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London to Canterbury

Posted by (Sapulpa, OK, USA) on

I'm trying to buy tickets for us to get from London to Canterbury in May, to join the RS Villages of Southern England tour. My cup runneth over with options. Coach, train... And the prices are all over the map.

If I get train tickets through the RS site, we can pay as little as $20 each, with no transfers necessary. The National Rail website won't let me choose the date I need yet, but the nearest comparable date/time shows a rate of £25 each. That's a big difference.

Then there's the coach. National Express shows the cheapest tickets are about £5 each. That's cheap, indeed. But I do see now (I'm flipping back and forth between screens) that the cheapest fares are non-refundable, non-changeable. And that the cheapest coach fare that will let me make changes later is £15. That's in line with the RS train prices.

Am I missing something here? Any wise thoughts from folks experienced on this route? Is there any practical difference between taking the train and the coach? We pack light, with just a small backpack and one "personal item" each. I'm leaning toward the train, just for the experience. We're taking the coach at the other end of the RS tour, from Bath back to London. The price difference there was yooooge.

Thanks for your help, as always.

Posted by
2600 posts

The train operating company is https://www.southeasternrailway.co.uk/

They have Advance tickets from St Pancras to Canterbury West from £13 on the high speed service. Takes just over an hour.

You can also get Advance fares from Victoria or Charing Cross from £11 on a slower train.

Obviously the coach is the cheapest at £5 but if you can commit to a specific train the best choice is the high speed train from St Pancras.

Posted by
8889 posts

"If I get train tickets through the RS site, we can pay as little as $20 each, with no transfers necessary." - I don't think so.
There is no direct train service from Heathrow to Canterbury. You will need to chnage in central London, and possibly use the underground between stations.
Trains, from Heathrow got to Paddington station, or use can use the slower Piccadilly Line which takes you to many locations in Central London.
Trains to Canterbury run from Victoria, Charing cross or High-Speed trains from ST Pancras.

Posted by
6552 posts

Chris, we're not coming from Heathrow. We will already have been in London a couple of days, staying in Bayswater.

Ramblin, thanks for the link. Sounds like just what I want. I don't want to commit to the £5 no-changes no-refund coach tour; too many things can happen.

Posted by
6552 posts

I just checked, and it looks like I'll have to wait a couple of days to get the train I want. That's okay; I'm being a bit OCD about this, but I've heard train prices go up as the departure day approaches.

Posted by
4684 posts

From London to Canterbury you can get the high speed train from St Pancras or the slower train from Victoria. Both are run by Southeastern. The high speed train is more expensive and not that much faster - but the time will depend mostly on which of the two stations your hotel is closer to.

Posted by
6552 posts

Thanks, Philip. I'll compare the times and prices.

Posted by
6552 posts

Okay, I finally have my tickets. Ramblin, I used your link (again, and again...) and after several hours of confusion and numerous re-tries finally managed to get tickets. It turns out that the train is cheaper than the bus, unless you get the £5 bus fares that cannot be modified.

Thanks everyone, for your help.

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