I'm trying to plan a trip a 10 day trip to the UK, I'll be using ONLY credit card miles to fund the air / hotel portion of the visit. The difference between a London based hotel vs. a Maidstone hotel is night and day. I could even rent a car if I needed and still be WAY under budget if I choose Maidstone vs. London. Here's my question: Is Maidstone to far away? Here is my list of MUST SEE places: - Leeds Castle - Warwick Castle - London Eye - Paris Day Trip (I can't imagine this one will matter much) - Cliffs of Dover (Maybe, we aren't sure yet) - Bath
- Cantebury Cathedral (I have no idea which order we'll be seeing these, I really want to book flight and hotel before I proceed with plannig the day trips....) So, what say you? Could I make this work from Maidstone? OR is there a similar suburb that might be more cost effective? Thanks so much!
Posted by
London, United Kingdom
4684 posts
Maidstone to London is an hour or more by train. If you travel before 0930-1000 the fares will be higher, and the fares aren't that cheap anywhere - you're well outside the Travelcard area. The trains will also be very crowded at rush hours and the rail company involved doesn't have a good reputation for reliability. I really think that whatever money you save on the hotel will be outweighed by the travel expenses and inconvenience.
Posted by
Boscombe, Dorset, UK
964 posts
I agree with Philip.
There's a reason why the hotels are so much cheaper in Maidstone. Without meaning to insult the people of Maidstone, there's nothing much there that would interest a visitor. Forget renting a car to get into London. It would cost you a fortune to park. If you're arriving in the summer, you could look for a place to stay in one of the Colleges around London.
Posted by
Land of La
8682 posts
As noted NOT a place to stay to commute into London. Also looks like one of your days is attempting to train to Paris in the morning and train back to London. That can be done but makes for a VERY long day. Are your 10 days ACTUAL 10 days as in are you not counting your arrival and departure days? MUCH more to London than the Eye. Use Google maps Satellite view and you'll see that across the Thames from the Eye is Parliament, Westminster Abbey and a short walk to Buckingham Palace. VERY walkable city with great public transportation. Train system is also good so no need to rent a car especially since you haven't confirmed whether or not you truly wish to visit the Cliffs of Dover. Have you looked at rooms at the Vancouver Studio Apartments in Bayswater?
Checked the airbnb website? Are visiting the castles, Paris, Bath and Cantebury or London the focus of your travels?
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
32805 posts
I'll come down on the other side of the coin. For your stated must see's: - Leeds Castle Just down the road, easy peasy - Warwick Castle Not the easiest by train. 56 minutes into Victoria, Victoria to Oxford Circus, across the platform to Bakerloo Line to Marylebone, then Chiltern railway to Warwick for a fairly slow run up. Then a 10-15 minute walk. Then all that back. Not the easiest by car from Maidstone. You have to go pretty much half way around the dreaded M25 to M40. Either around the top or around the bottom have problems. The M40 bit isn't too bad, scenic, but over an hour for that bit. Its a bit of an outlier. - London Eye Its about 55 minutes into Victoria then bus or tube; or change at Strood onto the High Speed into St Pancras but that route is over an hour, then Northern Line Charing Cross Branch to Waterloo and walk. - Paris Day Trip (I can't imagine this one will matter much) That's actually pretty easy because you are just a few miles from Ashford International. If you check the timetable from the Eurostar site you will see a couple of decent morning departures and a couple of decent returns. - Cliffs of Dover (Maybe, we aren't sure yet) Just down the road - Bath Easier by car under London - Cantebury Cathedral
Just up the road If you manage your expectations you can have a great time.