We will be flying into London next September to take a cruise from Southampton. We'd like to do some sightseeing first, perhaps to see Brighton Palace or Dover cliffs, castle and WWII tunnels. When we first fly in, should we stay 1 night in London to sleep and then head south or go directly (from the US in Coach seats-yuck) south? Where should our base town in the south be? (We have been to London many times and don't need to sightsee there this trip.) Thank you.
Posted by
Brighton, UK
1418 posts
Debbie You don't mention which airport you are flying into. If Heathrow then there is a bus direct to Brighton which runs hourly and takes 2 hours. It's a fairly easy trip - once you are on board you can just sit and snooze - but may be more than you want to do straight off a flight. If Gatwick then Brighton is as close to the airport as London - just over 30 minutes by train - and so it makes sense to come straight here if you plan a visit at some stage. Alan PS I applaud your good taste in coming to visit my home town!
Posted by
Downingtown, USA
2442 posts
We all do something different. When we do travel, we try to get to our destination on the same day as we arrive to get it over with. When we went to London last time, we headed straight out to Bath and not sorry we did it. Same for Italy, it was a long, long trip but were glad we just plowed on and finished travel the first day.
Posted by
washington
837 posts
We wanted to see the same things. Decided to stay in Hastings which was an easy drive to Dover to the NE and Brighton to the W. Also, Canterbury is near Dover. To the west, Arundel Castle and Beachy Head are available on a day trip to Brighton from Hastings. Alternatively, you could drive or train to Dover and stay a night. Then go to Brighton or Portsmouth for a night or two. We drove directly from Heathrow to Hastings after flight from DC. Two reasons we chose Hastings were Hastings battlefield and Foyle's War.
Posted by
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
4087 posts
If you are taking public transportation, go as far as you want, even at the risk of dosing off. Behind the wheel, and on the opposite side of the road, the driver will want to be alert. Sleep-deprived on an overnight flight is not the best preparation for a long haul driving.
Posted by
OP
Delray Beach, FL, USA
157 posts
We will not have a car. What are your votes for which place to see Dover or the Palace?
Posted by
Brighton, UK
1418 posts
I won't vote. I may be a little biased. But here's some information on the Royal Pavilion in case you haven't seen it http://www.brighton-hove-rpml.org.uk/RoyalPavilion/Pages/home.aspx Alan
Posted by
washington
837 posts
Sorry, I must be missing something. You state that you are looking for a "base town", yet say you will not have a car. Without a car, you will see very little. If this is one day to see one attraction, I would probably say Brighton. The Pavilion is very interesting, but then there is a seaside town. Dover Castle is very interesting, but there is little else unless you take a bus to Canterbury.
Posted by
OP
Delray Beach, FL, USA
157 posts
We are using the train, no car, for 2 days of sightseeing.
Posted by
washington
837 posts
Not the wisest choice, I would say, given the abundance of places to see in the southeast part of England. However, if that is you choice, I guess I would stay in Canterbury as it appeared to be a bit nicer town than Dover. If so, I would train there and take a day trip to Dover and train to Southampton from Canterbury. If you choose to stay in Dover, day trip to Canterbury. Another possibility, although you did not mention it, would be to train to Bath and use your time to tour Bath and take group tours to areas around Bath, then train to Southampton.
Posted by
OP
Delray Beach, FL, USA
157 posts
Keith, that is exactly what I wanted to know! Yes, we will have 2 days and yes, we don't want to be in London. We've already been to Bath. Thank you all!