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London to the Isle of Wight – Quickest and Cheapest Route (2024)
**Wightlink offers: Kids go free during 2024 school holidays + afternoon return from £15.60**
Visiting the Isle of Wight from London is pretty easy.
There are several options, depending on whether your priority is getting there a) quickly b) cheaply or c) without threatening your sanity.
Here's the summary:
We will start with advice for travelling by public transport, before moving onto advice for drivers.
There are several options, depending on whether your priority is getting there a) quickly b) cheaply or c) without threatening your sanity.
Here's the summary:
- The quickest option for foot passengers is a train from Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbour and then Wightlink's Fast Cat ferry. You don’t have to book either in advance but you will almost certainly get a better deal if you do. Expect to pay £15-£90 for the train and about £20-£35 for the ferry.
- Bargain hunting foot passengers should either book a train months in advance or get a coach to Portsmouth or Southampton. You can get cheap coach deals through Trainline (despite the railway-related name) and National Express. Choose your ferry depending on the best deal at the time on our discount ferries guide. With plenty of forward planning you could pay £10 for the coach and £20 for the ferry.
- Parents with young children may decide that it is worth paying through the nose to bring a car to the Isle of Wight so they can avoid a meltdown on the 0815 from Waterloo. Expect to pay £50-£300 for a car and up to 7 passengers. Prices vary depending on when you travel, how long you stay and whether you book through an accommodation provider. See our guide to accommodation including ferry travel for some money saving deals.
We will start with advice for travelling by public transport, before moving onto advice for drivers.
On a good day, you can get from London...
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...to the Isle of Wight in a couple of hours (admittedly, this beach is a bit further away)
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What is The easiest way of getting from London to the Isle of Wight by train?
The simplest route to the Isle of Wight from London is probably the train from London Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbour and then a Wightlink foot passenger ferry to Ryde Pier Head.
London Waterloo is on the Northern, Jubilee, Bakerloo and Waterloo & City tube lines.
The train takes about 90 minutes and then you will be spat out about one minute’s walk from Wightlink’s Fast Cat which goes to Ryde Pier Head. The ferry takes about 25 minutes and cost about £25-£35 if you just turn up and hand over your debit card. You might get it cheaper with a bit of effort (more on that later and on our cheap ferries guide).
So, your total travel time will likely be 2 hours or 2 ½ hours depending on how long you spend waiting around for a ferry to arrive. You will arrive in Ryde, which has plenty of its own attractions and public transport links to the rest of the Isle of Wight. There are also several hotels in Ryde.
We will move onto rail prices later, but you can expect the ferry + train to cost you a minimum of £40 if you book in advance and use a Railcard. If you don’t do any planning and don't have a Railcard then you could easily pay more than £100.
London Waterloo is on the Northern, Jubilee, Bakerloo and Waterloo & City tube lines.
The train takes about 90 minutes and then you will be spat out about one minute’s walk from Wightlink’s Fast Cat which goes to Ryde Pier Head. The ferry takes about 25 minutes and cost about £25-£35 if you just turn up and hand over your debit card. You might get it cheaper with a bit of effort (more on that later and on our cheap ferries guide).
So, your total travel time will likely be 2 hours or 2 ½ hours depending on how long you spend waiting around for a ferry to arrive. You will arrive in Ryde, which has plenty of its own attractions and public transport links to the rest of the Isle of Wight. There are also several hotels in Ryde.
We will move onto rail prices later, but you can expect the ferry + train to cost you a minimum of £40 if you book in advance and use a Railcard. If you don’t do any planning and don't have a Railcard then you could easily pay more than £100.
The simplest route from London is from Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbour...
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...where you can catch Wightlink's catamaran to Ryde Pier Head.
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Where should I stay once I get to the Isle of Wight from London?
May I say what a good question that is?
If you are travelling via Portsmouth Harbour and just staying for one or two nights, then you may want to stick to hotels in Ryde. Options include the Royal Esplanade Hotel or Ryde Castle Hotel which are both near the seafront. There is also a Travelodge in Ryde which is about 6 minutes walk inland.
Alternatively, you can spend 40 minutes on a train to Shanklin where there is a bigger choice of hotels and guest houses.
If you are travelling via Portsmouth Harbour and just staying for one or two nights, then you may want to stick to hotels in Ryde. Options include the Royal Esplanade Hotel or Ryde Castle Hotel which are both near the seafront. There is also a Travelodge in Ryde which is about 6 minutes walk inland.
Alternatively, you can spend 40 minutes on a train to Shanklin where there is a bigger choice of hotels and guest houses.
Ryde's Royal Esplanade Hotel is by the pier where Wightlink's catamaran arrives
If you are staying on the Isle of Wight for a week or two then I would look a little further afield.
- Families often go for a resort with a beach and an indoor swimming pool, such as Away Resorts' Whitecliff Bay Holiday Park or Parkdean Resorts' Nodes Point Holiday Park.
Whitecliff Bay Holiday Park has caravans, lodges, a beachside location and two swimming pools
- If you want to sit in an outdoor bath and say "ahhhhh, lovely" then I would consider a lodge with a hot tub at Woodside Bay Lodge Retreat or The Bay, Colwell.
Woodside Bay has lodges and treehouses with hot tubs
- Self catering holiday cottages are plentiful on the Isle of Wight, which is great news if you are Paul McCartney. There are more than 400 to choose from between HolidayCottages.co.uk and Hoseasons. Read our guide to 'which Isle of Wight town should I stay in' to narrow things down a bit.
The best holiday apartment on the Isle of Wight is definitely this one in Freshwater (I should mention that it belongs to us...)
- For a cheap holiday, I would look at our guide to camping. It includes well-equipped resorts like Thorness Bay Holiday Park in the North Wight and Lower Hyde Holiday Park in Shanklin or quieter spots such as Grange Farm in the West Wight.
- Couples looking for a bit of romance are best to look at the Isle of Wight's more luxurious hotels which include the Royal Hotel in Ventnor and Lakeside Park Hotel and Spa.
The Royal Hotel in Ventnor is one of the Isle of Wight's poshest hotels
- Dog owners have a pretty good choice on the Isle of Wight. There are about 100 dog friendly cottages via Hoseasons and about 90 dog friendly cottages at HolidayCottages.co.uk (approx. 90 cottages).
- Visitors wanting something quirky can choose from lighthouse keepers' cottages, castles, a houseboat, yurts and manor houses. See our guide to 20 quirky places to stay.
- Holidaymakers who are disabled or have accessibility issues should take a look at this guide, which includes a bit of everything.
What are the Alternative ways of getting from London to the Isle of Wight?
A train from London Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbour certainly isn’t the only option. Most of the other routes to the Isle of Wight from London have their advantages.
- The hovercraft from Southsea is a popular alternative if you want a quick and quirky way to travel. It’s the last remaining crossing of its kind in Europe and it belts across the Solent at some speed. It only takes 10 minutes and technically counts as a flight because the hovercraft isn’t actually touching the water.
You can still get the train to Portsmouth Harbour or a coach to The Hard in Portsmouth but you then catch a bus (about £4) or walk 25 minutes to the Hovertravel terminal. It costs about the same as the Wightlink Fast Cat, but offers sometimes appear on our ferries discount page. Some people get off the train one stop earlier and walk, which takes about the same time. **Special offer: 20% off the Hovercraft if you use the booking form on this blog post**
The quickest journey is the hovercraft - but it doesn't link up directly with the train from London
- A train from London Victoria to Portsmouth Harbour takes half an hour longer than the train from Waterloo. However, it can be cheaper and it’s more convenient if you happen to live next door to Victoria or live on a nearby underground line.
- A train from London Waterloo or London Paddington to Southampton Central offers a slightly quicker train journey than Waterloo to Portsmouth. The train takes about 1 hour 20 minutes, but the time you’ve saved is gobbled up on a free 10 minute shuttle bus which takes you to Red Funnel’s terminal. By the time you’ve waited for a bus, the overall time is slightly more. You can then choose between a cheaper ferry which takes one hour or a more expensive ferry which takes 25 minutes (see Red Funnel's website).
You might prefer this option if a) you live near Paddington b) you’ve seen a good deal with Red Funnel on our ferries discount page or c) you fancy a wander around Southampton before your ferry. - A train from London Waterloo to Lymington Pier takes a little longer at about 1 hour 45 minutes. You then end up getting a 45 minute ferry from Lymington to Yarmouth. However, it has a couple of advantages. Firstly, the crossing from Lymington is prettier than the crossing from Portsmouth. My apologies to the good people of Portsmouth but this is my truth (Ed: oh please…). Secondly, the ferry arrives in Yarmouth in the scenic West Wight. This part of the Island is less developed than Ryde where the Wightlink Fast Cat travels to.
The Lymington Pier railway station will get you to Yarmouth via Wightlink's car ferry
- A coach from London to The Hard in Portsmouth can be a cheap option. Personally, I rank the smell of a coach pretty low in my league table of smells and prefer the train – but I would endure it to save myself a few quid. The coach takes about two hours from Waterloo and it’s then a five minute walk to Wightlink’s foot passenger ferry. The ferry takes about 25 minutes.
- A coach from London to Southampton Coach Station can be cheap but is another slow option. Again, this takes about two hours but it’s then a 15 minute walk to the ferry terminal. You can then choose from a cheaper ferry which takes one hour or a more expensive ferry which takes 25 minutes.
- If you are bringing a bicycle then it’s complicated, but not impossible. The train from London Waterloo has a series of rules about when you can bring a bicycle (“ye shall not travel on two wheels on ye full moon if the month ends in a Y”). There’s a whole page on this on the South Western Railways website. The gist of it is that you can’t take your bike on a train from London Waterloo at peak times and you might be turned away if it’s too busy. You can take bikes on the Wightlink Fast Cat, but I would suggest booking in advance.
- Finally, there is a money saving option where you get a train or coach to Portsmouth Harbour/Hard and then ignore the fact that you have arrived at Wightlink’s Fast Cat. Instead, you go for a 10 minute walk to Wightlink’s car ferry from Portsmouth. This is slightly cheaper to use as a foot passenger and takes about 45 minutes. You could even search on the Solent Car Share Facebook group for a free crossing. If it’s a sunny day then sitting up on deck and admiring the sparkling sea can be part of the fun. If it’s pouring with rain then I wouldn’t bother (or just cancel your trip altogether – the Isle of Wight is best in the sunshine).
I wouldn't recommend this option for a day trip. The car ferry arrives in Fishbourne which has nothing to do without getting on a bus.
What's the cheapest train journey from London to the Isle of Wight?
As you will be well aware, UK train prices vary hugely depending on time of day, whether you have a Railcard, which class you choose and whether you use a secret handshake.
I searched for a day return from London to Portsmouth Harbour on a Saturday in summer 2023. The price fluctuated depending on how far in advance I booked:
If you have a Railcard, you should be able to take a third off those prices.
Railcards are generally valid all day on weekends and bank holidays, or after the peak morning rush on weekdays (typically from 10am).
So, best case scenario is that you will get from London to Portsmouth Harbour for £7.90. Worst case is more than ten times as much.
I searched for a day return from London to Portsmouth Harbour on a Saturday in summer 2023. The price fluctuated depending on how far in advance I booked:
- On the day, the return fare was a whopping £84.20. For that price I would expect to be massaged throughout the journey and fed a platter of mangos and melons.
- A week in advance, the fare was £27. This seems more reasonable to me.
- Three weeks in advance, the fare was just £12. To put it context, that’s the cost of a couple of tubs of Lurpak. On this occasion, the absolute cheapest fare was from London Victoria which takes about half an hour longer. The cheapest train from Waterloo was £22.
If you have a Railcard, you should be able to take a third off those prices.
Railcards are generally valid all day on weekends and bank holidays, or after the peak morning rush on weekdays (typically from 10am).
So, best case scenario is that you will get from London to Portsmouth Harbour for £7.90. Worst case is more than ten times as much.
How can I save money on a foot passenger trip from London to the Isle of Wight?
Here are six ways to make your trip cheaper.
1. If you own a Railcard, you can convince the railway booking systems that the ferry is a train. For example, if you book a train from London Waterloo to Ryde Pier Head or Ryde Esplanade than you get a discount off the whole thing, including the ferry part of the journey. This only works off peak, but that includes weekends with a railcard.
2. Travelling on one of the Isle of Wight’s three car ferries as a foot passenger to the Isle of Wight is usually cheaper than travelling on an exclusively foot passenger ferry. They add about half an hour to your crossing time and don’t always run as frequently. You can save yourself about £5-£10 with this method. On a sunny day, I prefer the car ferries as you can sit up on deck and watch the sparkling sea. Please don't blow your small saving in the onboard café. Last time I went on a Wightlink car ferry, they wanted to charge me £4.40 for a ham and cheese sandwich.
1. If you own a Railcard, you can convince the railway booking systems that the ferry is a train. For example, if you book a train from London Waterloo to Ryde Pier Head or Ryde Esplanade than you get a discount off the whole thing, including the ferry part of the journey. This only works off peak, but that includes weekends with a railcard.
2. Travelling on one of the Isle of Wight’s three car ferries as a foot passenger to the Isle of Wight is usually cheaper than travelling on an exclusively foot passenger ferry. They add about half an hour to your crossing time and don’t always run as frequently. You can save yourself about £5-£10 with this method. On a sunny day, I prefer the car ferries as you can sit up on deck and watch the sparkling sea. Please don't blow your small saving in the onboard café. Last time I went on a Wightlink car ferry, they wanted to charge me £4.40 for a ham and cheese sandwich.
The car ferry is cheaper but don't blow your savings on a £4.40 sandwich
3. Check our ferries discounts page for promotions and discount codes. Some of the guide is about car ferries, but there are often good deals on foot passenger journeys. For example, Wightlink often do a ‘kids go free’ deal during school holidays whilst Hovertravel do a family ticket which is good value. Red Funnel post out books of vouchers to Islanders, which are sometimes excellent value. I’ve seen deals on the foot passenger ferry from Southampton which are less than half price.
4. Travelling off peak can save some money on the Isle of Wight’s foot passenger ferries. For example, Red Funnel do a Super Off Peak Day Return.
5. If you are travelling on a fairly regular basis then I would take a look at Wightlink’s Multilink deal for foot passengers. It is available to anyone, whereas their Multilink car deal is only for those with an Isle of Wight address. You can get the foot passenger ferry for about half price if you are doing five return journeys per year. It is probably worth getting if you are doing at least three return journeys in a year.
6. If you are travelling as a group of four or five (or more) then it may work out cheaper to take a car. The car ferry charges per car with up to seven passengers, whilst foot passenger ferries charge per person. There's no exact rule for when it becomes cheaper as car ferry prices rise with demand whilst foot passenger tickets stay the same.
4. Travelling off peak can save some money on the Isle of Wight’s foot passenger ferries. For example, Red Funnel do a Super Off Peak Day Return.
5. If you are travelling on a fairly regular basis then I would take a look at Wightlink’s Multilink deal for foot passengers. It is available to anyone, whereas their Multilink car deal is only for those with an Isle of Wight address. You can get the foot passenger ferry for about half price if you are doing five return journeys per year. It is probably worth getting if you are doing at least three return journeys in a year.
6. If you are travelling as a group of four or five (or more) then it may work out cheaper to take a car. The car ferry charges per car with up to seven passengers, whilst foot passenger ferries charge per person. There's no exact rule for when it becomes cheaper as car ferry prices rise with demand whilst foot passenger tickets stay the same.
How about a price comparison of London to Isle of Wight journeys?
Yeehar! We love a price comparison, even if you do end up with a load of wacky results.
For a rough comparison, we looked at the cost of travelling from London to one of the Isle of Wight's ferry ports in August 2023. We looked at a Saturday to Saturday return, booked about two months in advance. As mentioned earlier, prices go through the roof if you leave it too long.
We didn't include the cost of the ferry, as that adds another whole level of complexity. For simplicity, we didn't include railcards. We looked for trains leaving around 10am on the way out and 2pm on the following Saturday.
For a rough comparison, we looked at the cost of travelling from London to one of the Isle of Wight's ferry ports in August 2023. We looked at a Saturday to Saturday return, booked about two months in advance. As mentioned earlier, prices go through the roof if you leave it too long.
We didn't include the cost of the ferry, as that adds another whole level of complexity. For simplicity, we didn't include railcards. We looked for trains leaving around 10am on the way out and 2pm on the following Saturday.
- London Victoria to The Hard Portsmouth - travel time 4 hours 10 minutes - £8 (National Express via Trainline)
- London Victoria to Southampton Coach Station - travel time 5 hours - £11.70 (National Express via Trainline)
- London Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbour train - travel time 3 hours 11 minutes - £37.70
- London Waterloo to Southampton Central - travel time 2 hours 37 minutes - £41.10
- London Waterloo to Lymington Pier - travel time 3 hours 39 minutes - £45.90
What about driving from London to the Isle of Wight?
It takes about two hours to drive from central London to the Red Funnel ferry terminal in Southampton or the Wightlink car ferry terminal in Portsmouth. Wightlink's Lymington terminal is a little bit further at 2 hours 30 minutes but you get to drive through the New Forest and admire ponies galloping as the sun sets.
Driving from London to the Isle of Wight can work out cheaper than using trains and buses but it's a bit complicated (Ed: I thought you might say that...).
If you are travelling alone or as a couple then it will probably be cheaper to use trains and buses. If you are travelling as a family then it will almost certainly be cheaper to bring a car off peak and it might be cheaper to bring a car during peak season. That's because car ferry prices go up and down but foot passenger prices stay quite constant.
If you're lucky, you might find a £50 day return deal for a car and up to seven passengers on our discount Isle of Wight ferry travel guide. If you're unlucky, you will be asked to stump up £300 for a week's holiday with a car.
Once you get to the Isle of Wight you will be relying on public transport if you don't bring a car. That's easy enough for a day trip - there are open top buses, a trainline covering part of the Island and nice walks. It might get a bit tiresome if you are trying it for a week with a family. See our public transport guide for advice on how much the buses cost and some money saving advice.
Driving from London to the Isle of Wight can work out cheaper than using trains and buses but it's a bit complicated (Ed: I thought you might say that...).
If you are travelling alone or as a couple then it will probably be cheaper to use trains and buses. If you are travelling as a family then it will almost certainly be cheaper to bring a car off peak and it might be cheaper to bring a car during peak season. That's because car ferry prices go up and down but foot passenger prices stay quite constant.
If you're lucky, you might find a £50 day return deal for a car and up to seven passengers on our discount Isle of Wight ferry travel guide. If you're unlucky, you will be asked to stump up £300 for a week's holiday with a car.
Once you get to the Isle of Wight you will be relying on public transport if you don't bring a car. That's easy enough for a day trip - there are open top buses, a trainline covering part of the Island and nice walks. It might get a bit tiresome if you are trying it for a week with a family. See our public transport guide for advice on how much the buses cost and some money saving advice.
What should I do once I've reached the Isle of Wight from London?
If you are just visiting for a day, check out our day trip itineraries. We have different suggestions depending on whether you travel from Portsmouth, Southampton or Lymington.
Here's the gist of it if you are coming from London and have the choice of which ferry port to aim for:
Here's the gist of it if you are coming from London and have the choice of which ferry port to aim for:
- From Portsmouth, you will end up in Ryde if you get Wightlink's Fast Cat or Hovertravel's hovercraft. It is easy enough to fill a sunny day in Ryde or you can explore further via an open top bus (in peak season) or get on a train towards Sandown and Shanklin. Ryde is a traditional seaside resort with a long sandy beach, plenty of places to eat, some independent shops and coastal walks (see our Ryde guide).
In my opinion, Ryde doesn't show off the natural beauty of the Isle of Wight as well as the West Wight and South Wight. The beach is sandy and spacious but it's a busy town which is comparable to places like Weymouth. If Ryde doesn't provide enough entertainment, you can jump on a 40 minute train to touristy Shanklin which has a pleasant esplanade with minigolf, watersports hire, a good amusement arcade and restaurants.
You could aim for big attractions like The Needles (West Wight), Osborne House (North Wight) and Carisbrooke Castle (somewhere near the middle) but you will spend a lot of time sitting on buses.
As mentioned earlier, if you get Wightlink's car ferry from Portsmouth then you will end up in Fishbourne. I would suggest that you don't do this for a day trip. Fishbourne is a community of nice houses but there is almost nothing to do here so you will soon be climbing on a bus.
Ryde is a traditional seaside resort where you can fill a day. It's nice enough but it's more developed than the South Wight and West Wight.
- From Southampton, you will end up in (West) Cowes if you get the 25 minute Red Jet ferry or East Cowes if you get the 55 minute Red Funnel car ferry. If you see a sign referring to Cowes then it is talking about the West side of the river. I've added 'West' in brackets which will a) annoy locals and b) reduce the number of lost visitors.
I would go for the Red Jet as (West) Cowes has a bit more to offer for a day trip. It's a nice sailing town which has a buzz in the summer months and plenty of nice pubs and restaurants. You can fill a day in Cowes but it would probably take a bit more imagination than a day in Ryde. See our guide to 10 things to do in Cowes.
Cowes beach isn't the sort of place you will be building sandcastles or going for a swim. It is a shingle beach where you can watch cruise ships sailing past.
East Cowes does have the big attraction of Osborne House where Queen Victoria lived. You could certainly fill several hours here if you slowly make your way through the guide book. Read our blog about the interesting highlights of Osborne's history.
There is a 'floating bridge' which links East Cowes to (West) Cowes but it's a bit unreliable (Isle of Wight Radio has described it as 'the catastrophic chain ferry').
Cowes is a yachty town with a shingle beach
- From Lymington, you end up in Yarmouth via a 45 minute ferry. The town of Yarmouth is very small but it is certainly worth considering for a day trip from London. You can spend about an hour in Yarmouth itself or longer if you decide to visit the small Castle or eat in one of the restaurants or cafes.
However, you can then jump on an open top bus which does a very scenic tour of the West Wight. It stops at The Needles Old Battery (less touristy) and The Needles Landmark Attraction (very touristy). The latter has the famous multicoloured sands of Alum Bay, a chairlift down to the beach and big crowds of people. The open top bus also visits pretty beaches like Freshwater Bay and Colwell.
The famous Needles and Alum Bay are in the West Wight which is easy to reach from Yarmouth by bus
The-Isle-of-Wight-Guru-Don't-Blame-Us-Disclaimer™ All the information on this website is correct, as far as we know, but please do check details directly - and please contact us if you find anything inaccurate. Here's our full disclaimer.
