I’ll be driving to London from the Continent for the US Thanksgiving weekend, Nov. 21-25, entering England via the Eurotunnel. I’d considered getting a hotel in Canterbury and taking a train into the city. It’s about an hour’s ride. I’m sure there is a city or village with a hotel with parking and train station/tube stop nearer to London that’s also near a motorway. I’m having problems finding that combination on my own. Straight Dopers, you’re my only hope.
I have a lot of flexibility as I have no agenda. I’m going to be a tourist and just see the sights and maybe catch a panto if any are playing.
Nearer to London - it really depends how much you want to spend. Try searching for hotels in or near Eltham, Sidcup, Bexley, that sort of place. For example the train from Eltham takes about half an hour to get to Charing Cross, it’s in zone 4 so you can use an Oyster card, and there’s a hotel that appears to offer a single room for £50 or a double for £70. If you want to spend more, there are of course hotels right in town that have car parks. Up to you really. The Premier Inn right by Tower Bridge is apparently £80 a night plus £15 a day for parking. Google “hotels kent” or “hotels south east london” and check out your options.
This actually looks alright on a cursory glance, though obviously since I live here I’ve never had call to stay in a hotel in this area, so I have no idea what it’s like. £69 a night in Blackheath, practically Greenwich, with its own car park.
The Clarendon Hotel mentioned by Teacake is OK, I believe - my parents stayed there when they came to visit me in nearby Deptford, and they didn’t tell me they hated it. It’s close to the main A2 route into town from Kent, so not much driving in London would be needed - it’s motorway or dual carriageway nearly all of the way.
Thanks a lot. That looks good. Will I have to pay a congestion charge or any of those other fees to drive to Blackheath Village? My biggest concern is that I’ll drive into an area with fees that I don’t know about.
For the other questions, I’m looking for quality, not cheap. Travelodge and Premier Inn are too basic for my needs. I’ll pay more for a good bed and water pressure in the shower and easy car parking.
To conclude this thread, I made my reservation at the Premier Inn in Rochester. I know, I know, I said I wanted somewhere better than Premier Inn and I wanted to be closer to the city but damn, the prices. I looked all over southern London. The prices. So high. This hotel is pretty close to a railway line that ends at Victoria Station, is relatively cheap, and there’s a big Tesco nearby to get breakfast and a data SIM for my iPad. If I get lucky, the room may have a view of the Medway River and bridge.
You did factor in the cost of train tickets, didn’t you? They’re obscenely expensive here, and you’ll need an Oyster too when you come into town. Anyway, hope you enjoy yourself. I like Rochester a lot.
Thanks for the reminder. I’ll be making one round trip per day on the train. The savings from staying a bit further out balance out the train cost. Does it save a lot to buy tickets ahead of time? I saw the super saver rates. They get me into the City a bit later than I’d like at a decent price.
Honestly I’m not sure about the Tube. The first couple days I’ll be on a hop-on, hop-off bus tour. That’ll leave one day on my own. Would it be worth it to buy an Oyster card for just one day’s travel? That day would be Saturday. The Rochester area may be that day’s itinerary or I could just walk to the sights around Victoria Station.
Advance tickets aren’t any cheaper for short routes like that, but you save an awful lot of money by starting your journey after 10am. More chance of getting a seat, too. You can bundle travelcards in with train tickets from rochester - just ask at the ticket office, or it’ll probably be an option on the ticket machine at the station.
You should probably try one trip on the tube anyway - it’s a london experience in itself.
It means you can travel on all the forms of transport without having to buy tickets each time. It gets you discounts on the riverboats and cable car too. That’s handy for lack of hassle. You might not need it, of course, but it’s easy to buy if you do.
I’m here and boy is it windy! The travel card was a big help. I would have been tumbling down the street if I couldn’t jump onto the nearest Tube train.
Today was rainy. Perfect time to get a haircut and pick up a Christmas pudding, Christmas crackers, and a spotted dick. I’ll be nice and relaxed for the drive home tomorrow morning. It’s muck too soon.