Purchasing Tickets for Public Transport: Trains/busses in the UK are usually significantly cheaper if booked in advance, and frequently discounts are available through "split-ticketing" and third-party services:
- Rail: SplitTicketing, Trainline
- Bus: National Express, Trainline
Travel from Airports to Southampton
1. From Southampton Airport:
- Bus: There are Unilink U1C buses every 15 mins departing from the stop Airport Parkway Station. -- see the Local Travel section below for onward journey information.
- Taxi/Uber [15-20 min.]: A taxi (Uber) from Southampton Airport usually costs £20-25.
2. From London Heathrow Airport: Efficient journeys to Southampton by both rail and bus are available, please see the details below:
- Rail via London Waterloo: Take the London Underground (Tube) to London Waterloo Station, travelling east on the Elizabeth Line. Change either to the Jubilee Line at Bond Street, or to the Northern Line at Tottenham Court Road, heading south until you reach Waterloo. For a tube map click here. See the Travel from London section below for details on trains from Waterloo Station to Southampton, which run roughly every 30 minutes.
- Rail via Reading: Take the RA1 RailAir (Central Reading) bus from Heathrow Central Bus Station to Reading Bus Station. Then, walk about 2 mins to Reading Rail Station. Take the CrossCountry Bournemouth train (usually Platform 7) to get to Southampton Central Station. See the Local Travel section below for onward journey information.
- Bus: National Express can take you directly from Heathrow Central Bus Station to the University of Southampton within about 2 hours. If you land at Terminals 2 or 3, you need to walk about 5 mins to Heathrow Central Bus Station. When you arrive there, board the National Express Bus 205. The bus also stops at terminals 4 and 5 in the arrivals section (tickets can be bought from ticket machines inside the terminal or online). Your coach will stop at the University of Southampton (closer to the conference venue) and at Southampton Coach Station in the city centre. Note that the coach, while conveniently direct, runs only every 1-2 hours.
- Taxi/Uber [90 min.]: A taxi (Uber) from Heathrow usually costs £100-120, but can vary widely with date and time.
3. From London City Airport:
- Rail via London Waterloo: Take the London Underground to London Waterloo Station, following the DLR Line west, changing to the Jubilee Line at Canning Town. For a tube map click here. See the Travel from London section below for details on trains from Waterloo Station to Southampton, which run roughly every 30 minutes.
- Taxi/Uber [170 min.]: A taxi (Uber) from London City usually costs roughly £160.
4. From London Gatwick Airport:
- Rail: Direct trains will take you from Gatwick Airport to Southampton Central Station within 2 hours. See the Local Travel section below for onward journey information.
- Taxi/Uber [105 min.]: A taxi (Uber) from Gatwick usually costs roughly £100.
5. From London Stansted Airport:
- Rail via London Waterloo: First travel to London Waterloo Station, for example using the National Express bus, which runs roughly every 30 minutes. See the Travel from London section below for details on trains from Waterloo Station to Southampton, which run roughly every 30 minutes.
- Taxi/Uber [160 min.]: A taxi (Uber) from Stansted usually costs roughly £160.
Travel from London to Southampton
From London the most convenient option is the direct SWR train from London Waterloo Station to Southampton Central Station. These trains run approximately every 30 minutes until late in the evening. To purchase rail tickets, please refer to the links at the top of this page. See the Local Travel section below for onward journey information.
Local Travel in Southampton
Please note that the Avenue Campus is accessible from the Highfield Interchange Bus Stop through a 16 minute walk. To access local bus connections from either the Highfield Interchange please use the Unilink bus connections described below.
Travelling to the University of Southampton (Highfield campus):
If you have business at the main campus, many of the above buses offer a Highfield Interchange stop.
How to travel by Unilink buses:
1. The easiest option is to use any Credit/Debit card on the buses like in many cities in Europe. This is called Tap on/Tap off. As long as you keep using the same card, the system will automatically charge the cheapest available daily fare. Remember to tap off before you leave the bus.
2. You can also buy pre-paid tickets from the Unilink Bus app. The price for single trip is currently £2.60. If you plan to travel many trips in a day you can get an adult dayrider ticket for £4.30 (when purchased using app).Details about the bus fares can be found here.
Please refer to the local maps below:
We hope this travel guide can help you get to the conference site safely and smoothly. If you do not know where to go or what to do, using Google Maps in your phone is the best thing to do.
