Buses
Local bus services in Hampshire provide services to local areas and across the county, with a number of routes covering the City of Southampton, City of Portsmouth, Southsea, Fareham, Gosport and Waterlooville.
Details of local bus services and timetables can be found at First Buses Hampshire
Trains
Trains in Hampshire serve a number of routes across the county and to other areas. There are several mainline rail routes offering local and regional services. Southampton Central Station has services to London Waterloo station with a journey time of approx 1 hour 40 minutes. There is also a service from Southampton Central to London Victoria station via Horsham the journey time is approx 2 hours 30 minutes. There are local services to Winchester, Basingstoke, Portsmouth and Southsea and Portsmouth Harbour and further to Poole, Brighton, Manchester and Bournemouth.
Train services are provided by a number of train operators including South West Trains; Southern and Cross Country
Other railway stations in Hampshire include Portsmouth and Southsea, Portsmouth Harbour, Alton, Basingstoke, Eastleigh, Farnborough, Hook, Winchester and Southampton Airport Parkway.
For more information please see National Rail Enquiries
Public Transport Safety Tips
Most journeys on public transport go ahead without incident, in order to minimise the chances of any incidents, passengers may wish to consider the following safety tips:
- Be aware of your belongings at all times.
- Do not leave your bags and belongings unattended at any time.
- Stay alert and aware of your environment and those around you.
- Do not show valuables including money and jewellery in public.
- If you are carrying a bag/handbag, ensure you use a bag that has a strong good quality strap and wear it across your shoulder (not on your shoulder), with the pockets closed facing towards your waist. Carrying the bag on your shoulder makes it much easier for criminals to snatch the bag or cut the strap.
- Be careful and cautious in crowds and beware of pickpockets, do not leave anything valuable showing in public including wallets in back trouser pockets.
- Sit in carriages with other passengers do not sit in carriages with no/fewer passengers.
- Try not to use smaller/isolated stations especially at night.
- When waiting for buses, trains, boats and taxis stand with other passengers in an area that is well lit, do not stand/wait in isolated areas.
Car
There are a number of car hire firms in Hampshire that offer car rental services for both short and longer term car hire offering a range of vehicles from small budget cars to family cars to larger mini-buses and luxury cars.
Hampshire is connected to the road network via the M3, A31 and A34. London to Southampton by car via the M25 and M3 is a drive of approx 1 hour 40 minutes to 2 hours depending on traffic. Other major roads around the county include the A3 and A303.
Parking in Southampton city centre includes a number of pay and display and pay on exit car parks. Major car parks in Southampton city centre include Bedford Place, Grosvenor, and West Park multi storey car parks and Mayflower Park, Wilton Avenue, Albion Place and Castle Way car parks.
There are Park & Ride schemes in operation in Winchester in South and East Winchester, where drivers can park in designated areas in the outskirts of the city centre and get a bus in to Winchester centre. For more information please see: Winchester Park & Ride
Drivers should note there may be driving restrictions in and around the city and town centres. It is recommended visitors ensure they fully understand the local parking rules before parking and help avoid unnecessary fines and worry.
Ferry
Hampshire’s location includes the ports of Southampton and Portsmouth on the south English coast making it convenient to use ferries to get to the county. The port of Portsmouth in Hampshire is a ferry port with services to Europe including to Jersey, the Isle of Wight, Bilbao and Santander in Spain, Le Havre, St Malo, Cherbourg and Caen in France. There are a number of ferry operators including Brittany Ferries and P & O Ferries
The south coast ports of Dover and Folkestone can both be used to get to Hampshire from the European mainland, from Dover by car the route is via the M20, M25 and M3.
Coach
Hampshire is accessible by coach with regular coach services available to Hampshire from London Victoria coach station, the journey time from London to Southampton is approx 2 hours depending on the service, time of day & traffic. There are also services from London to Portsmouth, Basingstoke, Waterlooville, Winchester, Farnborough and Andover. Coach services are provided by National Express.
Whilst travelling by coach to Hampshire is usually more time consuming than using rail and road, it is usually more cost effective.
Air
Southampton Airport is located in Hampshire, 3 miles from the city centre offering good access to the Hampshire region. The airport caters for a number of domestic and international flights.
For more information on public transport in Hampshire including information on public transport and timetables please see: Hampshire Transport from Hampshire County Council
Disclaimer: The information given in on this website is given in good faith and to the best of our knowledge. If there are any discrepancies in no way do we intend to mislead. Important travel details and arrangements should be confirmed and verified with the relevant authorities.
