Cruise train from Liverpool street to Harwich

[dcmcruiser]

We are going on cruise in Aug. 2013 and would like to stay near Liverpool street station and take cruise train to Harwich, but need to know if train is not stop and if luggage is difficult to handle getting off and on train? Cruiseline has recommended hotel with transfer but it will take 2-3 hours to get to Harwich on day of cruise. Any suggestions on Liverpool street hotels will also be appreciated!:confused: PS: Never have taken train in Europe and thought it might be fun.

[Ray66]

There's a list of hotels here. Remember to slide the distance to 1 mile in the left hand column.

 

http://www.laterooms.com/en/k16294940_liverpool-street-station-hotels.aspx#ofcbpq

[John Bull]

If you take the cruise train, you do not need to change trains. It will take you direct from Liverpool Street station to the ship pier.

It's a much quicker & cheaper option than a private transfer for two.

 

 

Liverpool Street station is just to the north of central London's sights & ho-ho routes - so don't choose a hotel too far north of the station.

 

 

Never been on a train in europe before, eh ?

Easy-peasy. :)

But London's underground (the tube) will fox you for a while :D

The extensive tube service is a cheap & fast way of getting around London but takes a bit of getting used-to.

Mind the gap :)

 

JB :)

[Cotswold Eagle]

Any suggestions on Liverpool street hotels will also be appreciated!:confused: PS: Never have taken train in Europe and thought it might be fun.

 

What kind of hotel and budget are we talking about? The obvious place to stay is the Andaz, which is literally next door to the station, but that's a high end Hyatt, at probably £300/night.

 

Liverpool Street is in the City, London's financial district, so expect to find business class hotels. You can find bargains at weekends, though. You are also not particularly close to any of the 'main' tourist sites in London. That might not matter, but you don't say how long you intend to stay.

 

Staying just a mile away, as Ray66 suggests, can put you in one of several different districts, some of which will be easier to reach the station from :)

 

If you can give a few more details, you'll probably get some more helpful ideas for hotels.

Edited February 10, 2013 by Cotswold Eagle

[dcmcruiser]

What kind of hotel and budget are we talking about? The obvious place to stay is the Andaz, which is literally next door to the station, but that's a high end Hyatt, at probably £300/night.

 

Liverpool Street is in the City, London's financial district, so expect to find business class hotels. You can find bargains at weekends, though. You are also not particularly close to any of the 'main' tourist sites in London. That might not matter, but you don't say how long you intend to stay.

 

Staying just a mile away, as Ray66 suggests, can put you in one of several different districts, some of which will be easier to reach the station from :)

 

If you can give a few more details, you'll probably get some more helpful ideas for hotels.

We are flying into Heathrow Aug.18 and know we need to get transportation from airport to hotel. We are staying one night and hoping to take train to harwich next morning and need to stay near liverpool street because of luggage. Trying to do this as cheap as possible. Any information will be appreciated!

[Twickenham]

We are flying into Heathrow Aug.18 and know we need to get transportation from airport to hotel. We are staying one night and hoping to take train to harwich next morning and need to stay near liverpool street because of luggage. Trying to do this as cheap as possible. Any information will be appreciated!

 

Well, the cheapest way of doing this is probably underground from LHR to Central London then tube to Liverpool St. Station next day. But balancing convenience with budget considerations, I would probably do Heathrow Connect to Paddington, stay at a budget hotel there for the night, then taxi (or tube from Paddington) to Liverpool St. for the train the next day.

[Cotswold Eagle]

Yes, I think Twickenham has the best plan for you - staying at Paddington will give you cheaper options (I see the Mercure next to the station from £89 for your stay). There is a direct tube from Paddington to Liverpool Street and you might as well do it the next day and take advantage of cheaper accomodation. The Andaz for the same night is £240....

Edited February 11, 2013 by Cotswold Eagle

[Twickenham]

If you can get the Mercure for £89, then grab it - after the Hilton, it's the most convenient hotel to the station, just walk up the ramp and cross the small side street to the left, and you're there.

[John Bull]

From Heathrow, the Heathrow Express to Paddington (about £20 pp) is one of your most convenient transfer options.

 

At some point you'll have to transfer the 5 miles from Paddington to Liverpool Street (in your circumstances I'd recommend by taxi). Of course you can do this on arrival & stay at a hotel near Liverpool Street, or you can stay at a Paddington hotel & do this on departure.

Liverpool Street & Paddington are both on the edge of tourist-London, both are well-served by the tube, Paddington is more convenient for ho-ho buses but this is a minor factor.

IMHO, either area would serve you well.

 

JB :)

Edited February 11, 2013 by John Bull

[retirepopo]

We are flying into Heathrow Aug.18 and know we need to get transportation from airport to hotel. We are staying one night and hoping to take train to harwich next morning and need to stay near liverpool street because of luggage. Trying to do this as cheap as possible. Any information will be appreciated!

 

If you are looking for a budget, basic and cheap hotel then try

http://www.travelodge.co.uk/hotels/44/London-Liverpool-Street-hotel/rooms-rates

 

The hotel is .20 miles from the station, we (7 of us) are staying there for three nights and plans to take the train to Harwich for our May cruise.

hope this help.

[Cotswold Eagle]

If you are looking for a budget, basic and cheap hotel then try

http://www.travelodge.co.uk/hotels/44/London-Liverpool-Street-hotel/rooms-rates

 

The hotel is .20 miles from the station, we (7 of us) are staying there for three nights and plans to take the train to Harwich for our May cruise.

hope this help.

 

Thank you, I didn't know about this one. As you say, very basic and no frills, but a bargain - currently an advance rate of £38 for the OP's Sunday night stay!

[retirepopo]

Thank you, I didn't know about this one. As you say, very basic and no frills, but a bargain - currently an advance rate of £38 for the OP's Sunday night stay!

 

I need your help to map out a route to get to the hotel from the airport.

We arrive at LHR on May 10 at 7:00 AM. we know we can hire a private car or take the express, but we want to do the cheapest way and take the public transportation. We don't have much luggage and we are used to walk. And we could not check in the hotel until noon. So we have time.

Thank you.

[Twickenham]

I need your help to map out a route to get to the hotel from the airport.

We arrive at LHR on May 10 at 7:00 AM. we know we can hire a private car or take the express, but we want to do the cheapest way and take the public transportation. We don't have much luggage and we are used to walk. And we could not check in the hotel until noon. So we have time.

Thank you.

 

The underground would be the way for you to go. From LHR, it will require a change somewhere; your hotel is actually between 2 stations, but I would probably choose to go to Liverpool St., so that you can familiarize yourself with the walk from the hotel and so you have somewhere to kill time if you're early. From the tube map, the mody obvious change options are:

 

-Holborn for the Central line;

-King's Cross-St. Pancras for the Circle/Metropolitan/Hammersmith & City lines;

-South Kensington for the Circle line;

-Hammersmith for the Circle line.

 

I'm sure one of the London posters can advise on which of these connections is the easiest/most convenient.

[retirepopo]

The underground would be the way for you to go. From LHR, it will require a change somewhere; your hotel is actually between 2 stations, but I would probably choose to go to Liverpool St., so that you can familiarize yourself with the walk from the hotel and so you have somewhere to kill time if you're early. From the tube map, the mody obvious change options are:

 

-Holborn for the Central line;

-King's Cross-St. Pancras for the Circle/Metropolitan/Hammersmith & City lines;

-South Kensington for the Circle line;

-Hammersmith for the Circle line.

 

I'm sure one of the London posters can advise on which of these connections is the easiest/most convenient.

 

Thanks.

Let me try to understand your suggestion:

from the airport we take Central line to Holborn. Get off at King's Cross. Either take Circle line to St.Pancras or City line to Metropolitan

or Hammersmith. Get off at South Kensington .......This is the part I am confused, do I get off at South Kensington or do I take the circle line that go to South Kensington, and Liverpool Station is one of the stop at the route?

[Twickenham]

Thanks.

Let me try to understand your suggestion:

from the airport we take Central line to Holborn. Get off at King's Cross. Either take Circle line to St.Pancras or City line to Metropolitan

or Hammersmith. Get off at South Kensington .......This is the part I am confused, do I get off at South Kensington or do I take the circle line that go to South Kensington, and Liverpool Station is one of the stop at the route?

 

Sorry for the confusion (blame it on posting on a Sunday morning... :D)

The underground line from LHR is the Picadilly line - dark blue on your standard tube map. Each of the suggestions I posted are transfers from the Picadilly line - so you have a choice. My instincts say go for the Picadilly line to South Kensington, then switch to the Circle line, just because I think that station would be less busy than King's Cross or Hammersmith, but I can't right now remember how many steps there are between the Picadilly line and Circle line platforms.

[John Bull]

Thanks.

Let me try to understand your suggestion:

from the airport we take Central line to Holborn. Get off at King's Cross. Either take Circle line to St.Pancras or City line to Metropolitan

or Hammersmith. Get off at South Kensington .......This is the part I am confused, do I get off at South Kensington or do I take the circle line that go to South Kensington, and Liverpool Station is one of the stop at the route?

 

Nope. ;)

You're mixing up stations & routes.:p

 

Holborn and Kings Cross/St Pancras and South Ken and Hammersmith are all tube stations.

Central line, Circle line, Metropolitan line and "Hammersmith & City" line are all tube routes.

All will become clear if you open this map.

http://www.tubemap.com/

 

Your journey starts at Heathrow, bottom left on the map.

The only tube trains from Heathrow are on the Piccadilly line, there's only one route so you can't go wrong at this point. :)

Its also where the route starts, so you'll have no problem finding seats & room beside you for your luggage (unless you want to donate your luggage to the criminal fraternity don't leave your luggage unattended).

 

I'm no Londoner, so I don't know how difficult the various stations are with luggage. But unless you get advice from an expert, your best bet is to stay on the train from Heathrow all the way to Kings Cross/St Pancras. The route & stations are all displayed above your head and the station names are clearly displayed on the platforms, so its easy to know when your stop is coming up - and to get to the door as soon as the train leaves the previous station (Russell Square) if the train is crowded.

 

Kings Cross/St Pancras is wheelchair-friendly, which means there's elevators to street-level though mebbe not to other tube lines.

A number of tube lines go from Kings Cross/St Pancras to Liverpool Street, just four stops away.

Or if by then you don't fancy switching to another train, you could go up to street level & take a taxi the rest of the way - less than 3 miles.

 

General advice is to avoid the tube if you have luggage. But at about £6 per person it's by far the cheapest option & I've happily used the tube with luggage.

 

JB :)

[Ashland]

Nope. ;)

You're mixing up stations & routes.:p

 

Holborn and Kings Cross/St Pancras and South Ken and Hammersmith are all tube stations.

Central line, Circle line, Metropolitan line and "Hammersmith & City" line are all tube routes.

All will become clear if you open this map.

http://www.tubemap.com/

 

Your journey starts at Heathrow, bottom left on the map.

The only tube trains from Heathrow are on the Piccadilly line, there's only one route so you can't go wrong at this point. :)

Its also where the route starts, so you'll have no problem finding seats & room beside you for your luggage (unless you want to donate your luggage to the criminal fraternity don't leave your luggage unattended).

 

I'm no Londoner, so I don't know how difficult the various stations are with luggage. But unless you get advice from an expert, your best bet is to stay on the train from Heathrow all the way to Kings Cross/St Pancras. The route & stations are all displayed above your head and the station names are clearly displayed on the platforms, so its easy to know when your stop is coming up - and to get to the door as soon as the train leaves the previous station (Russell Square) if the train is crowded.

 

Kings Cross/St Pancras is wheelchair-friendly, which means there's elevators to street-level though mebbe not to other tube lines.

A number of tube lines go from Kings Cross/St Pancras to Liverpool Street, just four stops away.

Or if by then you don't fancy switching to another train, you could go up to street level & take a taxi the rest of the way - less than 3 miles.

 

General advice is to avoid the tube if you have luggage. But at about £6 per person it's by far the cheapest option & I've happily used the tube with luggage.

 

JB :)

Your general advice about not using the tube is spot on for tourists..of course you locals can manage very easily but for the rest of....Much more to mind than just the "Gap" :)

[Cotswold Eagle]

Arriving at 7 am, I would try to avoid changing tubes in central London - you'll be in rush hour and some of the interchanges suggested (especially Holborn and Kings Cross) are likely to be very busy. Difficult with luggage particularly if you don't know your way.

 

This is one of the few times I'm going to suggest the Heathrow Connect train - this is the cheaper overground train to Paddington, which stops at intermediate stations. Get off at Ealing Broadway and get on the Central Line (I believe this is a level transfer if the Connect is on the normal platform), which takes you straight through to Liverpool Street. You are joining at the western terminus of the Central Line, so should be able to get a seat, even in rush hour. More expensive than doing the whole thing on the tube, but cheaper than the Heathrow Express.

[retirepopo]

Thank Twickenham, Thank John Bull, Thank Ashland, thank Cotswold Eagle for all your help. It certainly make our trip from airport to the hotel must easier. We always try to use the public transportation first everywhere we travel. Besides to save money, we consider it is an adventure.

One more question please should we buy the Oyster card for the trip?

Thanks again.

[Twickenham]

One more question please should we buy the Oyster card for the trip?

Thanks again.

 

YES! If you plan on using public transport, it is absolutely the way to go, both for convenience and cost (it will always calculate the cheapest fare for you). Just go to the ticket booth at the first underground station you use, tell them your plans, and they will figure out how much money you need to put on the card.

Note that if you take Eagle's suggestion of Heathrow Connect to Ealing Broadway - Central line (which I like a lot), you will NOT be able to use an Oyster card on the Connect part, that will be a separate ticket - and you will then purchase your Oyster card at Ealing Broadway.

[Katmarkie]

My DH and I will be returning to London on July 2 from a cruise. We are hoping to stay in London for about 3 days and we are looking for some advice as to what part of the city to stay. We would like to be close to some of the common sights and public transportation. Also, is there a tour type bus that will take you to see the sights with a narrator either human or recorded? Possibly one that you could get on and off if you want to stay in one pace for awhile. Would appreciate any advice - 1st time in London!! :confused:

[Cotswold Eagle]

My DH and I will be returning to London on July 2 from a cruise. We are hoping to stay in London for about 3 days and we are looking for some advice as to what part of the city to stay. We would like to be close to some of the common sights and public transportation. Also, is there a tour type bus that will take you to see the sights with a narrator either human or recorded? Possibly one that you could get on and off if you want to stay in one pace for awhile. Would appreciate any advice - 1st time in London!! :confused:

 

Hi, I'm glad to hear you want to spend sometime in London. Some pretty wide questions, but let's get you started - no doubt you will have reviewed some of the other threads here already.

 

These days there is a wide choice of hotels to choose from in central London (which is where you need to be) and you can get reasonable deals, bearing in mind you are in the centre of one of the most-visited cities on the planet. Many cruisers seem to stay in the cluster of modern hotels near (some in) the old County Hall on the south bank of the Thames. This location is great for seeing the London Eye, Westminster Abbey, 'Big Ben', Buckingham Palace, etc., all of which are in very easy walking distance. Also good transport links (Waterloo station is very close) and river trips. Look at the Premier Inns (County Hall and Waterloo), Park Plaza hotels (Westminster Bridge and County Hall) and the Marriott County Hall.

 

There are two main hop-on, hop-off bus services, which each have various routes - see http://www.londontoolkit.com/blog/tours/comparing-londons-hop-on-hop-off-sightseeing-buses/ for more info (and the rest of that very informative website for other questions!). As I say, you can also take a river tour, and I would also suggest looking into guided walking tours, some of which have well-trained (look for the phrase Blue Badge) guides. The firm London Walks has a good selection.

 

Please ask away - but maybe consider starting your own thread(s), as this one started with a particular question about trains leaving London!

[Katmarkie]

Thank you so much for the information. You are so right, I should have started another thread, I was just so excited reading all of the good info, I forgot where I was!!:D

 

I have been reading a lot, but I just needed some guidance as to what part of town to try to stay. Your advice has given me a great place to start. Just what I needed.

 

So grateful to all the wonderful people and their advice on CC. Makes traveling sooooo much easier! Appreciate you.......

[vit4less]

I saw the old posts about staying near the Liverpool station at the Travel Lodge near Liverpool Station..Can we stay prior to our cruise and see the British Musuem and some of the other sites? How do I pre-pay for the Harwich cruise train on Aug. 5? I tried on the anglia site and they only go until May. Also, sometimes these trains are unreliable..Has anyone had problems because I would hate to not make it to Harwich. Also, is it easy to get from Heathrow to the Travel lodge near Liverpool Station? Also, returning from Harwich, I have a 1:35pm flight from Heathrow...Can I take the train or should I use the cruise ship transfer? Trying to put this all together...Thanks!

[Happyboating]

Sorry, I nearly gave the wrong info!

Edited March 3, 2013 by Happyboating