Car Hire in Bournemouth - Getting to Bournemouth

Lying more or less in the centre of England’s southern coast, Bournemouth is easily accessible from London and most other regional centres. The town has its own international airport, as well as good links to the capital by road and rail.

Both scheduled and charter flights leave from the town’s newly-developed international airport, though the destinations are limited to Europe. For long-haul flights, the major airports of Heathrow and Gatwick on the outskirts of London are a little over an hour’s drive away.

To get to Bournemouth by car from London, follow the M3 which heads southwest to Portsmouth, then keep heading west along the coast on the M27. When this motorway reaches the New Forest, it becomes the A31; follow this to Ringwood, and then turn left shortly after on to the A338, which leads into Bournemouth. To explore more of Dorset and the West Country, keep heading west on the A31 and A35.

There are fast rail connections between Bournemouth and London, taking between 1 hour, 30 minutes and 2 hours, 30 minutes to reach Waterloo station. From London, you can connect with services to the north of England and Scotland or to Europe via Eurostar.

If you’d rather travel by bus, head for the Victoria Coach Station in London and take a National Express coach, which leaves every hour. This is a cheap and convenient way of getting to the southern coast.

Since Bournemouth is located on the southern coast, it is possible to take ferries across to the continent from nearby Poole as well as from Portsmouth. Destinations served include: St Malo and Cherbourg in France and St Helier in Jersey.