Bayswater probably has more hotel rooms per street than anywhere else in London. The tall Victorian terraces around Queensway, Inverness Terrace, Lancaster Gate and Westbourne Terrace were built for wealthy families, and many have since been turned into hotels of every size. Visitors from all over the world stay here, with Hyde Park on the doorstep and Paddington station nearby. Minibus hire Bayswater customers book is mostly about those visitors, with day tours out of London, sightseeing in the city and drops at Heathrow at the end of the stay.
Bayswater sits along the northern edge of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, between Paddington and Notting Hill. From our base in SE1, it's about twenty-five to thirty-five minutes outside the rush hour, through Hyde Park Corner and up Park Lane.
Minibus hire Bayswater for day tours
Groups staying in Bayswater often want to see more than London. Windsor Castle is about fifty minutes away, Oxford about an hour and a quarter, Stonehenge and Bath about two hours, and the Cotswolds about two hours. The Warner Bros. Studio Tour, with the Harry Potter sets, is about fifty minutes away at Leavesden.
A minibus for the day means the group travels together, stops where it wants and comes back to the hotel door at the end. For longer days, such as Stonehenge and Bath together, we'll plan the timings around the driver's hours and the opening times. Tell us the destinations, the numbers and the date, and we'll quote.
London sightseeing
For groups who want to see London itself, a minibus with a driver can take in Buckingham Palace, Westminster, St Paul's, the Tower and Tower Bridge in a few hours, with stops for photographs where stopping is allowed. Many groups add the Changing of the Guard in the morning or a river cruise from Westminster Pier.
We'll plan the route and the stops in advance, drop at each sight and collect at an agreed point nearby. Central London's traffic and the Congestion Charge zone affect the timings, so we'll be realistic about how much fits in a day. The charge goes on the quote when the tour runs in charging hours.
Heathrow drops and arrivals
Heathrow is about thirty-five to forty-five minutes from Bayswater outside the rush hour, via the Westway and the A40 or along the A4 and the M4. Gatwick, across the river and down the M23, takes roughly an hour and a quarter. Stansted and Luton are both about an hour or more.
Many hotel guests arrive at Heathrow in a group and want collecting together, especially families, wedding parties and tour groups. Send us the flight numbers and the hotel address, and the driver will meet the group in arrivals and bring them to the hotel. At the end of the stay, we'll collect from the hotel and drop at the right terminal. The Heathrow Express from Paddington is quick for two people with small bags, but a group of ten with cases is easier door to door.
Hotel forecourts and the side streets
Some Bayswater hotels have a forecourt or a short drive. Most don't, and the streets outside them are lined with residents' and hotel parking, with one-way systems around the garden squares. Queensway and the Bayswater Road have bus lanes and very limited stopping.
Give us the hotel name when you book, and we'll check the best pickup point. Usually it's outside the hotel for a quick stop, or on the nearest corner. For large groups with a lot of luggage, ask the hotel if they can have the bags ready in the lobby before the driver arrives, which keeps the stop short.
Hyde Park, Queensway and evenings out
Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, across the road, have the Serpentine, the Diana Memorial Fountain, the Italian Gardens and Kensington Palace. In winter, Hyde Park Winter Wonderland draws huge crowds, and in summer the park hosts big concerts. On those days the Bayswater Road and Park Lane are busy, so we'll plan around them.
Queensway has restaurants from all over the world, and Whiteleys, the old department store, has been redeveloped with shops, restaurants and a hotel. Groups book us for evenings out across London from here, with a pickup at the hotel and a drop back at the end of the night.
Just outside the Congestion Charge zone
Bayswater sits just outside the Congestion Charge zone, which starts at Park Lane and the Edgware Road, so trips that head west or north avoid the charge. Trips into the West End and the City during charging hours add it. All our vehicles meet the ULEZ standard. Minibus hire Bayswater groups book for a full day in central London is usually quoted with the charge included, so there are no surprises.
For minibus hire in Bayswater, call 020 7183 0567.