Getting around Isles of Scilly: with and without a car

Not yet assessed Our reading of the sources below, not an official rating.

Boats moored in St Mary's Pool, seen from the quay at Hugh TownPhoto: Chris Gorringe, CC BY-SA 2.0

Aerial view of Tresco with white sand bays and shallow turquoise waterPhoto: Tom Corser, CC BY-SA 3.0

Garrison Walls, St Mary's & Hugh TownPhoto: Andrew Abbott, CC BY-SA 2.0

Stations, bridges and harbours from our guide where we hold a photo; each links to the area page that lists it.

Without a car

Getting here

Scillonian III ferry from Penzance

The crossing from Penzance harbour to St Mary's takes about 2 hours 45 minutes. Isles of Scilly Travel says it runs from March to November and dogs are allowed. The quay is under a 15-minute walk from Penzance railway station. ¹

Isles of Scilly Travel: Scillonian III route (opens in new tab) · Isles of Scilly Travel: getting to Penzance (opens in new tab)

Skybus flights

Skybus flies 19-seat Twin Otter aircraft to St Mary's Airport. Land's End takes about 20 minutes and runs all year; Exeter takes about an hour (March to October); Isles of Scilly Travel lists Newquay (about 30 minutes) from March 2027. ²

Isles of Scilly Travel: Skybus routes (opens in new tab)

Helicopter from Penzance

Penzance Helicopters flies from Penzance Heliport at Long Rock to St Mary's and to Tresco, the only direct flight to Tresco. The operator describes it as a 20-minute flight. ³

Penzance Helicopters (opens in new tab)

Train to Penzance

Penzance is the end of the Cornish main line. Isles of Scilly Travel says GWR sells a combined rail and sail ticket. Our Cornwall guide covers Penzance itself. ⁴

Britlens: Penzance, Mousehole and Land's End (opens in new tab) · Great Western Railway (opens in new tab)

Once you are there

Inter-island boats

Tripper boats leave St Mary's quay for the off-islands every day in season, run mainly by the St Mary's Boatmen's Association. Times depend on the tides and are chalked on boards at the quays. ⁵

On foot and by bike

The islands are small and most visitors walk. Bikes can be hired on St Mary's and Tresco, and golf buggies are a popular alternative on St Mary's. ⁶

Bus and taxi on St Mary's

St Mary's has taxis and a seasonal community bus. The other inhabited islands have almost no vehicles apart from a few farm trucks. ⁷

Stops near each area

From our area guides (Isles of Scilly): the stations and stops listed for each base. See each area's Getting there page for more.

St Mary's & Hugh Town

St Mary's Quay, Hugh Town: Scillonian III ferry and inter-island tripper boats. Ferry from Penzance, March to November; boats to the off-islands
St Mary's Airport: Skybus and Penzance Helicopters. Flights from Land's End, Exeter and Newquay, and helicopters from Penzance
Community bus and taxis: Seasonal bus; taxis all year. The only island with residents' cars; visitors walk, cycle or hire a golf buggy

St Mary's & Hugh Town: getting there

Tresco, Bryher, St Martin's & St Agnes

Tresco Heliport: Penzance Helicopters. The only direct flight to Tresco
Tresco quays (New Grimsby and Carn Near): Tripper boats and Tresco Boat Services. Tresco says boats run daily from St Mary's and Bryher
Bryher, St Martin's and St Agnes quays: St Mary's Boatmen's Association and island boat services. Departure points change with the tide; check the boards

Tresco, Bryher, St Martin's & St Agnes: getting there

No timetables or fares are copied here: check the operator or Traveline for the day you travel. Taxis and ride-hailing apps operate in most towns, but we have no sourced coverage data for rural areas, so do not count on one at short notice.

With a car

We hold no sourced driving notes for Isles of Scilly beyond the general rules.

General rules (driving on the left, licences, roundabouts, speed limits in mph, parking, tolls, EV charging): Driving in Britain. Charge points: Zapmap (opens in new tab).

To and from other regions

Straight-line distance from our region centres, and the fastest train time that National Rail publishes on its destination pages (not a timetable; it may include a change). Where we found no figure we say so. The full table is on getting between regions.

Distance and fastest published train time from Isles of Scilly to other regions
To or from	Straight line	Fastest train (National Rail)	Notes

Figures retrieved 25 Oct 2026 for the intercity data. Timetables change.

Official links

Isles of Scilly Travel (opens in new tab): Scillonian III ferry and Skybus flights
Penzance Helicopters (opens in new tab): helicopter to St Mary's and Tresco
Visit Isles of Scilly: FAQs (opens in new tab): ID for flights, cars, dogs and seasons
St Mary's Boatmen's Association (opens in new tab): inter-island boats from St Mary's
Britlens: Penzance, Mousehole and Land's End (opens in new tab): the ferry and helicopter departure town

More on Isles of Scilly: Isles of Scilly guide · how to get there

Questions people ask

Can I get around Isles of Scilly without a car?

We have not yet assessed getting around Isles of Scilly. The official links below, and the region guide, are the place to start.

Do I need to check a driving zone in Isles of Scilly?

We found no charging or low emission zone for Isles of Scilly in the official pages we read. Check the council site before you drive in.