The New Forest is well connected by rail and road. South Western Railway runs frequent services from London Waterloo to Brockenhurst (about 1 hour 40 minutes), which is the best rail access point for the forest. Trains also stop at Sway and New Milton on the southern edge. From Southampton, Brockenhurst is about 20 minutes by train. From Portsmouth, the forest is a similar distance by road or via Southampton.
By car, the M27 skirts the southern edge of the forest and the A31 crosses the northern part. The A35 runs through Lyndhurst, the unofficial capital.