Maidstone is the county town of Kent, England and is 32 miles south east of London. The river Medway runs through the centre of the town, linking it with Rochester and the Thames estuary. Historically the river was a source of and route of much of the towns trade, as the centre of agriculture for the county of Kent, known as the Garden of England.
By Road
From Dover, Ashford International Station and the Channel Tunnel via the M20 motorway. Maidstone is accessed from junctions 5, 6, 7 and 8. From London and the rest of the UK via the M25 and M26/M20 motorways.
By Coach
Ticket prices for a coach from London to Maidstone usually start from £3.00 but in times of high demand you are likely to pay a bit more. National Express runs from London Victoria Park Plaza. Under normal conditions the coach would take 1h and 35 minutes.
From Eltham: by bus from national express the journey is an 1h and cost from £5 to £8 Alternatively you can take a train from Eltham to Maidstone via Dartford and Strood in around 1h and 46minutes.
By Rail
Maidstone town is easily accessible through it two major railway stations
- Maidstone East station for services from London and Ashford.
- Maidstone West for services from Gatwick and Strood.
From London Victoria to Maidstone East the direct journey takes 1h and 2minutes.
From Ashford International Station the direct journey on the fastest route takes 21minutes, slowest journey 33 minutes and the average time is 27 minutes.
The average journey time between Gatwick Airport and Maidstone West is 2 hours 23 minutes. The fastest journey time is 1 hour 33 minutes. On an average weekday, there are 76 trains per day travelling from Gatwick Airport to Maidstone West. The journey time may be longer on weekends and holidays. Gatwick Airport is not a direct route but go from Gatwick Airport to Tonbridge, change at Tonbridge to get to Maidstone West.
From Strood to Maidstone the fastest route takes 15 minutes, slowest route takes 26 minutes and the average journey takes 22 minutes. Strood connects with the High Speed Rail service into London.
Trainline is Europe’s leading train and coach app. which brings together all rail, coach and other travel services into one simple experience so people can get the best prices and smart, real-time travel info on the go.
By Bus
Maidstone is served by three bus companies, East Farleigh coaches, New Venture and Arriva Bus Company. Arriva being the major bus company. Major bus timetables can be viewed on line at www.arrivabus.co.uk or printed timetables can be collected from Maidstone Museum and Tourist Information, The Mall Shopping Centre and The Maidstone Link council offices. Arriva bus services run from Monday to Sunday, restricted service on Sundays and Bank Holidays. Maidstone Bus station can be found underneath The Mall Shopping Centre, King Street, Maidstone.
Here are a few really useful bus routes to help you get around
Maidstone Hospital via Tonbridge Road to Maidstone bus service 3.
Royal Tunbridge Wells to Maidstone via Matfield bus service 6 or five Oak Green bus service 6a, Paddock Wood & East Peckham.
Tunbridge Wells Hospital to Maidstone Hospital via Barming & Wateringbury bus service 6X.
Royal Tunbridge Wells to Maidstone via Tunbridge and Mereworth bus service 7.
Maidstone Hospital to Maidstone via Fant and Beverley Road bus service 8.
Downswood, Shepway to Maidstone bus service 4.
Vinters Park, Bearsted Green to Maidstone bus service 9.
Bearsted Green, The Landway to Maidstone bus service 11.
Penenden Heath, Boxley Road to Maidstone bus service 79.
Sandhurst, Hawkhurst, Cranbrook, Staplehurst to Maidstone bus service 5.
Tenterden, Biddenden, Headcorn to Maidstone bus service 12.
Grafty Green, Kingswood to Maidstone bus service 59.
Parkwood to Maidstone bus service 82.
Senacre Wood to Maidstone bus service 85.
Coxheath to Maidstone bus service 89.
Snodland, Larkfield to Maidstone bus service 71.
Leybourne Park, Larkfield to Maidstone bus service 71A.
Kingshill, West Malling, Larkfield to Maidstone bus service 72.
Sittingbourne to Maidstone bus service 333 & 334.
Kings Hill, West Malling Station to Maidstone bus service X1 & X2.
Gillingham, Chatham to Maidstone bus service 101.
Maidstone is also served by a park and ride service Mondays to Saturdays running every 20 minutes.
Willington Street to Maidstone bus service 501
London Road to Maidstone bus service 503
