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busy road (with the port on your left) about five more minutes to the Citylink bus stop at
Town Quay.
Western Docks: This gloomy industrial zone, accessed through Dock Gate 8 (closer
to town) or 10 (closer to the train station), hugs Southampton's coastline west of down-
town. Shuffled between the endless parking lots and container shipping berths are two
cruise terminals: City Cruise Terminal, close to the town center (Berth 101); and May-
flower Cruise Terminal, farther out (Berth 106). As Mayflower is a distant and dreary
walk from the port gate, I'd spring for a taxi. From City Cruise Terminal, the walk-plus-
bus combo may be worth considering: Exit the terminal to the right, then continue straight
about 10 minutes through Dock Gate 8 and along the port to Town Quay and the free
Citylink bus.
Trains to London: From Southampton Central Station, trains depart every 30
minutes to London's Waterloo Station (1.25 hours; additional departures require a
change in Basingstoke and take 1.5 hours; slower trains go to London's Victoria Station
in 2.5 hours). A same-day return (round-trip) ticket to London costs £ 39; a one-way ticket
costs £ 34.10.
When returning to Southampton, be sure to get off at Southampton Central Station;
the stop called Southampton Airport Parkway is much farther from the cruise port.
Sights in Southampton: While most people will make a beeline for London, the port
city does have one sight worth considering: its excellent SeaCity Museum, with a beau-
tifully presented exhibit about the Titanic . “Southampton's Titanic Story” explores every
facet of the ill-fated ocean liner that set sail from here on April 10, 1912, and sank in the
North Atlantic a few days later. Three-quarters of the Titanic 's 897 crew members lived in
Southampton ( £ 8.50, daily 10:00-17:00, last entry at 15:00, next to the Civic Centre along
Havelock Road, tel. 023/8083-3007, www.seacitymuseum.co.uk ) .
DOVER CRUISE PORT
For generations, Dover—with its easy ferry connections across the English Channel to the
Continent—was the place where many travelers first set foot in Britain. But since the ad-
vent of cheap flights and the high-speed Eurostar train beneath the Channel, Dover is most
useful these days for its cruise port.
Services: Like much of southern England, Dover sits on a foundation of chalk;
its famous white cliffs are visible from your cruise ship. The workaday city center is
anchored by Market Square, with a handy TI (inside the Dover Museum). Across the
square begins the mostly pedestrianized (but not particularly charming) main shopping
drag, Cannon Street/Biggin Street, with ATMs, Wi-Fi hotspots, and a Boots pharmacy.
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