Transfer From London (LGW) to Dover

I have been looking for a way to get from the Gatwick airport in London to the Dover pier, that won't cost an arm and a leg.

The cruise wants $85.00 per person, per way. $170.00 per couple

A private VAN wants $270.00 per way. $270.00 up to 6

I have been told their is a bus, much cheaper ???

Can anyone tell me how to hook up with the bus company or any other less expensive means of transportation ??

Thanks In Advance Ed

One thing to realize is the US dollar is very weak against both the Euro and the British Pound, so everything will be expensive. To be honest, unless you can find others who want to share the private van transport, the cruise line's transfer is probably the least expensive and least hassle. Taking a train is a hassle as there are no direct trains to Dover from Gatwick. You'll have to take the train from Gatwick to Central London's Victoria Station, drag your luggage to another train, ride to Dover, and again drag your luggage to the port which is about one mile away. It's 80 miles from Gatwick to Dover, so that's another reason transfers are so expensive. I found private transportation that is 195 BP ($390 USD) per vehicle, not per person, which was the cheapest I could find for private cars. I did a google search and didn't find any bus that went directly from Gatwick to Dover. All have you changing in Central London, which would add a whole lot of time to your transfer.

Have you thought of hiring a car?

Rates from Gatwick are from around £30 per day ($60ish) for a small car (OK for two for a short journey).

The route you would use from the airport would be on major roads, mostly motorways, which are fast and free to use.

The distance is around 80 miles and would take around an hour and a half, depending on traffic.

If you did hire a car you could possibly (depending on your arrival time, and tiredness) stop and have lunch somewhere 'typically British'.

If you really wanted to travel by train, try the 'VisitBritain' website.

It appears that you do not actually have to travel all the way into central London to change trains.

I hope this helps.

Regards

I have been looking for a way to get from the Gatwick airport in London to the Dover pier, that won't cost an arm and a leg.

The cruise wants $85.00 per person, per way. $170.00 per couple

A private VAN wants $270.00 per way. $270.00 up to 6

I have been told their is a bus, much cheaper ???

 

Can anyone tell me how to hook up with the bus company or any other less expensive means of transportation ??

 

Thanks In Advance Ed

We just got back from a Celebrity British Isles cruise and ended up using the cruise lines transfers. Best thing we could have done. I investigated trains- too much hassle with all the luggage, private car-out of sight expensive and buses, again too much hassle. We were the only ones coming in out of Gatwick that morning and X provided a private car and driver down to Southampton. He was wonderful. Took the scenic route to show us the beautiful landscape and we arrived nice and relaxed. On the way back it couldn't have been easier; We walked off the ship first and jumped into a mini-van with 4 others. It's a good 2 hour drive so I would recommend the cruise line transfers. If you're thinking about renting a car, think twice. Driving in that traffic, on the wrong side of the road would be totally nervewracking! Keep in mind that there were only 2 of us. If you have 4 or more people a private car/van would be the way to go costwise........

Thanks for the info Candelle & Opera fan. I don't think I would make it driving on what we Americans consider the wrong side of the road. I will take a look at "VISITBRITAIN".

I did find a bus that runs out of Gatwick to London change buses and than on to Dover. It takes about 4 hours with a 90 minute layover in London. It drops right at the pier. It's called NationalExpress and is 31.50 pounds (round trip) per person. Candelle have you heard of them. ??? Ed

Thanks for the info Candelle & Opera fan. I don't think I would make it driving on what we Americans consider the wrong side of the road. I will take a look at "VISITBRITAIN".

I did find a bus that runs out of Gatwick to London change buses and than on to Dover. It takes about 4 hours with a 90 minute layover in London. It drops right at the pier. It's called NationalExpress and is 31.50 pounds (round trip) per person. Candelle have you heard of them. ??? Ed

 

Ed,

 

I looked at Nat'l Express too. The price is right but having done Europe cruises several times I factored in the exhaustion factor as well as dragging all that luggage around. For us, it was well worth the extra $$$ to use the ship transfers.

Why not take the train? Fastest and cheapest; yes, you have to haul your own luggage through the train station, but there's plenty of porters and friendly people to help you put it on the train; lots of luggage storage on train.

Train takes about 30 minutes from London and costs about $20 / 10 GBP one way; also, if you have time, you can stop in Canterbury on the way as its halfway between London and Dover; lovely city and cathedral!

That's how I always travel London to Dover, anyhow...:)

Dear Ed

Yes, National Express is very reputable: they are an organisation which has coaches covering the whole of Great Britain.

National Express (except for obvious traffic hold ups etc.) depart and arrive on time, so would be a good bet. If you decide to use them, try to ensure you know where to find the coach before you leave home. I hate trying to locate bus stops in strange venues! If you allow enough time, you'll be fine.

They also sometimes have 'special offers' on tickets, as low as £1.00 per trip! You'll obviously be lucky if their cheap fare coincides with your timing, but it is work a look to check.

I just have to mention driving on the 'wrong' side of the road. Yes, here in the UK we do drive on the left. Continental Europe and the States don't so if we want to use a car abroad, we have to 'drive on the wrong side'. It is a worry for the first few yards but then it becomes second nature, and I really really think people worry too much. You just need to follow the other traffic! The route from Gatwick is practically all on motorways (3 lane highways) and would be simple.

Regards

Hi All,

Thanks for your input. So far we are leaning toward taking the bus, but we are still looking for your input.

Does anyone have the web site for the TRAIN system ??

Thanks again Ed

Thanks for the info Candelle & Opera fan. I don't think I would make it driving on what we Americans consider the wrong side of the road. I will take a look at "VISITBRITAIN".

I did find a bus that runs out of Gatwick to London change buses and than on to Dover. It takes about 4 hours with a 90 minute layover in London. It drops right at the pier. It's called NationalExpress and is 31.50 pounds (round trip) per person. Candelle have you heard of them. ??? Ed

We used the National Express buses when we were staying in the Dover/Canterbury area a couple years ago to get to London and back. Found them very reliable and easy to use. We had actually rented a car while touring Great Britain, but did not want the hassle of driving into london, so took the bus. It worked great! If there is a bus that lets you off at the dock area in Dover for your cruise, I would say that would be a great way for you to go. Sure beats the expensive transfer costs!

Driving on the 'wrong side of the road' is not such a problem if you hire a car and use a car designed for driving that way. You are then sitting in the right place.

It is when you take a right hand drive to europe or a left hand drive to UK that I think it gets scary.

Anyway trains from Gatwick to Dover can be found for about £42 per person return if you book in advance, you may even get cheaper I am not sure of your dates. You have to change at least once (london bridge on the search I did) and takes up to 2 1/2 hours.

It is not so difficult as long as you can cope with your bags. Lifts never seem easy to find and of course you may have to cross over bridges to get to another platform. British Rail are well known for delays so I would allow plenty of time if you are going by rail. a search for National Rail will come up with their journey planner. A train journey across the country can be lovely.

National Express can be really cheap if you find a journey that coincides with where you want to go. If you just miss a connection you may find that the wait is too long.

I am all for getting lots of taxi and car quotes, you can come up with some good ones. Try going to yell.co the yellow pages near to dover and getting a company from there. they might be cheaper than a company based around the tourist trap of Gatwick. The driver will certainly Dover well. The cruise line transfers do seem incredibly expensive.

I went to the National Express site to look at their £1 fares in connection with a journey I am doing. I came up with nothing, but when I looked at you journey I got quite interested on your behalf:)

The 'funfare' cheap journey goes to Dover Pier from the Victoria coach station which is not that far from the Victoria train station. It depends on whether or not the timings coincide,

You then need to get from Gatwick to Victoria - that is a very normal journey and you can do it quickly by train (I'm not sure about the price) If your cases are not too bulky it is not a huge problem to get between the victoria train and bus stations. (disagree with me anyone ?)

It takes just over an hour on the bus and the cost is about £10 each return.

So you can do the journey quite easily but so much depends on

how tired you will be after your flight

do you have the energy to make changes

how heavy your cases are

how much time there is between flight and the latest boarding time

I would certainly consider that route for my family if we had to get to Dover.

I did find a bus that runs out of Gatwick to London change buses and than on to Dover. It takes about 4 hours with a 90 minute layover in London. It drops right at the pier. It's called NationalExpress and is 31.50 pounds (round trip) per person. Candelle have you heard of them. ??? Ed

With this first plan, as long as your bags stay on the bus during the layover, you would have time to go see Picadilly Circus which is just a short walk away. If you haven't been there before you might enjoy seeing it.

With this first plan, as long as your bags stay on the bus during the layover, you would have time to go see Picadilly Circus which is just a short walk away. If you haven't been there before you might enjoy seeing it.

Oops! I should have added: Provided that your layover is at the Victoria Station in London!!!!:D

Thanks LAMB & OLLIEN, Can I check bags at the bus terminal ?? If so the train and/or bus should work. Picadilly Circus sounds like a nice stop.

We are now leaving for a two week trip to Las Vegas & California. Will finish off the bookings when we return.

Thanks Again Ed

If you don't want to have to change buses here is another alternative. You could take the high speed rail (see link below) to Victoria station and then catch the bus to Dover from there!

London Gatwick Express

This high speed rail service offers the quickest way to journey from Gatwick

Airport to Victoria Station in central London - or to the airport from the city ...

http://www.britainexpress.com/London/Gatwick_Express.htm - 29k - similar pages

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I found a link to the Victoria Bus Station in London. Looks like they have a bag storage service!

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/1214.aspx

If you don't want to have to change buses here is another alternative. You could take the high speed rail (see link below) to Victoria station and then catch the bus to Dover from there!

 

London Gatwick Express

 

This high speed rail service offers the quickest way to journey from Gatwick

Airport to Victoria Station in central London - or to the airport from the city ...

http://www.britainexpress.com/London/Gatwick_Express.htm - 29k - similar pages

___________________________________________________________________

 

I found a link to the Victoria Bus Station in London. Looks like they have a bag storage service!

 

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/1214.aspx

That was what I was intending to say, but it did not sound as clear when I said it :o

I travelled by bus and train years ago as a student. I seem to recall that Victoria bus and train stations are not in the same building. Very near, but you have to go from one to the other. A bit like different terminals in an airport. You have to allow for this timing.

Have fun on your trip and then you can try and work out your best combination.

Hi All,

Thanks for your input. So far we are leaning toward taking the bus, but we are still looking for your input.

 

Does anyone have the web site for the TRAIN system ??

 

Thanks again Ed

Hello Ed,

The National Rail website covers the entire British railway system and will allow you to find all the possible options for getting from Gatwick to Dover by train:

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

As you will see, there are no direct trains from Gatwick to Dover. Probably the easiest route would be from Gatwick to London Victoria Station, where you would change for a direct train to Dover; however, going from Gatwick into London takes you in the wrong direction, if you know what I mean. But one advantage of taking this route is that you will find luggage carts at Victoria Station.

You will also see a route that takes you from Gatwick to Dover via Tonbridge. This is a more direct route.

Someone else suggested you take the train from Gatwick to London Victoria Station and then the National Express coach from Victoria Coach Station to Dover. Victoria Coach Station is just two or three blocks from Victoria (Railway) Station; it's certainly manageable on foot, although it could be awkward with a lot of heavy luggage.

Someone else suggested you take the National Express coach from Gatwick to London & change there for the coach to Dover. Again, this is very convenient, if a bit slower--but Piccadilly Circus isn't the first sight I'd want to go visit in London, unless you're enamored of the old (i.e., pre-cleaned-up) Times Square in Manhattan & want to see the London equivalent!;) Instead, time permitting, you could stroll over to Buckingham Palace, about a ten- or fifteen-minute walk from the coach station.

Hope this information helps. Enjoy your trip!

Cheers,

John

The bus trip with the transfer at Victoria Station Bus Terminal is certainly the most inexpensive option. We had such a great experience using the National Express buses that I do not hesitate to recommend it. Since they DO have a baggage storage service available at Victoria Sation you would be free to explore the area for ashort time, that was why I suggested Piccadilly Circus as it is very close by. Trivoli Fountain is not very far either. Yes, even Buckingham Palace is not too far away. Just watch your time carefully and you will be fine. :)

Trivoli Fountain is not very far either. Yes, even Buckingham Palace is not too far away. Just watch your time carefully and you will be fine. :)

I'm sorry! I meant Trafalgar Square (not Trivoli fountain!! - that is for my Rome trip this year!) Brain lapse!!!:eek:

Thanks all for the great info. You All Are Super People

Now does anyone know the distance is from:

lgw to Dover

lgw to Victoria Station

Victoria Station to Dover

Thanks In Advance Ed

Now does anyone know the distance is from:

lgw to Dover

lgw to Victoria Station

Victoria Station to Dover

Gatwick to Victoria station by road = about 30 miles

Victoria station to Dover by road = about 80 miles

We used the British rail system for the first time in May 2006 and found it to be very easy and convenient. We'll be arriving in London Gatwick this September and taking the Gatwick Express to Victoria Station. From there we will be taking the train to Dover Priory Station. Even with our luggage it's all very simple and affordable. No problem at all. We'll also be visiting Canterbury before our cruise. :D