Monday-to-Sunday pattern, year-round — checked 18 September 2026
Departures 1–10 / 10
Departures 1–10 / 10
Crossing time
~4 min
Operator
Gosport Ferry Ltd
Map – Gosport Ferry
| Fare type | Price |
|---|---|
| Adult, open return | £5.60 |
| Child (4-15), open return | £3.60 |
| Senior (65+), open return | £3.60 |
| Bicycle / e-bike / e-scooter, open return (in addition to passenger fare) | £1.80 |
| Motorcycle, open return (in addition to passenger fare) | £2.40 |
| Adult, 10-trip ticket | £22.40 |
| Adult, 30-day unlimited season ticket | £90.00 |
| Adult, quarterly (13-week) unlimited season ticket | £250.00 |
Gosport Ferry does not sell a one-way single at all: every adult, child and senior ticket is an open-ended return, valid for any future crossing back, so a one-off trip and a there-and-back trip cost the same £5.60. Fares below took effect on 2 April 2026. Bringing a bicycle, e-scooter or motorbike on board costs extra on top of the passenger's own ticket, not instead of it. Tickets can be bought with cash, debit/credit card or contactless at the Gosport ticket booth and at machines on both the Gosport and Portsmouth pontoons; season tickets can also be bought online. A combined City Card covers the ferry plus any First Bus service in Portsmouth on the day of travel. All fares in pounds sterling (GBP).
The Gosport Ferry crosses Portsmouth Harbour between South Street in Gosport and a pontoon at Portsmouth Harbour railway station, run today by Gosport Ferry Ltd, part of the Portsmouth Harbour Ferry Company group owned by Falkland Islands Holdings plc since 2004. It carries only foot passengers, cyclists and motorcyclists — there is no vehicle deck, so cars have to use the long road route around the top of the harbour instead.
The crossing itself is one of the oldest continuously run ferry links in the country: wherrymen were rowing passengers over from the early 1600s, a steam-powered chain ferry called the Floating Bridge briefly took the trade from 1840 to 1959, and the watermen who eventually saw it off founded what became today's operator back in 1875. That history matters for one practical reason — the service has kept a genuinely dense timetable, running the same 74-departure grid every day of the week, roughly every 15 minutes from 05:30 until the last boat leaves Gosport at 23:50, with no separate weekday or weekend pattern.
Because the crossing takes only about four minutes and lands right next to the Portsmouth Harbour interchange for South Western Railway trains and Portsmouth's bus network, it functions as a working commuter link as much as a harbour crossing for visitors, and the operator advertises punctuality above 99%. There is no single ticket: every fare, from the £5.60 adult ticket to the discounted child and senior fares, is sold as an open-ended return that can be used for the journey back whenever you like. Bringing a bike, e-scooter or motorcycle aboard costs an extra £1.80 or £2.40 return on top of the rider's own ticket. Regular travellers can buy a 10-trip ticket, a 30-day season ticket or a 13-week quarterly season ticket, the last two purchasable online as well as at the Gosport ticket booth, and a City Card bundles the ferry with First Bus travel in Portsmouth. The only scheduled gap in the calendar is Christmas Day, when the ferry does not run at all, plus a shortened Boxing Day service.
- Arrive at the slipway a few minutes before departure; vehicle queues build quickly in summer.
- Check the operator's notices before travelling — tides, weather and maintenance affect sailings.
- Confirm accepted payment methods: several crossings are contactless-only.
Frequently asked questions
About every 15 minutes, from 05:30 until the last sailing leaves Gosport at 23:50 (Portsmouth's last departure is 23:40, arriving Gosport by 00:00). The same pattern runs seven days a week — there is no separate, sparser weekend timetable.
There is no single fare: every ticket is an open-ended return. An adult return is £5.60, child (4-15) and senior (65+) returns are £3.60, and infants under 4 travel free. Bringing a bicycle or e-scooter costs an extra £1.80 return and a motorcycle an extra £2.40 return, on top of the rider's own fare.
Yes. Tickets are bought before boarding — cash, debit/credit card and contactless are all accepted at the manned ticket booth in Gosport and at the ticket machines on both the Gosport and Portsmouth pontoons.
No. It is a passenger-only ferry that also takes bicycles, e-scooters and motorcycles for an extra charge; there is no vehicle deck for cars.
The Gosport side is on South Street, next to the bus station and close to the High Street (PO12 1EP). The Portsmouth side lands on a pontoon at Portsmouth Harbour, immediately next to the railway station and The Hard bus interchange.
Yes. Beyond a 10-trip ticket (£22.40 adult), there is a 30-day unlimited season ticket (£90.00 adult) and a 13-week quarterly season ticket (£250.00 adult), both purchasable online or from the Gosport ticket office, plus combined tickets that add a bicycle or motorcycle allowance.
No sailings run on Christmas Day. Boxing Day has a reduced timetable, and some (not all) bank holidays run an amended timetable — the operator does not publish the exact reduced times, so it is worth checking the site or calling ahead if travelling then.
About four minutes each way across Portsmouth Harbour, one of the shortest scheduled ferry crossings in the country.