London, England

London airports to Southampton cruise terminals

Your guide from London Heathrow and Gatwick for a smooth start to your Cunard cruise.

Setting sail from Southampton is the beginning of your unforgettable cruise adventure, but first, you need to get there. If you’re flying into London, whether that’s London Heathrow or London Gatwick, this guide will navigate you through the different transport options to get you comfortably to our Cunard departure port in Southampton.

Where is the cruise port vs the airport?

Southampton is on the south coast of England, in the county of Hampshire, and it is around 80 miles southwest of London. There are a number of cruise terminals at Southampton, and Cunard usually departs from the Mayflower Cruise Terminal, the Ocean Cruise Terminal or the QE2 Cruise Terminal. Which terminal you will depart from will be in your booking confirmation.

Heathrow is southwest of the centre of London and Gatwick is directly south of the capital. Both airports have superb links to the city of London as well as the rest of the UK, including Southampton.

Route options

There are several ways to travel from Heathrow or Gatwick to Southampton cruise terminals.

From Gatwick Airport, there are trains to Southampton Central station, run by Southern Railways. The journey takes on average two hours, with approximately two trains per hour and requires one or two train changes.

The journey can cost between £7 and £29 for a single ticket*, and these can be booked online through the National Rail website or directly with Southern Railway using a debit/credit card, or at the train station using ticket machines with either cash or a debit/credit card.

From Southampton Central Station, it is approximately one mile to the cruise port, which is accessible on foot or by taxi.

*Prices correct at the time of publishing: always check prices directly before you travel.

From Heathrow Airport, there are trains to Southampton Central train station, run by a number of operators. The journey takes on average two hours and 10 minutes, with approximately two trains per hour and requires two or three train changes.

The journey can cost approximately £82.50 for a single ticket*, and these can be booked online through the National Rail website using a debit/credit card, or at the train station using ticket machines with either cash or a debit/credit card.

From Southampton Central Station, it is approximately one mile to the cruise port, which is accessible on foot or by taxi.

*Prices correct at the time of publishing: always check prices directly before you travel.

From Gatwick Airport, National Express operates a coach service to Southampton Coach Station. The journey takes on average four hours and 15 minutes with one change, with around 24 coaches per day.

The journey can cost between £20 and £50 for a single ticket*, and these can be booked online through the National Express website using a debit/credit card, or from the National Express ticket desks found in both terminals. The coaches depart from directly outside the terminal doors in both the North and South Terminals.

From Southampton Coach Station, it is approximately one mile to the cruise port, which is accessible on foot or by taxi.

*Prices correct at the time of publishing: always check prices directly before you travel.

From Heathrow Airport, National Express operates a coach service to Southampton Coach Station. The journey takes on average one hour and 55 minutes if a direct service, with approximately two coaches per hour, every two hours.

The journey can cost approximately £20 for a single ticket*, and these can be booked online through the National Express website using a debit/credit card, or at the coach station using the automated ticket machines.

At Heathrow Airport, the Central Bus Station is located within walking distance of Terminals 2 and 3. National Express also has stops at Terminal 4 and Terminal 5 – these are located directly outside the terminal buildings. There is also a free transfer between Heathrow terminals on the Heathrow Express.

From Southampton Coach Station, it is approximately one mile to the cruise port, which is accessible on foot or by taxi.

*Prices correct at the time of publishing: always check prices directly before you travel.

From Gatwick Airport, it takes approximately one hour and 50 minutes by car or taxi directly to the cruise terminal. The cost of a taxi can vary massively depending on the size and luxury of the vehicle but costs between £140 and £250 for a single journey*. Due to the length of the journey, it is best to book in advance, either on a taxi provider's website or over the phone. It is also possible to book with Airport Cars Gatwick, Gatwick’s own approved provider.

It is also possible to hire a car from the airport and drop it at the company’s Southampton branch.

*Prices correct at the time of publishing: always check prices directly before you travel.

From Heathrow Airport, it takes approximately one hour and 20 minutes by car or taxi directly to the cruise terminal. How much the taxi costs can range wildly and this will depend on the size and luxury of the vehicle but it’s sensible to budget between £160 and £290 for a single journey*. Due to the length of the journey, it is best to book in advance, either on a taxi provider's website or over the phone.

You can also hire a car from the airport and return it to their Southampton branch.

*Prices correct at the time of publishing: always check prices directly before you travel.

From Gatwick Airport, there are a number of private transfer and shuttle providers to Southampton Cruise Port. These transfers can either be private or shared with other cruise passengers and take approximately two hours.

The journey will take you directly from the airport to the cruise terminal and cost between £110 and £300 for a single journey* depending on the size of the vehicle, the quality of the vehicle and whether it is private or shared.

*Prices correct at the time of publishing: always check prices directly before you travel.

From Heathrow Airport, there are a number of private transfer and shuttle providers to Southampton cruise port. These transfers can either be private or shared with other cruise passengers and take approximately one hour and 30 minutes.

The journey will take you directly from the airport to the cruise terminal and cost between £90 and £250 for a single journey*, depending on the size and style of the vehicle, and whether it is a private or shared vehicle.

*Prices correct at the time of publishing: always check prices directly before you travel.

Travelling from London airports - common scenarios

Here are our top scenerios asked about by our guests when travelling to Southampton from London.

If you’re arriving into either Gatwick or Heathrow Airport late, it may still be possible to get a coach, taxi or private transfer to Southampton. However, on arrival in Southampton, you will likely need to check into a nearby hotel and travel to the cruise terminal in the morning. Locally, there are a number of hotels including Leonardo Royal Hotel Southampton Grand Harbour, Novotel Southampton, Holiday Inn Southampton or The Pig in the Wall.

Alternatively, you can choose to stay at an airport hotel at Heathrow or a hotel at Gatwick and travel to Southampton the next day. The hotel may be more expensive but it will give you more options for travel in the morning.

Cunard have hotel packages with a number of local hotels, so we can secure a room for you and attach it to your booking: this will not just give you a room for the night, but also includes breakfast (unless otherwise stated), local taxis and service charges, luggage porterage and the services of a local Cunard representative. You can add a hotel to your booking during the cruise booking process, or add it later by calling our customer contact centre.

If you’re travelling with heavy luggage from Heathrow or Gatwick, your best option will either be a taxi or transfer/shuttle. By using either of these modes of transport, you will be less required to lift or manoeuvre your luggage and instead, will be taken from the airport straight to the cruise terminal. This is also true if you’re part of a larger group or travelling with children, as taking a taxi or transfer may be more cost-effective.

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