Rare babyclaytonmom Posted June 15 #1 Share Posted June 15 Our train arrives early a.m. in Dover and we will drop our luggage at the port and probably have 4 1/2 or 5 hrs. before coming back to board the ship. We cruise often and would rather spend some time exploring vs. being on the ship ASAP. Is it easy to catch a taxi from the port to go to the castle? Or is there somewhere else in Dover you would suggest visiting for a few hours? Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Bull Posted June 15 #2 Share Posted June 15 Dover Castle is the only worthwhile place in Dover. . But yes, it's well worth the visit, especially since IMHO your time is too short for travel to Canterbury & elsewhere, You can travel by bus, but it involves two buses and a steep walk so by taxi is quicker, simpler & easier. Taxis will be dropping cruisers at the terminal, so you should be able to grab one quite easily. A taxi to the castle should cost about £10 to £15. But there's no taxi rank at the castle, so agree with your driver where in the castle and when they, or a colleague, will collect you for a return to the ship. https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/dover-castle/ Fix up a tour of the WW2 tunnels as soo a you get there, make a point of also going thro the medieval tunnel at the landward end, check out the main Keep (dressed & furnished in period) and go up on the roof for a very good view of the French coast. JB 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare ninjacat123 Posted July 16 #3 Share Posted July 16 On 6/15/2024 at 5:00 PM, John Bull said: Dover Castle is the only worthwhile place in Dover. . But yes, it's well worth the visit, especially since IMHO your time is too short for travel to Canterbury & elsewhere, You can travel by bus, but it involves two buses and a steep walk so by taxi is quicker, simpler & easier. Taxis will be dropping cruisers at the terminal, so you should be able to grab one quite easily. A taxi to the castle should cost about £10 to £15. But there's no taxi rank at the castle, so agree with your driver where in the castle and when they, or a colleague, will collect you for a return to the ship. https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/dover-castle/ Fix up a tour of the WW2 tunnels as soo a you get there, make a point of also going thro the medieval tunnel at the landward end, check out the main Keep (dressed & furnished in period) and go up on the roof for a very good view of the French coast. JB 🙂 Great info! Would you know about travel between Kiel to Hamburg? DH and I are porting in Kiel and none of the many travel books or TripAdvisor have information (other than a private car for $1,000/person, no thank you!) regarding Kiel. I appreciate any and all insight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Bull Posted July 16 #4 Share Posted July 16 (edited) 18 minutes ago, ninjacat123 said: Great info! Would you know about travel between Kiel to Hamburg? DH and I are porting in Kiel and none of the many travel books or TripAdvisor have information (other than a private car for $1,000/person, no thank you!) regarding Kiel. I appreciate any and all insight! Sorry, my only experience in the area was sailing thru the canal many years ago. I see you've asked in the obvious forums, I can't think of anywhere else. Mebbe Rick Steeves? JB 🙂 Edited July 16 by John Bull Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare gnome12 Posted July 16 #5 Share Posted July 16 39 minutes ago, ninjacat123 said: Great info! Would you know about travel between Kiel to Hamburg? DH and I are porting in Kiel and none of the many travel books or TripAdvisor have information (other than a private car for $1,000/person, no thank you!) regarding Kiel. I appreciate any and all insight! Try looking at Rome2Rio.com. They show train at 1hr 8 min at $27-35, and bus at 1hr 15 min at $14-18. I just picked a random date in August. Put in your real date and time, and maybe adjust for Kiel port (rather than Hbf). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare ninjacat123 Posted July 16 #6 Share Posted July 16 1 hour ago, John Bull said: Sorry, my only experience in the area was sailing thru the canal many years ago. I see you've asked in the obvious forums, I can't think of anywhere else. Mebbe Rick Steeves? JB 🙂 I have every RS book known to man and nothing on Hamburg or Kiel.🤣 Thanks for responding! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
9265359 Posted July 21 #7 Share Posted July 21 On 7/16/2024 at 12:11 PM, ninjacat123 said: Would you know about travel between Kiel to Hamburg? DH and I are porting in Kiel and none of the many travel books or TripAdvisor have information (other than a private car for $1,000/person, no thank you!) regarding Kiel. I appreciate any and all insight! Train! It is a simple 75 minute journey costing €27.40 each - Cheap Train Tickets | Timetables for Germany & Europe - Deutsche Bahn And for information on any train travel anywhere in Europe this website is excellent - The Man in Seat 61 | The train travel guide 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Hlitner Posted July 22 #8 Share Posted July 22 If I were going from Kiel to Hamburg we would likely just get a one-way rental car and drive. But the train is also a good option. Hank 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Hlitner Posted July 22 #9 Share Posted July 22 Thought I would post a little about car vs train, for folks that have little personal experience. We make no secret of favoring rental cars, when in many parts of Europe. Not only does a car give one maximum flexibility (schedules, routes, site seeing, etc) but a major advantage, for us, is the logistics of luggage. DW and I normally travel with 2 large suitcases and 2 heavy back-packs (which is our preference for carry-ons). We prefer backpacks (over small rolling luggage) because it leaves both hands free for handling other items and even personal security. In Europe, the rule of thumb is that you will need to handle all of your own luggage. Finding porters in train stations and airports is a rarity and one must always assume the worst, which means nobody is going to help. Hauling luggage through large train stations, up/down stairs, on and off trains, and dealing with them on trains can be a challenge. And one must always be cognizant of keeping your luggage secure (especially on trains). Moving luggage in and out of a car is generally a big plus. Yes, there are logistics involved with rental cars (where to pick-up, drop, etc) but, for us, it just involves a little pre-trip planning. How about trains? European trains are usually very good and an excellent way to get from Point A to Point B. But one should always check on the location of the train stations. In many places, a train station can be a substantial distance from your goal and you should understand this limitation and have a plan (i.e. taxis, Uber, public transit, etc). We are routinely asked about driving in Europe, and our answer is that it simply depends on where! For North Americans, the driving rules in western Europe (with the exception of the UK) are similar to home. You drive on the right, pass on the the left, etc. Parking rules do vary (by country and within a country) so folks should do a little online research about parking. Italy is somewhat unique because they have many limited driving zones (ZTLs) so this takes extra pre-trip research. And finally, folks should understand that much of Europe still has a lot of manual shift cars. If you do not know how to drive a "stick" you need to make sure to reserve an automatic and expect to pay more money for that type of vehicle. As to licensing, your North American license is good throughout Europe. However, some countries (such as Italy) do require that you have a valid International Drivers Permit (IDP) which you can get (pre-trip) at any AAA location. An IDP is not a license, but simply a translation of some of the info on your normal license. If in doubt, get the IDP. Our own experience is that rental places do not normally ask for an IDP (they simply want to see your regular drivers license) but, if you get stopped by the police, they may ask for your IDP. Hank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Harters Posted July 22 #10 Share Posted July 22 (edited) 1 hour ago, Hlitner said: the driving rules in western Europe (with the exception of the UK) are similar to home. Ireland is also an exception in Western Europe in driving on the left. Elsewhere on the continent, Cyprus and Malta also drive on the left. And Hank makes the point I always make to visiting North Americans that most of our cars here in Europe are manual shift (for the first time in some 50+ years driving, I currently have an automatic - a secondhand Skoda Karoq). Rental companies will usually only have automatics available on more upmarket models, so expect to be paying a lot more for one. I presume visitors can use their normal driving licence without problem but it will be worth folk visiting the UK to check this with the rental company. Reason for suggesting this is that we have two levels of driving licence here. One that only allows you to drive an automatic. The other allows you to drive automatics and manuals. The driving test is different for each. Edited July 22 by Harters Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Hlitner Posted July 22 #11 Share Posted July 22 58 minutes ago, Harters said: Ireland is also an exception in Western Europe in driving on the left. Elsewhere on the continent, Cyprus and Malta also drive on the left. And Hank makes the point I always make to visiting North Americans that most of our cars here in Europe are manual shift (for the first time in some 50+ years driving, I currently have an automatic - a secondhand Skoda Karoq). Rental companies will usually only have automatics available on more upmarket models, so expect to be paying a lot more for one. I presume visitors can use their normal driving licence without problem but it will be worth folk visiting the UK to check this with the rental company. Reason for suggesting this is that we have two levels of driving licence here. One that only allows you to drive an automatic. The other allows you to drive automatics and manuals. The driving test is different for each. Interesting comment about the two levels of UK license, I have rented cars in both the UK and Ireland and am somewhat comfortable driving on the left However, even as a person very familiar with driving a stick, I admit that shifting with my left hand is always a challenge (have missed a few gears). But none of the rental agencies, in the UK (which include Hertz, Europcar and Avis) have ever mentioned anything about your two levels of licensing. They simply accept my Pennsylvania license. Here in the USA (we assume Canada is similar) there is no special test or licensing to drive a stick. The reality is that stick (manual) shifts are quite rare on our side of the pond, and I am not sure if any of the major rental car companies (over here) even have any stick shift cars. In fact, even many of our small truck rental places (like U-Haul) primarily rent trucks with automatics. Hank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Harters Posted July 22 #12 Share Posted July 22 8 minutes ago, Hlitner said: Interesting comment about the two levels of UK license, My niece spent her teen years living in the States and learned to drive there. When she returned to the UK, she found it easier to take our test just for an automatic, rather than having to relearn how to drive for a stick licence. And, yes, I agree , shifting with the "wrong" hand can be a challenge. We often rent a car when visiting Spain as villas we're staying in tend to be in more rural areas. For trips to Belgium and France, we've always taken our own car, passing through Dover for the ferry to Calais. Whilst not having any of the stick issues, it comes with its own safety problem - in trying to overtake, say a large truck, you have to pull out much further before you know if there's oncoming traffic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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