Most cruises departing from the UK go from Southampton. This Hampshire based cruise port ranks as the 6th busiest cruise port of Europe. In 2019 it saw just short of 1.3 million cruise passengers embarking and disembarking British Isles Cruises, sailings to the fjords and Mediterannean, and transatlantic crossings from the likes of Cunard. Southampton can be somewhat confusing to get to however. This article should give you a few ideas as to how to get from Glasgow to Southampton for your cruise!
I’ll be covering travelling to Southampton from Glasgow by train and air. Obviously all details are correct at the time of writing but may be subject to change due to timetables or route changes.
Some useful sites to help you book your cruise transfer from Glasgow to Southampton are:
Can I get to Southampton from Glasgow on the day of my cruise?
My recommendation when coming from Glasgow is that you do not try and travel on the day of your cruise if you are using public transport. We all know train services can be unreliable, and if you end up delayed, you could very easily end up missing the ship. I prefer to go down the night before and find a hotel in Southampton for the evening. That way you can be relaxed, get a good nights sleep and arrive at the ship feeling fresh and holiday. Better than feeling a bit grubby after as much as 5 hours on public transport!
How to get from Glasgow to Southampton by train
Getting to Southampton by train from Glasgow is a long journey, taking over 7 hours, and includes several changes. Using sites such as Trainline or Raileasy will help you plan your journey, but some routes from include:
- Glasgow Central > Crewe > Wolverhampton > Southampton Central
- Glasgow Central > London Euston > Tube to London Waterloo > Southampton Central
- Glasgow Central > Crewe > Birmingham New Street > Southampton Central
With a journey like this it’s a good opportunity to save money by splitting your tickets – using a site like Raileasy can save you a decent wedge – I did a search and was offered £45 off by splitting tickets – a combination of Raileasy and National Rail Railcard took the price down to £57.05 one way compared to £87.15 on Trainline with Railcard. If you travel regularly by train it really is worth getting a Railcard – it saves you 1/3 on rail tickets – this sample journey was £132.10 without railcard or ticket splitting!
Saving money using Raileasy ticket splitting and Railcard! This is what the journey would have cost without Railcard and ticket splitting
I live much further South than Glasgow and certainly wouldn’t risk travelling by train the day of the cruise knowing what rail services can be like. I’d rather travel the day before and get a hotel in Southampton for the night. This means a relaxing night’s sleep and popping out for breakfast in the morning before heading to the ship – I recommend Carluccio’s or Bill’s in Westquay Shopping Centre! Check out my vlog from my Crown Princess visit ( I still dream of that gluten free Bill’s breakfast!)
How to get from Glasgow to Southampton by plane
You can fly direct to Southampton Airport from Glasgow Airport with Logan Air and British Airways. The flight time from Glasgow to Southampton is about 1hr 25 mins.
Departure times vary depending on date however with some early flights getting into Southampton before 9 and some flights getting in by lunchtime, flying is a good option if you want to travel on the day of your cruise.
Luckily it’s pretty easy to get to Southampton cruise terminal from Southampton airport. You can either jump in an Uber or taxi from the terminal, get the train from Southampton Airport Parkway railway station to Southampton central (then get a taxi), or catch the U1 bus directly outside the airport terminal for Dock Gate 4.
How to get to Southampton from Glasgow by coach
