Travel to London from Southampton

[Ghibli2000]

Hi Guys  - 
What is the best way to get to London from Southampton... Do Taxis have flat fees?

Thanks,

Ryan

 

[canoncruiser]

Taxis will cost you a fortune. Depending on your luggage, call a car service or take the train from Southampton Central to Waterloo. Others may have some good tips about cars. 

[Lanky Lad]

Cunard offer a coach service, as does National Express which might be cheaper than Cunard but will not take you to the ship. 

 

There are direct trains from London to Southampton so plenty of options. 

[vtbobby]

smithsforairports.com  ... estate cars to anywhere in London or airports ...expensive for one person but very reasonable for two or three and luggage ,,,They are bases in Portsmouth, so always have cars meeting the ship ...

[tv24]

We've used Smith's for Airports several times and have had perfect experiences.  Used the Cunard coach service to St. Pancras Station once.  It was convenient from the QM2 and we paid for it using our OBC.  But it was slow, boarding very slow and delayed.  And then the coach circled the station a couple of times, don't know why, maybe looking for a parking spot, and then we had a long walk with our luggage into the station.  Never used taxis as so many folks did not recommend them as too expensive.

[BigMac1953]

For approximately the same cost as 2 x 1st class train tickets and taxi to station, you can travel in a very comfortable limo (S-Class Merc), door to door.

 

Get a price from https://www.southcoastchauffeurs.co.uk/our-prices.html

 

Good luck.

 

Stewart

[exlondoner]

Which bit of London are you aiming at?

[Pennbank]

11 hours ago, Ghibli2000 said:

Hi Guys  - 
What is the best way to get to London from Southampton... Do Taxis have flat fees?

Thanks,

Ryan

 

 

South Western Railway  usually  Platform 1 Southampton Central to London Waterloo normally takes 1hr 30mins on fast train.

Southern Railway via Barnhan  from Southampton Central to London Victoria takes around 2hr 30min and is a slow journey but cheaper ticket.

 

Details and prices see website below

https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

National Coaches from Southampton Coach Station to London Victoria Coach station usually takes around 2hr 30mins

see

https://www.nationalexpress.com/en

 

for flat fee Private hire Taxis see answers already given in posts above

 

Edited September 5, 2019 by Pennbank

[Bigmike911]

I always take the train, it is more scenic to watch the countryside go by. Taxi from the ship to the "London" side of the station. You can buy the ticket in advance or from a machine or the ticket vendor. The train takes to you London Waterloo and a taxi from there will take you to your destination. 

[maryann2]

National Express is easy.  Can get a taxi from the port for 5 pounds to the coach station.  Or walk not far.

Once in London Victoria can take another taxi to your hotel.  Luggage goes underneath the coach so you don't have to worry  about carrying it on and off the trains.

[shippmates]

We are going to London after our cruise on Queen Victoria in May 2020 and am looking to buy National Express coach tickets to take us to London Victoria Station.  Wondering what time would be the earliest we could get to the bus after debarking the ship.  Our documents does not list a port arrival time.  Thank you.

[Canuker]

On 9/5/2019 at 3:19 AM, exlondoner said:

Which bit of London are you aiming at?

To the OP: I'm going to echo this question by exlondoner.

1. London is big, complicated place.

2. There are surprisingly many ways to get from your ship to your (presumed) hotel, as the above posts illustrate.

 

If you can share your destination in London, we can narrow down your best alternatives.
Also helpful info is:

What date and time (and where, precisely) does your ship dock?

How many in your party?

Are you fairly mobile?

Much baggage?

[navybankerteacher]

On ‎9‎/‎4‎/‎2019 at 4:29 PM, Ghibli2000 said:

Hi Guys  - 
What is the best way to get to London from Southampton... Do Taxis have flat fees?

Thanks,

Ryan

 

Yes , but very big flat fees.   Train or bus works if you are on a budget, but if you consider the cost of getting from pier to station and from station to your hotel in addition to the train fare -- and especially if you have a lot of luggage (few Cunard passengers travel with just one carry on), you might find the convenience of car service worth the cost.

[MarkBearSF]

We've had great luck with Blackberry. Less costly than Smith's and they've done well for us.
https://www.blackberrycars.com

 

[Germancruiser]

I used southcoastch. quite a few times- always one time- alway great, clean cars - nothing to say about the service.

Beware though that you make it quite clear if you wanna pay with your credit card- then the price is higher then when paying cash!

I made that mistake once- never again! Next time i try the other options!

 

 

Edited November 15, 2019 by Germancruiser

[john watson]

On 9/5/2019 at 8:19 AM, exlondoner said:

Which bit of London are you aiming at?

 

Yes, this is crucial in terms of appropriate transport choice as is attempting to travel directly there to catch a flight as opposed to get to ones hotel.

 

Regards John

[cruiserking]

On 11/14/2019 at 12:44 PM, MarkBearSF said:

We've had great luck with Blackberry. Less costly than Smith's and they've done well for us.
https://www.blackberrycars.com

 

Thanks for posting. Have had great service from Smith's but, nice to have a cheaper alternative for our London next summer.

 

Jonathan 

[BklynBoy8]

21 hours ago, cruiserking said:

Thanks for posting. Have had great service from Smith's but, nice to have a cheaper alternative for our London next summer. Jonathan 

Jonathan,

Enjoy your trip in 2020 to London.

We enjoyed our 2 trips there in the past. 

You're enjoy the food there like we did. Fish & Chips in a Pub Style with a Pint. Roast Beef Dinner at Simpson on the Strand carved tableside from the Silver Domed Trolleys with Horseradish Sauce.

We'll miss you on the Canadian Cruise.

Ed S.

[cruiserking]

6 hours ago, BklynBoy8 said:

Jonathan,

Enjoy your trip in 2020 to London.

We enjoyed our 2 trips there in the past. 

You're enjoy the food there like we did. Fish & Chips in a Pub Style with a Pint. Roast Beef Dinner at Simpson on the Strand carved tableside from the Silver Domed Trolleys with Horseradish Sauce.

We'll miss you on the Canadian Cruise.

Ed S.

Hi Ed, 

 

Nice to hear from you. Have been to London many times, have yet to visit Simpson's in the Strand but, have heard many great things. Can't wait to get back there and stroll through Marylebone, Regent streets and and take in all the sights. Have a lovely cruise on the QM2 next July. 

 

Jonathan

[mandymay]

On 11/14/2019 at 5:44 PM, MarkBearSF said:

We've had great luck with Blackberry. Less costly than Smith's and they've done well for us.
https://www.blackberrycars.com

Highly recommend.

Good service at a very reasonable price

 

[IB2]

Get the train from Waterloo and then a taxi from the station - ten to fifteen minutes to the ship.

[BigMac1953]

1st Class is over £140 for two. It's still cramped and there is little room for luggage.

 

It's about £15 for a taxi to the docks.

 

For a few pounds more, we take the limo and travel in style and comfort. Cheap price isn't everything.

[Thaxted]

A 1st class ticket can indeed be very expensive, but the 1st class Advance Fare can be as low as £15 per person. Of course, if you have lots of luggage (BigMac is right that finding a place for your bags can be challenging) and you add the cost of the taxis in London and Southampton Central to the ship, a car service might be preferable to you.   

[Canuker]

On 12/5/2019 at 1:55 PM, IB2 said:

Get the train from Waterloo and then a taxi from the station - ten to fifteen minutes to the ship.

The OP is asking about Southampton to London.

[Scorer9]

37 minutes ago, Canuker said:

The OP is asking about Southampton to London.

It's the same in reverse. We always take taxi to Southampton Central, then train to Waterloo. No need for 1st Class train ticket - there is always plenty of room in Standard Class if you avoid the rush hour. We book saver fares well on advance at between 6 to 10 pounds each. Only negative, as previously commented, is that there is only limited storage space.