Southhampton

[NMTraveller]

Are there sites and tours for Southampton or should I overnight in London?

[Lena11033]

Personally I would go the day before, there's been a lot of train strikes so I wouldn't want the stress of getting there the day of the cruise. Also depending where you stay in London you have to get from there to Waterloo.

If driving I don't know the route but if you have to tackle the M25 at all, its nickname is the road to hell - its named that for a reason.

 

There's a Seacity museum, think a Titantic walk and Tudor house and garden, there are others but those are the ones I think of the most

But there is this site https://visitsouthampton.co.uk/

[NMTraveller]

So how is the easiest way to travel to Southampton?

[C-Dragons]

11 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

So how is the easiest way to travel to Southampton?

I agree, go by train. It takes approximately 2 hours.

[JeanieC,Aston]

Industrial action on the railway is usually announced weeks before,,,wildcat strikes are not allowed in the UK,unlike say Italy.

Gives you plenty of time to arrange other transport London to Southampton.

[markeb]

Are you going straight from Heathrow to Southampton? Or are you going from London after a short stay in London? Or have you not decided? "Easiest" kind of depends on those answers. And your definition of easiest.

 

There's a thread on this subject on the British Isles/Western Europe board. That board is a wealth of information (down to being able to tell you where to transfer on the Tube if you need to). I'd check the board out in general, and this thread in particular:

 

 

If you're going straight from Heathrow, I think most would suggest the National Express bus instead of the train. Your luggage gets loaded on the bus, and you sit back for a nice ride to Southampton. There is no direct train service from Heathrow to Southampton. If you're in London, Waterloo to Southampton by train is probably fastest. Private car may be the easiest, but it's going to be expensive.

 

If you're only doing one night, it's probably just as well to go to Southampton. If you're going to arrive 2-3 days (or so) before your cruise, stay in London.

[countess5]

If you go into Southampton I would recommend The Pig in the Wall as a place stay. Great location right next to the port and a lot in the area. 

 

Cheers! 

[scidee]

I so agree with the posters above.  The train from Waterloo was fun and reasonable (I think $12/person last year).  We stayed at the Holiday Inn right across from the the cruise port.  You can just grab you luggage and walk across the street to the ship.  From the Holiday Inn there is a nice river walk and WWII sites plus some nice pubs.  We enjoyed Southampton.

[jwlane]

1 hour ago, NMTraveller said:

So how is the easiest way to travel to Southampton?

National Express.  Inexpensive, reliable.

[bigbenboys]

I wanted to stay at The Pig in the Wall. Rooms were all booked up more the 6 months in advance.

 

Our cruise out of Southampton is in about a month. After doing my research I went with a private car service. The private car cost from Southampton to LHR terminal 5 is £164.50.

 

We added extra days before our cruise to go see Winchester Cathedral. It is about 20 mins by train from Southampton. We are also spending 2 nights on the Isle of Wight to see the island and Osborne house.

 

Other interesting things to see near Southampton are Bath and Stonehenge.

[Jim_Iain]

I have used both bus and train to London.   Very easy.      The Bus station is much closer to down town but the train station is only about 1/2 hour walk from where the ship docks. 

[dreamer321]

If you do stay in Southampton a few days early you can also make a short day trip to Portsmouth (Historic Dockyards) or Winchester (Winchester Cathedral, Military Quarters, the Great Hall) which have numerous sites to see.  That is what I'm doing prior to my fall transatlantic cruise from Southampton.

 

As far as getting to Southampton if you're going direct from Heathrow the National Express bus service gets good reviews if you don't want to pay for a private car service.

[Rick&Jeannie]

We have used Blackberry Cars many times when in London waiting to cruise...but we've never used them for the Southampton leg.  We're usually on a different cruise line and we use that line's transfer service.  But, I can highly recommend Blackberry cars...always on time and very professional.

[twincheryl]

2 hours ago, bigbenboys said:

 

Our cruise out of Southampton is in about a month. After doing my research I went with a private car service. The private car cost from Southampton to LHR terminal 5 is £164.50.

 

This is our favorite type of transport as well... well worth the cost for 3 of us.  May I ask who you booked with?  That's a very good price!

[bigbenboys]

4 hours ago, twincheryl said:

This is our favorite type of transport as well... well worth the cost for 3 of us.  May I ask who you booked with?  That's a very good price!

Britway Airport Transfer.

[countess5]

Another great must see is Highclere Castle that is if you were a Downton Abby fab. We spent 10 days with our friends who live outside London last Summer after our 14 day cruise out of Southampton. 

 

 

Cheers! 

[John Bull]

Late to the thread, but a quick precis:

 

LHR to Southampton,

National Express bus. About £20 pp, 2 hrs. Poor frequency, essential to pre-book, allow at least 90 minutes for airport formalities https://www.nationalexpress.com/en

Or a pre-booked private transfer will cost £140 to £160

 

Central London to Southampton.

Train from London Waterloo station, takes about 90 minutes, 2 - 3 trains per hour. Walk-up fare about £54 pp, but cheap Advance fares from as low as £14 are available from about 12 weeks out. That cheap Advance fare is only good for the train time that you book - so don't miss it

Alternatively Nat Express bus from Victoria coach station, roughly hourly, journey time 2 1/2 hrs, fare from as little as £6 pp.

Or a pre-booked private transfer is likely to cost £200+  

It's perfectly normal to travel to Southampton on the morning of your cruise.

Southampton train & bus stations are only a few hundred yards apart - City and Horizon Cruise Terminals are walkable in 15-20 minutes even with luggage, the others need a short taxi hop.

 

Southampton isn't a tourist city, but there's enough to amuse visitors for a day, like https://tudorhouseandgarden.com/

https://seacitymuseum.co.uk/

https://www.solentsky.org/

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1092087?section=official-list-entry and the city walls

Plus God's Tower (houses archaeological museum), art gallery etc, excellent West Quay shopping mall, historic pubs, restaurants etc.

 

For anyone staying for a few days there are plenty of sights just a train ride or ferry ride away, but Highclere Castle (photo in post #16) is over 30 miles away and inconvenient by train.

 

JB 🙂

[SEA DOGY]

On 5/24/2024 at 8:24 AM, jwlane said:

National Express.  Inexpensive, reliable.

I’m still struggling trying to decide which the best way to get to Southampton from LHR 

Do you need to book in advance if you decide to use National Express are they at the Airpot terminal or you need to take a taxi ? How about private transportation which companies to use. TIA 

[jwlane]

1 hour ago, SEA DOGY said:

 National Express are they at the Airpot terminal or you need to take a taxi ?

We've also taken the bus from the city, but there is a major bus terminal where they depart from---no taxi necessary.  Need to book in advance?  Maybe not---but why not?

[gumshoe958]

6 hours ago, SEA DOGY said:

I’m still struggling trying to decide which the best way to get to Southampton from LHR 

Do you need to book in advance if you decide to use National Express are they at the Airpot terminal or you need to take a taxi ? How about private transportation which companies to use. TIA 

You would be strongly advised to book National Express in advance. If there’s still room on the coach you can buy a ticket on the day but they’re often full and they only go every couple of hours so it’s a big risk.

 

If your flight arrives at Terminal 4 or 5, the coach stops right outside arrivals. If it’s Terminal 2 or 3 (all US airlines) you’ll have to walk to the central bus station - about a 10 minute walk, underground with moving walkways to help.

[SEA DOGY]

Got it thanks