Kensington has the Royal Albert Hall at one end and Olympia at the other, with Kensington Palace, the Design Museum and Holland Park in between. It's full of hotels, embassies and grand houses, and it's one of the closest parts of central London to Heathrow. Minibus hire Kensington groups book follows from that, with concert nights, hotel airport runs, palace visits and corporate events.
From our base in SE1, Kensington is about twenty-five to thirty-five minutes outside the rush hour, through Victoria and Knightsbridge.
Royal Albert Hall nights
The Royal Albert Hall hosts concerts, comedy, tennis, award shows and, every summer, the Proms. Concert-goers come from across London and beyond, and plenty of them book a vehicle to get home afterwards rather than queue for the tube at South Kensington.
After a concert, Kensington Gore and the roads around the hall fill with taxis and crowds. We'll agree a pickup point a short walk away, often towards Queen's Gate or Exhibition Road depending on the traffic plan. For the Proms, which run nightly from July to September, late concerts finish well after ten.
Many groups have dinner first at a restaurant around South Kensington or on Gloucester Road. Tell us the restaurant and the concert time, and the driver can collect from dinner, drop at the hall and wait for the end of the show.
Minibus hire Kensington for hotel groups
Kensington has a lot of hotels, from the big ones on Kensington High Street and around the Gardens to smaller places towards Earl's Court. Guests use us for Heathrow runs, tours and days out.
Heathrow is about forty minutes from Kensington outside the rush hour, straight down the Cromwell Road and the A4. Gatwick, to the south, is roughly an hour to an hour and a quarter. For groups with luggage, a minibus from the hotel door is easier than the Piccadilly line.
Big groups often arrive on several flights. The driver can make more than one run, or wait for the last arrivals, depending on how far apart the landing times are. Send us the flight numbers and we'll track them.
Hotel forecourts vary. Some on the High Street have a drop-off area. Others don't, and the driver will use a side street. Send the hotel name and we'll look at the options.
Kensington Palace and the Gardens
Kensington Palace, at the western edge of Kensington Gardens, draws visitors every day, and tour groups combine it with a walk through the Gardens to the Albert Memorial and Hyde Park. The Serpentine Galleries sit in the Gardens too.
For palace visits, the driver drops near the gates on Kensington High Street or the Bayswater Road and waits nearby.
Most tour groups add the Albert Memorial and the Royal Albert Hall to the same morning, then have lunch on Kensington Church Street or the High Street. With the driver waiting, the group can move between all of them without anyone working out the buses.
Holland Park and the High Street
Holland Park, with its Kyoto Garden and summer opera season, is one of west London's most attractive parks. The Design Museum, on Kensington High Street at the edge of the park, draws school and design groups. Leighton House, nearby, has one of the most striking interiors in London.
Opera Holland Park runs a summer season under a canopy in the park, and evening performances finish late enough that a ride home is worth booking. The drop-off is on the roads around the park, since visitors can't drive into it.
Kensington High Street itself has shops, restaurants and offices. It's busy with buses, and stopping on it is limited. Kensington Church Street, running north from the High Street towards Notting Hill Gate, has antique dealers and galleries that draw collectors' groups.
Corporate events and Olympia
Olympia London, on the western edge of Kensington, hosts exhibitions, trade shows and events through the year. Embassies, offices and private members' clubs across Kensington host receptions and corporate events.
Exhibition days start early, with exhibitors arriving well before the doors open. We can run early shuttles from hotels in Kensington and Earl's Court, and again at the close of the show.
For corporate bookings and exhibition shuttles, we'll agree pickup points in advance and send the details in writing.
The High Street and Kensington Gore
Kensington High Street and Kensington Gore are both busy with buses and traffic, and stopping is limited on both. Most of Kensington sits outside the Congestion Charge zone, which keeps costs down for trips that stay in the west.
The thing to know about minibus hire Kensington groups book for concerts at the Royal Albert Hall is that the end of a big show is the worst time to try to stop outside. Walk a few minutes away to the agreed point and the group will be on its way while the taxi queue is still forming.
For minibus hire in Kensington, call 020 7183 0567.