Southampton Central Train Station luggage storage

About the station 

Southampton is one of those “deep-cut” travel destinations that some English folks never even get to. While there are so many places in London, let alone within the UK, to travel to, it’s understandable that a little port city on the southern coast might get overlooked. But if you’re taking a longer trip to the UK and have a hankering for an ocean breeze and some delightful history, a trip to Southampton is just what the doctor ordered. 

Southampton also might feature in your travel plans without directly planning on it. This is one of the largest port cities and cruise terminals in the UK. So if you’re taking a cruise around Europe, you might be heading to this delightful city as one of your stops. With a marvelous waterfront, miraculously well-preserved medieval architecture, and an overall friendly atmosphere, Southampton is one of the most pleasant places in England. It helps that the “challenging” British weather never gets better than in the South! 

While many travelers reach Southampton via boat, some visitors choose to take a day trip or long weekend from London or other cities via train. These travelers will arrive at Southampton Central Train Station, which is one of the largest transportation hubs on the South Coast. With easy connections via South Western Railway and CrossCountry, it’s simple to hop on a train from London, Bournemouth, Bristol, and Birmingham. Here’s everything you need to know: 

Are there Southampton Train Station luggage storage facilities?

There are highly limited luggage lockers at the main hall of Southampton Railway Station. These can be rented by the day and are self-service. If you’re planning a day trip to Southampton and are arriving at the train station, this can be useful, but if you need it for a few hours before your cruise or hotel check-in, the train station can be out of the way. 

Where can I store luggage in Southampton?

Certain transportation hubs might offer luggage lockers, and a few Southampton museums operate a cloakroom, but these might not always be reliable or even convenient. The easiest way to find luggage storage in Southampton is by using a service that has a website or mobile app. This way, you can find the most convenient luggage storage facilities or luggage lockers. You’ll even be able to book luggage storage on the go. Some of these, including Bounce, offer useful features such as a search tool so you’ll know the one location you picked is the closest to your destination. 

What are the luggage storage options at Southampton Cruise Terminal?

Southampton Cruise Terminal is one of the busiest in England, and a huge portion of visitor traffic to the city is there to board a cruise liner. If you have a few hours before your boat departs, you can store your bags with the left luggage service. There is also overnight storage, which can be helpful for longer stops. This can take a while, as the left luggage office is inundated with other passengers, especially after a massive ship arrives. If you’re sightseeing through the city, it might make more sense to store the bags near your attractions or hotel. 

Are there luggage lockers at Southampton Airport?

Southampton Airport is incredibly small, at least when compared to Heathrow, so it won’t have as many amenities as you might be used to. Southampton Airport also has very few connections, so it’s rare to have a layover there. Because of this, Southampton Airport doesn’t offer any form of luggage storage. 

Things to do near Southampton Train Station

Walk the Titanic Trail

If you weren’t aware, Southampton played a crucial role in the doomed ship’s only voyage. Before striking out into the North Atlantic, the Titanic made a stop at Southampton to take on passengers and cargo at the city port. Numerous sites have been dedicated to memorializing the victims of the ship’s sinking, and you can hop on a guided tour to learn about the Titanic’s stop in Southampton. You can put it together on your own and complete the tour on your own as well. The tour generally starts at the Civic Centre where there are memorials for the Titanic engineers and musicians. 

Tudor House Museum

The historic town center of Southampton features many half-timbered houses that have been rebuilt to appear historic. The best-preserved example of these houses only needed minor refurbishment, and it dates back over 800 years.

The Tudor House and Garden is the crown jewel of Southampton’s heritage and easily the top landmark. This 15th-century Edwardian home of a wealthy merchant has been repurposed into a museum detailing the city of Southampton and the greater region. With wonderful furniture and artwork from the Victorian and Edwardian eras, it’s an aesthetic delight along with an intriguing look at English history.

The interior is as handsome as they come, but the garden can’t be overlooked. This traditional Tudor knot garden was designed by a botanical historian based on original manuscripts. Everything from the type of plant to how they’re arranged around the fountain is based on historically accurate plans.

Check out the Medieval City Walls

Being a coastal city, Southampton needed as much protection as it could get. With everyone from the Vikings to the French constantly threatening English towns like Southampton, massive stone walls were essential to the city’s survival. Southampton’s impressive 12th-century walls were built up to surround the entire city after a period of raiding by the French. You can walk the length of the walls along Bargate Street, Back of the Walls, Town Quay, and the Western Esplanade.

During its peak, there were nearly 30 stone towers guarding the gates and length of the walls, a few of which can still be seen and toured today. There are guided tours you can take for the full history, but simply exploring will give you enough of an idea of what it was like to man the walls (lay siege to Southampton…)

Solent Sky Aviation Museum 

If you’re more interested in more recent things that have happened in Southampton, you can check out the museum detailing the city’s aviation heritage. While Southampton has always been a port city associated with English maritime endeavors, a huge portion of the country’s aviation history has taken place in Southampton, with plane producers and pilots operating in the area. You can explore the museum to admire the many replicas and original planes. The Spitfire plane is the headliner here, with the scale of this impressive fighter jet on full display. There are also older examples from the golden age of aviation. 

Airport travel from Southampton Train Station

The vast majority of international travelers reach Southampton via London Heathrow, which is a little over 70 miles away from Southampton Central Station. The most common method is to fly in and take the Heathrow Express to London Paddington Station via the Piccadilly tube line. You can take a direct train from London Paddington to Southampton Central Station, which takes between 90 minutes and two hours. 

Getting around the city from Southampton Train Station

How to get to Stonehenge from Southampton Train Station 

One of the most famous and mysterious landmarks in the world, Stonehenge is situated in the bucolic countryside just north of Southampton. From both London and Southampton, it’s a common day trip to head out to Wiltshire to admire the prehistoric stone circle that has perplexed archaeologists and anthropologists for centuries. The most common way to get there is by taking a guided tour bus from Southampton, which is easy enough to find. It takes a tour bus a little over two hours to reach the site, but you can also rent a car and you can travel at your own pace via the A303 from Southampton city center. 

How to get to St. Mary’s Stadium from Southampton Train Station 

Southampton FC, a team that fluctuates between the top Premier League and the Championship, is a huge draw for the city, and St. Mary’s Stadium is situated right in the heart of the city. If you’re traveling to Southampton for a match, you’ll be able to reach the stadium pretty easily. It’s only a 20-minute walk from Southampton Central Station, but you can also take the coach buses that operate on match days. The Bluestar 3, Bluestar 16, and Bluestar 18 all stop on Britannia Road near the stadium. From there, you won’t be able to miss it. The ride is only 10 minutes and costs $10. Even if the bus runs into some traffic, the match-day atmosphere keeps the ride lively. 

Luggage storage near Southampton Train Station

If you’re planning on visiting the gem of Southern England, you’ll want to pack in as much sightseeing as possible. This requires logistics, especially if you’re also planning on seeing a soccer match. If you need a secure place to stash the bags for a few hours, the best Southampton luggage storage service is easily Bounce. With locations throughout the city, often near the top attractions, you’ll have an easy time finding the nearest Bounce storage spot with the mobile app. Heading to London, Liverpool, or Manchester? All of these travel destinations (and many more) have reliable Bounce luggage storage locations.