Wiltshire Travel & Transport

The transport system in the county of Wiltshire offers visitors a number of ways to get around from public transport such as buses and trains to using the road with car hire, coaches and ferries.

Buses
Local bus services in Wiltshire provide services to local areas and across the county, with a number of routes covering the city of Salisbury, Swindon and a number of other towns and villages in the county including Trowbridge, Westbury, Warminster, Calne, Chippenham, Wootton Bassett, Avebury, Marlborough, Pewsey and Devizes.

Details of local bus services and timetables can be found at Wiltshire Buses


Trains
Trains in Wiltshire serve a number of routes across the county and to other areas. There are several mainline rail routes offering local and regional services. Salisbury Station has services to London Waterloo with a journey time of approx 1 hour 35 minutes. There are services to local areas including Dean, Tisbury, Warminster, Westbury, Trowbridge and Bradford-upon-Avon and further to Cardiff Central, Yeovil, Exeter St David’s, Portsmouth Harbour, Bath Spa, Bristol Temple Meads and Basingstoke.

Train services are provided by First Great Western and South West Trains

Swindon Station has services to London Paddington with a journey time of 1 hour; there are also services to Swansea, Cheltenham Spa, Taunton and Bristol Temple Meads.

Other railway stations in Wiltshire include Dean, Avoncliff, Chippenham, Pewsey, Dalton Marsh, Warminster and Westbury.

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 Wiltshire 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.

Wiltshire is connected to the road network via the M4 and A303. London to Salisbury by car via the M3 and A30 is a drive of approx 2 to 3 hours depending on traffic and time of day. Other major roads around the county include the A36, A346, A350 and A429.

Parking in Salisbury city centre includes a number of pay and display and pay on exit car parks. Major car parks in and around the city centre include Brown Street, East, Brown Street West, Central, College Street, Culver Street, Endless Street, Maltings, Salt Lane and Southampton Road.

There are Park & Ride schemes in operation in Salisbury at various sites including Britford, Beehive, London Road, Petersfinger and Wilton where drivers can park in designated areas in the outskirts of the city centre and get a bus in to Salisbury city centre. For more information please see: Salisbury 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
Wiltshire’s location in South West England makes it accessible from the south coast. Condor Ferries offers services from Jersey in the Channel Islands to Poole, located approx 30 miles from Salisbury.

Brittany Ferries offers services from Cherbourg in France to Poole and services from Portsmouth and Plymouth to both France and Spain.


Coach
Wiltshire is accessible by coach with regular coach services available to Wiltshire from London Victoria coach station; the journey time from London to Salisbury is 2 hours 45 minutes to 3 hours 15 minutes depending on the service, time of day & traffic. There are also services from London to Swindon, Chippenham, Trowbridge, Warminster and Marlborough. Coach services are provided by National Express.

Megabus has services from London Victoria coach station to Swindon, with a journey time of 2 hours 20 minutes.

Whilst travelling by coach to Wiltshire is usually more time consuming than using rail and road, it is usually more cost effective.


Air
Southampton Airport is located a 35-45 minute drive (25 miles) from Salisbury via the M27 and A36. The airport has domestic and international flights.

Bristol Airport is located 55 miles from Salisbury, with a journey time of approx 1 hour 30 minutes by car.

For more information on transport in Wiltshire including information on public transport and timetables please see: Wiltshire Transport




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