Swanage at a glance
From London: 3 and a half hours (train+bus)
Why go: Sweeping beaches & a gateway to Purbeck Island
Top activity: The steam train to Corfe Castle
Where to stay: Purbeck House Hotel (book here)
Where to eat: The Black Swan Pub
Just a few hours from London, Swanage feels like a world away. Long sandy beaches, a historic steam train, and the crumbling ruins of Corfe Castle — it’s a hidden gem just three hours from London
One of the best parts? You don’t need a car to enjoy it. A lot of Britain’s smaller towns can feel off-limits if you’re relying on trains and buses, but Swanage is refreshingly doable. With a bit of planning, you can have a brilliant weekend here – and even venture further afield to places like Corfe Castle, Studland Bay and Durdle Door – all by train, bus and foot.
In this guide, I’ll show you exactly how to get to Swanage by public transport, the best things to do once you’re there, and where to eat, drink and stay.
In this blog:
- How to get to Swanage from London
- Top things to do in Swanage without a car
- Where to stay in Swanage
- Best pubs and restaurants in Swanage
How to get to Swanage from London
Getting to Swanage from London by public transport is easy, and involves just one change.
Total Time: 3 hours and 30 minutes
Get the train from London Waterloo to Wareham
Trains leave about every half hour, costing about £20-40 for a return – book early for cheaper prices. They take about 2 hours 20 minutes. Book tickets here.
Take the Purbeck Breezer 40 bus
The bus leaves from outside Wareham Train Station, and takes half an hour to Swanage Bus station. View timetable here.
In total, if you time it right with the buses, you should be in Swanage 3 hours to 3 and a half hours after leaving London. About the same as it would take you to drive!
My tip is to avoid commuting times (until 9am into London and 4pm-6pm ish out of London will be busy), as a lot of people use this route to travel into London for work.
Top things to do in Swanage without a car
Get the steam train to Corfe Castle
This is the one thing you absolutely must do in Swanage. Corfe Castle is one of the most iconic sights in South West England, a romantic ruin of a hilltop castle, that played a vital role in the country’s history (read my full guide here).
And the Swanage Steam Train is a great fun, historic way to get there – well worth the (quite steep) price. Your journey starts from the lovely, small Swanage Train Station, complete with an excellent gift shop. Trains leave a few times a day (weekends only off-season), and run from Swanage to Wareham, stopping at Corfe Castle on the way.
From there, it’s a short walk through the quaint, old-timey Corfe Castle village to the Castle entrance. Walking through its ruined walls and arches, up to the imposing keep, is an unforgettable experience.
Book steam train tickets here. And visit Corfe Castle’s website for opening times and prices.
Enjoy Swanage Beach
Swanage boasts a long, sandy beach with calm, clear water – one of the main reasons to visit! Along the edge are a number of fish and chip shops, arcades and amusements.
…or get the bus to an even better beach, Studland Bay
Just along from Swanage is Studland Bay, one of those perfect sandy beaches that seems to stretch on forever. It’s slightly more remote than Swanage’s beach, hopefully slightly quieter (it was very quiet for us, but we were off season!). There are excellent views of Old Harry’s Rocks and a number of beach cafes and shops.
For me, best of all were the miles of sand dunes, backing onto a tranquil nature reserve, filled with Heather.
To get there from Swanage, you can go on a spectacular walk which goes directly past Old Harry’s Rocks – about 5 miles. See the route here.
Or alternatively, save your legs and take the Purbeck Breezer 50 from Swanage, which stops at Studland Village. View the timetable here.
(Heads up – part of Studland Bay is a nudist beach!)
Walk to Durlston Castle & Country Park
Walk along Swanage’s seafront to the 320-acre nature reserve Durlston Park, right at the edge of town.
It has a number of trails – including some lovely stretches of coastal walking, and a woodland walk. The ‘castle’ itself – a Victorian building, built in the style of an older Baronial castle – has a nice cafe and shop. Visit Durlston’s website.
Find London relics hidden around Swanage & visit its museum
Swanage has been a popular seaside destination since the Victorian times, and there are plenty of landmarks to see. Not least are a number of strange oddities, brought over from London – including an arch from Hyde Park Corner and a bell tower once on London Bridge. You can read my guide to interesting historical landmarks in Swanage here.
Another way to learn about Swanage’s history is to visit its small museum – only open during the peak season.
Walk in the footsteps of dinosaurs
A bit of a hidden gem are the dinosaur footprints in the Keates Quarry, just outside of Swanage. More than 100 fossilised footprints have been found, preserved in a flat layer of rock. They were probably made by giant sauropods such as Brachiosaurus, a large herbivore dinosaur. Because of the high concentration of the footsteps, it’s thought it could have been a gathering point for the dinosaurs – like an elephant watering hole.
Even if your imagination does have to do a lot of the work, simply, there’s nothing like standing in the footprint of a dinosaur. That said, I wouldn’t prioritise it over other stops along the Jurassic coast by any means. I’d only really recommend it as part of a longer walk. From the dinosaur footprints, it’s not a long walk to the Dancing Ledge, for example – another excellent section of coastal path.
To get there, take the Purbeck Breezer 40 (timetable here) to Capston Field. From here it’s about a 20 minute walk through fields to get to the footprints. I’ve put the journey from Swanage into Google Maps for you here.
A slightly longer bus – Lulworth Cove & Durdle Door
If you’re happy with a bit more travelling, you can use Swanage as a gateway to the wider delights of Purbeck Island. One recommendation I have is to take the bus to Lulworth Cove, a huge, horseshoe shaped beach and one of the nicest stretches of coast in the region. From here, you can walk along to Durdle Door, one of the most iconic sites in all of Dorset.
To get to Lulworth Cove from Swanage, take the Jurassic Breezer 30 – timetable here. Note: It only runs during the Summer.
From Lulworth Cove, it’s a half hour walk to Durdle Door – some of which is relatively steep.
One thing worth pointing out is that much of the area around Lulworth Cove is used by the British Army as a training site, so you might hear gunshots from training exercises.
Go bird spotting in Arne Nature Reserve
For some tranquil walks and to see some local wildlife, head to the RSPB site Arne. It’s a 600 hectare reserve home to a number of rare and threatened species of birds, made up of marsh and heathland on a stunning peninsula opposite Poole.
Because it’s such a remote location, it can be a little tricky to get to without a car, but it is possible. Take the Purbeck Breezer 40 to Stoborough Green, from which it’s a 3 and a half mile walk to Arne. Visit Arne Nature Reserve’s website.
Get out on the water!
Swanage and Studland Bay are both popular watersport areas. From both, there are a number of companies who’ll rent Kayaks, boats, paddleboarding and a number of other fun activities.
The major supplier is Pierhead Watersports, in Swanage itself. There are also a number of kayak tours to Old Harry’s Rocks, such as those by Fore Adventure, leaving from Studland Bay.
Where to stay in Swanage
Swanage has accommodation to suit all budgets and tastes – and it’s only small, so just about anywhere in town is a good place to stay. If you’re planning to use public transport to get out and about in the local area, it’s best to stay somewhere close to the centre, near the bus station.
The best hotels and places to stay in Swanage are:
- Most iconic: Purbeck House Hotel – A stunning Victorian building that looks like a castle, Grade II Listed. (You can learn more about its history here). Book here on Booking.com or book on Trip.com.
- For a historic air BnB: Belvedere Lodge – Another Grade II Listed building, a Georgian house now a self-service apartment with sea views over Swanage Pier and bay, with a sun trap of a garden. Book here.
- For sea views: The Grand Hotel Swanage, a historic hotel with spectacular views across Swanage Bay. Book here.
- On a budget: YHA Swanage – a youth hostel with dorms and private rooms. Book here.
You can find plenty more choices on Booking.com here, or on Trip.com using the tool below.
Best pubs and restaurants in Swanage
We were surprised by how good the food was while we were in Swanage. From a beloved Italian, to trendy cafes and classic pub grub, here are the best restaurants in Swanage:
- Best food with a view: Scott Arms. A walk/short bus ride out of town for pub grub, with incredible views across Corfe Castle.
- Best fish and chips: The Fish Plaice. Join the locals and queue for some fish dinner at this popular joint, then eat it looking out to sea.
- Best cafe: Love Cake. Gorgeous food (and cake, of course) in this super popular friendly cafe.
- Best pub food: The Black Swan. Book ahead – a very popular gastropub a 10 minute walk from the main part of town (not to be confused with the White Swan, a popular boozer next to the seafront). Has excellent specials and a popular Sunday Roast – go early as it’s usually all gone by mid afternoon!
- For Italian food: La Trattoria. In the heart of town, a popular family-owned restaurant which has been a staple of Swanage for years.
- For Indian food: Nihal Spice – we had a takeaway, so not sure what it’s like inside, but the food is excellent.
Honourable mentions must be made for two Dorset institutions, Chococo – a popular chocolate shop and cafe – and Salt Pig, which has a number of restaurants, cafes and even a farm shop across the area.
Read more Dorset guides
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