Travel

Explore the Isle of Purbeck your way – by road, rail or sea

Located on the South West Coast of England and within the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Swanage is easily accessible from major cities such as London, Bristol and Exeter.

By car

The drive takes around 2.5 hours from London via the M3, from Bristol via the A37 or A350, and from Exeter via the A35.

If you are coming from the east, you can get to Swanage via the Sandbanks – Studland chain ferry, or around the road inland via the A351.

Parking

There are several long and short stay car parks in Swanage.

Some are ideally situated for the beach; others take you straight into the heart of the town.

By train

The nearest mainline train station to Swanage is Wareham, which is on the London Waterloo – Weymouth South Western Railway line.

From Wareham, you can catch the No. 40 Purbeck Breezer or grab a taxi from the station.

South Western Railway also runs a Summer Saturday Special service (May – Sept) from North Dorset (Sherborne and Gillingham), Wiltshire (Salisbury), Somerset (Yeovil and Templecombe) and West Dorset (Dorchester and Weymouth). This train stops at Corfe Castle, where you can catch a connecting steam train to Swanage on the Swanage Railway.

You can also park at Norden or Corfe Castle and catch the heritage steam train to Swanage.

By bus

From Poole

The No. 40 Purbeck Breezer bus runs hourly from Poole Bus Station.

Journey time is approximately 1 hour 15 minutes.

From Bournemouth

The No. 50 bus will take you from Bournemouth to Swanage bus station via the Sandbanks Ferry.

Journey time is about 1 hour 20 minutes.

From Weymouth

(Note that this is a seasonal service.)

During the summer months, the No. 30 bus runs hourly from Weymouth to Swanage bus station on a daily basis.

Journey time is 1 hour 42 minutes.

By coach

National Express runs a regular coach service from London’s Victoria coach station to Swanage Bus Station.

For this low-cost and convenient method of transport for getting to Swanage check the National Express website: www.nationalexpress.com/en

By plane

The nearest airport to Swanage is Bournemouth International, which is approximately a one hour drive.

Southampton Airport is also extremely accessible, with a direct train from Southampton Airport Parkway to Wareham (Swanage’s nearest mainline station), which takes around an hour and 15 minutes.

By boat

A cruise service runs twice daily from Poole Quay to Swanage Pier between April and October inclusive.

Sailing is subject to weather and sea conditions.