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An in-depth guide to how to get to Durdle Door by car, train, bus, or even walking – written by a local!
Durdle Door is one of the most popular coastal attractions in Dorset. This remarkable limestone archway over the sea was formed by millions of years of erosion, and it’s a truly impressive sight.
But it’s also in a remote location on the Jurassic Coast, quite far from any of the major towns in Dorset. So if you’ve never been before, you may be unsure of the best way to get there. Luckily, the following guide was written by a Dorset local who’s visited Durdle Door in every way possible. By car, by bus, walking from Lulworth Cove, and even – a long time ago – walking the 15km coast path from Weymouth.
There are a lot of sections to this guide, because the best way to get to Durdle Door depends on where you’re coming from – and whether you have a car or want to take public transport. So I recommend using the table of contents below to find the right section/s for you.
If you have any questions at all, feel free to get in touch or leave a comment at the bottom of this page. You’re also welcome to ask questions in the Love Dorset Travel group on Facebook.
However you get there, I hope you enjoy your visit to Durdle Door. It really is something special…
- Best Durdle Door Tours
- Where is Durdle Door?
- How to Get to Durdle Door by Car
- Parking at Durdle Door
- How to Get to Durdle Door by Train
- How to Get to Durdle Door by Bus / Public Transport
- Can You do a Day Trip to Durdle Door from London?
- Walking the Coast Path
- What is the Postcode for Durdle Door?
- Useful Map
- More Info
Best Durdle Door Tours
If you don’t want to get there under your own steam, you could book a group or private tour to visit Durdle Door and the Jurassic Coast. Here’s our pick of the best…
- From Bournemouth: Jurassic Coast & Isle of Purbeck Day Tour (10 hours, from £60pp)
- From Bournemouth: Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door Trip (6 hours, from £35pp)
- From London: Jurassic Coast & Durdle Door Private Tour (14 hours, from £640pp)
- From London: 3-Day Stonehenge, Bath & South West Coast Tour (3 days, from £458.38pp)
Where is Durdle Door?
Durdle Door is a natural limestone arch on a small headland in Dorset, on the south coast of England. It sits on privately owned land within the Lulworth Estate and is roughly one mile west of Lulworth Cove. The one-mile walk from Lulworth Cove over the cliffs is a popular coast walk in the area.
The rock archway is roughly halfway between Weymouth and Swanage: about 10 miles east of Weymouth and 16 miles west of Swanage. It’s quite a remote spot, with limited public transport options, so working out how to get to Durdle Door can be a challenge for the uninitiated. Luckily, this guide contains absolutely everything you need to know!
How to Get to Durdle Door by Car
If you’re driving, I recommend using a SatNav or Google Maps, as navigating the country lanes around Purbeck can be tricky. Input “Durdle Door Holiday Park” as your destination – alternatively, the postcode is BH20 5PU.
I strongly recommend downloading an offline version of the map, as internet coverage isn’t always reliable in rural Dorset.
Driving Directions
If you prefer not to use a SatNav, follow these driving directions. I recommend looking at a map and planning your route before setting off.
If you’re travelling from Bournemouth or London direction, aim for Wareham. Head through the town following Wareham Road (the A352), then turn left onto the B3070 following signs for East Lulworth and Lulworth Cove. Once you’ve passed through the village of West Lulworth, turn right (instead of left towards Lulworth Cove) and follow signs for Durdle Door.
If you’re travelling from Weymouth direction, begin by following signs for Wool – but don’t drive as far as the village. There is a right-hand turning signposted for Winfrith Newburgh just before the Red Lion Hotel on the A352 (shortly after you pass the Dobbies Garden Centre). Drive through the village following signs for Lulworth Cove. Shortly you will spot the entrance to Durdle Door Holiday Park on your right.
Where is Durdle Door Car Park?
Durdle Door Car Park is marked correctly on Google Maps (click here) and is located on the same site as Durdle Door Holiday Park, so it’s easy to find via SatNav. The postcode is Wareham BH20 5PU.
The entrance to the car park is clearly signposted on the road between Winfrith Newburgh and West Lulworth. See the image above for reference. If you are coming from Lulworth Cove, follow the road northwest uphill and the carpark entrance is on the left. If you are coming from the other direction (eg Weymouth or Dorchester) via the village of Winfrith Newburgh, the carpark will be on the right.
READ MORE in our in-depth guide to parking at Durdle Door
Parking at Durdle Door
- Address: Durdle Door Car Park, Unnamed Road (alongside Durdle Door Holiday Park), Wareham, BH20 5PU
- Opening hours: 8am – 9pm
- Price: £12 all-day (see below for more details).
There is a large car park at Durdle Door with space for hundreds of cars – including large vehicles. There’s also a large overflow carpark in Newlands Meadow (on the same site) for busy days.
However, the car parks can fill up – especially on hot days in the height of summer – so it’s a good idea to arrive early (you can’t reserve spaces in advance).
Durdle Door Car Park is a 900m walk to the beach via a steep path of packed earth and gravel. It can be a challenging walk for some, but there are some fantastic views of the arch on your way down. I recommend sensible footwear and plenty of water (especially for the way back up).
FYI – while there are toilets and other facilities at the car park, there are none on the beach itself. So take everything you need with you!
Parking Charges
- Cars: All Day Parking (until 9pm) – £12.00
- Cars: Up to 4 hours – £6.00
- Large vehicles (Above 5.5m and up to 16 seats): £20.00
- Motorcycles: £2.00
- Coaches not permitted
Payment is by card or the JustPark app only (no cash). The JustPark app allows for easy online payments at car parks throughout Dorset. Before your visit, I highly recommend downloading it, setting up an account, and adding a payment card in advance – this will speed things up when you get to Durdle Door.
How to Get to Durdle Door by Train
There is no train station at Durdle Door. The closest train station is in the village of Wool, on the railway line between London Waterloo and Weymouth. The journey time from London to Wool is about 2.5 hours and there are regular trains throughout the day.
However, Wool train station is about 6 miles (9.6km) north of Durdle Door – almost a two-hour walk!
You can take a taxi from the station to Durdle Door. The drive takes around 15 minutes, but you would probably need to pre-book one as the village is small and taxis rarely wait there. Alternatively, you can take a bus from Wool train station – the X54 service takes around 30 minutes but timings are infrequent, especially outside of summer.
It may work out faster to take a train to Weymouth or Poole, and then pick up the bus services mentioned in the sections below.
How to Get to Durdle Door by Bus / Public Transport
Bournemouth to Durdle Door by Bus or Train
Getting from Bournemouth to Durdle Door by public transport isn’t as straightforward as you might hope. First, you’ll need to take a bus to Poole (between 30-50 minutes. From Bournemouth train station or the town centre* there are several options: the 17, 20, M1 and M2 buses will all work.
*the town centre bus stops are near the bottom of the Central Gardens.
From Poole bus station, you can pick up the X54 Jurassic Coaster service from First Bus. This is a long service from Poole to Weymouth with many stops in between – including both Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove. It takes around 1.5 hours – so in total, taking a bus from Bournemouth can take roughly 2.5 to 3 hours in total.
In fact, it may be quicker to take a train from Bournemouth to Wareham (about 25 minutes), and then pick up the X54 Jurassic Coaster to Durdle Door (about 45 minutes).
During the Summer season (usually early May to late September), Morebus run a seasonal bus service called the Jurassic Breezer. This is longer, but more scenic, and you can purchase a hop-on, hop-off style day pass to visit several stops in one day. From Bournemouth, you can take the 50 Breezer to Swanage (it goes via the Sandbanks ferry and is a very scenic route), then pick up the 30 Breezer to Durdle Door.
Poole to Durdle Door by Bus
From Poole’s main bus station, you can take the X54 Jurassic Coaster service from First Bus. This is a long service from Poole to Weymouth with many stops in between – including both Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove.
It takes around 1.5 hours and has 55 stops en route to Durdle Door. Buses depart from the main bus station in Poole, outside the Dolphin Centre, click here to view on Google Maps.
Weymouth to Durdle Door by Bus
During the Summer season (usually early May to late September), MoreBus run a seasonal, tourist bus service called the Jurassic Breezer. The Breezer 30 operates between Weymouth, Dorchester and Swanage and stops at Durdle Door – as well as other nearby attractions such as Corfe Castle, Wareham, and Lulworth Cove.
With a Zone C Dayrider ticket, you can hop on and off the bus all day. This way, you can explore several of the area’s attractions in one day – all with one bus ticket. Timetables are released at the start of each season, check the MoreBus website for more details.
There is also the First Bus X54 bus service from Weymouth to Poole. This operates all year round stops at both Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove. Services are quite limited – during winter months there are only four buses a day – so be sure to check the timetable before making any plans.
Buses leave from the stops at Weymouth Kings Statue (click here to see on Google Maps). The journey time by bus from Weymouth to Durdle Door is roughly 45 minutes – although this varies depending on traffic etc.
Where is the Durdle Door Bus Stop?
The bus stop for Durdle Door is on the road between Winfrith Newburgh and West Lulworth, right next to the main entrance to the Holiday Park. Click here to view it on Google Maps. From the bus stop, it’s roughly a 15-minute walk downhill to reach Durdle Door, and a further 10-15 minutes to get down to the beach.
Can You do a Day Trip to Durdle Door from London?
If you’re driving, a day trip from London to Durdle Door is entirely possible. It would be a long day, though, as the drive from Central London can take between 3-4 hours.
Bear in mind that traffic is often a problem in summer and on public holidays, especially on the A31 and around Bournemouth, so the drive can take even longer than expected.
What about a day trip to Durdle Door from London by public transport? The journey time is likely to take at least 4 hours 20 minutes from London Waterloo, and the limited bus services will restrict what times you can take the journey. So, while do-able, it would be an incredibly long day trip – and you wouldn’t get to spend long enjoying the coast or the beaches.
If you need somewhere to spend the night, there are several small hotels and nice pubs in Lulworth Cove. Alternatively, the larger towns of Weymouth and Poole are both within bus distance and have a wide range of hotels to suit all budgets.
READ MORE: Best Seafront Hotels in Weymouth
Walking the Coast Path
Durdle Door sits on the fantastic South West Coast Path, so you can easily reach it by walking along the cliffs from either direction. The coast path is well signposted and well maintained, and is a great way to enjoy the sights of Dorset’s Jurassic Coast.
The shortest walk is from Lulworth Cove: an easy, one-mile walk with just one hill (albeit quite a big one – see the photo above). This affords some spectacular views both of the Door and along the coast. Read the full instructions here.
You can also walk from Weymouth to Durdle Door along the coast path. This is around 9.7 miles (15.6km) so is a bit more of a challenge. Click here to buy the official route guide for this section of the Coast Path for £2.50 from their website – or click here for the detailed Paddy Dillon guidebook for the whole SW Coast Path.
What is the Postcode for Durdle Door?
The best postcode to use for Durdle Door is BH20 5PU, which is the postcode for Durdle Door Car Park.
Useful Map
More Info
Lulworth Cove to Durdle Door: 5 Mile Circular Walk
How to Get from Lulworth Cove to Durdle Door by Walking, Driving, or Public Transport
19 Highlights of Dorset’s Jurassic Coast
If you have any questions about visiting Durdle Door, please feel free to get in touch. Scroll down to leave a comment and I’ll get back to you asap.
