Dover to London by Train- What station does it come in in

[stipmom]

London?

Do I need to buy a ticket beforehand?

We have an overnight n Dover so we thought we would just spend the two days in London.

Want  to book a hotel near the station we come Into .Thanks

[John Bull]

 

Dover station is called "Dover Priory".

 

There are separate direct services to three London terminus stations.....

- to St Pancras. Journey time on "stopping" trains is about 2 to 2.5 hours, but some are "express" trains which only take about one hour.

- to Charing Cross. These are "stopping" trains. take about 2 hrs. These trains include stops at central London stations, London Bridge and Waterloo East

- to Victoria. Again "stopping" trains, again about 2 hrs.

http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/

 

To see all the options, times & fares on the website enter your journey as 

From Dover Priory

To London - and select "all stations"

There's plenty of choice, so I suggest you ignore services which involve a change of train ("1 change", above the journey time)

 

To check the stations served en-route, click on "see details" (under the journey time). On the fresh page headed "Route details", scroll down to the bottom & click on "see calling points"

 

You don't have to pre-book, but doing so can save you $$$.

Cheap "advance" tickets are only available from about 6 weeks out - so to see those cheap fares pick a random date about 6 weeks from now & for the same day-of-the-week as your day of travel.

Those ticket prices are fluid - very close to the date they rise, and sometimes sell-out. So you need to remember to book them a few weeks before you need them.

Those "advance" tickets are only good for the train time that you selected - miss that train and your tickets are trash so you'd have to buy tickets at the station at the regular "walk-up" price.

I don't think there are ever any cheap "advance" fares on the St Pancras express trains, and other than those express trains there's not a lot of difference in journey times 

 

From most of the UK there are trains to only one London terminus.

You are spoilt by having three to choose from (plus London Bridge and Waterloo East on the Charing Cross route), but that can make it more difficult to choose a hotel

Charing Cross station is smack in the middle of tourist-London, just a stone's throw from Trafalgar Square. But hotel prices will be high

Waterloo East is pretty convenient, prices not so steep. London Bridge  (that's London Bridge, not picture-postcard Tower Bridge) also tolerably convenient, not sure there are many hotels thereabouts..

Victoria is at the western end of central London, near Buckingham Palace and the "museum district" -  a little cheaper, and a broad range of hotels from international brands to boutiques to small family-run hotels. Also easier to access Heathrow & Gatwick airports

St Pancras is on the northern end of central London & the least convenient of these districts, but the cheapest. The British Museum, Mme Tussaud's and Regents Park zoo are all about a 25 minute walk.

London's too big  for any hotel to be close to everywhere, so wherever you choose you'll have to travel to some sights - probably by London's underground, "the tube". So choose a hotel convenient to a tube station.

 

JB 

 

 

 

Edited October 19, 2019 by John Bull

[Cotswold Eagle]

3 hours ago, John Bull said:

London Bridge  (that's London Bridge, not picture-postcard Tower Bridge) also tolerably convenient, not sure there are many hotels thereabouts..

 The clutch of chain hotels along Southwark Street and Bankside, where you can get decent value, are accessible from London Bridge - as well as the Shangri La at the Shard (literally over London Bridge station and suitably expensive for a hotel in an iconic skyscraper) and a Hilton nearer the river across the road from the station. 

 

Southwark Street offers little itself, but handy for the Globe, Tate Modern (and the Millennium Bridge over to St Paul’s) and for walking along the river, upstream to Westminster, downstream to the Tower Bridge area. 

[PhilbeachTraveller]

There is the High Speed Train from Dover to St Pancras/Kings Cross which takes about an hour but is a bit more expensive than the 'slow train'. Slow train takes about 2 hours and stops at London Bridge, Waterloo East and Charing Cross or the one to Victoria station takes about the same time. There is usually more space on the slow trains - slow trains usually have more seating with tables than the high speed but all will be busy in the morning commuter times. So best leave after 10am. At weekends all the trains are busy, most of the day and do check if there are 'works' going on if you are travelling at a weekend as often they will have bus replacement services down in Kent and some of the stations at the London end will be closed. 

 

We've stayed in hotels near St Pancras/Kings Cross which have been fine and good prices but usually quite small rooms. Of course, there are some very posh, lovely hotels there, especially the one at St Pancras Station, especially the Renaissance, although there is also a Premier Inn. 

 

As mentioned, loads of hotels at the Charing Cross/Victoria end to choose from. As you have an overnight in Dover and want to spend that night in London, personally, I'd do high speed and stay near St Pancras/Kings Cross as it's a shorter journey to get back to Dover and usually less chance of delays.

[John Bull]

Guilty of not reading the whole question, as usual 

 

Same"advance" train tickets for the return to Dover, but with just an overnite the express to St Pancras has its merits, tho I do think the other stations are better-placed.

 

Your short visit makes the ho-ho is worthy of consideration. 

Two major operators

Both London Original

https://www.theoriginaltour.com/en

and

Big Bus

https://www.bigbustours.com/en/london/london-routes-and-tour-maps/

have a feeder route from St Pancras/Kings Cross to their main sight-seeing routes.

The other areas are on or very close to the sight-seeing routes.

Great for a complete tour for an overvew, but not so great if you just want transport from place to place - for that the tube is much quicker

 

JB .

 

[Bob++]

I would want to cut travelling to a minimum so St Pancras express would be my choice. You could splash out and stay at the iconic hotel attached to the station. https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/lonpr-st-pancras-renaissance-hotel-london/?scid=bb1a189a-fec3-4d19-a255-54ba596febe2 No doubt, you could drop your overnight bags before you set off sightseeing.

 

St Pancras Underground station links six London Underground lines – Circle, Piccadilly, Hammersmith & City, Northern, Metropolitan and Victoria. This makes it the biggest interchange on the London Underground, and one of the busiest. Once you decide, you can start planning what you want to see. 

Edited October 19, 2019 by Bob++

[stipmom]

Thanks everyone.

i will book a hotel near St. Pancreas

[sddsddean]

54 minutes ago, stipmom said:

Thanks everyone.

i will book a hotel near St. Pancreas

You are not going for surgery! Its Saint Pancras.😁

 

Simon

[John Bull]

4 hours ago, sddsddean said:

You are not going for surgery! Its Saint Pancras.😁

 

Simon

 

  

 

JB 

(sorry, Slipmom, but at the end of a pretty poor day that made me chuckle)

[sddsddean]

55 minutes ago, John Bull said:

 

  

 

JB 

(sorry, Slipmom, but at the end of a pretty poor day that made me chuckle)

Glad to be of service JB😉

 

Simon

[scottbee]

On 10/19/2019 at 9:42 AM, Bob++ said:

I would want to cut travelling to a minimum so St Pancras express would be my choice. You could splash out and stay at the iconic hotel attached to the station. https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/lonpr-st-pancras-renaissance-hotel-london/?scid=bb1a189a-fec3-4d19-a255-54ba596febe2 No doubt, you could drop your overnight bags before you set off sightseeing.

 

St Pancras Underground station links six London Underground lines – Circle, Piccadilly, Hammersmith & City, Northern, Metropolitan and Victoria. This makes it the biggest interchange on the London Underground, and one of the busiest. Once you decide, you can start planning what you want to see. 

 

Just a warning for the OP, a lot of the signage will say just "KINGS CROSS" for the Underground station, as that was its former name before changing to "KINGS CROSS ST PANCRAS"

 

[Cotswold Eagle]

6 hours ago, scottbee said:

 

Just a warning for the OP, a lot of the signage will say just "KINGS CROSS" for the Underground station, as that was its former name before changing to "KINGS CROSS ST PANCRAS"

 

 

I'll have to look for the signs when I next go through the area, but the underground station has been known as King's Cross St Pancras since the 1930s, so this surprises me! It is often referred to as just King's Cross for convenience, though. 

[scottbee]

18 hours ago, Cotswold Eagle said:

 

I'll have to look for the signs when I next go through the area, but the underground station has been known as King's Cross St Pancras since the 1930s, so this surprises me! It is often referred to as just King's Cross for convenience, though. 

 

My point was it's more likely to be called "KINGS CROSS" (by itself) than "ST PANCRAS" (by itself), someone had posted about "St Pancras Underground station".  Just don't want someone to whiz by without realizing where they were.

[Cotswold Eagle]

50 minutes ago, scottbee said:

 

My point was it's more likely to be called "KINGS CROSS" (by itself) than "ST PANCRAS" (by itself), someone had posted about "St Pancras Underground station".  Just don't want someone to whiz by without realizing where they were.

Ah, yes, good point 🙂

[portofrome]

I posted this in the Fred Olsen board:

 

"Just booked my first FO cruise from/to Dover on the Boudicca on March 2020. I will spend one nigth in London the day prior the cruise and getting to Dover by train the next morning. Going back to London Heathrow for my return flight at 5.20 pm on March 22nd, I would like to use the ship transfer but I cant find any info in my reservation. Do the cruise line offer it? If yes, how much does it cost? Thanks in advance."

 

I sent an email to FO also and still waiting for their reply. In case the transfer is not offer, my idea is taking the express train to St. Pancras and then the undergrond til Piccadilly for the Heatrow express (as I will do to get to the ship). Checking on the southwestern railway site it shows no direct train but  a first leg by bus from Dover Priory to Ashford Int.  and a second leg from there by train to London St Pancras ( 1 hour 41 minutes total) . Is it a good plan?

Thanks in advance.

[John Bull]

4 hours ago, portofrome said:

I posted this in the Fred Olsen board:

 

"Just booked my first FO cruise from/to Dover on the Boudicca on March 2020. I will spend one nigth in London the day prior the cruise and getting to Dover by train the next morning. Going back to London Heathrow for my return flight at 5.20 pm on March 22nd, I would like to use the ship transfer but I cant find any info in my reservation. Do the cruise line offer it? If yes, how much does it cost? Thanks in advance."

 

I sent an email to FO also and still waiting for their reply. In case the transfer is not offer, my idea is taking the express train to St. Pancras and then the undergrond til Piccadilly for the Heatrow express (as I will do to get to the ship). Checking on the southwestern railway site it shows no direct train but  a first leg by bus from Dover Priory to Ashford Int.  and a second leg from there by train to London St Pancras ( 1 hour 41 minutes total) . Is it a good plan?

Thanks in advance.

 

Yes, cruise lines usually offer transfers from Dover to Heathrow & Gatwick airports.

And whereas ships' transfers tend to be over-priced, that's what I'd  suggest for that particular journey.

Fred caters mainly for Brits, and offers coach transfers to places up & down the UK. But the number of Brits who'd want a domestic flight will be comparatively small so its possible that he doesn't offer airport transfers.

I see you've asked on  Cruise Critic's board for Fred but I'll echo Tring's comment that it's a quiet board, so best to see what Fred says.

 

Central London to Dover

Taking the train (or National Express bus - cheaper but much slower) from central London makes sense - no need for an over-priced transfer for that journey.

 

Dover to Heathrow

As you've realised, for either the train or the National Express bus there's no direct service Dover to Heathrow- you have to go into central London and out again. Hence the preference for a ship's transfer if available. 

 

But I don't understand your reference to bus from Dover to Ashford, then train to St Pancras.

That sounds like using Eurostar from Ashford to St Pancras, which is totally unnecessary.

As per posts at the beginning of this thread, there are plenty of trains from Dover Priory to several stations in London.

This website should be easier to use https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

 

If you're a solo traveller the best compromise between convenience & cost is probably a train from Dover Priory to St Pancras, then direct tube (Piccadilly line) from St Pancras/Kings Cross to Heathrow.

 

For two or more, a private car transfer from ship to Heathrow might be worth the extra cost. Get quotes from  https://folkestonetaxi.com/ and https://doverroyaltaxis.com/ and https://doverwhitecliffstaxi.com/

 

JB 

[portofrome]

2 hours ago, John Bull said:

 

Yes, cruise lines usually offer transfers from Dover to Heathrow & Gatwick airports.

And whereas ships' transfers tend to be over-priced, that's what I'd  suggest for that particular journey.

Fred caters mainly for Brits, and offers coach transfers to places up & down the UK. But the number of Brits who'd want a domestic flight will be comparatively small so its possible that he doesn't offer airport transfers.

I see you've asked on  Cruise Critic's board for Fred but I'll echo Tring's comment that it's a quiet board, so best to see what Fred says.

 

Central London to Dover

Taking the train (or National Express bus - cheaper but much slower) from central London makes sense - no need for an over-priced transfer for that journey.

 

Dover to Heathrow

As you've realised, for either the train or the National Express bus there's no direct service Dover to Heathrow- you have to go into central London and out again. Hence the preference for a ship's transfer if available. 

 

But I don't understand your reference to bus from Dover to Ashford, then train to St Pancras.

That sounds like using Eurostar from Ashford to St Pancras, which is totally unnecessary.

As per posts at the beginning of this thread, there are plenty of trains from Dover Priory to several stations in London.

This website should be easier to use https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

 

If you're a solo traveller the best compromise between convenience & cost is probably a train from Dover Priory to St Pancras, then direct tube (Piccadilly line) from St Pancras/Kings Cross to Heathrow.

 

For two or more, a private car transfer from ship to Heathrow might be worth the extra cost. Get quotes from  https://folkestonetaxi.com/ and https://doverroyaltaxis.com/ and https://doverwhitecliffstaxi.com/

 

JB 

 

Thanks again JB for your quickly reply!

I got a call from FO and confirmed they dont offer any transfer to the airport. So travelling as a solo I will take the train as you suggested. But also with the link you posted, I cant get direct train to London (se tha attached image). It is weird because I got direct train on March 19th but not on 22nd.

 

 

Edited January 10, 2020 by portofrome

[Cotswold Eagle]

2 hours ago, portofrome said:

But also with the link you posted, I cant get direct train to London (se tha attached image). It is weird because I got direct train on March 19th but not on 22nd.

Not really weird. It’s a Sunday and there is engineering work between Dover and Ashford that day. Such disruption is often planned for the weekends. 

[portofrome]

1 minute ago, Cotswold Eagle said:

Not really weird. It’s a Sunday and there is engineering work between Dover and Ashford that day. Such disruption is often planned for the weekends. 

 

Oh, I see. Thanks for your reply.

Should I worry about it? Or just buying my ticket as planned?

[John Bull]

12 minutes ago, portofrome said:

 

Oh, I see. Thanks for your reply.

Should I worry about it? Or just buying my ticket as planned?

 

Unlucky with your timing. 

As soon as I saw it was  sunday I figured it was planned engineering works - sunday being the quiet day of the week that's the day they aim to do track jobs that are too long for an overnight. 

And sure enough, you're travelling on a day set aside for track work between Dover & Ashford.

Here's the link

https://www.southeasternrailway.co.uk/travel-information/live-travel-information/planned-engineering-work?date=2020-03-22#engineering-departure-board

(If you don't see the detail, select your date and click the arrow at  "Buses replace trains between Ashford International and Dover Priory on .Sunday 22 March")

 

The rail ticket covers the whole journey from Dover Priory to St Pancras, but when you get to Dover Priory you'll be directed to  a "RAIL REPLACEMENT" bus, which will take you past the closed track section to Ashford, where you join the train. 

It's pretty simple & unlikely to add much to your journey time - the train operators are used to using rail replacement buses & in my experience over-cater with the number of buses.

 

You have an alternative .........

Trains to London Victoria take a different route and aren't affected by that track closure.

 - There's no direct tube route from Victoria to Heathrow, you'd need one change - take a District line tube (green line) in the direction of  Ealing Broadway or Richmond and change at Barons Court to a Piccadilly line tube (navy blue line) to a train to Heathrow.

- Or from Victoria rail station it's a 15-minute walk to Victoria coach station for a National Express bus to Heathrow.

 

But it's probably simplest to stick with the St Pancras route & simply put up with the small inconvenience of starting with a rail replacement bus.

 

BTW, the prices quoted on the National Rail website are cheap advance tickets.

Excellent value at £13.60, but as per my post at the top on this thread must be bought in advance and only good for the train time that you book (though with the Rail Replacement bus there'll doubtless be a degree of latitude).

 

What time is your flight?

And is it to Europe or inter-continental?

 

JB 

[portofrome]

My flight is at 5.20pm to Rome from terminal 4. This is why I presume to have enough time to get to the airport and stick with the St Pancras route. Not sure about wich time to book the train..9.10am arriving at 10.51 or 10.10am arriving at 11.51

[John Bull]

12 minutes ago, portofrome said:

My flight is at 5.20pm to Rome from terminal 4. This is why I presume to have enough time to get to the airport and stick with the St Pancras route. Not sure about wich time to book the train..9.10am arriving at 10.51 or 10.10am arriving at 11.51

 

 

With a 5.20 pm flight you've almost got time to walk to Heathrow 

 

9.10am shouldn't be difficult.

But with so much time on your hands, & luggage fouling up any sensible opportunity to sight-see in London, I'd suggest staying on the ship while the herd packs the gangways & terminal & book the 10.10am

 

Don't leave the booking too late - there's a (generous) limitation on the number of cheap tickets & when they're gone they're gone.

 

JB 

[portofrome]

10 hours ago, John Bull said:

 

 

With a 5.20 pm flight you've almost got time to walk to Heathrow 

 

9.10am shouldn't be difficult.

But with so much time on your hands, & luggage fouling up any sensible opportunity to sight-see in London, I'd suggest staying on the ship while the herd packs the gangways & terminal & book the 10.10am

 

Don't leave the booking too late - there's a (generous) limitation on the number of cheap tickets & when they're gone they're gone.

 

JB 

 

I'm going to book the 10.10am train today.

Thank you very much JB.