Cpelk

Good Day All.

Another transportation question....

We will have to drop our rental car off on in Oxford on a Sunday by noon.

From there we are going to London. We have an apartment rented in South Kensington, a 10 minute walk from Gloucester Station.

What do you think is the best/easiest/least expensive way to get from Oxford to London?

I've been looking at the Oxford Tube bus that leaves out of Gloucester Green in Oxford and would take us to Palace Gardens Terrace which is minutes from the Notting Hill Gate Station. That takes about an hour and a half and is only 11 pounds each for the over 60 rate. Does anyone have any recent experience taking this bus? Does it need to be booked in advance to assure a seat?

I see that National Express also runs bus service and of course there is the train.

Does anyone have any input on the pros and cons between the means of travel? We are willing to pay more for some convenience, but a private driver is generally more than we are willing to spend, at least at this point.

Thank you,

Cindy P.

historytraveler

I have taken the bus ( Oxford Tube ) to/ from Oxford/ London for years. I prefer it over the train. Gloucester Green is usually easier to get to than the train station and offers several different drop off points. If your hotel is only a few minutes from Notting Hill Gate Station, it is definitely easier than the train. Tickets can be bought in advance, but I have never done this. It's certainly not necessary. I always buy my ticket when boarding bus.

janisj

That would be a >>10 minute walk from Gloucester <B>Road</B> Station<<

>> If your hotel is only a few minutes from Notting Hill Gate Station,<<

It isn't -- it is near Gloucester Road

I'd actually take the coach all the way to Victoria and then take the tube Gloucester Rd (or a taxi from Victoria right to your flat)

historytraveler

Okay, janisj seems to know where most hotels in London are actually located while I usually take a poster's word for it. If hotel is near Gloucester Road then do as janisj says and take bus all the way to Victoria. I'd probably opt for the taxi unless you're familiar with Victoria Station.

janisj

>>Okay, janisj seems to know where most hotels in London are actually located while I usually take a poster's word for it.<<

Actually it says they are staying in a flat 10 mins from the Gloucester Rd tube station - doesn't mention a hotel anywhere (I had a hard time following the OP but that is how I read it anyway)

>>best/easiest/least expensive way <<

Seldom is something 'best', 'easiest' and 'cheapest'. IMO 'Best in your situation is Oxford Tube to Victoria and taxi to your flat -- by far the easiest but not cheapest.

Cpelk

Sorry if I was hard to follow. I've been looking at time tables and tube maps for some time now an I'm a bit muddled.

We are in a flat. It is a 10 min walk from Gloucester Station.

I mentioned Notting Hill Station because it was a short tube ride from there to Gloucester. Google maps who s the bus stop at Palace Gardens is very close to Notting Hill Station.

I know that best easiest and cheapest seldom occur together!

Thanks for your help.

Cindy p.

Cpelk

That should read Google maps shows the bus stop as very close.

janisj

>>We are in a flat. It is a 10 min walk from Gloucester Station.<<

That is where some of the confusion may have come from .. There is Gloucester Green in Oxford and Gloucester <B>ROAD</B> station in London (you do need to use the full name)

>>I mentioned Notting Hill Station because it was a short tube ride from there to Gloucester. << -- Gloucester <u>Road</u>.

The Oxford Tube stop is actually in Bayswater Road and a short walk from Notting Hill Gate station, which is three stops from Gloucester Road station. <B>HOWEVER</B> there are stairs at Gloucester Road station on the Circle Line - can you manage your bags up 25 or 30 steps?

So two questions - where is your flat and how much luggage do you have??

historytraveler

I'm still a bit confused. The Oxford Tube does not stop at Palace Gardens which is a regular bus stop for London buses. The Oxford Tube stops just the other side of Notting Hill Gate tube station on Bayswater Road as janisj said. It is a fairly short tube ride to Gloucester Station but, again, stairs may be a problem. Personally, some years ago I decided never to ride the tube with luggage. Not the cheapest option but you could take HEX to Paddington and a taxi to hotel, but a car service would probably run about the same. Have you looked at taking a bus from Notting Hill Gate? Have a look at this website www.tfl.gov.uk for various options. As always, it's a matter of how much you're willing to pay for hassle - free transport.

thursdaysd

" Not the cheapest option but you could take HEX to Paddington and a taxi to hotel"

Not from Oxford they can't.

janisj

>>The Oxford Tube does not stop at Palace Gardens<<

That's true. Maybe to clarify a bit - It stops on Bayswater Road across the street from the top end of Palace Gardens Mews.

Before we give bus info -- we need to know <i>where</i> the flat actually is. A 10 minute walk from Gloucester Rd station could be anywhere from Kensington Gore to Earls Court to Brompton Rd . . .

If you DO have luggage -- the thing to do is get off the coach (at Victoria or on Bayswater Rd) and then hail a taxi to the flat. There are two stops at Victoria In Buckingham Palace Rd - first near Lower Grosvenor Place, then the end of the line at the bottom of Victoria Station at Elizabeth St.

historytraveler

Sorry about my mid- post confusion suggesting the HEX and car service. Momentarily forget it is Oxford to London you were asking about and not LHR to London.

Cpelk

Our flat address is 88 Drayton Gardens. Yes it is near Gloucester ROAD Station. I will make sure to use full names.

The Oxford Tube website lists their stop near Notting Hill as Notting Hill Gate. I got the Palace Gardens name from Google. It looked like the closest cross street on Bayswater Road when I was checking to see how far the bus stop actually was from Notting Hill Gate.

We will have luggage. We try to travel pretty light. A wheeled carry on bag and small personal item each. We can manage stairs, have lugged the same bags up to 4th floor flats in Italy and over bridges in Venice.

I initially chose Notting Hill Gate because it looked like it would be less complicated to get around in than Victoria Station.

We have discussed taking a taxi from whatever station we end up in to the flat and it does seem like a viable option.

We are not necessarily limited to only the cheapest options for our transport. Maybe I should be asking for the smartest option?

We try to weigh price against convenience, trying to get the most value from our vacation dollars (pounds).

I appreciate all of your comments and apologize once again if I am not making myself clear.

Cindy P.

nanabee

Cindy, I am not an expert on transportation (that is why I travel with my dear hubby!) but I am good at using google maps and GPS for help.

If you type in something to the effect "direction oxford england to Gloucester Road Station london" you can get interesting information that way. You can be very specific - type in the exact addresses in fact and you might be able to have more precise information.

I am not sure but maybe others can weigh in as well.

Cpelk

nanabee. Thank you. I've done that and used Rome2Rio and seat 61 also. As well as exploring trainline.com and the National Rail site and the Oxford tube site and the National Express site and several printed travel guides. Not to mention searching this forum and lurking for many months as we plan our trip.

Everyone here at Fodors is helpful and knowledgeable and I've been able to make most of our decisions simply from reading what has been asked and answered already.

Certainly there are several different ways to get from Oxford into London and to our flat once we arrive. They all have their pros and cons.

I am just looking for opinions from people that travel regularly in England to see what they consider think.

Sometimes more choices just make my choices harder.

Cindy P.

thursdaysd

My UK relatives use citymapper. I usually use google maps on my phone while traveling.

I have used the Oxford Tube and it worked fine. The bus station is more convenient than the train station in oxford.

janisj

>>The Oxford Tube website lists their stop near Notting Hill as Notting Hill Gate.<<

Notting Hill Gate IS the nearest tube station to that stop. But there are other stops.

>>We have discussed taking a taxi from whatever station we end up in to the flat and it does seem like a viable option.<<

The Oxford Tube does not stop AT/IN stations. It stops on streets some of which are near stations. The 2nd Victoria stop is right next to part of Victoria station but not near where you would get on the tube.

>>Our flat address is 88 Drayton Gardens.<<

That is why I asked. The flat is not far from Gloucester Road station -- but it is actually just as close to Earls Court.

>>I am just looking for opinions from people that travel regularly in England to see what they consider think. <<

I have been to the UK/London countless times (probably 50), lived near Oxford for nearly 5 years, and know those locations precisely. It sounds like you won't have trouble with the bags and stairs -- but Gloucester Rd station can surprise people since much of that part of the Circle line is at grade level but there are many steps at Gloucester Road.

The 'Best' options by Oxford Tube would be 1) Notting Hill Gate to Earl's Court by tube and walk from there - BUT you would need to take a District Line train - NOT the Circle line. Or 2) Catch a taxi on Bayswater Rd right after you get off the coach.

Cpelk

JanisJ. Thank you! Do you know if there is a taxi stand nearby on Bayswater Road?

historytraveler

There is no taxi stand near Notting Hill Gate tube station.

Cpelk

Is there a taxi stand at Victoria station?