Travel Information

Travelling to Winchester by plane

The most convenient airports for Winchester are (in order of distance):

  • Southampton Airport is a relatively small airport and serves destinations in the UK and Europe. It is about 8 miles drive from Winchester via the M3 (northbound). There is a direct rail service from Southampton Airport Parkway station, which is immediately adjacent to the airport terminal building, to Winchester; four trains an hour take about 10 minutes for the journey.
  • London Heathrow Airport is about 60 miles drive from Winchester via the M25 (anti-clockwise) and the M3 (southbound). It is one of largest airports in the world, with flights to most major international destinations (although they are generally more expensive than other London airports). There is a RailAir coach service to Woking station, where mainline trains to Winchester can be boarded; two services an hour give a journey time of just under two hours for the whole journey. There are also direct National Express buses from Heathrow Airport Bus Station to Winchester, which take about an hour. The second option is generally cheaper and faster.
  • London Gatwick Airport is about 80 miles drive from Winchester via the M23 (northbound), M25 (clockwise) and M3 (southbound) motorways. By train, catch a London bound train which stops at Clapham Junction (note that the heavily advertised Gatwick Express do not stop there) from the airport rail station, and change at Clapham Junction for a service to Winchester; two or three services an hour give a journey time of just under two hours for the whole journey.

Travelling to Winchester by train

Winchester has a station on the main line from London to Southampton, Bournemouth, Poole and Weymouth. It is also served by long-distance services from Reading, Oxford, Birmingham and places further north.

From London, trains to Winchester depart from London Waterloo Station; there are several trains an hour which take about one hour for the journey. Train times (from any location) can be found on the National Rail Planner or by calling 08457 48 49 50 from anywhere in the UK.

Travelling to Winchester by bus

National Express operate services to Winchester from cities throughout the UK including London and Heathrow Airport.
Note: Advanced ticketing is recommended, and can be arranged through their website or by calling 0990 80 80 80 from anywhere in the UK. National Express coaches drop off in the Broadway, in the centre of Winchester.

Megabus, which requires online pre-booking, offers cheap daily tickets to Winchester from London on the routes to Southampton and Bournemouth. The drop off location is St. Catherine's Park and Ride car park, 15 minutes' walk from the centre of Winchester.

Travelling to Winchester by car

The town is conveniently situated for the M3 motorway from London to Southampton. Winchester and its city centre are generally regarded as car-unfriendly; an excellent Park and Ride site is located just off junction 10 of the M3 (from M3 north, exit at junction 9 and follow the signs) and buses provide a link to the city centre every 10-15 mins taking under 10 mins for the journey. Operates Mo-Fr 7.30am-6.30pm; Sa 8am-6pm; no service Sundays; £2.70 per car (including all passengers).

 

Information in this section is adapted from the WikiTravel entry on Winchester and is used under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0 license.