Heathrow to Dover
 

We would like to go from Heathrow to Dover in July to spend a few days prior to our cruise. I am a little daunted by the idea of changing busses as Victoria Coach....with all the luggage! Would anyone know a cheap(er) and reliable taxi service? I know that they all have different rates. Thanks

babylene , it would be exspensive for a taxi. we took the bus its a lot easier than train as the bus station is flat & the drivers put your luggage on & off the bus, the buses are very comfortable.the bus company is www.nationaltravel.com

I assume you know it is over 90 miles from LHR to Dover -- a cab, or even a car service would be very expensive.

most cruise lines offer transfers from the airport, but since you are arriving a few days early that probably won't work.

How about going into London for one night, see some sights and then take the train down to Dover.

Can I suggest you think hard about spending a few days in Dover?

There are a couple of excellent things to see in Dover, and with time to spare there are some terrific walks along the cliffs east and west of the town.

But it's really not a nice town. Bizarrely for SE England, it's depressed (the Channel Tunnel, cheapo airlines and the abolition of European border controls have savaged its economy). There's a fair amount of low-level tension between its local poor teenagers and refugees (who are sometimes forced to hang round in Dover because of the way our asylum laws work), leading to reported minor violence in the town centre at night.

And it just doesn't feel like a proper English town: the millions of people who travel through Dover each year pretty much bypass the centre, or at best go straight to the Castle, and the place is full of tacky buildings and empty space. Its hotels, while OK, are really aimed at those of us who want to arrive late at night, sleep, and catch an early morning ferry. No Olde English inns, or fine US-style resorts here.

Don't get me wrong: this is not a hellhole to be avoided at all costs, and I never feel threatened going there for a day's work or for an overnight while travelling. Dover's surrounded by lovely countryside and bracing coastlines - but the town itself just isn't the English idyll you'd get in York or Cambridge.

I can't easily think of an obvious alternative - and anywhere up or down the coast really needs a car (which would solve your transport problem from LHR). Rye is lovely, but might get a bit cloying after day or so. Rye needs a change of trains to get to Dover.

Maybe others have different experiences. But I can't think of a single Briton (even among the town's citizens) who'd recommend Dover for more than a few hours.

Incidentally, most of the car services frequently recommended on this site (like www.airporttransfers.biz) will do the LHR-Dover trip, usually from £100 and up per car each way.

With luck, others might have some good alternatives to Dover.

No no no!!! You will hate Dover - it's somewhere you pass through - and even that's only because you HAVE to! If you want to go down that way, stay in Canterbury and hire a car to get the most of the surrounding area - from there you can easily get to lovely little, historic towns like Sandwich, as well as seeking out come really lovely villages and beautiful pretty scenery.

Can I please reiterate? Do NOT stay in Dover!

Wow! Thank you for all of your replies.

I hadn't realized that Dover was so bad. I figured we'd go to the castle and walk around the town and to the cliffs. The day we arrive, we'll be zonked from travelling, and so we would really have one full day to do whatever. I had booked the Churchill.

Jean...would you know...are the connecting busses in the same area of the station?

Flanneruk...I checked out that taxi company...so far it's the lowest priced one I found. Now they charge 117.50 pounds.

Tallulah...we don't want to drive ourselves (wrong side and all that!!!). Would we be able to take a tour from Dover to Canterbury? Or somewhere else,nearby?

Any more ideas or suggestion???Thanks again

If your airport transfer is included in the cruise, maybe your best bet would be to train or tube into London, spend a few nights there with day trips to nearby sights (see National Rail's Days out From London) and then get to the boat in the prescribed way.

You'll see enough of Dover between the rail station and the dock, trust me.

I agree w/ all the others Dover is NOT a place for several days - but one day/night does make sense because the Castle alone is worth most of a day. It is HUGE.

Have you been to London before? And how many is "a few days"? Your transport options are a LOT easier from London than from LHR and by train than by bus If you are at all interested in seeing any London sites, I'd go into the city for 1 or 2 nights, then take the train to Canterbury for 1 night and then the train to Dover to visit the castle and stay the night before your cruise embarkation.

you could also take the train from Dover to places like deal or Walmer for really interesting castles, gardens etc.

adjust the # of days to fit the time you have

Thank you all for your suggestions. Any others?