always booking the private car transfer. Mr. Blue has some mobility issues so having a driver handle our luggage, and provide door-to-door service, is worth the additional cost. You also aren't waiting on others or making other stops. Takes the stress out of vacation travel. 

 

When leaving Southampton we will use one of the car services based in Southampton such as Gunwharf Executive Travel

https://gunwharf-executive-travel.co.uk  or West Quay Cars https://westquaycars.com

 

[SEA DOGY]

4 hours ago, Blue and Green said:

@John Bull always gives thorough, helpful responses. He is the expert and I have learned so much from reading his posts!

 

The only thing I would add is that for us, the easiest and fastest way is always booking the private car transfer. Mr. Blue has some mobility issues so having a driver handle our luggage, and provide door-to-door service, is worth the additional cost. You also aren't waiting on others or making other stops. Takes the stress out of vacation travel. 

 

When leaving Southampton we will use one of the car services based in Southampton such as Gunwharf Executive Travel

https://gunwharf-executive-travel.co.uk  or West Quay Cars https://westquaycars.com

 

Thank you very much we are a bit nervous about this transfer we are not young and this will be our first cruise out Southampton I’m trying to get all the information 

[SEA DOGY]

6 hours ago, John Bull said:

 

Arrivals in Southampton are usually 5am to 7am, so 8am is probably first disembarkation. 

 

Cheapest is Nat Express as per @sddsddean's post - you will want to be at the airport about 2.5 hrs before your flight time, 90 minutes is the bare minimum, so book an appropriately-timed coach - they do book out early.

Add up to £10 for a taxi to Southampton coach station

 

Ship-sponsored coach transfers are rated by the cruise lines as fine for flights after 12.30 / 1pm / 1.30 (depending on which cruse line) so with a 3pm flight you have a wide window.

Some ship-sponsored coaches (incl. Cunard, RCI and Celebrity) are expensive - I've seen over $100 pp - so usually more than a private transfer for two.  Princess offer probably the best value at around $65 pp

 

Pre-booked private transfers (check the top sticky on this forum for suggestions) cost about £140 to £150 for a sedan

 

There is no direct train route Southampton - Heathrow, train travel for this journey is complicated, slow, and expensive.

 

Drive-time monday thru friday is about 90 mins to 2 hrs, much quicker at weekends.

 

JB 🙂

Thank you we are sailing Royal Caribbean arriving in Southampton October 2 Wednesday and I think we are the only ship arriving that day I hope this makes a little easy for us.   Hoping 

[John Bull]

2 hours ago, SEA DOGY said:

Thank you we are sailing Royal Caribbean arriving in Southampton October 2 Wednesday and I think we are the only ship arriving that day I hope this makes a little easy for us.   Hoping 

 

Yep, port website shows Anthem as the only arrival that day - but she's a big lady.

The only Nat Express that would suit is the 9.45am, arrives Heathrow between 11.30 & noon depending which terminal.

if you plan to use Nat Express I suggest you book it soon.

 

JB 🙂

 

[SEA DOGY]

31 minutes ago, John Bull said:

 

Yep, port website shows Anthem as the only arrival that day - but she's a big lady.

The only Nat Express that would suit is the 9.45am, arrives Heathrow between 11.30 & noon depending which terminal.

if you plan to use Nat Express I suggest you book it soon.

 

JB 🙂

 

Thank you we are thinking private taxi less hassle and maybe easier 

do have any suggestions and how soon we should book it  

We appreciate you help thanks 

[John Bull]

7 hours ago, SEA DOGY said:

Thank you we are thinking private taxi less hassle and maybe easier 

do have any suggestions and how soon we should book it  

We appreciate you help thanks 

 

I usually suggest the two mentioned by @Blue and Green plus https://www.aquacars.co.uk/

They're all based at the Southampton end.

You could also browse the sticky thread at the top of this board - browse it from the last page first https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2968902-southampton-london-transfers-airport-lhrlgw-new-thread/page/5/#comments

 

 

Even tho it's the tail end of the season I suggest you book several months out - they'll be taking bookings now for October.

 

JB 🙂

 

[SEA DOGY]

6 hours ago, John Bull said:

 

I usually suggest the two mentioned by @Blue and Green plus https://www.aquacars.co.uk/

They're all based at the Southampton end.

You could also browse the sticky thread at the top of this board - browse it from the last page first https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2968902-southampton-london-transfers-airport-lhrlgw-new-thread/page/5/#comments

 

 

Even tho it's the tail end of the season I suggest you book several months out - they'll be taking bookings now for October.

 

JB 🙂

 

Thank very vet much 

[lovesthebeach2]

On 3/7/2024 at 9:27 AM, John Bull said:

 

Southampton airport doesn't handle long-haul flights, just domestic and European flights.

Whilst it's possible to fly to a European hub like Amsterdam or Paris then a flight to Southampton it's an expensive, time-consuming and troublesome option, so the vast majority of inter-continental travellers fly into London Heathrow (LHR) or London Gatwick (LGW)

The greater number of US airports fly into Heathrow, the biggest & busiest airport in the UK.

But from Orlando you can get some good deals with Virgin Atlantic to Gatwick

 

Heathrow is very marginally closer to Southampton than Gatwick, Gatwick is less of a zoo.

So don't worry about which of those two airports to fly into - instead  choose according to your preferred airline, flight time, airfare, etc., and the airport will be whichever it is.

From Heathrow, best public transport option is National Express coaches, but from Gatwick it's the train. For a private transfer expect to pay £140 to £160, for Gatwick £160 to £170

 

I'll second @Blue and Green's suggestion of International Friends tour-transfers - but not available from Gatwick, nor for those arriving same-day in Heathrow. Best value are their post-cruise transfers from Southampton to central London, those to Southampton are limited by registration tmes at the port.

 

The cruise terminals in Southampton are close to the city centre, to Southampton's few "old town" sights and to coach & train stations.

Here's a precis of suitable hotels - some are better (therefore more-expensive) than others, there are none that I's caution against altho Ibis Budget is quite limited for a stay of more than one or two nights.

See the thumbnail map at the bottom of that page, it shows the locations of the hotels, cruise terminals & train & coach stations.

https://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/southampton_accommodation.htm

If your main concern is the train station consider hotels ! or 2, if your main concern is shops, pubs, restaurants, ferries & old-town consider hotels 4, 5, 6, 7 & 16. But the two areas are only a ten-minute walk apart.

The city's B&Bs are mainly north of the train station, between Hill Lane & The Avenue, some are walkable to the station and/or the northern end of the city centre. Sorry, can't help with them.

 

Southampton is a working city, not a tourist destination, but it has enough to amuse the visitor for a day.

And it's a rail hub, with direct & inexpensive trains to places like....................

 

Portsmouth & Southsea (conjoined cities), under a hour from Southampton.

Well-worth a very full day.  https://www.visitportsmouth.co.uk/things-to-do/attractions The major attraction is the ships etc of the Historic Dockyard  https://www.visitportsmouth.co.uk/things-to-do/attractions 

 

Salisbury about 35 minutes from Southampton   https://www.visitwiltshire.co.uk/salisbury/things-to-do/attractions 

Major attraction in this historic & laid-back city is its magnificent cathedral   https://www.salisburycathedral.org.uk/visit-us/

And from Salisbury the ho-ho https://www.thestonehengetour.info/ to Stonehenge https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/

Buy tour Stonehenge tickets from the ho-ho operator, those tickets are "entry at any time", so you can ignore the website's need to pre-book an arrival time.

 

Bath About 90 minutes from Southampton.

Compact Georgian city with Roman Baths & Jane Austen connections, Rail station (Bath Spa) right in the centre

https://visitbath.co.uk/

 

Winchester About 15 mins from Southampton

Ancient capital of England. Cathedral much older than Salisbury.

City streets are narrow, much more crowded than Salisbury.

 

Plenty of other destinations by train, your departure station is Southampton Central 

https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

 

Or by ferry to the Isle of Wight. 35 mins (Red Jet fast-cat) or 60 mins (Red Funnel traditional ferry) from Southampton Town Quay. Slow-paced and laid-back island stuck in the 1950's. Attractions include Osborne House (designed in Italianate style by Prince Albert, consort to Queen Victoria, and her favourite home) and The Needles. 

 

Or a ten-minute ride on the little Hythe Ferry from Town Quay across Southampton Water, then from the taxi rank at the pier in Hythe a 6-mile ride across a corner of the New Forest to Beaulieu  https://www.beaulieu.co.uk/ Britains premier motor museum + Bishop's Palace + footprint of Beaulieu Abbey, razed during Henry V111's Dissolution of the Monasteries

(no taxi rank at Beaulieu, arrange a time (3 to 5 hours) with the driver to bring you back to Hythe).

 

JB 🙂

 

This is amazing! Thank you for all the info! I never expected such detail!
I truly appreciate it! 

[lovesthebeach2]

On 3/8/2024 at 6:36 AM, Blue and Green said:

@John Bull always gives thorough, helpful responses. He is the expert and I have learned so much from reading his posts!

 

The only thing I would add is that for us, the easiest and fastest way is always booking the private car transfer. Mr. Blue has some mobility issues so having a driver handle our luggage, and provide door-to-door service, is worth the additional cost. You also aren't waiting on others or making other stops. Takes the stress out of vacation travel. 

 

When leaving Southampton we will use one of the car services based in Southampton such as Gunwharf Executive Travel

https://gunwharf-executive-travel.co.uk  or West Quay Cars https://westquaycars.com

 

We also prefer private car service, and usually when we travel to Europe and pre book our hotels (or B&B) they will arrange the pickup from the airport.