Travel Information

Getting to the Island | Getting around the Island

Getting to the Isle of Wight

The Island is located just off the centre of Southern England and is linked to the mainland ports of Lymington, Southampton and Portsmouth by vehicle ferries and high speed passenger catamarans and hovercraft. There are three major ferry operators and the details of their services are below. The mainland ferry terminals of Southampton and Portsmouth are both linked to London by fast rail and road services, the journey time taking between one and two hours. The London terminus is Waterloo Station. Tickets can be purchased straight through to some Island destinations, to include the ferry crossing. The London airports of Heathrow and Gatwick are both about one and a half hours by road from the ferry terminals. Competitive long-haul taxis can be arranged and this is likely to be less expensive than public transport if there are two or more passengers. Travellers from Europe can fly directly to Southampton airport which is about twenty minutes by taxi from the Southampton ferry terminal.

Red Funnel (Tel 023 8033 4010) - Southampton to West Cowes High Speed Passenger Ferry. Runs from early morning to late at night. Services about every half hour. Journey time 25 minutes.
Red Funnel (Tel 023 8033 4010) - Southampton to East Cowes Passenger and Vehicle Ferry. Runs from early morning to late at night. Services about every hour. Journey time 55 minutes.

Visit the Red Funnel Web Site
for timetable information
and on-line bookings

Wightlink (Tel 0870 582 7744) - Portsmouth to Ryde High Speed Passenger Catamaran. Runs from early morning to late at night. Services about every hour. Journey time 15 minutes.

Wightlink (Tel 0870 582 7744) - Portsmouth to Fishbourne Passenger and Vehicle Ferry. Runs 24 hours. Services about every hour. Journey time 35 minutes.
Wightlink (Tel 0870 582 7744) - Lymington to Yarmouth Passenger and Vehicle Ferry. Runs from early morning to late in the evening. Services about every hour. Journey time 30 minutes.

Visit the Wightlink Web Site
for timetable information
and on-line bookings

Hovertravel (Tel 01983 811000) - Portsmouth to Ryde High Speed Passenger Hovercraft. Runs from early morning to late at night. Services about every half hour. Journey time 9 minutes.

Visit the Hovertravel Web Site
for timetable information

Getting around the Isle of Wight

	Southern Vectis (Tel 522456) - bus routes covering the whole island running from early morning to late at night. Unlimited Rover tickets. Timetable available locally.
	Island Line (Tel 562492) - train service from Ryde Pier to Sandown, Lake and Shanklin running from early morning to late in the evening. Trains throughout the day about every half hour. Journey time Ryde to Shanklin 20 minutes. Connects with the Portsmouth catamaran.
	Coach tours - several companies operate from the main resorts.
	Car Hire - several companies operating from major island towns
	Taxi - Islandwide coverage, ferry transfers and Island Tours
	Cycling - bicycles available for hire from several towns. See our Cycling section for more details

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