How to Do a Day Trip to Durdle Door From London

Looking to do a day trip to Durdle Door from London? Here’s everything you need to know to have the perfect day exploring Dorset’s famous limestone, straight from the capital!

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One of the best things about London is all of the incredible day trips on offer.

In just a few hours you can trade the hustle and bustle of the city for country escapes, nature walks and even dramatic coastlines.

Wait, did someone say Durdle Door?

In this post, I’ll be sharing exactly how to have the best day trip from London to Durdle Door, including how to get there, what to see, and some other fun bits to get up to on your trip. Shall we?

About the Author

Hi, I’m Candace — a London-based travel writer and content creator who traded the East Coast of the US for the charm of the UK back in 2016. London’s been my home ever since.

On this blog, you’ll find hundreds of thoughtfully crafted London, UK, Europe and Worldwide travel guides alongside lots of insider London tips, honest hotel and restaurant reviews and advice for content creators.

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🗞️📺 As featured on the BBC, USA Today & Recipe.TV.

Day Trip From London to Durdle Door

What is Durdle Door?

Outside of being an obviously Instagrammable rock, you may be wondering — what is Durdle Door?

Known as one of England’s most famous landmarks, it’s a hard arch of limestone bursting out of the sea as a result of thousands of years of erosion, surrounded by the stunning English seaside.

It’s also along the Jurassic Coast, a 95-mile stretch of beautiful coastal path and a UNESCO World Heritage site.

In other words, not only will you be getting a lovely day trip from London out of your trip to Durdle Door, but a step back in history too!

Durdle Door Day Trip by Public Transport

What makes a great day trip from London in my opinion is its accessibility from the city, and lucky for us, Durdle Door is very easy to reach from London via public transit, specifically by train, followed by a short bus ride.

🚊 How to get to Durdle Door by Train from London:

Train Views from London to Wool — *Train views en route to Durdle Door*

To get to Durdle Door by train from London you’ll want to head to Waterloo Station and take the SWR (South Western Railway) train to Wool.

The journey takes about 2 hours and 17 minutes with 0 changes, and should cost around £45 – £75 return depending on if you have a Railcard or not.

The scenery on the way to Wool is lovely, so consider it part of the experience!

P.S. – There’s a great pub called The Ship Inn near Wool Station if you have some downtime before your train home 🍻

🚍 Wool Station to Durdle Door by Bus from London:

Jurassic Bus from Wool Station to Durdle Door — *The bus is right outside Wool Station!*

Once you arrive in Wool you’ll want to take the Wool to Durdle Door bus via the Jurassic Breezer 31 – Wool to Durdle Door & Lulworth Cove.

You can pay for the bus with your contactless card (including Apple Pay, Google Pay etc.) and it costs £2 each way. The journey is under 15 minutes to the Durdle Door Park entrance and incredibly scenic as well.

🚗 How to Get to Durdle Door by Car from London:

Although catching a train to Durdle Door from London is convenient, if you’re extending your trip or just want more flexibility you may choose to come to Durdle Door by car.

To get here you’ll need to take the M25 to the the M3 (followed by the M27 and Cadnam’s A31) with the journey taking anywhere from 3 – 3 ½ hours depending on traffic.

Parking at Durdle Door:

There’s a large car park at Durdle Door so you shouldn’t have any problems finding a spot.

The car park’s postcode is BH20 5PU next to the Durdle Door Holiday Park and costs £20 for the day.

Combining Lulworth Cove & Durdle Door

If you’re coming all the way from London to Durdle Door I highly suggest adding Lulworth Cove to your itinerary too, for no extra hassle!

The unique cove, also along the Jurassic Coast is just a 30-minute walk from Durdle Door (or 5-minute bus ride, it’s the 1st stop on the Jurassic Breezer bus) and is a great place to start or end your day in the area.

South West Coast Path from Lulworth Cove to Durdle Door

It’s the stop before Durdle Door on the bus and has cafes, toilets, pubs and shops available, so I suggest getting off here first or last depending on how you’d like your day to go as Durdle Door doesn’t have many facilities/food available.

P.S. – You can walk to one via the other along the cliffs with spectacular views on the South West Coast Path – just be mindful there’s quite an incline!

Best Durdle Door Tours

If you’re not super keen to explore Durdle Door on your own, take up one of these Durdle Door Tours instead!

West London: Bournemouth & Durdle Door Day Trip with Lunch – get picked up from West London followed by a day trip to the beach town of Bournemouth and some time to explore Durdle Door
Tour of East Dorset-Durdle Door, Corfe Castle, Lulworth & more – an intimate private tour of Durdle Door, Lulworth Cove, and the historic Corfe Castle

Best Hotels Near Durdle Door

Lulworth Lodge

If you’re not too keen on the whole ‘day trip from London to Durdle Door’ idea, or simply want to spend more time in the area, I suggest booking the Durdle Door Holiday Cottages for a cosy stay or the Lulworth Lodge for a beautiful beachside hotel on the coast.

Durdle Door FAQ

Don’t forget to have some beachtime at Durdle Door too ⛱️

💭 Where is Durdle Door?

Durdle Door is in the county of Dorset, along the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Jurassic Coast.

💭 What is the postcode for Durdle Door?

BH20 5PU

💭 What should I pack from a trip to Durdle Door from London?

Comfortable shoes, a picnic blanket for the beach, a reusable water bottle and snacks! (you can get some from Waterloo Station if you’re taking the train).

💭 Is Durdle Door a doable day trip?

Yes! I’d personally plan to leave in the morning, around 9am, and come back in the evening between 5pm – 7pm, depending on if you’d like to stop at the pub before your journey back.

💭 What city is closest to Durdle Door?

The closest major ‘city’ (not really, it’s a big coastal town) to Durdle Door is Bournemouth, which is less than an hour away, but the closest village is West Lulworth and well worth a little explore too!

💭 Why is Durdle Door famous?

Durdle Door is famous for its unique limestone formed over 10,000 years of erosion and earth movements, it’s also been in several films including Cliff Richards’ “Saviour’s Day”.

Thanks for reading my guide on How to Do a Day Trip to Durdle Door from London. If you enjoyed it, let me know on Instagram!

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Happy travels,