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Hampshire · England
Titanic history, a timber-framed Old Town house and New Forest ponies.
SeaCity Museum tells Southampton's Titanic story, Tudor House and Garden holds over 800 years of history in the Old Town, and the New Forest is a short train ride away.
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See Museum
Civic Centre, city center
The city museum follows 200,000 years of Southampton's history, from Roman traders to World War II, and the story of the docks in its Gateway to the World exhibition. It is about 0.3 mile from Southampton Central station.
View SeaCity Tickets (opens a new tab)Unwind New Forest
Brockenhurst
Direct trains from Southampton Central reach Brockenhurst in 13 minutes. The national park covers 220 square miles, and its ponies, cattle and pigs roam freely.
Plan a New Forest Day (opens a new tab)Taste Pub Lunch
28 Oxford Street
A pub, restaurant and hotel on Oxford Street, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. It is about 0.4 mile from Ocean Terminal and 0.7 mile from City Terminal.
Visit White Star Tavern (opens a new tab)Explore Old Town
Bugle Street, Old Town
Southampton's oldest museum is a timber-framed house built in the late 15th century. Adults pay £10, and it is closed on Wednesdays.
Plan a Tudor House Visit (opens a new tab)Skip the excursion desk
Southampton has five cruise terminals: QEII and Ocean in the Eastern Docks, and City, Horizon and Mayflower in the Western Docks. ABP puts them about 0.7 to 1.6 miles from the town center.
| Cruise line | Ships | Terminal | Side of the port |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cunard | Queen Mary 2 | QEII | Eastern Docks |
| Cunard | Queen Anne | Ocean | Eastern Docks |
| Cunard | Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth | Mayflower or Ocean | Western Docks or Eastern Docks |
| P&O | Iona, Arvia, Britannia | Ocean | Eastern Docks |
| P&O | Ventura, Arcadia, Aurora | Mayflower | Western Docks |
| MSC | All ships | Horizon | Western Docks |
| AIDA | AIDAnova, AIDAprima | Ocean | Eastern Docks |
| Fred. Olsen | All ships | City | Western Docks |
From ABP's provisional schedule for late October 2026 to January 2027, so summer lines such as Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Disney are not shown. Terminals can change; your boarding pass shows yours. Source: ABP Southampton cruise ship schedule.
Where you dock decides the route: City, Horizon and Mayflower are a walk from Southampton Central station, and ABP advises a taxi for Ocean and QEII.
ABP puts Heathrow about 68 miles and 1 hour 15 minutes away by road, and Gatwick about 91 miles and 1 hour 45 minutes.
ABParking, ABP's own parking division, has long-stay parking lots next to the City and Horizon terminals for Celebrity, Disney, Fred. Olsen, MSC, Norwegian, Oceania, Regent Seven Seas, Royal Caribbean and Silversea guests. Book by cruise line, ship and sailing date; you keep your keys and walk 2 to 3 minutes to the terminal. Paying on the day costs more, and a space is not guaranteed. P&O, Cunard and Princess guests park with Cruise & Passenger Services instead: call 0345 071 3939.
If you do one thing here
SeaCity Museum says nowhere felt the loss of the Titanic more strongly than Southampton. Its Titanic exhibition tells the stories of the Southampton residents who worked on the ship.
Explore a 1:25 interactive model of the ship, hear the recorded voices of survivors and see more than 200 objects. Adults pay £14.50. The museum opens 10 AM to 4:30 PM Monday to Saturday and 11 AM to 4 PM on Sunday.
The Titanic Story at SeaCity (opens a new tab)SeaCity Museum Tickets (opens a new tab)
Recorded crime is above the national average, but pickpocketing is below it.
Crime figures: Office for National Statistics, police recorded crime excluding fraud, year ending June 2026, per resident (Southampton uses mid-2024 population, England and Wales mid-2025). Distances from the town center: ABP's 2022 cruise brochure. Weather: Met Office 1991–2020 averages, Southampton Mayflower Park.
Make it part of your voyage
Search sailings from Southampton, or find cruises that call here.
Take a train from Southampton Central to London Waterloo. Direct trains run about twice an hour, and the fastest take about 1 hour 15 minutes. The station is a 15-minute walk from City and Horizon; ABP advises a taxi from Ocean and QEII.
By road it is about 68 miles, about 1 hour 15 minutes (ABP). National Express coaches link Heathrow with Southampton Coach Station from 1 hour 25 minutes and £17.40 one way; the coach station is in the city center, not at the terminals.
About 91 miles, about 1 hour 45 minutes by road (ABP). National Express also runs coaches from Southampton Coach Station to Gatwick.
Yes, Southampton Central: a 15-minute walk from City and Horizon and 25 to 30 minutes from Mayflower. Ocean is about 2 miles away, and ABP advises a taxi to Ocean and QEII.
Ocean Cruise Terminal is at berth 46/47 in the Eastern Docks, postcode SO14 3QN. Drivers and passengers enter through Dock Gate 4.
ABP's brochure gives SO15 1HJ, but ABParking gives SO15 0GN, so check the postcode on your cruise documents. Drivers enter through Dock Gate 20, then drive 2 miles through the docks.
ABParking shows its price only after you enter your cruise line, ship and sailing date, so no flat rate is published. It charges no booking or card fee, and canceling up to the day before your cruise gets a full refund.
Check the Met Office forecast before you travel. On its 1991–2020 averages, May to August have the fewest rainy days, about 8 a month.
SeaCity Museum is about 0.6 mile from City Terminal and Tudor House and Garden about 0.4 mile. Solent Sky, home of the Spitfire and the Empire flying boats, is about 0.5 mile from Ocean Terminal; adults pay £14. Distances are straight lines.
Direct trains from Southampton Central reach Brockenhurst in the New Forest in 13 minutes, Winchester in 16 to 18 minutes and Portsmouth Harbour, for Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, in 46 to 48 minutes. Tours & Tickets above lists bookable tours.
