Salisbury (England)

The most convenient airports are:

• 🌍 London Heathrow Airport (LHR ^IATA) is about 75 mi (121 km) drive from Salisbury via the M25 (anti-clockwise), M3 (southbound), A303, A346 and A30. There is a Railair coach service to Woking station, where mainline trains to Salisbury can be boarded; two services an hour give a journey time of just over two hours for the whole journey. National Express also offer several coaches a day from Heathrow to Salisbury.
• 🌍 London Gatwick Airport (LGW ^IATA) is about 100 mi (160 km) drive from Salisbury via the M23 (northbound), M25 (clockwise), M3 (southbound), A303, A346 and A30. By train, catch a London-bound train which stops at Clapham Junction (the Gatwick Express does not stop there) from the airport rail station, and change at Clapham Junction for services to Salisbury; two services an hour give a journey time of just under two hours for the whole journey.

Regional airports nearby include:

• 🌍 Southampton Airport (SOU ^IATA) is about 25 mi (40 km) away, and is probably the easiest to access, both by car and train. Driving is simple: to get to Salisbury, take the M27 (westbound) towards Bournemouth, then exit at J2 onto the A36 towards Salisbury. Southampton Airport Parkway train station is at the airport terminal. There is one direct train an hour from the station to Salisbury, taking just under an hour or alternatively travel via Romsey, with total journey time varying between 45 minutes to an hour. The X7 Bus for Salisbury leaves from Outside Southampton Central Station regularly.
• 🌍 Bournemouth Airport (BOH ^IATA) is also 25 miles away. It is an easy drive: the A338 Bournemouth-Salisbury road takes you all the way. However public transport links to the airport are poor, and you should get a taxi from Ringwood or Bournemouth. The X3 bus links Bournemouth, Ringwood and Salisbury every half hour. Bournemouth airport is mostly served by charter flights, and a small number of short-haul scheduled flights.
• 🌍 Bristol Airport (BRS ^IATA) is about 60 mi (97 km) from Salisbury, and is the only nearby regional airport with daily services to the USA. Many other short-haul destinations also have frequent flights from here. A frequent coach service (3 per hour) links the airport with Bristol Temple Meads station, which provides onward train connections to Salisbury (destination Southampton or Portsmouth). Through tickets are available. Driving is a little more complex, and you are advised to get a good map or good directions.

• 🌍 Salisbury railway station, South Western Road, SP2 7RS. On the secondary main line from London to Exeter. From London, travel from London Waterloo rail station; there are two trains an hour which take about 1 hr 30 min for the journey. If you are on a budget, Megatrain offers highly discounted train travel from London Waterloo to Salisbury, starting at £1 each way. Megatrain is only available from London. 

Hourly trains also run through Salisbury on the Cardiff to Portsmouth secondary main line. These trains also link Bristol, Bath, Romsey and Southampton with Salisbury.

Connections for the North of the UK are available at Bristol, Basingstoke (on the London line) and from various stations in London. Connections for Wales and rail connections to west Wales for boats to Ireland are available by changing at Cardiff. For Cornwall and the South West Peninsula, change at Exeter.

Train times (from any location) can be found on the National Rail Planner or by calling +44 845 748 4950 from anywhere in the UK. The station is a five-minute walk from the town centre, just head down Fisherton St.

Local rail connections to nearby towns are described at Three Rivers Rail

National Express operate services to Salisbury from cities throughout the UK including London. Advance ticketing is required.

For those with a special interest in West Country cathedral cities, Wilts & Dorset operate the branded Cathedral Connection between Salisbury and Winchester, taking in some very attractive countryside on route. Despite its branding, this is a rural bus service (number 68) with no need for advance ticketing; it operates six times a day (except Sundays) and takes about 1½ hours for the journey. Timetable details can be found on the website, or by telephoning 01722 336855.

Wilts & Dorset also operate local services throughout the Salisbury area, including services to Stonehenge from the bus station and train station forecourt.

Salisbury Reds operate services at the five bus based park and ride facilities: 🌍 Beehive, 🌍 Wilton, 🌍 Britford, 🌍 London Road and 🌍 Petersfinger. See National Park and Ride Directory. Salisbury Reds also provide service from nearby towns and from as far afield as Swindon, Southampton, Bournemouth, and Dorchester. Fares vary by distance, so tell the driver your destination when you get on.

Salisbury has been a major regional crossroads for thousands of years, and this is still the case today, with the A30, A36, A338, A345 and A360 main roads crossing here. Traffic is notorious in Salisbury, particularly on a Friday, and generally on the A36 Southampton Road, because there is no motorway connecting the major cities of Southampton and Bristol. Through traffic is kept out of the partially pedestrianised and traffic-calmed city centre by the modern dual-carriageway ring road. If you are driving, you may want to consider using one of the Park and Ride sites dotted around the edge of the city. If you want to park closer, there are a number of large car parks with direct interchange onto the ring road, but beware the high prices charged. The cathedral grounds have limited parking but are a good deal: £6 for all day until 11PM, including a free tea or coffee: perfect if you want to see the cathedral and then have dinner in town. Driving in the city centre is not recommended, as there is a complex one-way system, and a large amount of traffic on the non-pedestrianised roads.

If you are driving:

• from London, take the M3, A303, A346 and A30,
• from Bristol the A4 and A36,
• from Southampton the A36,
• from Portsmouth take the M27 and A36,
• and from the North travel via the A34 (Oxford), A303 and A338.

Salisbury is a major routeing point on the road network, and will be signed as a destination at the appropriate exits on the M3, M27, A4 and A303.

There are a lot of pubs in the city centre; the main axis of drinking is Fisherton Street, through the centre and up Milford Hill. Many of the larger pubs stay open until midnight, or later at weekends. Smaller 'local' pubs are found across town.

• The Chapel, 34 Milford Street. The largest club, but it is expensive to get in (£8-10 usually, but cheaper before 10-11PM). 
• N&N, 6 Endless Street (by the bus station). 
• Goldfingers, 48 Catherine Street. 

• 🌍 Byways Guest House, 31 Fowler's Rd, ☏ +44 1722 328264. A large bed and breakast located in a quiet area of the town centre, within 10 minutes walk of the market square. Free Wi-Fi and parking, prices start from £39 for a single room. 
• 🌍 Hillside B&B. Hillside B&B is in the heart of the Wiltshire countryside in a village called Odstock, around 3 miles south of Salisbury. £27.50 for single, £45 for double/twin, discounts for longer stays. (updated Jan 2017)

• 🌍 Edwardian Lodge (Edwardian Lodge), 59 Castle Road, Salisbury, SP1 3RH (head north from the town centre along Castle Street, go straight under the roundabout onto Castle Road, it's on the right about 300 m after the roundabout), ☏ +44 1722 413329. Guest house, halfway between the city centre and the castle of Old Sarum. single: £42, double £60, family £75. 
• 🌍 Sarum College, 19 The Close (Cathedral Close, city centre), ☏ +44 1722 424800. Rare opportunity to stay inside Salisbury's Cathedral Close. City centre, yet quiet and just 150 m (490 ft) from medieval cathedral. Rooms for all budgets. Premier rooms are refurbished and have uninterrupted views of the cathedral. £45-£105. 
• 🌍 Pembroke Arms, Minster St, Wilton (a few miles west of Salisbury). Gorgeous old building with luxury rooms and excellent food. The parking lot is convenient for drivers, since parking is difficult in the centre of Salisbury. £85. 
• King's Head Inn, 2 Bridge St, ☏ +44 1722 438400. Comfortable modern hotel above a Weatherspoon's pub in a 19th-century building. A 10-min walk from the train station in the centre of Salisbury. Friendly staff. Doubles from €79. (updated Sep 2017)
• 🌍 Leena's Guest House, 50 Castle Rd SP1 3RL, ☏ +44 7814 897907. Cosy multilingual B&B open May-Dec, no dogs. B&B double £100, cash only. (updated Jul 2020)

• 🌍 The White Hart (Mercure Salisbury), 1 St John Street, ☏ +44 1962 312801. In an elegant Georgian building near the gates to the cathedral grounds. Excellent, upscale, B&B hotel. £150-300.