Research-based guideLast checked September 2026
Not Brittany Ferries, a different trip entirelyThree crossings leave the Portsmouth area for the Isle of Wight, run by two companies, and not one of them goes from Portsmouth International Port. That is the single most useful thing to know before you set off, because turning up at the wrong terminal is the classic Isle of Wight mistake.
- Crossing from the Portsmouth area
- Island crossing from elsewhere
- Portsmouth International Port (France and Spain)
Click any crossing for the operator and journey time
Seen, not sailed. We have not made this crossing ourselves. We have watched the ferries and the hovercraft go past from Old Portsmouth many times, and photographed them, which is a different and much weaker claim. What follows is operator information and observation, not experience.
The three crossings from Portsmouth
Three operators, three terminals, three quite different journeys. Here they are side by side, with a link straight to whichever one suits you.
Car ferryGunwharf, Portsmouth to Fishbourne
- Crossing
- approx. 45 minutes
- Runs
- Roughly every 40 minutes through the day, plus a few overnight sailings
- Takes
- Cars, campervans, motorcycles and foot passengers
- Fares from
- around £40 to £50 per leg Wightlink’s own illustration for a day trip. There is no fixed car fare: you pay for the space, and up to seven people travel on the one ticket.
The only crossing from Portsmouth itself that takes a vehicle.
Check times and bookFastCatPortsmouth Harbour to Ryde Pier Head
- Crossing
- approx. 22 minutes
- Runs
- Hourly, weekdays from 05:15 to 22:45. Weekends start at 07:15
- Takes
- Foot passengers only
- Fares from
- £22.40 to £23.10 adult single A day return is £29.20 to £29.80, so cheaper than two singles. Peak fares run to 30 September 2026, off peak from 1 October.
Right beside Portsmouth Harbour station, so the natural one by train.
Check times and book
HovercraftSouthsea hoverport to Ryde
- Crossing
- approx. 10 minutes
- Runs
- Hourly, weekdays from 06:50 to 19:30, with extra flights at peak times
- Takes
- Foot passengers only
- Fares from
- from £22.50 adult single Advance fare, booked 48 hours ahead. The Afternoon Flyer return is £27.00 and an advance day return £30.60.
The fastest way across, and the only passenger hovercraft service left in the world.
Check times and book
From SouthamptonSouthampton to East Cowes and West Cowes
- Crossing
- approx. 1 hour by car ferry, 28 minutes by Red Jet
- Runs
- Car ferry hourly through the day, Red Jet about every 35 minutes at peak times
- Takes
- Cars on the East Cowes ferry, foot passengers on both
- Fares from
- from £14.00 adult day return on foot Super off peak, two or more travelling together from 10:55. Red Funnel does not publish car fares, they move with the sailing.
Not a Portsmouth crossing, but the terminal is only about 30 minutes west along the M27, and that foot fare undercuts everything from Portsmouth. It lands you at Cowes rather than Ryde or Fishbourne.
Check times and bookWe do not sell tickets, so these go straight to the operator, and we may earn a commission if you book. Fares and frequencies checked on their own sites, 22 September 2026. Prices move with the date and the time of day, so treat anything here as the starting point rather than the price of your crossing.
| Crossing | Operator | Leaves from | Arrives | Time | Cars? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hovercraft | Hovertravel | Southsea hoverport | Ryde | approx. 10 min | No |
| FastCat | Wightlink | Portsmouth Harbour | Ryde Pier Head | approx. 22 min | No |
| Car ferry | Wightlink | Gunwharf, Portsmouth | Fishbourne | approx. 45 min | Yes |
Which terminal, and why it matters
Portsmouth has four separate places a ferry can leave from, and people mix them up constantly.
- Portsmouth International Port is the big one on the M275, with the check-in lanes and the passport control. France, Spain and the Channel Islands go from here. No Isle of Wight sailing uses it. See our port guide.
- Portsmouth Harbour, next to Gunwharf Quays and the railway station, is where the Wightlink car ferry and the FastCat go from. Walkable from the train.
- Southsea hoverport is a small terminal on the seafront at Clarence Esplanade, about two miles further round. Hovertravel only.
- Portsmouth Harbour railway station is where foot passengers usually arrive, and it is right by the Wightlink terminal, which is why the FastCat suits anyone coming by train.
If you have a car and a Wightlink booking, you want Gunwharf, not the international port. Satnavs are not always helpful here, so go by the terminal name on your confirmation rather than by “Portsmouth ferry port”.
Hovertravel: the hovercraft
Genuinely unusual: this is the only regular passenger hovercraft service left in the world, and it has been running across this stretch of water since the 1960s. Southsea to Ryde in about ten minutes, foot passengers only, no vehicles.
It is the fastest way across by some margin, it runs frequently through the day, and it lands you on Ryde Esplanade next to the bus and train links. The catch is that it is the most weather-sensitive of the three: hovercraft do not like a big sea, and cancellations happen more often than on the conventional ferries. If your day has no slack in it, that is worth knowing.
If you have never been on one, it is worth the trip for its own sake. It is loud, it is odd, and it is over before you have settled in.
Wightlink FastCat: the passenger catamaran
Portsmouth Harbour to Ryde Pier Head in about 22 minutes, foot passengers only. It goes from right beside Portsmouth Harbour station, so if you are coming by train this is the natural one: off the train, across the concourse, onto the boat.
You land at the end of Ryde Pier, which is half a mile long, and a little train runs you down it to the town. That pier train is part of the fun and part of the journey time.
Wightlink car ferry: Gunwharf to Fishbourne
The only one of the three that takes a vehicle. About 45 minutes to Fishbourne, which is a small terminal near Wootton rather than a town, so you drive off and go. Ships on this route include the St Clare and the newer hybrid Victoria of Wight.
It is a short, functional crossing built around getting cars across, not a leisurely sail. There is seating, a shop and a cafe, and you are off again before you have finished a coffee.
Which one should you take?
Taking a car, a lot of luggage, or a dog: Wightlink car ferry to Fishbourne. It is the only option, so the decision makes itself.
Coming by train, heading for Ryde or the east of the island: the FastCat. Station to ship is a two minute walk, and Ryde has the island’s train line.
Want the quickest crossing, or want to have been on a hovercraft: Hovertravel. Build in a little slack for weather.
Honestly, for a day trip on foot, the difference between ten minutes and 22 minutes matters less than which side of Portsmouth you are starting from. Pick the terminal you can reach easily.
Crossings from elsewhere
These do not leave from Portsmouth, but they are on the map above because they change the answer if you are flexible about where you start.
- Lymington to Yarmouth, Wightlink, about 40 minutes with cars. Best for the west of the island, and a shorter drive if you are coming from Dorset or the New Forest.
- Southampton to East Cowes, Red Funnel, about an hour with cars. The route for the north of the island and for Cowes itself.
- Southampton to West Cowes, Red Funnel’s Red Jet, about 28 minutes, foot passengers only.
Between all the operators there are well over a hundred sailings a day across the Solent, so this is not a crossing you need to plan far ahead in the way you would for Spain. Peak summer weekends and bank holidays are the exception, particularly with a car.
Booking
Direct with Wightlink or Hovertravel for the Portsmouth crossings, or Red Funnel from Southampton. Foot passenger fares are modest; taking a car is where the cost is, and booking ahead usually beats turning up.
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Common questions
Do Isle of Wight ferries leave from Portsmouth International Port?
No. The Wightlink crossings go from Portsmouth Harbour at Gunwharf, and Hovertravel goes from the Southsea hoverport. Portsmouth International Port is for France, Spain and the Channel Islands only.
What is the quickest ferry to the Isle of Wight?
The Hovertravel hovercraft, Southsea to Ryde, at around ten minutes. The Wightlink FastCat from Portsmouth Harbour to Ryde Pier Head takes about 22 minutes.
Can I take a car to the Isle of Wight from Portsmouth?
Yes, on the Wightlink car ferry from Gunwharf to Fishbourne, about 45 minutes. The hovercraft and the FastCat are foot passengers only.
Is the hovercraft worth it?
It is the fastest crossing and the only regular passenger hovercraft service left anywhere, so as an experience, yes. It is also the most likely of the three to be cancelled in rough weather, so leave some slack if your plans are tight. You can watch the crossings on the live map on our page about the Solent.
Do I need to book in advance?
Not usually for foot passengers, given how frequent the crossings are. With a car in peak summer or over a bank holiday, book ahead.
For the water these crossings pass through, see our page on the Solent. For the France, Spain and Channel Islands routes from Portsmouth International Port, see the Portsmouth ferries overview.
Operators, terminals and journey times last checked September 2026. We have not sailed these crossings ourselves and say so above.