Reaching the stunning Isle of Wight is all part of the adventure, with seamless travel connections designed to make your journey effortless. Car ferries to the Isle of Wight are operated by Red Funnel from Southampton, and Wightlink from Portsmouth and Lymington, offering reliable and scenic crossings for visitors bringing their vehicles.
For those travelling on foot, high-speed options provide a swift and stylish arrival. Red Funnel operates its Red Jet service from Southampton to Cowes, while Wightlink runs the popular FastCat service from Portsmouth to Ryde Pier Head—a gateway perfectly positioned for onward travel across the island.
For a truly unique experience, Hovertravel offers the UK’s only commercial hovercraft service, whisking passengers from Southsea to Ryde Esplanade in just minutes.
Once you arrive, connections are refreshingly simple. Ryde’s FastCat terminal sits beside the Pier Head train station with trains taking under 30 minutes to reach Shanklin. In Cowes, the Red Jet terminal is conveniently located next to the town’s main bus links. Meanwhile, the Hovercraft terminal at Ryde Esplanade places you right beside both the train station and bus interchange—making it easy to continue your Isle of Wight journey to Shanklin without delay.
Portsmouth
Portsmouth Harbour trains coming in from London, come into Platform 1, at the end of this platform is a ramp to the Wightlink Fast Cat. Take the Fast Cat to Ryde Pier Head. Local trains on Isle of Wight run from Ryde Pier Head at one end to Shanklin at the other – check out Island Lines for their timetable. There is a Taxi rank outside of Shanklin Station.
Southampton
Mainline trains come in to Southampton Central Station. There is a free shuttle bus “Quay Connect” from the bus stop outside of the Train Station that links with the Red Jet and Red Funnel Car Ferry Terminals.
Southern Vectis provide the Island bus service that meets the Red Jet at Cowes, which will take you into Newport Bus Number 1, to change buses for Shanklin, either Bus Number 2 or 3.
Lymington
The station at Lymington is adjacent to the Wightlink ferry terminal. Check Railway information via the links below.
Top Tip
It is cheaper to book train tickets in advance and to book the ticket from your local station to Shanklin, which can include the ferry crossing. If you have a railcard, the discount is also applied to the FastCat / Hovercraft part of the journey with a through ticket.
By Train
South Western Railway run services that connect to the Island via Portsmouth Harbour, Southampton and Lymington, The network map can be found at here.
SouthWest Trains link with other regions on the rail network and tickets can be booked from any UK main line station to connect with Isle of Wight Ferries.
If coming from, or connecting via London, trains for Portsmouth, Southampton and Lymington leave from Waterloo, and go via Clapham Junction.
Shanklin railway station is the only station serving Shanklin on the Isle of Wight. It is the present terminus of the Island Line from Ryde, the station has one platform with a ticket office and self-service ticket machine.
By Coach
National Express national network of interconnecting coach routes. Regular coaches throughout the day from London Victoria and Heathrow Coach Stations to Southampton and Portsmouth.
Book by phone with a credit/debit card call: 08717 81 81 81 Lines open 10 am to 6 pm, 7 days a week (Please allow 4 working days for posted tickets)
Regional Airports
The two closest airports are Southampton – Tel: 0870 040 0009 and Bournemouth – Tel: 01202 364000
Island Airports
You can fly to the Isle of Wight with a private plane, the Isle of Wight has two small airfields,
Bembridge Airport 01983 873051 and Sandown Airport 01983 408374.
Plane and helicopter charter is available from the Island.
Local Bus Service
Shanklin is served by two bus routes, the number 2 runs from Newport Bus Station to the Ryde Interchange via Godshill, Shanklin, Sandown and Brading; the number 3 route overlaps much of the number 2 route, but between Godshill and Shanklin it diverts via Wroxall and Ventnor. Check out Southern Vectis website for timetables.