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Public transport on the Isle of Wight
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. 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, Southampton, Portsmouth or Southsea for a crossing which takes between 10 minutes and one hour. As a very broad guide, it costs about £40 - £180 to take a car with passengers or about £10 - £25 for a foot passenger.
It is always worth looking for discount codes on our ferry guide or checking the ferry company's own offers page:
It is always worth looking for discount codes on our ferry guide or checking the ferry company's own offers page:
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.
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
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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) and near to the hovercraft at Ryde Esplanade. The train currently runs under South Western Railway and is a former London Underground carriage (1930s Northern Line I believe). It travels along the south east coast of the Island, with stops at:
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There are two train lines - one steam, one modern (ish)
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The 'modern' train line links up with the Isle of Wight Steam Railway which is based at Havenstreet.
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 or if you get a bundled deal with the Wightlink ferry. 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 (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 (read about these in the guide to days out for families).
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 £27 for 1 person, or £60 for 5 people, which is £1.71 per person per day. It's a bit cheaper if you pay with their app instead.
- Concessionary discounts apply on the Isle of Wight, just like other parts of England (but not Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland unfortunately)
- 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 £28, so you are paying £5.60 per day. Any 30 days in two years will cost you £111, or £3.70 a day. Generally speaking, a return journey on the Isle of Wight will cost you more than £5, so it is worth getting if you will use the bus more than 5 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 June 2019.
Taxis on the Isle of Wight
We did a few searches in June 2019 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 4 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.
It suggested that you would pay:
- Newport to Yarmouth - £23
- Newport to Ryde - £16
- Cowes to Ventnor - £31
Prices are weekday daytime for up to 4 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.
Car Hire on the Isle of Wight
Enterprise is the only one of the big players in car hire which operates on the Isle of Wight but there are also several local companies that offer car hire. 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
- 1st Call (Sandown) - catch the ferry from Portsmouth Harbour and then get a train to Sandown
- Top Gear (Cowes) - catch the ferry from Southampton
- 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
Bike Hire
There are plenty of places to rent a bicycle from on the Island. I'm including a list with the price for a day's hire (generally returning the bike by 5 or 6pm), but I've not used them myself so I can't recommend one over another.
As a very rough guide, hiring a bike costs about £15-£20 for a day.
- Wight Cycle Hire (near the Yarmouth ferry port)
- Two Elements (Cowes)
- Isle Cycle (Sandown railway station)
- Tav Cycles (near the Ryde ferry port)
- RouteFifty7 (near Shanklin railway)
- Wight Bike (Merstone, near Arreton)
As a very rough guide, hiring a bike costs about £15-£20 for a day.
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 in 2014).
As of 2019, in the long stay car parks that are charged, you can expect to pay £2.50 for two hours or £4 for four hours and £5 for six hours in most Isle of Wight Council car parks (most of the seafront car parks are Council owned). A whole day costs £7.
In my view, the 'tourist parking permit' is poor value. As of 2019, seven days will cost you £44.10 or £6.30 per day. Paying as you park will cost a maximum of £7 per day 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.
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).
One other option in Shanklin, Sandown and Brading is the railway station car parks which cost £1.50 for 24 hours or £7.50 for a week (I don't believe the week long permits are transferable between the three though. Prices checked 2019).
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.
As of 2019, in the long stay car parks that are charged, you can expect to pay £2.50 for two hours or £4 for four hours and £5 for six hours in most Isle of Wight Council car parks (most of the seafront car parks are Council owned). A whole day costs £7.
In my view, the 'tourist parking permit' is poor value. As of 2019, seven days will cost you £44.10 or £6.30 per day. Paying as you park will cost a maximum of £7 per day 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.
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).
One other option in Shanklin, Sandown and Brading is the railway station car parks which cost £1.50 for 24 hours or £7.50 for a week (I don't believe the week long permits are transferable between the three though. Prices checked 2019).
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.
Isle of Wight Travel News
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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, BBC Radio Solent on 96.1FM and 999 MW (although they also cover Hampshire and Dorset) or Twitter.
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