Explore London, Cambridge and Beyond with a Private Driver

A day in the city may involve far more than travelling to a single address.

There might be an exhibition in the morning, lunch elsewhere, an afternoon appointment, shopping, dinner and an evening performance. Visitors arriving from overseas may want to combine sightseeing with business, while couples or families may have several places they would like to visit without spending much of the day organising transport between them.

Day hire with a private driver provides one comfortable executive car for the relevant part of the itinerary. The driver takes care of the route, traffic and parking while passengers concentrate on the places they have come to see.

Newmarket Executive Travel provides private-driver and chauffeur day hire for visits to London, Cambridge, Norwich and cities throughout the UK.

What is private-driver day hire?

Day hire means having a professional driver and executive car available for an agreed period rather than arranging a separate taxi for every stage of the day.

The journey might begin at home, a hotel, an airport or another address. From there, the driver can connect the different parts of the itinerary and provide the return journey afterwards.

A city day-hire booking might include:

• Travel from Newmarket or Cambridge into London
• Several museums, galleries or visitor attractions
• Lunch and dinner reservations
• Shopping or private appointments
• A theatre performance or concert
• Business meetings followed by an evening event
• Collection from a hotel
• Return transport at the end of the day

The service can be as simple as an outward and return journey or can include several planned destinations.

Using one car and driver provides continuity throughout the day. Passengers do not have to explain the itinerary to a succession of different drivers or arrange another vehicle whenever they are ready to move on.

Where appropriate, the driver can wait nearby, return at an agreed time or continue directly to the next destination.

Private-driver travel to London

London offers almost unlimited possibilities for a day visit, but moving between its different districts can consume a considerable amount of time.

A day might include an exhibition in South Kensington, lunch in Mayfair, shopping in the West End and an evening performance in Covent Garden. Another visit may centre on museums, historic attractions, restaurants or a major sporting event.

Newmarket Executive Travel provides private-driver and executive-car travel to London from Newmarket, Cambridge, Ely, Bury St Edmunds and the surrounding region.

Popular reasons for arranging London day hire include:

• West End theatre
• Museums and galleries
• Shopping in Mayfair, Knightsbridge or the West End
• Restaurants and afternoon tea
• Concerts and sporting events
• Private celebrations
• Corporate hospitality
• Business meetings at several addresses
• Visits by international guests

Passengers can travel directly into London without driving themselves, searching for parking or beginning the day with several train connections.

Once in the city, the driver can provide transport between appointments where practical and collect passengers again after their final engagement.

Our separate guide to London event travel looks more closely at concerts, sport, theatre and summer occasions.

Cambridge and other city visits

Cambridge combines historic colleges, museums, gardens, restaurants, theatres and riverside attractions within a relatively compact city.

A private driver can provide direct travel from Newmarket, Ely, Bury St Edmunds, West Suffolk and the surrounding villages. The service is particularly useful for visitors staying outside Cambridge or combining the city with another destination in the region.

A visit may include:

• Historic university buildings and colleges
• The Fitzwilliam Museum
• The Backs and River Cam
• Cambridge University Botanic Garden
• Restaurants and afternoon tea
• Theatre and concert venues
• Shopping and private appointments

The driver provides transport rather than a guided tour, leaving passengers free to explore independently or join an organised visit.

Day hire is not limited to London and Cambridge. Newmarket Executive Travel can also provide executive-car travel to Norwich, Oxford, Birmingham and cities throughout the UK.

Other itineraries may involve Peterborough, Lincoln, York, Bath, Stratford-upon-Avon, Canterbury, Brighton or destinations on the South Coast.

For couples, families and small groups, travelling together in one car provides a comfortable alternative to changing trains, carrying bags between stations or asking one person to take responsibility for the drive home.

Several destinations in one day

The main advantage of private-driver day hire is that the different parts of the itinerary can be treated as one journey.

A passenger may need to travel from a hotel to a meeting, continue to another business address, visit an exhibition and attend dinner later in the evening. A couple visiting London may have lunch, shopping and a theatre performance planned before returning home.

Day hire can be particularly useful when:

• Appointments are spread across different parts of a city
• The finishing time of a meeting may change
• The day includes both business and leisure
• A visitor is unfamiliar with the city
• Several people need to travel together
• The itinerary continues into the evening

A professional driver keeps track of the main timings and connects each stage of the day.

The itinerary does not need to be packed from morning until night. The same service can suit a relaxed visit involving lunch, one attraction and an evening performance.

Shopping, dining and evening entertainment

Some city visits are arranged around shopping or private appointments rather than sightseeing.

Passengers may be attending a personal-shopping appointment, choosing clothes for a wedding, visiting specialist retailers or combining several purchases that would be inconvenient to carry on public transport.

Private-driver day hire can suit visits to:

• London’s West End
• Bond Street and Mayfair
• Knightsbridge
• Cambridge city centre
• Norwich
• Bicester Village
• Specialist retailers elsewhere in the UK

The day may continue with dinner, theatre, a concert or another evening event.

An outward and return service allows everyone to enjoy the occasion without keeping an eye on the last train or deciding who will drive home. Passengers can be collected from one location and return from another where that better suits the plans.

This works well for theatre visits, concerts, special-occasion dinners, anniversaries, birthdays and corporate entertainment.

At the end of the evening, passengers can settle into the car while the driver takes care of the journey home.

Business and leisure in one itinerary

City travel does not always fit neatly into either business or pleasure.

A visitor may have a morning meeting followed by an afternoon exhibition. A company director might attend several appointments before meeting colleagues for dinner. An overseas guest may want to see part of London or Cambridge around a business engagement.

Executive-car day hire allows those different purposes to sit within one transport plan.

Passengers can use the journey to read, answer emails or prepare for a meeting. Complimentary Wi-Fi is available in the car, while the quieter environment gives passengers the choice to work, talk or take a break.

For companies welcoming clients or colleagues from elsewhere in the UK or overseas, one professional driver can also provide a consistent point of contact throughout the visit.

The day might begin at a hotel, continue through several meetings and finish at a restaurant, event venue or another city.

Private-driver travel shaped around the day

The most useful part of chauffeur day hire is not formality or ceremony. It is having one comfortable car and a professional driver connecting the different parts of the itinerary.

Passengers do not need to drive, find parking or organise another taxi each time they are ready to move on. They can spend more of the day enjoying the city, attending their appointments or spending time together.

Newmarket Executive Travel provides day hire and private-driver services for individuals, couples, families, business passengers and small groups.

Whether the destination is London, Cambridge, Norwich or another UK city, the transport can be planned around the places passengers have come to visit and the time they want to spend there.