Bath to London, private driver/car service
 

Looking for a private driver/car service to take us from Bath to London. Traveling with my husband at the end of December. Any ideas what this should cost? Thank you.

Bath Private Car Hire Services (https://www.bathprivatecarhire.com/a...transfers.html) quote a price of £135 and a time of 1 hour 45 minutes for the Bath to Heathrow journey. You can see other companies if you Google "Bath private car hire", and I would expect their prices to be about the same.

Bath to central London is likely to be 30%-50% more, in time and cost, than Bath to Heathrow.

Obviously most people with a country house in the countryside round Bath would use a car to get to their other house in the London suburbs. But it's hard to imagine any good reason for a car from the centre of Bath to the centre of London.

That's what Brunel invented the Great Western Railway for.

Do you want to get to lLondon or to Heathrow? HUGE difference. To LHR a car service <i>can</i> make sense.

If, on the other hand, you are traveling in to London - a car is a loopy idea. A train would be faster and MUCH cheaper.

I am in fact going into London to my hotel. It seemed easier with luggage to just take a car service, but I am hearing that the train may in fact be the way to go.

How much luggage do you have? I can't imagine hiring a private driver when it's so easy to take a train. But if you've got steamer trunks, perhaps it would be smarter to get a driver.

Which hotel? We can tell you the best way to get there

Why not just take the train, as long as you are heading into the city centre?

If you have mobility issues, or more luggage than you can handle on your own, then a car service could make sense, but will cost you.

If you can tell us where you're heading, you will get better directions and travel advice.

If you do have mobility issues/injures/physical limitations, please advise, as that might change the directions.

I would imagine that train tickets and then a taxi from the station to your hotel would still be less expensive, and likely quicker, than a car service from Bath. The train experts here can advice if that's a train ticket that should be booked in advance for savings.

No 'imagine ' about it. A car from Bath would cost a fortune.

Our hotel is in Westminster. It sounds like the train is the way to go, especially if the train from Bath takes us into Victoria Station. Thank you all.

>>Our hotel is in Westminster<<

'Westminster' as in near parliament . . . or actual 'Westminster' which includes about half of central London? That is why I asked specifically which hotel . . .

>> especially if the train from Bath takes us into Victoria Station<<

It won't -- the trains serve Paddington station.

Tell us where you are staying and we can give you the best directions. Since you mention Victoria you may be staying in Victoria or Pimlico but ???

We are staying at The Corinthia on Whitehall Place. This trip is a 30th anniversary celebration, so I had in mind keeping it easy and luxurious. But if the traffic is crazy and the price prohibitive, I would of course consider the train. Thanks for your advice.

Then you don't want Victoria anyway.

Take the train to Paddington and a cab to the hotel.

(I'm suggesting that since you are staying at the Corinthia . . . If you were staying at the Travelodge I'd suggest the tube ;) Since it is the Corinthia I'm guessing you can afford the cab fare)

It isn't that the traffic will be crazy (though it can be) -- it is that a car from Bath into very central London will take FOREVER and cost a fortune.

The train from Bath to London Paddington is very easy and comfortable.

Going from Heathrow to Bath we used Taxi2Flight http://www.taxi2flight.co.uk/
We arranged with them to visit Stonehenge during our transfer and it was well worth the cost to us.

Take a first class train ticket, and book it in advance to take advantage of advance fares.

Lovely hotel - enjoy!

End of December? But when. Works on lines thus delays are planned for the end of December.
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/servic...ns/149383.aspx
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-37816576
Note trains to Paddington will be affected.
Trains running via Bath only end at Paddington.
Because of the works the roads will be even busier.

True, forgot about that. I think trains end at Ealing Broadway in the week between Christmas and NY. Take a taxi or book a car service from there.

What you all seeme to be forgetting in this is that, although the train may travel faster between stations, it is the whole journey time that is important, and you should take account of the journey to and from the station at each end, time making connections, and the time you have to allow to make sure you don't miss a train.

You also have to take account of the number of passengers, their mobility, and the amount of luggage.

Put all those together, and a car may be just as fast, a lot more convenient, and no more expensive. That is especially true if the train terminates at Ealoing Broadway.

>>although the train may travel faster between stations, it is the whole journey time that is important<<

Do you know where the Corinthia is? It is in Whitehall Place across from the Royal Horseguards so a car would not only have to travel to London - it would have to cross all the way to Embankment.

But rail work could screw things up.

Reading the national Rail link - not all trains to Paddington are cancelled Just reduced service.

For example 30 Dec says: >><blue>Friday 30 December An amended weekday service will run with trains starting later than the normal timetable. Some morning and evening peak services to and from London Paddington will be amended or cancelled. Additional trains will run from the West of England to London Paddington</blue><<

slightly different info depending on the exact date.

I'm going to reach out to bathprivatecarhire and taxi2flight to get an idea of the cost. Thanks chartley, I agree about the extra time for the transfers, waiting and cabs, and taking into account the work on the lines, I am leaning toward taking a car service. As New Yorkers, I think we'll enjoy the city sites during the drive through London, even if there is some traffic! Thank you all for your input.