Destinations & day trips · 2026-09-21 · 8-minute read
London, Ontario to Port Stanley by car is 45 minutes and about 45 kilometres - Wellington Road south to Highway 4, through St. Thomas and down the 4 to the harbour - at a LondonLimo.net planning figure of $105-130 plus HST each way for a business sedan, $130-160 for an executive SUV and $215-270 for a Sprinter, or the day by the hour in an SUV for six at $115-135 with the coolers, the umbrellas and the boogie boards in the back; the day is the main beach and Little Beach, the harbour's fish and chips with the lift bridge going up, the Port Stanley Festival Theatre's summer season, Sparta's village and the Elgin County shore to Port Burwell, and the Elgin wineries on the way for the adults. The St. Thomas and Port Stanley page has the destination; this article is the beach day, forty-five minutes from the door, with the honest note on the beach's parking on a July Sunday.
The day, and the stops
| Stop | Where | From London | What | The chauffeur's note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The main beach | The foot of the harbour, west of the bridge | 45 min | The sand, the lifeguards in season, the beach's pavilion | The beach's lot fills by 11 on a July Sunday |
| Little Beach | East of the harbour, below the bluff | 45 min | The quieter sand for families with small children | The lane's lot; a short walk |
| The harbour and the lift bridge | Bridge Street | 45 min | Fish and chips, the boats, the bridge going up for the masts | The harbour's lots and the side streets |
| The Port Stanley Festival Theatre | Bridge Street | 45 min | The summer season's comedies and musicals | The theatre's door; the evening curtain |
| Sparta | Sparta Line, ten minutes east | 40 min | The Quaker village's shops, the tea room, the candle-maker | The village's street |
| Port Burwell | The Elgin shore, thirty minutes east | 1 h 10 | The beach, the lighthouse, the submarine museum | The lighthouse's lot |
| The Elgin wineries | The lake road and the county's concessions | 40 min | The tasting rooms on the way | Booked ahead; the bottles in the trunk |
| St. Thomas | Highway 4 on the way | 30 min | The Elgin County Railway Museum, Jumbo, the Talbot Street shops | The stop on the way home |
LondonLimo.net planning figures before HST; the Port Stanley site has the beach's season and the Elgin County site the shore.
The road, in detail
Wellington Road south past White Oaks and the 401's interchange to Highway 4, the 4 through St. Thomas's north end and Talbot Street's crossing, and the last twelve kilometres south through the county's farms to the harbour's hill and Bridge Street; forty-five minutes, two lanes from the city's edge, and the St. Thomas page has the town on the way.
The main beach, and Little Beach
The main beach's wide sand west of the harbour with the pavilion, the lifeguards from June to Labour Day and the beach's lot that fills by 11 on a July Sunday; Little Beach east of the harbour below the bluff, quieter and shallower for small children, with the lane's lot and the short walk; the SUV's drop at either with the coolers carried the last fifty metres and the chauffeur back by text.
The harbour, and the lift bridge
Bridge Street's fish-and-chip counters and patios, the boats in the harbour, and the King George VI lift bridge going up for the masts on the hour in summer; lunch at 12:30 with the bridge's show, and the harbour's lots and the side streets for the car; the village's site has the bridge's schedule.
The Festival Theatre
The Port Stanley Festival Theatre on Bridge Street runs its summer season of comedies and musicals with a 7:30 curtain, and a London couple's beach afternoon and the play's evening is a day by the hour from 2 to 10:30; the Stratford article has the other summer theatres and the hourly page the day.
Sparta and the Elgin shore
Sparta's Quaker village ten minutes east with its tea room, its candle-maker and its shops, and the Elgin shore road to Port Bruce and Port Burwell's beach, lighthouse and submarine; the shore's day that adds both is eight hours by the hour, and the Bellamere article has the Elgin wineries on the way.
The family's SUV
Six in an SUV with the coolers, the umbrellas, the boogie boards and the stroller in the cargo, the booster seats fitted on request, the drop at the beach's access and the pickup by text at 5; two fares at $130-160 or the day by the hour, and the fleet page is honest about the cargo.
The couple's evening
The luxury sedan at 4, the beach's walk, dinner on Bridge Street at 6:30 with the bridge going up, the sunset from the pier at 8:45 in July and home by 9:45; five and three-quarter hours at $135-165, and the birthday and anniversary article has the evening as the anniversary it often is.
The winter village, honestly
The beach is empty, the counters close for the season, the theatre is dark and the harbour's boats are out of the water; a winter run to Port Stanley is a cottage's closing or a walk on the pier in a coat, and the winter article has the rules for Highway 4's drifts.
Three beach days, as they went
A family of five, a Sunday in July. Westmount at 9:30 in the SUV, Little Beach at 10:15, the harbour's fish and chips at 12:30 with the bridge up, the main beach at 2, home at 5:30. Eight hours by the hour.
A couple, a Saturday in August. Old North at 4 in the luxury sedan, the beach, dinner on Bridge Street, the sunset, home at 9:45. Five and three-quarter hours.
Grandparents and grandchildren, a Wednesday in June. Masonville at 10, Sparta's tea room, Port Stanley's harbour for lunch, Little Beach, home at 4. Six hours in the SUV.
Booking it
The run is a fixed fare on the reservation engine with Port Stanley's address; the day by the hour is one email or call to the desk; the St. Thomas and Port Stanley page has the destination.
Three questions the desk is asked about Port Stanley
Can we stop in St. Thomas on the way? Yes - the Railway Museum, Jumbo's statue on Talbot Street and the shops are a thirty-minute stop inside the day by the hour, and the St. Thomas page has the town.
Is there a lifeguard? On the main beach from June to Labour Day; Little Beach is unguarded and shallow; the Port Stanley site has the season.
Can we bring the dog? In the SUV with notice, yes; on the beaches in summer, the village's rules apply and the desk checks them. The FAQ has the rest.
Highway 4, in detail
Wellington Road's run south past White Oaks Mall and the 401's interchange at Exit 186 to the 4's start, the 4 through the county's farms to St. Thomas's north end, the Talbot Street crossing at the town's centre, and the 4's last stretch south past the airport's road to the harbour's hill and Bridge Street's descent; forty-five minutes, and the St. Thomas page has the town on the way.
The main beach, in detail
The wide sand west of the harbour with the pavilion's washrooms and showers, the lifeguards' chairs, the volleyball nets and the pier at the harbour's mouth; the beach's lot at the day rate and the side streets' lots, full by 11 on a July Sunday, and the SUV's drop at the beach's access on the harbour road with the coolers carried the last fifty metres.
Little Beach, in detail
The smaller sand east of the harbour below the bluff, reached by the lane off the harbour's east road, shallow for fifty metres and quieter than the main beach; the lane's lot and the short walk, the chauffeur's return by text, and the fleet page has the SUV's cargo for the stroller and the umbrellas.
The harbour, in detail
Bridge Street's fish-and-chip counters, the patios over the water, the boats in the harbour and the King George VI lift bridge going up for the masts on a schedule the village posts; the harbour's lots and the side streets for the car, and lunch at 12:30 with the bridge's show is the day's centre.
The Festival Theatre, in detail
The Port Stanley Festival Theatre on Bridge Street with its summer season of comedies and musicals from June to September and a 7:30 curtain; the theatre's door for the drop and the same door at the curtain, and a beach afternoon with the play's evening is the day by the hour from 2 to 10:30 on the hourly page.
Sparta and the shore, in detail
Sparta's Quaker village on Sparta Line ten minutes east with its tea room, its candle-maker and its forge, the Elgin shore road east through Port Bruce to Port Burwell's beach, its lighthouse and its submarine museum, and the Elgin County site's tourism map; the shore's day that adds both is eight hours by the hour with lunch in Port Stanley.
The Elgin wineries, in detail
The county's wineries along the lake road and the concessions between St. Thomas and the shore, with the tasting rooms booked ahead by the desk and the bottles in the trunk; Ontario's rules on alcohol aboard - none in the sedan, the SUV and the Sprinter - and the wine tour page has the county's afternoon.
Booking checklist for the beach day
The date; the numbers and the children's ages; the pickup; the main beach or Little Beach; the harbour's lunch; Sparta or the shore; the theatre; the vehicle; the card. Nine lines to the desk or a fixed fare on the reservation engine.
The honest summary
Forty-five minutes to Lake Erie's sand at $105-130 for a sedan or the day by the hour in the SUV with the coolers, the harbour's fish and chips and the bridge going up; the St. Thomas and Port Stanley page has the destination.
A worked example: the day, priced two ways
A Westmount family of five asked for a Sunday in July: two SUV fares at $145 each with the chauffeur back in London between - $290 plus HST, and the family on its own for the parking - or the day by the hour from 9:30 to 5:30 at $125, $1,000, with the chauffeur at the beach's access, the harbour's lunch and Little Beach in the afternoon and the coolers never carried further than fifty metres; the family took the two fares and the desk's advice on the 11 o'clock lot, and booked the hourly day for the theatre evening in August. The rates page has both.
The desk's rule of thumb
Forty-five minutes; $105-130 for a sedan and $130-160 for the SUV, fixed; two fares for the beach alone and the day by the hour for the beach, the harbour and the theatre; Little Beach for the small children; the lot by 11; and the sunset from the pier at 8:45 in July. The St. Thomas and Port Stanley page has the destination.
Booking it, in one line
The run is a fixed fare on the reservation engine with Port Stanley's address; the day by the hour is one email or call to the desk.
