Getting Around

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Welcome to the Itinerary Planner. Use this tool to build your own journey or choose from an exciting range of specially selected tours.

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Boat trips from Poole Quay

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City Cruises Poole

Cruises operate daily from Poole Quay and Swanage Pier (1st April - 28th October 2018). We offer a...

Purbeck Breezer

Hop on board a scenic Purbeck Breezer bus to see dazzling white chalk cliffs, heathlands that...

Swanage Railway

Enjoy a nostalgic steam-train ride on the Purbeck line. Steam trains run most weekend throughout...

Greenslade Pleasure Boats

Daily trips running from March – October to Brownsea Island, Poole Harbour Cruises, Coastal Cruises...

Travel around our beautiful county by bus, train, boat, bike or car - sit back, enjoy the view and let someone else do the driving! Consider leaving your car at your accommodation and make the journey part of your day out.

Whichever way you choose to travel, make sure you enjoy Dorset’s beautiful coast and countryside to the full.

If you are travelling by car, Travel Dorset gives the latest traffic information. If you choose to travel by bus or train, Traveline South West can give you various options and timetables.

Travelling by bus or coach

It's really easy to travel around Dorset by bus or National Express coach. Travelling into the larger towns for shopping or entertainment can be stress free when you catch one of the bus services connecting all the main towns in Dorset. Let Traveline South West help plan your journey from A to B.

For National Express coaches you will need to buy your ticket in advance, but for other local bus services you can buy your ticket from the driver on the day of travel and you do not need the exact money. Each bus company offers a range of one-way, return, day, week, month or group tickets. You can now use Contactless payment on Purbeck Breezer, More Buses and First Dorset buses (including Jurassic Coaster), up to a maximum of £30, so you no longer need to pay with cash.

Travelling across Christchurch, Bournemouth and Poole? Buy a Getting About Ticket for a whole day of travel.

The Jurassic Coaster and Purbeck Breezer buses are ideal for walkers who want to walk a section of the South West Coast Path, as you have the option of travelling out or back by bus. Plus you can sit on the top deck and get great views of our coast and countryside!

Want to use your bus pass? Find out when and how you can use it on Dorset buses.

Travelling by train

You are never far from a railway station in Dorset as there are 23 stations on the national rail network. This includes: 9 Stations on the Great Western Railway routes including Sherborne and Gillingham and 14 stations on the South Western Railway routes including Christchurch, Bournemouth, Poole, Dorchester, Wareham and Weymouth.

You can buy tickets online, by telephone and at railway station ticket offices or self-service machines on station platforms. A variety of one-way, return, day, season and group tickets are available. You might also save money on the entrance to attractions by using the Days Out Guide 2 for 1 ticket.

Visit the National Rail website for more information and to get live train departure times.

Need to get a bus from the railway station to your final destination? Purchase a PlusBus ticket and save money.

During summer 2018, on Saturdays, South Western Railway will be running trains connecting Wareham with the branch line at Corfe Castle. Visit the picture postcard village with it's Castle and Model Village. At the Station you can then transfer to a vintage steam or diesel train down to the seaside resort of Swanage with Swanage Railway. The service runs until Saturday 8th September.

Vintage train travel

The Swanage Railway is the picture postcard branch-line to the seaside. Steam and diesel trains weave their way through the beautiful Isle of Purbeck countryside for 6 miles from Norden Station, passing the magnificent ruins of Corfe Castle to the sandy beach of Swanage, the eastern gateway to the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site.

Stations are located at Norden, Corfe Castle, Harmans Cross, Herston Halt and Swanage.

For later in 2018, Swanage Railway is running trains on specific days between the mainline at Wareham and Swanage, stopping at Norden, Corfe Castle, Harmans Cross and Herston Halt. It will be a vintage diesel train for the whole journey, unless you stop at Norden Station and switch to a steam train for the rest of the journey to Swanage.

Travelling by boat

Avoid the traffic and travel by sea on a boat tour or ferry. Boat trips can be enjoyed as an alternative to road or rail travel and can be caught from Poole, Wareham, Swanage, Lulworth Cove, Weymouth and West Bay. Boats can also be chartered for touring along the coast.

Why not take a day trip to the beautiful Channel Islands or France with Condor Ferries from Poole or take advantage of the many boat trips along the Jurassic Coast? You can even combine boat and bus or boat and train travel and save money!

Travelling by bicycle

Discover Dorset's spectacular coast and countryside by using our cycle networks whilst you are here.

There are a mixture of long and short distance routes, plus signposted and circular trails available.

Travelling by road

Plan your days out with the help of Travel Dorset, which offers information and advice about parking, roadworks and live travel alerts.

Look out for park and ride schemes in Weymouth and Poole to help take the hassle out of your trip to town centres or festivals.

Electric Car Charger Points can be found throughout the county at Bournemouth, Bridport, Christchurch, Dorchester, Lyme Regis, Poole, Swanage, Weymouth and Wimborne Minster. Some are located in car parks or you can find other charger points on the Charge Your Car website.

Taxis are available from train stations and airports as well as towns and villages.

Want to go car free?

Let us tempt you into discovering car free days with some exciting itineraries for you to explore the area. Leave your car behind, let someone else do the navigating and take the stress out of travelling. And when you travel by boat, open top bus or steam train, it becomes part of your day out - fun for all the family.

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Number of results: 34

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TripAdvisor Traveller Rating
65 reviews
Greenslade Pleasure Boats

Type

Type:

Boat Trips & Tours

Poole Quay, POOLE

Daily trips running from March – October to Brownsea Island, Poole Harbour Cruises, Coastal Cruises and Wareham River Cruises.

Price £6.00 to £39.00 Per Ticket
TripAdvisor Traveller Rating
88 reviews
Purbeck Breezer

Type

Type:

Bus and Coach

POOLE

Hop on board a scenic Purbeck Breezer bus to see dazzling white chalk cliffs, heathlands that stretch to the horizon, picturesque villages, a charming seaside resort that still has steam trains, and a romantic castle perched high on a hill. The...

Price Free to £23.00 Per Ticket
South Western Railway

Type

Type:

Rail

London

South Western Railway is a joint venture between FirstGroup and MTR Europe, two of the world's leading train companies. With over 235 million passenger journeys a year, the South Western franchise covers urban, suburban, regional and long-distance...
Special Offers
- Corfe Castle
  A brand new partnership between South Western Railway and the Swanage Railway will connect the region to Corfe Castle with 6 new trains each Saturday during the summer (26th May to 8th September inclusive).
  Direct trains will run to Corfe Castle from Weymouth, Dorchester, Moreton and Wool (£5 day return) and from Salisbury, Tisbury, Gillingham, Templecombe, Sherborne, Yeovil and Maiden Newton (£10 day return).
  Poole, Branksome, Parkstone and Bournemouth passengers can connect with a simple change at Wareham to spend a day out in Corfe Castle.
  Swanage Railway offers discounted steam train fares too for just £10 Adult £5 Child Return for SWR passengers travelling on these new services.
  More offers like this - Transport Special Offers
TripAdvisor Traveller Rating
245 reviews
City Cruises Poole

Type

Type:

Boat Trips & Tours

Poole

Cruises operate daily from Poole Quay and Swanage Pier (1st April - 28th October 2018). We offer a wide selection of cruises along the Jurassic coast, trips to the Victorian resort at Swanage and the Steam Railway, Poole Harbour cruises, evening...

Price Free to £39.75 Per Ticket
Condor Ferries

Type

Type:

Boat Trips & Tours

POOLE

Condor Ferries operate vehicle and foot passenger ferries from St Malo in France as well as Jersey and Guernsey. They also offer day trips to Guernsey.

Price £23.00 to £33.00 Per Ticket
TripAdvisor Traveller Rating
2596 reviews
Swanage Railway

Type

Type:

Rail

SWANAGE

Enjoy a nostalgic steam-train ride on the Purbeck line. Steam trains run most weekend throughout the year with daily running April to October. Park at Norden then catch a train to travel 6 miles south to Swanage, passing through Corfe Castle village.

Price Free to £37.00 Per Ticket
Norden Car Park

Type

Type:

Car Park

CORFE CASTLE

Just off the A351 north of Corfe Castle, Norden Car Park has space to park 350 vehicles. If travelling to Corfe Castle or Swanage, using the Car Park is the easiest way to avoid traffic queues or finding a parking space in smaller car parks.
...

Price £3.50 to £5.00 Per Ticket
Corfe Castle Railway Station

Type

Type:

Rail

CORFE CASTLE

From Corfe Castle Station you can catch Swanage Railway trains to Harman's Cross, Herston Halt and Swanage, as well as trains heading north to the mining museum at Norden. Whether discovering the history of the railway and the extraordinary battle...
Harman's Cross Railway Station

Type

Type:

Rail

Harman's Cross, SWANAGE

The station is located in a tranquil spot, within unspoilt rolling Dorset countryside which has inspired artists and writers for generations, including Thomas Hardy and Enid Blyton. Many of Swanage Railway's special events are hosted at Harman’s...
Norden Railway Station

Type

Type:

Rail

CORFE CASTLE

Norden Railway Station is situated to the north of Corfe Castle, directly adjacent and accessible from the main A351 road before you reach Corfe Castle village. Just follow the clearly marked brown tourism signs to Norden Car Park, where there is...
Swanage Railway Station

Type

Type:

Rail

SWANAGE

Catch the Swanage Railway train from here to Herston, Harmans Cross, Corfe Castle or Norden. Swanage Station is the seaside terminus of the Swanage Railway branchline, with all the charm of a seaside holiday of days gone by. The station is in the...
Herston Halt Railway Station

Type

Type:

Rail

Herston, SWANAGE

Herston Halt is a request stop. Like many halts across the country, trains only stop on request. Travelling passengers should give early notice to the Guard on their train that they wish to alight here and passengers waiting for a train on the...
Parkstone Train Station

Type

Type:

Rail

Poole

Regular train services to Weymouth, Poole, London and Bournemouth.
Thornford Train Station

Type

Type:

Rail

Sherborne

Small train station in the heart of Dorset's Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty countryside.
Wareham Train Station

Type

Type:

Rail

Wareham

Wareham is a historic market town. Regular bus services leave the station for Wareham Town Centre and nearby Swanage and Corfe Castle.
Gillingham Train Station

Type

Type:

Rail

Gillingham

Train station in the beautiful Blackmore Vale with bus links to Shaftesbury (of Hovis Hill fame).
Branksome Train Station

Type

Type:

Rail

Poole

Nearby exclusive areas of Sandbanks and Canford Cliffs plus boat trips to Brownsea Island (bus service needed to ferry).
Hamworthy Train Station

Type

Type:

Rail

Poole

Train station with regular services to Poole, Bournemouth, London and Weymouth.
Maiden Newton Train Station

Type

Type:

Rail

Dorchester

Nestling between scenic rolling hills in the Frome valley, there are some wonderful opportunities to explore stunning countryside from the station at Maiden Newton.
Poole Train Station

Type

Type:

Rail

Poole

With a unique mixture of fascinating history, top attractions, Britain’s best beaches and a bustling Quay & shopping scene, a visit to Poole is a must

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Boat trips from Poole Quay

You can get the Purbeck Breezer bus to Wareham

Corfe Castle Station

Transportation

Search Travel & Tours

Highlights

Travelling by bus or coach

Travelling by train

Vintage train travel

Travelling by boat

Travelling by bicycle

Travelling by road

Want to go car free?

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