Southampton: how to get there and around
Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.
Southampton is a city of 269,781 people in United Kingdom (England), 19 m (62 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is London Gatwick Airport (LGW), 89 km (55 mi) from the centre. It has 6 railway stations on record, including Southampton Central railway station.
Key facts
Open Southampton in Google Maps
Daylight in Southampton runs from about 8 h a day in late December to 16 h 36 min in late June (computed for 50.9° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
Southampton is served by 4 airports with scheduled flights within 100 km. The closest large one is London Gatwick Airport (LGW), 89 km (55 mi) from the centre, whose 10,883-ft runway is long enough for long-haul wide-body aircraft. The alternatives are London Heathrow Airport (LHR, 91 km), Southampton Airport (SOU, 6 km), Bournemouth Airport (BOH, 34 km).
Flights to Southampton: every airport, routes and times
By rail: stations on record include Southampton Central railway station, Totton railway station, Redbridge railway station, Bitterne railway station, Northam railway station, Southampton West End railway station. Trains to Southampton
Buses to Southampton · Driving and car hire
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- London, 112 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Paris, 352 km (France) — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- Birmingham, 179 km — flights · tours
- Manchester, 292 km — tours
- Sheffield, 276 km — tours
- Leeds, 322 km
- Liverpool, 299 km — tours
- Bristol, 103 km — buses · car rental · tours
- Cardiff, 139 km — trains
- Leicester, 194 km
Twin towns and sister cities: Le Havre, Kaliningrad, Trieste, Kalisz, Hampton.
Common questions
Which airport serves Southampton?
London Gatwick Airport (LGW), 89 km (55 mi) from the centre, plus 3 other airports with scheduled flights within 100 km.
How big is Southampton?
About 269,781 people live in Southampton, across 51 km² (GeoNames and Wikidata).
What time zone is Southampton in?
Europe/London, currently UTC+1.
What currency is used in Southampton?
The Pound (GBP). Traffic drives on the left.
Which cities are near Southampton?
London (112 km), Paris (352 km), Birmingham (179 km), Manchester (292 km), Sheffield (276 km).
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 14 September 2026. Hotel and hostel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.