Which port do you prefer, Southampton or Harwich

[celebrity]

I am looking into a UK cruise in a few years..yes I am an obsessive planner! I've never been to England so I have no idea if one port is preferable over another. Ideally, I would like to fly into London and tour for a few days prior to the cruise. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[aquilegia]

Well, most people choose Southampton. It's a more attractive place in my opinion (apologies to the good people of Harwich), the sailout is interesting, it's much nearer Heathrow and Gatwick airports and, probably most importantly, you will have a bigger choice of cruises leaving from Southampton.

[John Bull]

Southampton has a huge choice of cruises, Harwich & Dover are mainly for Norway & Baltic cos they're that bit closer, though cruises to those places also from Southampton.

 

Dover & Harwich have poor transport links to London's trans-Atlantic airports Heathrow LHR & Gatwick LGW, public transport means travelling from airport into central London then out to the port. Southampton has direct links to both airports.

That said, if you incorporate a few days pre/post cruise in London it makes no odds which port cos all have good links to London.

 

Southampton is closer & with better transport links to other parts of the country - Stonehenge, Bath, West Country, Oxford, Cotswolds etc. Again, for the other two main ports it means going into then out of central London.

 

I live about 10 miles from Southampton, but of course I'm not biased :rolleyes::D

 

JB :)

[celebrity]

Thanks so much.

[New Hampshire]

We plan a stay in London after our cruise returns to Southampton. We plan to book a car service to bring us from the pier to London. Is there anything worth stopping to see between the two cities?

[John Bull]

We plan a stay in London after our cruise returns to Southampton. We plan to book a car service to bring us from the pier to London. Is there anything worth stopping to see between the two cities?

 

The direct route - mainly freeway - is 80 miles & takes about 1hr 45 to 2 hrs but depends very much on which day & what time.

 

Sights to see from the car?

Basically nothing. It's pretty boring freeway.

Until you reach central London, when they come thick & fast.

 

But if you want to go off-route there's a whole range of options:

The historic cathedral city of Winchester is two minutes off the freeway & well worth an hour or two.

Or for 19th/20th Century history, Milestones museum at Basingstoke, only 5 mins off the freeway. Worthy of 60 - 90 mins

Or a popular tour-transfer is via the historic cathedral city of Salisbury plus Stonehenge, which will add about 30 miles & 45 minutes to your drive. Add one to two hours in Salisbury & an hour at Stonehenge. Mebbe time at Wilton House & Old Sarum too.

Or Highclere Castle ("Downton Abbey") will add about 25 miles / 25 minutes to your drive.

Plenty of other sights such as the Silk Mill at Whitchurch, or canal boats at Newbury, could be added to any of these itineraries.

 

Or, on the edge of London, Windsor Castle or Hampton Court Palace, each about 15 minutes off the freeway on the outskirts of London, both worth a couple of hours.

Ditto for Brooklands if you're into historic motor racing or aviation, and the adjacent Mercedes-Benz World.

 

Or spread your wings further by cutting east along the coast to Portsmouth & Southsea (historic dockyard & a great deal more), the cathedral city of Chichester (& nearby the Weald & Downland open-air museum, if more-artisan ancient buildings grab you) & Arundel (castle & cathedral), before heading north through the South Downs villages to attack London from the south. This would be a total transfer distance of something over 100 miles and a journey time of a much more-interesting 3 hours - excluding stops, each worth an hour or more. Portsmouth all day if you like.

 

Some folk go via Bath, which is high on visitors' list in the UK. But this means driving two sides of a triangle, a total journey of 180 miles, 3hrs 45.

 

It all depends on your interests, your time available - and the depth of your pocket ;)

 

Google these places, see what you think.

 

JB :)

[New Hampshire]

Thanks so much for the great information.

[tartanexile81]

Well, most people choose Southampton. It's a more attractive place in my opinion (apologies to the good people of Harwich), the sailout is interesting, it's much nearer Heathrow and Gatwick airports and, probably most importantly, you will have a bigger choice of cruises leaving from Southampton.

 

Southampton attractive? Sorry aquilega, Harwich may never win a beauty contest but Southampton must be one of the ugliest cities in the UK. I would never visit it apart from the fact 90% (or more) of cruises from the UK depart from there. I never enjoy the day I have to spend there pre-cruise and I cannot believe with the vast income cruising must bring to the area that the city powers have done nothing to improve the appearance of the city. It's only saving grace is the city walls. John Bull admits his bias and has drawn a wide circle when he talks about all the interesting places near Southampton. If you listed places the same distance from Harwich, that list could be pretty impressive too.

 

I think the main point to be made in answer to the OP's questions is that is she / he wants to travel South to the Med or Canaries or do a TA then Southampton is the port.

[John Bull]

Southampton attractive? Sorry aquilega, Harwich may never win a beauty contest but Southampton must be one of the ugliest cities in the UK. I would never visit it apart from the fact 90% (or more) of cruises from the UK depart from there. I never enjoy the day I have to spend there pre-cruise and I cannot believe with the vast income cruising must bring to the area that the city powers have done nothing to improve the appearance of the city. It's only saving grace is the city walls. John Bull admits his bias and has drawn a wide circle when he talks about all the interesting places near Southampton. If you listed places the same distance from Harwich, that list could be pretty impressive too.

 

I think the main point to be made in answer to the OP's questions is that is she / he wants to travel South to the Med or Canaries or do a TA then Southampton is the port.

 

Oh dear.

Dissent from north of the border.

It's Culloden all over again ;)

 

Yes, Southampton's main advantages are its location, and its port & cruise facilities.

 

But the "wide circle" of interesting places that I drew wasn't a circle at all - it was a response to a question by New Hampshire (what a fine name :)) about places to visit between Southampton & London. So no mention of the Isle of Wight, the New Forest, Poole Harbour, Corfe Castle, Weymouth/Portland Bill/ Chesil Beach, the Jurassic Coast, the Dorset Downs & Villages, Glastonbury, Bath, Cheddar, etc etc - all within the same range.

In the same radius of Harwich are the limited sights of Colchester & Ipswich, and the dubious delights of Clacton-on-Sea & Southend-on-Sea. And a lot of tractors & rapeseed fields.:D

 

Because New Hampshire's question referred to travel by car, I didn't mention Southampton's four-way direct rail links to most of those places, including four direct trains per hour to two central London stations.

Harwich, on the other hand is at the end of a branch line, with only a couple of direct trains to London - and those only when a cruise ship is turning around.

 

As far as the city of Southampton itself is concerned - no, it's not a tourist city. And it did get pretty beat-up by a nasty little man in 1940, when along with its Spitfire aircraft factory it lost most of its characterful city centre, hastily re-built in the post-war years.

But it has many little gems as well as the city walls. The Tudor house & the medieval merchant's house, the Solent Skies aviation museum, God's House (incorporates an archaeological museum), an acclaimed art gallery, the Sea City museum, Mayflower theatre, plenty of pubs & restaurants & a shopping centre acknowledged to be the best on the south coast. All pretty compact & walkable.

Oh, and a soccer team currently third in the UK major league - above world-class teams like Manchester United, Chelsea & Spurs, Man. City. :cool:

Not a tourist destination, but a central base for a tourist - and the city has more than enough to amuse a visitor for a day.

 

No need for my bias. Harwich doesn't compare, nor should it be expected to. It's a fairly remote little port, one-tenth the size of Southampton.

 

Play up, you Saints :)

 

JB :)

[Turtles06]

 

No need for my bias. Harwich doesn't compare, nor should it be expected to. It's a fairly remote little port, one-tenth the size of Southampton.

 

 

 

 

"Remote" and "little" sum up Harwich nicely. :) We recently spent a day (and night) in Harwich, the port of embarkation for our transatlantic cruise on the Celebrity Infinity. There's about enough in Harwich for a few hours of walking around, but that seemed to be it. It's a tiny little town, across from a huge commercial shipping port. We stayed in the quaint Pier Hotel, had lunch there and had a wonderful dinner at the nearby Alma pub. But it's not a place for more than an overnight, unless you have a car and can get out of town for touring elsewhere.

[newport dave]

Oh dear.

Dissent from north of the border.

It's Culloden all over again ;)

 

Yes, Southampton's main advantages are its location, and its port & cruise facilities.

 

But the "wide circle" of interesting places that I drew wasn't a circle at all - it was a response to a question by New Hampshire (what a fine name :)) about places to visit between Southampton & London. So no mention of the Isle of Wight, the New Forest, Poole Harbour, Corfe Castle, Weymouth/Portland Bill/ Chesil Beach, the Jurassic Coast, the Dorset Downs & Villages, Glastonbury, Bath, Cheddar, etc etc - all within the same range.

In the same radius of Harwich are the limited sights of Colchester & Ipswich, and the dubious delights of Clacton-on-Sea & Southend-on-Sea. And a lot of tractors & rapeseed fields.:D

 

Because New Hampshire's question referred to travel by car, I didn't mention Southampton's four-way direct rail links to most of those places, including four direct trains per hour to two central London stations.

Harwich, on the other hand is at the end of a branch line, with only a couple of direct trains to London - and those only when a cruise ship is turning around.

 

As far as the city of Southampton itself is concerned - no, it's not a tourist city. And it did get pretty beat-up by a nasty little man in 1940, when along with its Spitfire aircraft factory it lost most of its characterful city centre, hastily re-built in the post-war years.

But it has many little gems as well as the city walls. The Tudor house & the medieval merchant's house, the Solent Skies aviation museum, God's House (incorporates an archaeological museum), an acclaimed art gallery, the Sea City museum, Mayflower theatre, plenty of pubs & restaurants & a shopping centre acknowledged to be the best on the south coast. All pretty compact & walkable.

Oh, and a soccer team currently third in the UK major league - above world-class teams like Manchester United, Chelsea & Spurs, Man. City. :cool:

Not a tourist destination, but a central base for a tourist - and the city has more than enough to amuse a visitor for a day.

 

No need for my bias. Harwich doesn't compare, nor should it be expected to. It's a fairly remote little port, one-tenth the size of Southampton.

 

Play up, you Saints :)

 

JB :)

 

I think the word 'OWNED' comes to mind with this post....

[John Bull]

I think the word 'OWNED' comes to mind with this post....

 

Errrr......... you've lost me there, Dave.:confused:

Words of one syllable please ;)

 

JB :)

[newport dave]

Errrr......... you've lost me there, Dave.:confused:

Words of one syllable please ;)

 

JB :)

 

It's in relation to your reply about Southampton being ugly, and you put his statement down utterly and completely without doubt.

 

So nowadays JB the youngsters and the more 'with it' oldies use the term 'OWNED'.....

[John Bull]

It's in relation to your reply about Southampton being ugly, and you put his statement down utterly and completely without doubt.

 

So nowadays JB the youngsters and the more 'with it' oldies use the term 'OWNED'.....

 

No, bro, I is not young blood, innit. :D

 

So thanks awfully for the elucidation, old chap.:)

And terribly sorry to the Scottish lady or gentleman if my vindication of Southampton's esteem might be considered unconscionably immoderate ;)

 

JB :)

[Budget Queen]

In my opinion having sailed out of all three= Harwich, Dover and South Hampton, what matters to me- is the cruise ship itinerary. All the ports are easy to get to, with South Hampton, having the means to fly easily to some areas, last couple trips from Dublin and Glasgow. :)

[losumi]

It is much easier to get to Southampton Port than it is to Harwich. On the way from our London hotel to Southampton we booked a bus, which turned out to be a van, with about 10 other people that took us to Stonehenge before we were dropped at the port. We were picked up at our hotel and it was very easy. We found and booked this on line and it worked our perfectly. Leaving from the port, we took a taxi to the National express terminal where we caught a bus that left us at Heathrow.

 

Leaving from Harwich is very difficult, we hired a private taxi and it cost lots, and lots for the 2 hour + trip from Heathrow to our hotel in Ipswich and then more $ to get to Harwich port. There is a rail station that stops directly at the port in Harwich. You can taxi to the London station that departs to Harwich and take the rail. I hope that this helpful.

[Riise]

John - While i agree with alot of what you say i think you are being a bit harsh or the area near Harwich. It might be a small town at the end of the line but some of the areas around it are pretty good to go and see. Just down the road from Harwich is Constable Country which is an amazing area, while both Ipswich and Colchester are not quite as limited as you make out. Colchester is of course the oldest record town in Britain and the Roman capital so can pretty much match any other town/city for history. Not too mention the Suffolk coastal area of towns such as Southwold and Walberswich not too far away and the same can be said of areas in Essex such as Maldon and other smaller country villages.

 

No doubt Southampton has better access to London and the South West but the Essex/Suffolk area does also have a lot to offer visitors who head up this way......Even if certain councils seem determined to hide it.

[Morgans]

I don't agree that leaving from Harwich is 'very difficult.' Cruise train from Liverpool Street drops you more or less next to the ship. Sorted! You only have to walk a matter of yards and you are on board. There is no such train for Southampton . A transfer is necessary from the rail drop off point by taxi.

If you're flying in from abroad it's no matter if you go from Waterloo to Southampton or Liverpool St to Harwich. You can choose a hotel which is convenient to either. Check out http://www.harwich.co.uk for more info.

[John Bull]

Thanks Riise, a few ideas for that neck of the woods are very welcome :)

And yes, mebbe I did lay it on a bit thick.:rolleyes:

 

Dave & Marge, yes from London there's an excellent train service to Harwich. Involves a change, but balanced out by that need for a taxi hop in Southampton. No sensible scheduled bus service London to Harwich, though for most cruisers that gap has been plugged by http://www.internationalfriends.co.uk/london-to-harwich.html

 

But I suspect losumi was thinking more about convenience to Heathrow. As we all know, everything in the south-east gravitates to London, especially Heathrow & Gatwick. For either airport to both Harwich & Dover, that means train into central London, cross the city, & train out again. Southampton from Heathrow's not a lot better by train, it involves a shuttlebus out to Woking or Reading station. But at least Southampton has direct Nat Express bus services to both airports, and a direct train service to Gatwick.

 

All that said, no-one (even me) is going to choose a cruise based on the difference in convenience to the ports - there's far too many more important considerations. :)

 

JB :)

Edited November 21, 2013 by John Bull

[Morgans]

Swings and roundabouts JB ! And we all agree any cruise is better than being at work! Now let's not get started about Tilbury?.....

 

Anyone know what's happening about Greenwich? Wasn't' there some talk about that becoming a new London Terminal?

[Cotswold Eagle]

Swings and roundabouts JB ! And we all agree any cruise is better than being at work! Now let's not get started about Tilbury?.....

 

Anyone know what's happening about Greenwich? Wasn't' there some talk about that becoming a new London Terminal?

 

London Cruiseport is supposed to open in 2016. Not much seems to have happened since they got planning permission last year, but they have now appointed a CEO for the company supposed to deliver it.

 

http://www.cruisebritain.org/news_article.php?s=83&np=3

[Morgans]

Thank you for that C.Eagle. It's very interesting to read. Things seemed to have gone quiet about it and we hadn't seen any more info for a while.