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5 Best Caravan Holiday Parks Near London - 2024
There are a couple of reasons why you might want a caravan holiday park or lodge near London - either for cheap family-friendly accommodation near London, or for a quick getaway from the city.
There aren't holiday parks within the centre of London (obviously...) but there are quite a few cheap caravan holiday parks and lodges with hot tubs within about an hour or 90 minutes of the city centre.
If you're visiting London you've got an exhausting choice of things to do, many of which are free. The most popular museums include the British Museum, Natural History Museum, Science Museum and the V&A Museum. Art galleries include the National Gallery, Tate Modern and the National Portrait Gallery. And then there's the Tower of London, the London Eye, The Shard, Westminster Abbey, Tower Bridge and so on.
We've picked out five of the best holiday parks near London based on location, facilities, value for money and customer reviews:
There aren't holiday parks within the centre of London (obviously...) but there are quite a few cheap caravan holiday parks and lodges with hot tubs within about an hour or 90 minutes of the city centre.
If you're visiting London you've got an exhausting choice of things to do, many of which are free. The most popular museums include the British Museum, Natural History Museum, Science Museum and the V&A Museum. Art galleries include the National Gallery, Tate Modern and the National Portrait Gallery. And then there's the Tower of London, the London Eye, The Shard, Westminster Abbey, Tower Bridge and so on.
We've picked out five of the best holiday parks near London based on location, facilities, value for money and customer reviews:
1. Haven Kent Coast Holiday Park Kent - coastal, swimming pool - 1 hour from central London
**Winner: best value holiday park**
Haven is probably the best-known name in the UK caravan holiday market with 40 parks along the country's coast. Haven Kent Coast is the nearest for people coming from East London. It was known for a long time as Haven Allhallows but was given a new name in 2023.
As you'd expect from Haven, you get an indoor swimming pool and an outdoor pool, on-site food and plenty of kids' activities and entertainment. Grown-ups will like the tennis court, nine-hole golf course and the fishing lake.
Haven has invested a lot of money in adding new things at Kent Coast. In summer 2022, it unveiled a new adventure village where you can climb around some high ropes or strap into a bungee trampoline. That was followed by the entertainment area being upgraded with a terrace with views of the Thames.
However, it's worth noting that the beach at the park is a pebbly bit of the Thames Estuary, so not quite the Copacabana. You need to travel a bit further to get to more appealing beaches. Reviews on TripAdvisor are 3.5/5 whilst Google Reviews give it a very impressive 4.2/5. There are some Haven parks that score 4.5/5 (see our Haven guide).
If you're in East London and want a very convenient family getaway with a trusted holiday park name, it may well be your best bet. You'll probably need a car to get to Kent Coast, otherwise it's a long bus ride from Rochester.
Price: £752 for a Saver caravan for a family of four, staying for a week in August 2024. The 'Saver' grade is the cheapest available at Haven. You can upgrade to Bronze, Silver, Gold and Signature (the most expensive). For your money, you get things like a veranda, a wider caravan, central heating, a dishwasher and a full size freezer. Read our guide to the different upgrades available.
The other decision you need to make with a Haven holiday is whether you want to use all the facilities. If you just want accommodation, then you can save yourself some money and choose 'Haven Hideaway' on the booking page. However, if you want to use the swimming pool, play a round of minigolf and watch the entertainment then you'll need to pay for a normal 'Haven' holiday
My advice is to go for a 'Haven' holiday unless you just want to use the holiday park as a base (perhaps if you plan to visit family every day). The price quoted above is for the standard 'Haven' option with access to activities included.
As you'd expect from Haven, you get an indoor swimming pool and an outdoor pool, on-site food and plenty of kids' activities and entertainment. Grown-ups will like the tennis court, nine-hole golf course and the fishing lake.
Haven has invested a lot of money in adding new things at Kent Coast. In summer 2022, it unveiled a new adventure village where you can climb around some high ropes or strap into a bungee trampoline. That was followed by the entertainment area being upgraded with a terrace with views of the Thames.
However, it's worth noting that the beach at the park is a pebbly bit of the Thames Estuary, so not quite the Copacabana. You need to travel a bit further to get to more appealing beaches. Reviews on TripAdvisor are 3.5/5 whilst Google Reviews give it a very impressive 4.2/5. There are some Haven parks that score 4.5/5 (see our Haven guide).
If you're in East London and want a very convenient family getaway with a trusted holiday park name, it may well be your best bet. You'll probably need a car to get to Kent Coast, otherwise it's a long bus ride from Rochester.
Price: £752 for a Saver caravan for a family of four, staying for a week in August 2024. The 'Saver' grade is the cheapest available at Haven. You can upgrade to Bronze, Silver, Gold and Signature (the most expensive). For your money, you get things like a veranda, a wider caravan, central heating, a dishwasher and a full size freezer. Read our guide to the different upgrades available.
The other decision you need to make with a Haven holiday is whether you want to use all the facilities. If you just want accommodation, then you can save yourself some money and choose 'Haven Hideaway' on the booking page. However, if you want to use the swimming pool, play a round of minigolf and watch the entertainment then you'll need to pay for a normal 'Haven' holiday
My advice is to go for a 'Haven' holiday unless you just want to use the holiday park as a base (perhaps if you plan to visit family every day). The price quoted above is for the standard 'Haven' option with access to activities included.
Haven Kent Coast is an action-packed holiday park with minigolf, seaviews...
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...and a shingly beach for exploring. It was known as Haven Allhallows until 2023.
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2. Seaview Holiday Park, Whitstable - coastal, swimming pool - 1 hr 30 minutes from central London
Seaview Holiday Park in Whitstable will tick your boxes (oooerr missus) if you want a good-value, busy, family-friendly holiday park which is near the beach.
The park gets reviews of around 4/5 and is run by Park Holidays UK, which has dozens of caravan holiday parks around the UK. Their other local park is Alberta Holiday Park, which is slightly closer by car but is a little bit further from a railway station.
You can have a swim in their outdoor swimming pool, kick a ball around the sports pitch and then take the children to the play area. There are evening shows and there's an onsite bar/restaurant, so you won't have to cook every night. The beach is just over the road from the park and is mostly pebbles.
It's another holiday park that is good for coming from East London. If you're coming by public transport, then Seaview Holiday Park is a couple of miles from Herne Bay Railway Station. It takes about 90 minutes to get a train into Central London from there.
Price: £1339 for a family of four in a Gold Plus caravan for a week in August 2024. The Gold Plus grade was the cheapest available at the time of searching.
The park gets reviews of around 4/5 and is run by Park Holidays UK, which has dozens of caravan holiday parks around the UK. Their other local park is Alberta Holiday Park, which is slightly closer by car but is a little bit further from a railway station.
You can have a swim in their outdoor swimming pool, kick a ball around the sports pitch and then take the children to the play area. There are evening shows and there's an onsite bar/restaurant, so you won't have to cook every night. The beach is just over the road from the park and is mostly pebbles.
It's another holiday park that is good for coming from East London. If you're coming by public transport, then Seaview Holiday Park is a couple of miles from Herne Bay Railway Station. It takes about 90 minutes to get a train into Central London from there.
Price: £1339 for a family of four in a Gold Plus caravan for a week in August 2024. The Gold Plus grade was the cheapest available at the time of searching.
There is some spacious accommodation at Seaview Holiday Park, which is right by the beach...
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...and it's got an outdoor swimming pool for sunny days
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3. Alberta Holiday Park, Whitstable - near the beach, outdoor swimming pool, 1 hr 30 minutes from London
Alberta Holiday Park is the sister park to Seaview Holiday Park - but it was considerably cheaper in our price comparison. It's about three miles from Whitstable Railway Station, which is a 90-minute journey into London Victoria.
The onsite facilities are quite similar to Seaview Holiday Park. There's an outdoor heated swimming pool, as well as a splash pool for younger children.
There's a playground that will fill a bit of time and the local beach is practically on the doorstep. Bear in mind that some of the caravans are set back quite a long way and will take you about 10 minutes to reach the beach on foot.
In the evening, there is entertainment for guests and there's a clubhouse which serves food.
It gets very respectable reviews of 4/5 from customers, which puts it on a par with Seaview Holiday Park.
Price: £1179 for a family of four, staying in a Gold Plus caravan for a week in early August 2024.
The onsite facilities are quite similar to Seaview Holiday Park. There's an outdoor heated swimming pool, as well as a splash pool for younger children.
There's a playground that will fill a bit of time and the local beach is practically on the doorstep. Bear in mind that some of the caravans are set back quite a long way and will take you about 10 minutes to reach the beach on foot.
In the evening, there is entertainment for guests and there's a clubhouse which serves food.
It gets very respectable reviews of 4/5 from customers, which puts it on a par with Seaview Holiday Park.
Price: £1179 for a family of four, staying in a Gold Plus caravan for a week in early August 2024.
Alberta Holiday Park has an outdoor swimming pool and a playground...
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...and it's in a prime location near to a stretch of the Kent coastline
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4. Tilford Woods Lodge Retreat Surrey - peaceful park, lodges, hot tubs - 1 hour from central London
Tilford Woods Lodge Retreat is a good choice if you want somewhere for day trips to London (although it could also be an escape from the city).
It's a 35 or 40 minute train from London Waterloo and then 20 minutes by car from the railway station at Farnborough. If you're driving, it's an hour from central London or quicker if you're coming from South or West London.
The park itself gets exceedingly strong reviews, which were at a red-hot 4.5/5 on TripAdvisor when I checked. There aren't facilities to speak of onsite, but some lodges have hot tubs, and they are priced similarly to many caravan parks.
There's also a good choice of accommodation, with lodges which sleep 2, 4 or 6 people.
Price: £899 for a week in a Sturt Lodge for a family of four in August 2024.
Also consider...Edgeley Holiday Park is another holiday park in the area with lodges. It takes a similar time to get to London, but its main advantage is that it has a swimming pool, playground and tennis court.
It's a 35 or 40 minute train from London Waterloo and then 20 minutes by car from the railway station at Farnborough. If you're driving, it's an hour from central London or quicker if you're coming from South or West London.
The park itself gets exceedingly strong reviews, which were at a red-hot 4.5/5 on TripAdvisor when I checked. There aren't facilities to speak of onsite, but some lodges have hot tubs, and they are priced similarly to many caravan parks.
There's also a good choice of accommodation, with lodges which sleep 2, 4 or 6 people.
Price: £899 for a week in a Sturt Lodge for a family of four in August 2024.
Also consider...Edgeley Holiday Park is another holiday park in the area with lodges. It takes a similar time to get to London, but its main advantage is that it has a swimming pool, playground and tennis court.
Tilford Woods has high quality lakeside lodges...
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...some of which have hot tubs
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5. Lee Valley Caravan Park Hertfordshire - huge green space with some caravans/lodges - 45 minutes to London
Lee Valley Caravan Park is part of a massive public park (10,000 acres if you're interested), which offers things like white water rafting and more relaxed outdoorsy activities for people in London, Essex and Hertfordshire.
The holiday park is only a small part of the huge site, but they've got a modest choice of cheaper holiday homes/caravans as well as more luxurious lodges with hot tubs. The accommodation sleeps between 4 and 6 people.
It's a good one if you want a cycle or walk along miles of trails or go fishing but it doesn't have loads of its own facilities onsite.
It'll take you about 10-15 minutes in the car to get to Waltham Cross railway station, which is then a journey of 30 minutes to North London. Alternatively, you can get to Whipsnade Zoo in just under an hour if you head north-west. According to the official blurb it is the 'the UK's biggest zoo'.
Price: £860 for a week in a 'Button' caravan for a family of four in August 2024. The posher lodge with hot tub was £1297 for the same dates.
The holiday park is only a small part of the huge site, but they've got a modest choice of cheaper holiday homes/caravans as well as more luxurious lodges with hot tubs. The accommodation sleeps between 4 and 6 people.
It's a good one if you want a cycle or walk along miles of trails or go fishing but it doesn't have loads of its own facilities onsite.
It'll take you about 10-15 minutes in the car to get to Waltham Cross railway station, which is then a journey of 30 minutes to North London. Alternatively, you can get to Whipsnade Zoo in just under an hour if you head north-west. According to the official blurb it is the 'the UK's biggest zoo'.
Price: £860 for a week in a 'Button' caravan for a family of four in August 2024. The posher lodge with hot tub was £1297 for the same dates.
Lee Valley Caravan Park has caravans and modern lodges with hot tubs...
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...and the local park offers watersports
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And finally...Lower Hyde Holiday Park Isle of Wight - coastal, indoor swimming pool - 3 hours from London
Alright, alright, a three hour journey isn't quite as close to London as you had in mind. Hear me out though...
You can drive or get the train from London Waterloo to Portsmouth in about 90 minutes. It's then a 20 minute passenger ferry to the Isle of Wight, or a 45 minute car ferry.
Sure, that's longer than the others on this list but I personally feel like I'm on holiday once I'm on the ferry. And you can quite easily eat breakfast in your tiny, overpriced London flat and then have brunch by the seaside on the Isle of Wight.
Lower Hyde Holiday Park is by the train station in Shanklin, so you can get from London Waterloo to the holiday park in less than three hours using public transport.
Onsite, there's a swimming pool and lots for children to do. This one isn't right by the beach, but you can walk to Shanklin seafront in about 20 minutes. Reviews are about 4/5.
Price: £699 for a family of four in a 'Coast' chalet for a week during early August 2024.
Also consider: Whitecliff Bay Holiday Park is another popular resort on the Isle of Wight, but it has the advantage of being right by the beach.
You can drive or get the train from London Waterloo to Portsmouth in about 90 minutes. It's then a 20 minute passenger ferry to the Isle of Wight, or a 45 minute car ferry.
Sure, that's longer than the others on this list but I personally feel like I'm on holiday once I'm on the ferry. And you can quite easily eat breakfast in your tiny, overpriced London flat and then have brunch by the seaside on the Isle of Wight.
Lower Hyde Holiday Park is by the train station in Shanklin, so you can get from London Waterloo to the holiday park in less than three hours using public transport.
Onsite, there's a swimming pool and lots for children to do. This one isn't right by the beach, but you can walk to Shanklin seafront in about 20 minutes. Reviews are about 4/5.
Price: £699 for a family of four in a 'Coast' chalet for a week during early August 2024.
Also consider: Whitecliff Bay Holiday Park is another popular resort on the Isle of Wight, but it has the advantage of being right by the beach.
Lower Hyde Holiday Park is in a popular part of the Isle of Wight...
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...with an outdoor swimming pool and a beach within walking distance
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Price comparison of 5 holiday parks near London
We looked for a week's holiday in August 2024 for a family of four for the purposes of a rough price comparison. We didn't include any extras like bedding or pets, and we carried out our search in November 2023. From cheapest to most expensive:
- Lower Hyde Holiday Park Isle of Wight - £699
- Haven Kent Coast Holiday Park Kent - £752 **Winner: best value holiday park** (previously called Haven Allhallows)
- Lee Valley Caravan Park Hertfordshire - £860
- Tilford Woods Lodge Retreat - £899
- Alberta Holiday Park Kent - £1179
- Seaview Holiday Park Kent - £1339
Images are from Haven, Lee Valley, Park Holidays, Booking.com and Parkdean Resorts.
