Southampton taxi and restaurant

[Hydrokitty]

We're leaving Saturday for Southampton on a B2B cruise, which will give us one day in Southampton. My question is since we're only there for a few hours, can I use a credit card or US$ to pay a taxi from the ship (X Eclipse) into town to visit the local museum and have an English tea. If not where could I exchange a small amount for Pounds.

[John Bull]

You don't really need a taxi from Eclipse' usual berth (City Cruise Terminal), it's only a 10 - 15 minute walk to the old-town area (places like the Tudor Merchant's House & Gardens in Bugle Street) or to the West Quay Mall and the Above Bar shopping street. Or mebbe 20 minutes to the Sea City museum, in the Civic Centre building at the top of Above Bar Street. Or tea at the Grand Café, in South Western House about a 15 to 30 minute walk along the waterfront past the bottom of old-town.

 

If you do take a taxi there'll be a rank at the cruise terminal. Most accept plastic, but check before you board. Most charge a credit card facility fee.

 

https://tudorhouseandgarden.com/

also has links to Southampton's admittedly-few other historic sights

 

http://seacitymuseum.co.uk/

 

https://grand-cafe.co.uk/

 

http://www.discoversouthampton.co.uk/visit/visitor-info/maps

mainly for the old-town details and street-map. Ignore references to Southampton castle, I don't know why they include it - it was demolished centuries ago and nothing bar a bit of one wall remains.

 

JB :)

[Hydrokitty]

Thank you John....I'm looking forward to having tea at the restaurant you recommended while my laundry is being done!! I'm not sure I'll need a taxi or not...I can have difficulty walking but 1/2 mile should be ok if it's reasonably flat and, having lived in London, with a few exceptions...I think most of UK is pretty flat. Can't wait to get back.

[JVilleGal]

Thank you John....I'm looking forward to having tea at the restaurant you recommended while my laundry is being done!! I'm not sure I'll need a taxi or not...I can have difficulty walking but 1/2 mile should be ok if it's reasonably flat and, having lived in London, with a few exceptions...I think most of UK is pretty flat. Can't wait to get back.

Kitty I hope you had a fabulous time!

[John Bull]

Thank you John....I'm looking forward to having tea at the restaurant you recommended while my laundry is being done!! I'm not sure I'll need a taxi or not...I can have difficulty walking but 1/2 mile should be ok if it's reasonably flat and, having lived in London, with a few exceptions...I think most of UK is pretty flat. Can't wait to get back.

 

 

If you're planning to get your laundry done in a Southampton launderette (laundromat), the nearest one is Atlantic in Bedford Place - from City cruise terminal it's the opposite direction to the Grand Café, so you will need a taxi.

Or from the launderette it's only a ten minute walk to the SeaCity museum, and there are plenty of cafes, pubs and coffee shops in the area - but none I know of that offer a "traditional English afternoon tea".

Get your taxi driver from the cruise terminal to take you past SeaCity museum on the way to the launderette.

 

http://www.atlantic.uk.net/branchlocations.htm

For just a few pounds launderette staff will switch your laundry from washer to dryer then fold it ready for you to collect.

 

http://seacitymuseum.co.uk/

 

JB :)

[wowzz]

We're leaving Saturday for Southampton on a B2B cruise, which will give us one day in Southampton. My question is since we're only there for a few hours, can I use a credit card or US$ to pay a taxi from the ship (X Eclipse) into town to visit the local museum and have an English tea. If not where could I exchange a small amount for Pounds.

You certainly would not be able to pay in $. Would a taxi driver in Miami accept £?

[Bob++]

You certainly would not be able to pay in $. Would a taxi driver in Miami accept £?

 

I don't know about Miami, but dollars, Pounds and Euros are accepted in tourist places all over the world. Of course, the exchange rate is usually a rip-off, but that's the price you pay for convenience.

 

That said - Southampton is not really a tourist place, so most taxi drivers would not want dollars. It was a reasonable question though.

[John Bull]

You certainly would not be able to pay in $. Would a taxi driver in Miami accept £?

 

On the grounds that most taxis in the UK now accept plastic, my earlier reply didn't cover USD.

But you've reminded me that it's likely to be a sticking-point at the launderette. Long time since I used one, but I think launderette machines only accept coins. Staff will doubtless swap GPB notes to coins, but not USD and I doubt plastic.

 

As Bob's post, Southampton isn't a tourist city & very very few places accept other currencies.

Plastic is widely accepted but that's very doubtful at a launderette.

 

JB :)

[wowzz]

I don't know about Miami, but dollars, Pounds and Euros are accepted in tourist places all over the world. Of course, the exchange rate is usually a rip-off, but that's the price you pay for convenience.

 

That said - Southampton is not really a tourist place, so most taxi drivers would not want dollars. It was a reasonable question though.

Seriously? Have you ever tried to pay a restaurant bill in, say San Francisco, with £5 notes?