Dover to Central London

[hhalliv]

Hello everybody,

 

I'm taking my first Transatlantic cruise this May and am looking for an easy way to end up in central London after disembarking in Dover.

 

I'm considering taking a train from Dover Priory to London Waterloo; has anyone done this before? If so, how long should it take to get a taxi and get to the station? Are the train stations easy to navigate with luggage?

 

Thank you in advance for your thoughts!

[sddsddean]

Its pretty easy, but you need to decide where you are stopping in London first, as trains go to St. Pancras, London Bridge, Waterloo, Charing Cross and I think to Victoria. Certainly the National Express coach goes to Victoria. Your destination affects which route is best for you. All will cost about the same (£15-£20 plus £7 for the taxi). Taxis should be plentiful anyway. Let us know when you have more info.

 

Simon

[hhalliv]

Thanks for the response! We're staying at the Novotel Waterloo, and their website says Waterloo is the closest rail station.

[phabric]

I took http://www.internationalfriends.co.uk from Dover to our London hotel. They only go on embarkment and disembarkment cruise days, pick up/drop off at listed London hotels, LHR hotels. They are a little more expensive than Princess post cruise excursion. They both go to Canterbury, International Friends takes you to listed hotel or LHR hotels, Princess to LHR only.

Princess has a transfer straight to London Victoria Coach station, then you need a taxi to your hotel.

 

They picked us up at the Dover dock on a big coach, They were on 12 passengers. We had a walking tour of Canterbury with our coach guide, time on our own, bought our lunch, stop at Leeds Castle, since only 4 were staying in London and the rest to LHR hotels and LHR. We switched to a small van. The van driver asked if we had seen Greenwich area so he was nice to drive around the area on route to our hotel. We left around 8:30am and were at our hotel around 5 (not sure of the time).

 

I would highly recommend them as it was a great way to see another area of England and a way to get to your London hotel or if you have a late flight.

[Cotswold Eagle]

Thanks for the response! We're staying at the Novotel Waterloo, and their website says Waterloo is the closest rail station.

 

That's true, but note it is about 15-20 minutes walk - the Novotel is not one of the clutch of hotels right by Waterloo in the County Hall area. The hotel is in Lambeth, not Waterloo, really.

 

I think trains from Dover Priory will call at Waterloo East station, but this is basically attached to Waterloo itself - but the wrong side for the Novotel.

Edited September 21, 2015 by Cotswold Eagle

[Globaliser]

I'm considering taking a train from Dover Priory to London Waterloo; ...

Its pretty easy, but you need to decide where you are stopping in London first, as trains go to St. Pancras, London Bridge, Waterloo, Charing Cross and I think to Victoria.

The train from Dover actually stops at Waterloo East. It's not far from the main station at Waterloo, but it is about 5 minutes walk or so over a footbridge and then down escalators onto the main Waterloo station concourse.

 

The Novotel Waterloo is actually quite a long way from both of those stations - it's about a mile from Waterloo East. With luggage, you'd definitely want to think about getting a taxi from the station to the hotel.

[John Bull]

Thanks for the response! We're staying at the Novotel Waterloo, and their website says Waterloo is the closest rail station.

 

Train will be quicker & about £5 more expensive than Nat Express coach.

 

There'll be taxis at the cruise terminal, The drive to the train station - or National Express bus stops at Pencaster Road or the ferry-port - will be about ten minutes, no more than £10.

If you take the Nat Express, board at "town centre", Pencaster Road - it starts from there so you'll get a better choice of seats than if you board at the ferry-port.

 

Direct hourly trains to Waterloo East, the train's end destination is London Charing Cross

Train fare £10 - trains before the 9.03am will be much more expensive because train operators screw commuters.

Trains to London Victoria are almost as convenient - Victoria is only about a half-mile further from your hotel than Waterloo East, but more expensive.

Trains to London St Pancras are also more expensive, and they're less convenient for your hotel.

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

 

Trains in the UK are easy to board with luggage - the floor is almost level with the platform. You might have to use a bit of ingenuity to stash luggage if the train is busy - which it will be at commuter times.

 

The Nat Express coach service is much less frequent & booking is strongly advised. Fare is £5 if pre-booked. The driver loads your luggage in the belly lockers. The last intermediate stop is Elephant & Castle, it's about the same distance from your hotel as the terminus at Victoria coach station but would save you time.

http://www.nationalexpress.com/home.aspx

 

 

Novotel "Waterloo" is a little ingenuous - it's a little further up-river, more Lambeth than Waterloo, & about a ten minute walk from Westminster Bridge. Still decently convenient for the sights, but about a 15 minute walk from Waterloo East station, so with luggage you might want to take a short taxi hop.

 

The International Friends tour/transfer option mentioned by phabric is actually a little cheaper if booked through

https://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/dover_london_transfers.htm

£79 rather than £86. (Same with their Southampton options.) :confused:

It will drop you on your doorstep at Novotel Waterloo.

A bit of variety & interest instead of a simple transfer, though it will cost you an afternoon out of your time in London.

International Friends is an established & reputable operator, London Toolkit is an established & reputable agency (and stax of useful London info on other pages of that website).

 

JB :)

[Bob++]

For what it's worth, I would take the tour. It takes you through some interesting and scenic parts of SE England and right to the door of your hotel. Not having to transfer twice is also an advantage.

 

The best alternative is the train. This gets you to your hotel fastest, leaving you the afternoon to begin sightseeing.

[hhalliv]

Wow, thank you all so much for your thorough advice! I had looked at the International Friends tour/transfer but have a feeling we won't be in the mood to do a walking tour and probably want to get to our hotel sooner to freshen up.

 

Thank you JB for giving me a whole range of stations and modes of transportation, and thanks everyone for telling me which train station to go in to. I feel like I have my own personal concierges!

[Novastar]

I would also like to recommend the tour with International Friends. We just did this 2 weeks ago. It was great to have the opportunity to visit 2 places (Canterbury and Leeds Castle) that we would not have otherwise seen. You don't have to worry about your luggage and you will arrive at the front door of your hotel in London. I don't think you can beat it for the price.