It is about 80 miles (130km) between Southampton and the centre of London, and within this area there is a lot to see and do as you can see from the map below.
All these sightseeing options and may more are offered on a private basis with your own vehicle. This method of transport offers complete flexibility in terms of route and timings. Tours are based on 8-10 hours touring.
We have a wide choice of vehicles available from small cars to large coaches. If there is a group of you, booking your own vehicle can prove to be surprisingly good value. Luggage is fully taken care of during any sightseeing.
If you do not have enough time to spend a whole day touring travelling to or from your cruise ship, then we offer set price stopover transfers. Windsor Castle or Stonehenge are a minor detour on the roads between London and Southampton.
These tours can be done on a private or shared basis.
» Private via Stonehenge or Windsor
» Full day private tour options
Private or shared transfers in either direction via:
» Windsor
Shared post cruise transfers to London via:
» Cotswolds, Downton Abbey & pub lunch
We have easy cruise transfers for you in either direction - pre and post cruise. Popular private cruise tours include Windsor Castle and Stonehenge, both can be booked below.
You can choose whether to go shared or private.
However the beauty of private tours is being able to tailor your day exactly as you want it. See our list of pre and post cruise transfer destinations below for inspiring ideas.
Either of these tours can be done in the other direction - simply fill in our quote form below.
Experience a private tour visiting the legendary Stonehenge either before or after your cruise, en route between London & Southampton.
Experience a private tour visiting the splendour of Windsor Castle either before or after your cruise, en route between London & Southampton.
There is so much to see and do to or from your Southampton cruise, it is hard where to know where to start. Most parties visit two or three major destinations and for most the lunch stop is a highlight of the day.
Most Southampton cruise ships disembark between 7 am and 9 am so most parties choose to depart around 8:30 am, arriving in London or an airport late afternoon/early evening. In the opposite direction departure time is entirely up to you on a private tour!
Stonehenge the world famous Neolithic monument with so many mysteries is the most popular destination by far and included on most full day itineraries. Located less than an hours a drive north of Southampton it's very central position means it's easily combined with all other sightseeing options highlighted here.
Windsor Castle historic home of the Kings and Queens of England is a living castle in pristine condition. Located on the edge of London close to Heathrow Airport. When visited it is either the first or last destination of the tour.
Bath a well-being destination since Roman times. The ancient Roman Baths are the biggest tourist draw and also the thoroughly modern Thermae Bath Spa. Bath's stunning honey-coloured Georgian architecture is straight from a Jane Austen novel – highlights include the iconic Royal Crescent and the majestic Circus.
Lacock relatively unknown to mass tourism, this is a favourite lunch stop for tours. A living medieval village, (but not a museum piece). Favourite venue for film sets including Harry Potter and Jane Austen.
Portsmouth is home to the British Navy, spend a full day at the historic dockyard.
Highclere Castle (Downton Abbey) home of the famous TV series and film. If you are a fan this is a must see. Highclere has a limited visitor season so you need to organise your visit well in advance.
The Cotswolds showcases the best of the English countryside. View idyllic landscapes and twee country villages, thatched cottages, Norman village churches, village greens and experience English afternoon tea.
Avebury is a lesser known stone henge to Stonehenge and much less commercialised, in fact it's open access. Unlike Stonehenge you can walk among and touch the stones at all times and go inside a burial mound.
Oxford with its world famous ancient university, beautiful buildings and iconic “Dreaming Spires” a great city to explore with much to see and do. Blenheim Palace is just outside Oxford, a world heritage site standing in a romantic park created by the famous landscape gardener Capability Brown. It was presented by the English nation to John Churchill, first Duke of Marlborough, in recognition of his victory in 1704 over French and Bavarian troops.
Industrial History & Experiences are many and varied. For train buffs there is Didcot railway centre and the Watercress Line, a historic steam line. For canals there is Caen Hill locks, a flight of 29 separate locks still in regular use. Breweries are there to visit or if your tipple is Gin, there is the Bombay Sapphire Distillery.
Jane Austen country is all around. She is buried in Winchester, Jane Austen's house is nearby in Chawton where she spent her last years and now the most treasured Austen site in the world. Bath is where she spent much of her earlier years with much of the references in her books still in place and the Jane Austen Centre that celebrates her life and times.
The unique selling point of the private tour option is of course you choose what you want to see, when you want to see it at a pace that suits your travelling party. No hanging around waiting either, the tour is door to door at a a departure time chosen by you. At attractions the departure time is immediately after you have exited the attraction.
We can cater for tour groups of all sizes with vehicles ranging from saloon / sedan cars up to full size touring coaches.
Each tour is unique, customised to your needs. You can follow or adapt one of our popular touring routes below as the basis for your tour or design your own custom tour. The examples below are the most requested route themes.
A classic sightseeing itinerary visiting Salisbury Cathedral, Stonehenge and Windsor Castle with time to grab a quick bite to eat at Windsor.
A more relaxed world class sightseeing route visiting Stonehenge and Bath with outstanding scenery along the way and a memorable lunch stop at medieval Lacock
A relaxed day touring the best of the landscapes and villages of the Cotswolds region. Perhaps supplement with a visit to Oxford, Blenheim Palace or blend with a Downton Abbey TV series theme visiting filming locations.
We offer a flexible choice of driver and guiding options. Remember most major attractions will provide or make available audio guides which we can advise upon as part of the planning / quotation process
Summarised the private tour service offered is:
SEPARATE GUIDE: A separate guide in addition to the driver or driver-guide is around £250
Pick-ups at Southampton and London addresses at a time of your choosing.
Meet n greet service at Southampton cruise terminals and London airport terminals.
Executive vehicles with professional, uniformed drivers. 24 hour emergency contact number.
Trusted transport provider with 15 years of experience.
Prices with no hidden extras - includes all taxes, parking and London congestion charges and up to 2 hours at Stonehenge, Windsor Castle, entrances included.
Don't worry if your flight is late, waiting times - At airports incoming flights are monitored and the driver will adjust his/her arrival time to the actual flight landing time. The driver will be waiting outside the exit to the customs hall with your name around 45 minutes after actual landing - not scheduled time. (If you have no luggage an earlier arrival time can be agreed).
Flat fee for anywhere in central London, Heathrow & Gatwick airports - We have a simple stated price for transfers to anywhere in Central London. By Central London we mean any part of London that is in zone 1 of the London Underground system which includes all the major London hotel districts.
Payment by credit card / debit card with no fees - Payment is in advance on our secure website. All major credit and debit cards are accepted. There is no extra fee for payment by credit card.
STANDARD CAR (Toyota Prius, Avensis, Skoda Octavia)
Pick up from Central London from £596
1- 2 passengers (2 large suitcases, 2 carry on items)
EXECUTIVE MINI VAN (People Carrier)
Pick up from Central London from £894
3 - 6 passengers (up to 6 large suitcases, 6 carry on items)
WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE CAR
Pick up from Central London from £1087
1- 4 passengers • 4 large, 4 hand luggage
LUGGAGE
* Hold luggage ( Max 23kg per piece )
* Carry on luggage ( Max 10kg per piece )
Our cruise ship tour transfers are exclusive to cruise customers disembarking or boarding ships at Southampton cruise port. A great opportunity to include world class sightseeing on your journey to or from your cruise ship.
With these tour transfers you have the option to choose from either shared or private transfers.
Both shared and private starting rates are based on two sharing a vehicle; you can then choose up to eight passengers. If you are travelling solo you can see the rates by clicking through to book.
Cruise tour transfers allow you to visit popular attractions in the UK en-route between Southampton and London: Stonehenge and Windsor Castle.
Tours go in either direction so you can choose the tour transfer (and visit the attraction) that is right for you.
For the pre-cruise transfer you will be met at a centrally located London hotel between 7.30 and 9.15 am, before spending a couple of hours at either Stonehenge or Windsor Castle, and then arriving at your cruise ship at approx 2.15 pm.
For the post cruise transfer your driver/guide will be waiting to greet you at the cruise terminal exit between 8 and 8.30 am, before spending a couple of hours at either Windsor Castle or Stonehenge, arriving at your chosen London hotel between 1:30 pm and 3:15 pm.
Note: entry to all attractions is extra.
Also see our door to door service for straight transfers: Southampton direct cruise ship shuttle service. This service also drops at Heathrow passenger terminals.
Pre-cruise transfer stopping off at Stonehenge (entrance extra) en route to Southampton.
Pre-cruise transfer visiting Windsor Castle (entrance extra) en route to Southampton.
Post cruise transfer stopping off at Stonehenge (entrance extra) from Southampton to London.
Post cruise transfer visiting Windsor Castle (entrance extra) from Southampton to London.
Your driver will meet you at the terminal building exit from 08:00am and will accompany you to the coach. We plan to leave Southampton by 08:30am. There is a typical walk of about 75 yards to the vehicle where the driver will load your luggage into the hold. In the unlikely event your ship is delayed into port, we will delay our departure. Some transfer tours include Heathrow, others go directly to London after the tour. Do double check when booking your tour covers the drop-off you need.
Drops begin at Heathrow Airport (when applicable, hotels and passenger terminals) typically around 5:00pm and Central London hotels about one hour later.
Enjoy a 2-course lunch in a 15th century inn in Cotswolds plus visits to "Downton Village" (Bampton), Burford & Stow-on-Wold.
Enjoy a memorable group full day trip to the mysterious Stonehenge. This comfortable cruise transfer will take you by luxury, air-conditioned touring coach, with friendly driver. Entry to Stonehenge included.
This transfer takes you to Salisbury Cathedral, Stonehenge and finally Windsor Castle. Entrances are extra and can be added on at time of booking.
This transfer from Southampton will take you to the beautiful city of Bath to visit the Roman Baths and also the majestic Windsor Castle. Entrances can be added on at booking.
Most cruise ships at Southampton are fully disembarked by around 9am, so with a transfer to Heathrow or Gatwick (London's main airports) you can expect to be in the passenger terminal by around 11am.
This works well if you have a lunch time or early afternoon departure but not if your flight is later. Hanging around an airport terminal is not a great way to end any holiday. So rather than kill time in a soulless airport passenger terminal why not make your transfer a memorable part of your trip,
So rather than killing time at an airport terminal why not spend your day exploring beautiful Windsor?
There is much to experience in Windsor beyond the castle, you can easily spend a weekend here. Windsor Castle is in the middle of town with shopping, restaurants galore, river trips and much more.
STANDARD SALOON CAR (e.g. Toyota Prius)
Central London £274, Heathrow £213, Gatwick £247, Lon City Airport £289, Luton £277, Stansted £331
1- 2 passengers • 2 large, 2 hand luggage
ESTATE CAR (e.g. Ford Mondeo)
Central London £272, Heathrow £225, Gatwick £260, Lon City Airport £301, Luton £289, Stansted £344
3 passengers • 3 large, 4 hand luggage
MPV (e.g. Ford Galaxy)
Central London £304, Heathrow £242, Gatwick £278, Lon City Airport £319, Luton £307, Stansted £362
4 - 5 passengers • 4 large, 5 hand luggage
LARGE CAR / VAN (e.g. Mercedes Vito)
Central London £334, Heathrow £272, Gatwick £308, Lon City Airport £348, Luton £337, Stansted £392
6 - 8 passengers • 8 large, 8 hand luggage
WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE CAR (e.g. Vauxhall Vivaro)
Central London £334, Heathrow £272, Gatwick £308, Lon City Airport £348, Luton £337, Stansted £392
1- 4 passengers plus one wheelchair • 8 large, 8 hand luggage
* London reference hotel used: Marriott Kensington hotel
Large luggage: 35.5 x 29.5 x 16in or 90 x 75 x 43cm (max: 25Kg)
Hand luggage: 22 x 18 x 10in or 56 x 45 x 25cm (max: 10Kg)
On-line instant reservations enable you to book your transfer instantly and securely.
For a confirmed personalised quotation that may address any aspects you are concerned about and wish to raise please use the enquiry form below. We will normally respond with a firm quotation within one working day.