Coach and Minibus Hire in the United Kingdom

Southampton Coach Hire for Cruise, Airport and Tours

Much of Southampton's coach work runs between the cruise terminals, the airports and the hotels. Name the right terminal and give the airport run a proper margin, and the day holds together.

Name the terminal, not just the port

The Eastern and Western Docks have separate gates, and Mayflower has its own vehicle gate. A coach sent to the wrong one loses time going round. When you book, give the ship's name and the terminal it uses, and check it again a week before sailing.

Every terminal has dedicated coach bays and drop-off lanes. Local buses do not call at the terminals themselves, so a group arriving by rail still needs a vehicle for the final leg from the station.

MAN Lion's Coach 49-seat touring coach, front three-quarter view
MAN Lion's Coach 49-seat touring coach, front three-quarter view

Fly-cruise margins

Heathrow is about 68 miles from the cruise port, around 1 h 15 min in good traffic and longer at busy times. Gatwick is further, about 1 h 45 min. Leaving the ship can take longer than expected, so do not book a flight that only works if everything runs to time.

The local airport sits at Eastleigh, roughly 4 miles and 15 minutes from the city centre, with Southampton Airport Parkway station a minute's walk from the terminal.

Airports serving Southampton

Stadiums and arenas

  • St Mary's Stadium — Southampton FC and Southampton Women; about 32,400, Britannia Road
  • Utilita Bowl (West End) — Hampshire County Cricket Club and international cricket; 15,000, expandable to 25,000
  • Mayflower Theatre — Large touring musicals and shows

Day trips and transfers from Southampton

  • New Forest (Lyndhurst) — about 10 miles, about 25 min
  • Winchester — about 13 miles, about 25 min
  • Beaulieu — about 14 miles, about 30 min
  • Portsmouth Historic Dockyard — about 20 miles, about 35 min
  • Salisbury — about 24 miles, about 45 min
  • Stonehenge — about 35 miles, about 1 h

Coach rules in Southampton

  • Southampton Airport (SOU) is at Eastleigh, about 4 miles north-north-east of the city centre (about 15 min); Southampton Airport Parkway station is about a minute's walk from the terminal.
  • Heathrow is about 68 miles (about 1 h 15 min) from the cruise port and Gatwick about 80-90 miles (about 1 h 45 min), so allow generous margins for fly-cruise transfers.
  • The cruise terminals are in two docks, each with its own vehicle gate: Ocean and QEII (Eastern Docks) by Dock Gate 4, City and Horizon (Western Docks) by Dock Gate 10, and Mayflower by Dock Gate 20. Every terminal has dedicated drop-off lanes.
  • The Itchen Bridge (A3025) across the River Itchen is tolled by Southampton City Council, with tolls varying by vehicle type and time of day; the automatic system classes vehicles by the height of the front of the vehicle and the number of front wheels.
  • Southampton City Council decided in 2019 not to introduce a charging Clean Air Zone, relying instead on measures for buses, taxis, HGVs and port emissions.

The Itchen Bridge and the city centre

Crossing the Itchen Bridge means paying a council toll. The rate depends on the type of vehicle and the time of day, and the system reads vehicle height at the front, so a coach falls in a different class from a car. There is no Clean Air Zone charge anywhere in the city.

No official coach set-down points are published for the city centre, so agree a pick-up with the operator for hotels near Westquay or Ocean Village.

Matches, cricket and the New Forest

For football, St Mary's is on Britannia Road; the Utilita Bowl is out at West End, by the M27 at junction 7, where hotels suit a cricket crowd. Lyndhurst in the New Forest and Winchester are each about 25 minutes. Portsmouth Historic Dockyard is about 35, Salisbury about 45 and Stonehenge about an hour.

Questions

How long should we allow between docking and a Heathrow flight?

The drive alone is about 1 h 15 min in good traffic. Add time for leaving the ship and for check-in, and choose an afternoon or evening flight where you can.

Does Southampton have a Clean Air Zone charge?

No. The council chose in 2019 not to introduce a charging zone, relying on other measures instead.

Can the coach collect us from the cruise terminal?

Yes. Each terminal has its own coach bays. Tell the operator the ship and terminal so the driver uses the correct dock gate.

Other charter services

Vehicles