Ferries to Southampton

The ferry port of Southampton lies on the English south coast at Town Quay, the quay immediately in front of the town centre. From here you can reach East Cowes and Cowes on the Isle of Wight. Together the services add up to as many as 79 departures a day, and crossings take between 30 minutes and one hour. The port is served by Red Funnel.

Getting there and the terminal

Red Funnel uses two terminals, both at Town Quay but with different destinations. Terminal 1 at Dock Gate 7, Town Quay Road, SO14 2AR, is the car ferry terminal for East Cowes; as a satnav destination the operator gives the postcode SO14 2AL. Terminal 2 at Town Quay, SO14 2AQ, is the terminal for the Red Jet catamarans to West Cowes and takes foot passengers only.

By car from the west you come in on the M27, junction 3, then the M271 and on via the A3024 and A33 to Town Quay Road, where you turn right at Dock Gate 7. From the north the route runs via the M3, junction 14, and the A33 towards the docks, and from the east via the M27, junction 5, and the A335 onto the A33. You park at the Triangle Car Park, five minutes' walk away, or at the larger Ocean Car Park. The Quayconnect shuttle runs from Southampton Central station to Town Quay.

Check-in

For the car ferry to East Cowes, Red Funnel requires check-in 30 to 45 minutes before departure on Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays and 30 to 60 minutes on the other days. Foot passengers at Terminal 1 check in between 10 and 60 minutes before departure. For the Red Jets at Terminal 2 considerably less is needed: five to 15 minutes before the scheduled crossing.