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Transferring from London Heathrow to Dover.



 
 
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  #1  
Old November 29th, 2003, 09:30 PM
Bill Duet
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Default Transferring from London Heathrow to Dover.

My wife & I are booked on a Scandinavia cruise on Celebrity's
"Constellation" out of Dover, England in August of 2004. We plan to fly
into London Heathrow & then travel to Dover. Does anyone have
recommendations on how to get from Heathrow to Dover & then back to Heathrow
after the cruise? We plan to spend two nights in Dover prior to
embarkation. Does anyone have any recommendations on lodging in Dover?


  #2  
Old November 29th, 2003, 09:41 PM
mrt
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Default Transferring from London Heathrow to Dover.

Bill Duet wrote:
My wife & I are booked on a Scandinavia cruise on Celebrity's
"Constellation" out of Dover, England in August of 2004. We plan to fly
into London Heathrow & then travel to Dover. Does anyone have
recommendations on how to get from Heathrow to Dover & then back to Heathrow
after the cruise?


Bus
Car rental
Limo

We plan to spend two nights in Dover prior to
embarkation. Does anyone have any recommendations on lodging in Dover?


Best Western, The Churchill

  #3  
Old November 30th, 2003, 09:02 AM
Graham Harrison
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Default Transferring from London Heathrow to Dover.

www.gobycoach.com will give you the times of Greyhound equivalents. It is
advisable to book in advance.
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/planmy...y_requirements.
asp will give you train times (but be aware that even on the details page it
treats the journey from Heathrow to the train station in London as a single
journey when, in reality, you have to use more than one Underground train).
You don't need to book in advance, buy a tube ticket into London and then a
separate ticket to Dover at the station in London.
www.yell.co.uk is our on line yellow pages and a search for "TAXIS & PRIVATE
HIRE VEHICLES" in Dover will yield a list of such companies. I don't live
in Dover but I do use my local taxis to meet me at Heathrow regularly and
they all have agreed meeting places or, if you ask them, will come into the
terminal and stand with your name on a notice at a point where you will see
them when you exit customs. Book in advance.

I would not recommend using a London cab (which you will find waiting
outside the terminal) for the journey to Dover, I suspect it would be a
fearsomely expensive experience. However, using one to get to the London
train station might be an option.

--
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  #4  
Old November 30th, 2003, 09:36 AM
Dick Locke
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Default Transferring from London Heathrow to Dover.

On Sat, 29 Nov 2003 20:30:31 GMT, "Bill Duet"
wrote:

My wife & I are booked on a Scandinavia cruise on Celebrity's
"Constellation" out of Dover, England in August of 2004. We plan to fly
into London Heathrow & then travel to Dover. Does anyone have
recommendations on how to get from Heathrow to Dover & then back to Heathrow
after the cruise? We plan to spend two nights in Dover prior to
embarkation. Does anyone have any recommendations on lodging in Dover?


It's an easy and simple drive on a very good motorway that goes right
past Heathrow, if you're not too nervous about driving on the left
side of the road. That would be the fastest way and require the least
baggage handling.

If you haven't driven on the left, I recommend paying a bit more the
first time and get an automatic. I'm still hard on gearboxes with
left-handed shifting after a bunch of trips.

If I arrive at LHR from the states and will be driving from there, I
try to stay overnight at LHR and pick up the car the next morning when
I am allegedly more alert.
  #5  
Old November 30th, 2003, 05:23 PM
Doug Weller
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Default Transferring from London Heathrow to Dover.

On Sun, 30 Nov 2003 08:02:32 +0000 (UTC), Graham Harrison wrote:

www.gobycoach.com will give you the times of Greyhound equivalents. It is
advisable to book in advance.
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/planmy...y_requirements.
asp will give you train times (but be aware that even on the details page it
treats the journey from Heathrow to the train station in London as a single
journey when, in reality, you have to use more than one Underground train).
You don't need to book in advance, buy a tube ticket into London and then a
separate ticket to Dover at the station in London.
www.yell.co.uk is our on line yellow pages and a search for "TAXIS & PRIVATE
HIRE VEHICLES" in Dover will yield a list of such companies. I don't live
in Dover but I do use my local taxis to meet me at Heathrow regularly and
they all have agreed meeting places or, if you ask them, will come into the
terminal and stand with your name on a notice at a point where you will see
them when you exit customs. Book in advance.

I would not recommend using a London cab (which you will find waiting
outside the terminal) for the journey to Dover, I suspect it would be a
fearsomely expensive experience. However, using one to get to the London
train station might be an option.


This site will tell you about the tube trains from Heathrow to Victoria
Station, where you can catch the train to Dover. You'll have to make a
change. Depending upon the time and the amount of luggage you have, this
might be a pain.

http://tube.tfl.gov.uk/journeyplanner/default.asp

More expensive but perhaps easier is the train from Heathrow to Paddington,
then a taxi to Victoria Station (there should be a cab rank so you won't
need to order a taxi). Only 15 minutes journey time.

http://www.heathrowexpress.com/

I wouldn't want to use the bus (coach) unless finances are a pinch. And a
taxi would be ridiculously expensive from Heathrow to Dover, and probably
take a long time.

Doug
  #6  
Old November 30th, 2003, 08:12 PM
Howard Long
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Default Transferring from London Heathrow to Dover.

"Bill Duet" wrote in message
hlink.net...
My wife & I are booked on a Scandinavia cruise on Celebrity's
"Constellation" out of Dover, England in August of 2004. We plan to fly
into London Heathrow & then travel to Dover. Does anyone have
recommendations on how to get from Heathrow to Dover & then back to

Heathrow
after the cruise? We plan to spend two nights in Dover prior to
embarkation. Does anyone have any recommendations on lodging in Dover?


To be honest, I would rent a car. The trip from London to Dover by train is
awful, and if you have bags with you it will make the journey stressful as
you switch between the tube and mainline trains. Buses are similarly
inconvenient and take longer.

Regarding accommodation in Dover, and Dover itself, it's not a particularly
nice town in my opinion. You might like to try stopping over in Canterbury,
for instance, which is steeped in history with thousand year old Norman
buildings still in use today. Driving around Canterbury can be interesting -
lots of one-way streets randomly weaving around the river there to get lost
in!

Good luck, Howard


  #7  
Old December 1st, 2003, 07:12 AM
Doug Weller
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Posts: n/a
Default Transferring from London Heathrow to Dover.

On Sun, 30 Nov 2003 19:12:50 +0000 (UTC), Howard Long wrote:

To be honest, I would rent a car. The trip from London to Dover by train is
awful, and if you have bags with you it will make the journey stressful as
you switch between the tube and mainline trains. Buses are similarly
inconvenient and take longer.


Train to Paddington, taxi to Victoria, train to Dover. Not bad at all.

Regarding accommodation in Dover, and Dover itself, it's not a particularly
nice town in my opinion. You might like to try stopping over in Canterbury,
for instance, which is steeped in history with thousand year old Norman
buildings still in use today. Driving around Canterbury can be interesting -
lots of one-way streets randomly weaving around the river there to get lost
in!


It certainly isn't a tourist town. Except of course for Dover Castle, well
worth seeing especially with its musuem of the 20th century wartime tunnels
its honeycombed with.

Doug
  #8  
Old December 1st, 2003, 03:18 PM
Howard Long
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Posts: n/a
Default Transferring from London Heathrow to Dover.

Doug said

Train to Paddington, taxi to Victoria, train to Dover. Not bad at all.


The journey from Victoria to Dover was miserable last time I took it, in
freezing cold rickety old rolling stock. I vowed never to take it again.

Kind Regards, Howard
(South Kensington, London)


  #9  
Old December 1st, 2003, 03:57 PM
Ian
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Posts: n/a
Default Transferring from London Heathrow to Dover.


To be honest, I would rent a car. The trip from London to Dover by train is
awful, and if you have bags with you it will make the journey stressful as
you switch between the tube and mainline trains. Buses are similarly
inconvenient and take longer.

Regarding accommodation in Dover, and Dover itself, it's not a particularly
nice town in my opinion. You might like to try stopping over in Canterbury,
for instance, which is steeped in history with thousand year old Norman
buildings still in use today. Driving around Canterbury can be interesting -
lots of one-way streets randomly weaving around the river there to get lost
in!


This is all sound advice. Because you want to stay for two nights
before embarking, you will need transport for the full day in between.
Also, you will be able to make full use of a car on the day of
arrival at LHR. On the route from LHR, consider a visit to Chartwell
(Churchill's home)

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/scri...&PROPERTYID=89

or Hever Castle (home of Anne Boleyn, 2nd wife of Henry VIII) - a
delightful moated castle)

http://www.hevercastle.co.uk/

or Leeds Castle

http://www.leeds-castle.com/

I know you will be tired after a long flight, but these are tours you
can do at your own pace.

Canterbury is incomparably better than Dover to stay in. Do not be
tempted to stay in Dover. The trip from Canterbury to Dover is only
half an hour and I would imagine that all the car rental companies
have drop-off points very close to the docks. At most, a short cab
ride would be needed to get to your embarkation point.

If you are feeling very adventurous, why not take a trip through the
Eurotunnel to France and have dinner in Calais on your second night.

http://www3.eurotunnel.com/rcs/etun/...ay_1/index.jsp

Catch a 'train' at about 4 pm (5 pm French time) - 35 minute crossing
- drive into Calais - 10 minutes - dine in nice restaurant - 2 hours -
return crossing - 35 minutes. Back at hotel by 10 pm including all
stops etc. Take advice on your visa requirements, though.

As for driving on the left, just look on it as a way of getting the
adrenalin racing. Driving in the US is so soporific that you will
view UK roads as better than a Six Flags coaster ride. Just slow down
and you'll be fine; we are used to getting out of the way!

Have a great trip and I hope you enjoy your stay. We need more US
tourists.

Ian
  #10  
Old December 3rd, 2003, 04:45 PM
david
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Posts: n/a
Default Transferring from London Heathrow to Dover.

"Bill Duet" wrote in message thlink.net...
My wife & I are booked on a Scandinavia cruise on Celebrity's
"Constellation" out of Dover, England in August of 2004. We plan to fly
into London Heathrow & then travel to Dover. Does anyone have
recommendations on how to get from Heathrow to Dover & then back to Heathrow
after the cruise? We plan to spend two nights in Dover prior to
embarkation. Does anyone have any recommendations on lodging in Dover?


As other people have mentioned, Dover is not a pleasant place to stay,
but is near to Canterbury: I regard Canterbury as one of the most
beautiful and interesting places in that part of England.

As for transportation: please do not try to drive when you are
exhausted from the flight and getting used to the unfamiliar road
conditions here (roads much smaller, driving on the left, use of
stick-shifts rather than automatics, and general speeds are often
higher than in the USA). Doing so would create a risk, not only
yourselves but also for the innocent people past whom you would drive.

Although I dislike bus travel, I suggest you use National Express
(details from www.gobycoach.com), which provides an entirely adequate
service. Normally I would recommend the train, but the process of
getting across London to the appropriate station is messy,
particularly with lots of luggage, and the trains that run from London
into Kent (Dover and Canterbury) are old, uncomfortable and
unreliable.

Hope you enjoy your stay, as well as your cruise.
 




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