Making the most of Southampton
Use these notes to shape a realistic day ashore, then confirm any time-sensitive information for the date of your call.
Arriving at the port
Southampton’s excellent South Coast position gives it road, rail, sea and air links unmatched elsewhere in the region.
Details and maps are available for Southampton’s four cruise terminals.
A taxi to town costs about 5 pound.
The train station is about a 5 minute cab ride away. There are four departures an hour to London, taking 70 to 90 minutes.
A fifth terminal, Horizon, opened in July 2021. Fitted with shore power and more than 2,000 roof-mounted solar panels, it generates more power each day than it uses. It is at Dock Gate 10 and is used mostly by MSC and NCL ships.
Some hotels offer special cruise packages that include parking.
A printable map is available to take along.
Check this port’s cruise calendar and your docking location.
Discover Southampton’s Old Town, one of England’s gems. Its unique features and place in national history have, for diverse reasons, drawn the interest of William The Conqueror, Henry V, William Shakespeare, the Pilgrim Fathers, Isaac Watts and Jane Austen.
Follow in their footsteps past buildings spanning centuries, the striking medieval town walls that rival any in England, and The Bargate, one of the country’s finest medieval town gates.
See the church where Philip of Spain heard Mass before riding to Winchester to marry Queen Mary in 1554. Be thankful not to be trapped beneath the fiendishly defended West Gate. Nearby, Mayflower and Speedwell lay berthed in 1620 while the Pilgrim Fathers were in Southampton, unaware that they would make an unscheduled stop at Plymouth.
Learn the fishy story behind Tudor Merchants' Hall being moved. In Bugle Street, see places known to Jane Austen and her family and a wide variety of architectural styles within a short distance. Award winning museums in historic buildings show how people lived here in past centuries and why the Titanic’s loss devastated Southampton.
A short distance from the Old Town is the waterfront, now peaceful with the cruise ships and container vessels characteristic of Southampton, but once vital to the D-Day landings. Nearby Solent Sky has a wonderful display of historic aircraft, and there is no shortage of places to relax, eat and drink.
Getting around
Taxis are metered and plentiful, although they often refuse short trips. A taxi to the town centre and train station is about 8 pound.
By train, London is an hour and a half away.
National Express buses for London and Heathrow also leave from the train station.
Nearby places
For Salisbury / Stonehenge, take the half-hour train to the relaxed cathedral city of Salisbury, with departures every 30 minutes. From there, use the ho-ho bus to Stonehenge: its ho-ho round trip has one hour travelling time, and allow one hour at Stonehenge.
For Winchester, take a 20 min train ride, with 2 to 3 services per hour, to the ancient Wessex capital. Walk down through the city to the cathedral and perhaps take a taxi from King Alfred's statue uphill to Winchester rail station.
For Beaulieu Abbey/National Motor Museum & the New Forest, take the 10-minute ferry across Southampton Water from Town Quay to Hythe village (Hythe, Hampshire, not Hythe, Kent), then a 6 mile taxi ride to Beaulieu just inside the New Forest.
A number of ferries of varying speed run between Southampton and Cowes on the Isle of Wight, making a day trip possible.
Food and shopping
Across the Bargate, Above Bar is the main shopping street, with the huge West Quays mall nearby; everything is within fairly easy walking distance.
Money
Throughout the UK, purchases use the pound (£), also referred to as quid. Other UK regions frown upon Scottish bank notes, making it best to exchange them before leaving Scotland.
Cash machines (ATM), also known informally as 'holes in the wall', are widely available and generally issue £10 and £20 notes.
Most shops and restaurants accept Visa, Mastercard and Maestro.
Staying connected
English is spoken nationwide, sometimes with heavy accents.
A couple of street benches near de Lidl on Highstreet have free WiFi. The food court in the WestQuay mall also has WiFi (McDonald's).
The local emergency number is 999, though the EU-wide 112 also works.
Opening Hours and
Shopping hours generally are:
Small stores operate 6 or 7 days a week (10am - 6pm); larger stores generally stay open until 9PM, while hyper marts are often 24/7.