Getting Around Kensington
Kensington is the district that gives the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea the first half of its name. Its southern part, South Kensington, holds three national museums, the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum and the V&A, together with the Royal Albert Hall, opened in 1871. Kensington Palace stands in Kensington Gardens on the district's eastern side, and Olympia, the exhibition centre, marks its western edge.
Kensington has been outside the London Congestion Charge zone since the Western Extension was removed on 4 January 2011; the zone now begins east of Park Lane. High Street Kensington station is on the District and Circle lines, and South Kensington adds the Piccadilly line. Add the train and its arrival time to the booking, and the car is scheduled for that arrival.
For a hotel off Kensington High Street or a mews house behind the museums, send the full address with the booking and we will tell you how close the car can go.
A day that takes a family from the Natural History Museum to Kensington Palace and on to a concert in the evening can be booked by the hour: one chauffeur and one vehicle stay with you for the time you reserve.
Airport Transfers in Kensington
Heathrow is 14 miles from Kensington, 40–55 minutes, and it is the quicker run, out along the A4. London City Airport is 12 miles east, 1 hour to 1 hour 25 minutes; in 2025 it handled 3.74 million passengers, and its location in the Royal Docks puts it on the far side of the City. Luton Airport is 34 miles, 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes, and Gatwick 40 miles, 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours 5 minutes. Southend Airport is 45 miles, 1 hour 55 minutes to 2 hours 40 minutes. The right one depends on your airline and route.
Book with your flight number. For delegates flying in for a congress, your chauffeur checks the flight status and times the pick-up to when you actually land, and your booking confirmation shows where to meet the chauffeur. Heathrow does not allow pick-ups on the terminal forecourts; collections take place from the terminal car parks.
For a departure from Kensington, what counts is the length of the drive, not the time on the clock: if you head for the airport straight after a concert at the Albert Hall, leave a margin between the last encore and the drive. Journey times vary with traffic and weather. You set the pick-up time yourself, and the confirmation shows it.
Long-Distance & Day-Trip Travel from Kensington
Paddington, for trains to the west of England, is 2 miles from Kensington, 20–30 minutes. Mayfair, with Bond Street and the Park Lane hotels, is 3 miles, 20–30 minutes.
Hampton Court Palace, Henry VIII's Thames-side palace, is 12 miles, 50 minutes to 1 hour 10 minutes. Windsor is 20 miles west, 50 minutes to 1 hour 10 minutes. Blenheim Palace, Churchill's birthplace in Oxfordshire, is 60 miles, 1 hour 30 minutes to 1 hour 55 minutes.
Two royal palaces in one day, Hampton Court in the morning and Windsor in the afternoon, fit one hourly booking. If you go on to stay in the Cotswolds after Blenheim, travel one-way and book the drive back separately.
Groups & Congress Travel in Kensington
Olympia lies about 1 mile west of central Kensington, 10–15 minutes by car. Its redevelopment includes a new International Convention Centre with two auditoriums for 400 to more than 800 people and seven breakout rooms, and the Hyatt Regency London Olympia and citizenM hotels on the site. For a delegation of twenty arriving for a congress there, a Sprinter van carries up to 12 people with their bags, and bigger groups go by coach, with up to 56 seats; the vehicle is matched to the load.
When you book for other people, all their transfers can be kept in one account, each with its own booking and confirmation. If delegates land on several flights, every arrival gets a transfer of its own. The Royal Albert Hall, also about 1 mile away, 10–15 minutes, suits an evening programme for the same group.
Local vehicles and drivers are booked up early in the weeks of large congresses and the Proms season. If your plans go beyond a standard booking, write to support with the dates, addresses, number of passengers, flights and luggage, and the team will arrange it.
