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Public Transport On The Isle Of Wight (2024 Guide)
Here's a brief (and not especially interesting) guide to trains, buses, car hire and other ways of getting around on public transport on the Isle of Wight. If you're wondering how practical it is to visit the Isle of Wight without a car, see our FAQ.
How to get to the Isle of Wight
For advice on how to get to the Isle of Wight, take a look at our guide to discount Isle of Wight ferry travel or our beginners guide to ferry to ferry travel. Car drivers have the option of travelling to Lymington, Portsmouth or Southampton and then catching a ferry which takes about 40 - 60 minutes.
Foot passengers have the option of travelling to Lymington, Portsmouth, Southampton, or Southsea for a crossing which takes between 10 minutes and one hour. As a very broad guide, it costs about £40 - £250 to take a car with passengers or about £10 - £30 for a foot passenger.
It is always worth looking for discount codes on our ferry guide.
Foot passengers have the option of travelling to Lymington, Portsmouth, Southampton, or Southsea for a crossing which takes between 10 minutes and one hour. As a very broad guide, it costs about £40 - £250 to take a car with passengers or about £10 - £30 for a foot passenger.
It is always worth looking for discount codes on our ferry guide.
Wightlink has two crossings - including a Yarmouth to Lymington route
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Red Funnel's car ferry connects Southampton to East Cowes
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Flights to the Isle of Wight
If you are travelling from further afield then the nearest big airport is Southampton with direct flights from various locations across Europe. Bournemouth Airport is the next nearest big airport.
The Isle of Wight has two airports at Bembridge and Sandown, but they are on the small side and cater for light aircraft. Don't turn up at either of these expecting to find a duty free section where you can buy a massive Toblerone and a bottle of Chanel.
The Isle of Wight has two airports at Bembridge and Sandown, but they are on the small side and cater for light aircraft. Don't turn up at either of these expecting to find a duty free section where you can buy a massive Toblerone and a bottle of Chanel.
Connections from the Isle of Wight Ferries
If you are travelling from Southampton, you'll need to get a bus from Cowes or East Cowes. If you are travelling from Portsmouth you have the choice of a train from Ryde or a bus from Fishbourne. From Lymington, you'll need to get a bus at the Yarmouth port.
Isle of Wight Trains
The Isle of Wight is pretty limited for train travel. The only 'modern' trainline connects with the catamaran at Ryde Pierhead (which itself is linked with the Portsmouth Harbour Rail Station). It's also near to the hovercraft at Ryde Esplanade.
There is space for four bikes onboard. You can't reserve a cycling space.
It travels along the south east coast of the Island, with stops at:
There is space for four bikes onboard. You can't reserve a cycling space.
It travels along the south east coast of the Island, with stops at:
- Ryde Pier Head ("the wet end of the pier" as my mother calls it)
- Ryde Esplanade (seafront hotels, sandy beach, swimming pool, playgrounds)
- Ryde St John's Road (residential area)
- Smallbrook Junction (not much here but it links up with the Isle of Wight Steam Railway which is based at Havenstreet)
- Brading (residential area with some historic buildings)
- Sandown (sandy beaches, seafront hotels, kiss-me-quick pier, zoo)
- Lake (mostly residential area, but it has a Premier Inn and a nice sandy beach)
- Shanklin (sandy beaches, seafront restaurants, thatched old village, historic chine, amusements)
Fun fact: For many years, the Isle of Wight's 'modern' trainline was pre-war Northern Lane carriages. They were finally replaced in 2022. One of the old carriages can be viewed at the Isle of Wight Steam Railway in its Train Story exhibition).
There are two train lines - one steam, one modern
Saving money on Isle of Wight Trains
- A network railcard gives generous discounts. It will cost you about £30 for a year and generally gives a discount of 1/3rd on off-peak travel. Better still, you can often get the same discount on a foot passenger ferry if you book it online. See our guide to discount ferry travel for more information.
- Discounts are available on the Isle of Wight Steam Railway if you book in advance. See our guide to discounts to Isle of Wight attractions for more information.
Isle of Wight Buses
Buses on the Isle of Wight are operated by Southern Vectis. Newport has the largest bus station with connections all over the Island, but you can also travel direct from Ryde to a number of other towns on the East side. There are more buses covering the eastern side of the Island than the quieter West Wight (see our guide to Isle of Wight towns).
For those without wigs, there are open top buses operating in some part of the Isle of Wight during the warmer months (read about these in the guide to days out for families).
For those without wigs, there are open top buses operating in some part of the Isle of Wight during the warmer months (read about these in the guide to days out for families).
The Needles Breezer is a particularly scenic open top bus which visits Alum Bay...
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...and passes through Freshwater Bay in the West Wight
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Saving money on Isle of Wight buses
- Ask for a through ticket if you are travelling via Newport, as it can be cheaper than two singles.
- Travelling in a group is a cheap option, as long as you all want to travel together. A one day 'rover ticket' or 'freedom ticket' (unlimited travel) is £10 for 1 person or £25 for 5 people (£5 each). For a week's unlimited travel, you'll pay £28 for 1 person, or £67 for 5 people, which is £1.91 per person per day. Those are the slightly reduced prices for paying with the Southern Vectis app.
- Concessionary discounts apply on the Isle of Wight, just like other parts of England (but not Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland unfortunately). You can't use concessionary passes on the open top buses, but you do get a discount if you are over 60.
- If you don't plan to travel every day and are staying for more than a week (or live on the Island), then a multiday bundle is fairly good value. Any 5 days over two years will cost you £31, so you are paying £6.20 per day. Any 30 days in two years will cost you £130, or £4.33 a day. Generally speaking, a return journey on the Isle of Wight will cost you more than £5, so it is probably worth getting if you will use the bus more than five times in a year.
- A taxi might be cheaper for a group of four if you are just doing one daytime journey. I worked out that Newport to Cowes for four people on a bus would cost about the same in a taxi.
Prices checked November 2022.
Taxis on the Isle of Wight
We did a few searches in November 2022 on taxiautofare.com just to give you a very general, rough, not exact guide to Isle of Wight taxi costs.
It suggested that you would pay:
Prices are weekday daytime for up to four people. These are not guaranteed prices, just a general guide. Did I mention that they aren't guaranteed prices? Because they definitely aren't guaranteed prices.
If you are travelling from Cowes to Ventnor then you'll need to explain yourself to the taxi driver. An Islander wouldn't attempt a journey of this distance without packing a shovel and a first aid kit.
Uber doesn't operate on the Isle of Wight.
It suggested that you would pay:
- Newport to Yarmouth - £21
- Newport to Ryde - £14
- Cowes to Ventnor - £31
Prices are weekday daytime for up to four people. These are not guaranteed prices, just a general guide. Did I mention that they aren't guaranteed prices? Because they definitely aren't guaranteed prices.
If you are travelling from Cowes to Ventnor then you'll need to explain yourself to the taxi driver. An Islander wouldn't attempt a journey of this distance without packing a shovel and a first aid kit.
Uber doesn't operate on the Isle of Wight.
Car Hire on the Isle of Wight
We've got a whole guide to Isle of Wight Car Hire, which you might like to read.
Enterprise was the cheapest in our most recent price comparison, but it may be different for you.
I'm including a list of those I can find and their locations in relation to the ferries, but I don't in any way endorse or recommend any of them as I've not used them myself. Some will also meet you at the ferry.
Enterprise was the cheapest in our most recent price comparison, but it may be different for you.
I'm including a list of those I can find and their locations in relation to the ferries, but I don't in any way endorse or recommend any of them as I've not used them myself. Some will also meet you at the ferry.
- Enterprise (Newport) - bus from any ferry port, although the website does mention meeting you at a ferry
- Leslie's Kia Rental (Northwood) - short bus or 40-minute walk from Cowes
- 1st Call (Sandown) - catch the ferry from Portsmouth Harbour and then get a train to Sandown
- South Wight Rentals (Shanklin) - catch the ferry from Portsmouth Harbour and then get a train to Shanklin
- Prime Drive - catch the ferry at Lymington and then bus from Yarmouth, or they'll deliver it to the ferry
- Premier Ford (Newport) - bus from any ferry port
- Co-wheels car club (Ryde and Cowes) - not quite the same as car hire, but this is a national scheme which also operates on the Isle of Wight
Bike Hire on the Isle of Wight
There are plenty of places to rent a bicycle from on the Island. I've not used them myself so I can't recommend one over another.
As a very rough guide, hiring a bike on the Isle of Wight costs about £15-£20 for a day. Electric bikes are more expensive.
You might like to read our guide to Isle of Wight cycling holidays for advice on where to go.
- Wight Cycle Hire (near the Yarmouth ferry port)
- South Island Cycle Hire (Cowes is the main location, but you can also arrange collection from Freshwater in advance)
- Tav Cycles (near the Ryde ferry port)
- RouteFifty7 (near Shanklin railway)
- Wight Bike (Merstone, near Arreton)
- Zoom e-Bike Hire (Niton)
As a very rough guide, hiring a bike on the Isle of Wight costs about £15-£20 for a day. Electric bikes are more expensive.
You might like to read our guide to Isle of Wight cycling holidays for advice on where to go.
The Red Squirrel Trail is a popular off-road route (this is the Newport to Cowes track)
Isle of Wight e-Scooters
Beryl E-Scooters arrived on the Isle of Wight in 2020. That's remarkably forward-thinking, considering that the Island didn't get an escalator until the mid-90s.
They offer a way to get around for grown-up foot passengers, or if you fancy a day without using the car. Children can't use them.
They zip along at a top speed of 12.5mph and are currently found in Cowes, East Cowes, Newport, Ryde, Sandown and Shanklin. You can only ride them on the road and you have to return them to one of the 100 parking bays around the Isle of Wight.
You need to start by downloading the Beryl app and giving your bank details. You then need to provide a valid driving licence.
The pricing depends on whether you buy a bundle of minutes or just pay for one ride.
When I checked, a 30 minute journey cost £4.50. If you were travelling at top speed you'd cover about 6 miles, which is roughly the distance from Newport to Cowes or Newport to Ryde (ish). You can also buy bundles of minutes which makes it much cheaper.
They offer a way to get around for grown-up foot passengers, or if you fancy a day without using the car. Children can't use them.
They zip along at a top speed of 12.5mph and are currently found in Cowes, East Cowes, Newport, Ryde, Sandown and Shanklin. You can only ride them on the road and you have to return them to one of the 100 parking bays around the Isle of Wight.
You need to start by downloading the Beryl app and giving your bank details. You then need to provide a valid driving licence.
The pricing depends on whether you buy a bundle of minutes or just pay for one ride.
When I checked, a 30 minute journey cost £4.50. If you were travelling at top speed you'd cover about 6 miles, which is roughly the distance from Newport to Cowes or Newport to Ryde (ish). You can also buy bundles of minutes which makes it much cheaper.
Electric Vehicle Charging POints on the Isle of Wight
This doesn't really belong on the 'public transport' page but I didn't know where else to put it.
I haven't found a comprehensive list of EV points, but the two best lists I've found are:
I've taken a screenshot from Zap Map (from 2023) to give you an idea of the range of EV points available but you'll need to check the map yourself for up to date information.
I haven't found a comprehensive list of EV points, but the two best lists I've found are:
- Visit Isle of Wight's EV list, which includes public car parks as well as holiday parks (Whitecliff Bay Caravan Holiday Park, The Orchards Holiday Park) and hotels (Royal Hotel in Ventnor, Bembridge Coast Hotel and others).
- Zap Map which has a colourful map of some charging points. You shouldn't need to download the app, you can view it on the website. It doesn't include as many locations as the Visit Isle of Wight guide, but it's useful to have a map.
I've taken a screenshot from Zap Map (from 2023) to give you an idea of the range of EV points available but you'll need to check the map yourself for up to date information.
Zap Map includes locations of some of the Isle of Wight's EV charging points
You'll note that Cowes, Newport, Ryde, Sandown and Shanklin have quite a few charging points. The West Wight and most of the South Wight have far fewer electric charging points. Despite what you may have heard, this is not because these parts of the Isle of Wight don't yet have electricity.
Parking on the Isle of Wight
If you arrive by car, you will find that it is increasingly difficult to get free parking on the Isle of Wight (the Isle of Wight Council decided to scrap free parking at 24 car parks back in 2014).
This is a personal passion of mine, so I spent far too long putting together this guide to free and cheap parking on the Isle of Wight.
As of 2022, in the Isle of Wight Council's long stay car parks that are charged, you can expect to pay £3.10 for two hours or £5.20 for four hours and £6.80 for six hours (most of the seafront car parks are Council owned). 6-10 hours costs £9.40 and then you pay another £1 or £2 for evening parking.
In my view, the 'tourist parking permit' is poor value unless you use it constantly for a week. As of 2022, seven days will cost you £52.90 which is £7.55 per day. Paying as you park will cost £9 for 6-10 hours so you would have to use it every single day to make even a small saving (as an aside, my brother recently left his car at Heathrow for less than it would have cost to leave it in Bonchurch). The only real reason to get one is to avoid the hassle of finding loose change, but you can use Pay By Phone to avoid that. We wrote a blog about our experiences of parking in Shanklin and found that the permit would have cost us more money than pay as you go.
There are several ways to make parking cheaper on an Isle of Wight holiday:
People with excessive time on their hands (prisoners, people stuck in lifts etc.) might like to read our exceedingly dull comparison of parking prices in different seaside resorts.
This is a personal passion of mine, so I spent far too long putting together this guide to free and cheap parking on the Isle of Wight.
As of 2022, in the Isle of Wight Council's long stay car parks that are charged, you can expect to pay £3.10 for two hours or £5.20 for four hours and £6.80 for six hours (most of the seafront car parks are Council owned). 6-10 hours costs £9.40 and then you pay another £1 or £2 for evening parking.
In my view, the 'tourist parking permit' is poor value unless you use it constantly for a week. As of 2022, seven days will cost you £52.90 which is £7.55 per day. Paying as you park will cost £9 for 6-10 hours so you would have to use it every single day to make even a small saving (as an aside, my brother recently left his car at Heathrow for less than it would have cost to leave it in Bonchurch). The only real reason to get one is to avoid the hassle of finding loose change, but you can use Pay By Phone to avoid that. We wrote a blog about our experiences of parking in Shanklin and found that the permit would have cost us more money than pay as you go.
There are several ways to make parking cheaper on an Isle of Wight holiday:
- In the off-season, quite a lot of on street parking in coastal towns is free, whilst the car parks still charge.
- There are some National Trust car parks on the Isle of Wight which are free for National Trust Members (Hanover Point and St Helen's for example). You also get a discount at The Needles car park if you have a National Trust card.
- In Shanklin, Sandown and Brading, the railway station car parks cost £2 for 24 hours or £10 for a week (I don't believe the week long permits are transferable between the three though. Prices checked 2022). Shanklin and Sandown railway stations are both about 10 minutes walk to the beach.
People with excessive time on their hands (prisoners, people stuck in lifts etc.) might like to read our exceedingly dull comparison of parking prices in different seaside resorts.
Parking on seafronts can be expensive - but there are free alternatives
We think we've found the perfect Isle of Wight driving route...The Wighty 90
Isle of Wight Travel News
If you're on the Island and want to keep up with travel news then your best bet is either Isle of Wight Radio on 102FM and 107FM or BBC Radio Solent on 96.1FM and 999 MW (although they also cover Hampshire and Dorset).
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.
