There are two different ferry services that will take you between Southampton and the Isle of Wight, each with their own dedicated terminals for their route. In Southampton, Terminals 1 and 2 are both located in Town Quay. Combined tickets to/from Cowes will include the Quayconnect bus between Southampton Central and Terminals 1 and 2.
In Cowes, the East Cowes Terminal and West Cowes Terminal are divided by the River Medina. If you need to get across you can either take the Cowes Floating Bridge, which takes 2-3 minutes, or it’s a 15-minute walk between the terminals.
As the Southampton terminals are next to each other, we recommend choosing which part of Cowes you would like to go via.
Travelling with West Cowes by RedJet
If you want to travel via West Cowes, choose Cowes West (Redjet) (WTW) as your destination or origin station to buy a combined ferry and train ticket.
Your crossing between the mainland (Terminal 2) and the Isle of Wight will be with Red Funnel, taking 28 minutes on their Red Jet Hi-Speed catamarans.
Reservations are not offered.
Getting to the ferry terminal
Red Funnel’s Quayconnect shuttle bus is included in your combined ticket and is a direct service between Southampton Central station (Platform 4 exit) and Red Funnel’s Terminal 2 in Town Quay.
West Cowes Terminal is located off the High Street in Cowes, with frequent buses operating from Cowes Carvel Lane M&S bus stop (2-minute walk).
Travelling withEast Cowes by Red Funnel Ship
If you want to travel via East Cowes, choose Cowes East (Red Funnel Ship) (ECW) as your destination or origin station to buy a combined ferry and train ticket.
Your crossing between the mainland (Terminal 1) and the Isle of Wight will be with Red Funnel, taking just 55 minutes on their Car Ferry service.
Reservations are not offered.
Getting to the ferry terminal
Red Funnel’s Quayconnect shuttle bus is included in your combined ticket and is a direct service between Southampton Central station (Platform 4 exit) and Red Funnel’s Terminal 1 in Town Quay.
East Cowes Terminal is located off Castle Street in Cowes, with frequent buses operating from East Cowes Waitrose bus stop (5-minute walk).
