A week in London

Deb in IA

Knows that KIDS are better
Joined
Aug 18, 1999
I am just in the beginning phases of planning a week in London for May 29 - June 4, 2016.

"We" are a family of 4 - myself, husband, and 2 young adult children, daughter age 25 and son age 21.

We will be on the Disney Magic 2016 EBTA, and will arrive in Dover on May 29.

I understand there is a train from Dover to London, but is will it be difficult to manage with large suitcases from a 14-night cruise? What would be the best way to get from the St. Pancras station to a hotel?

And speaking of lodging, what are some recommendations? Would a quad room be best in a hotel, or maybe renting a house/apartment (or flat, as you call them)?

For our itinerary, I would like to spend 3 days touring London, using the hop-on, hop-off bus, then spend one day each at the Harry Potter Studios (we are all HUGE HP fans!), and at Stonehenge. Maybe a show in the West End, and I'd like to go to services at Westminster Abbey (we are Episcopalians).

Does that sound reasonable? Any suggestions?
 
Hi @Deb in IA

Sorry, this is going to be a long reply, but I wanted to give you some of my hints & tips! :thumbsup2

Most of the trains to London I have been on have places to stow luggage on each carriage, as the trains usually have tourists on board, the trains seem to be well catered for luggage.

What area of London are you looking to stay in?

My favourite place is the South Bank, right beside the Thames, because you are so close to all the big attractions and sights - London Eye, London Aquarium, London Dungeons are all in very close proximity. There is also a Thames Clippers dock beside the Eye - these are the boats that sail up & down the river, with stops along the way. There are stops beside places like Tower of London & HMS Belfast.

Further along you have the OXO building, the Globe theatre, HMS Belfast, The Shard, London Bridge, and across the river the fabulous Tower of London.

A stroll across Westminster Bridge (beside London Eye & County Hall) and you are at Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey & Westminster Tube station. Walk along Whitehall to see the Cenotaph, 10 Downing Street & The Churchill War Rooms, Horse Guards and St James' Park. A walk through St James Park, or The Mall which is beside it, will take you to Buckingham Palace.

There is a Premier Inn (hotel) located in County Hall, which is the curved building directly behind London Eye, but there are a large number of other hotels within the area. Most hotels will have joining rooms (two rooms connected to each other by an internal door). That might be an option for you?

For renting somewhere, try http://www.homeaway.co.uk were owners advertise there properties for holiday rentals.

I would recommend looking into a Visitor Oyster card (for use on the tubes & London buses). http://www.tfl.gov.uk/travel-information/visiting-london/visitor-oyster-card
There is plenty of info & a video (I think!) on the site, but you basically top-up/load money onto the card, and tap it against the big yellow dome at the tube station gates & bus doorways (a bit like tapping your magic band against the mickey heads at the rooms, park entrances etc)

The tube is incredibly handy & you get used to it pretty quickly. Apps like CityMapper are great for putting in you location & destination, and CityMapper will recommend which tubes and/or bus routes you need. It will move you around London faster, so you can take in a few sights at your own pace.

For the hop-on/hop-off, look into The Original Tour London Sightseeing - http://www.theoriginaltour.com (sorry for again referring back to County Hall, but they have stops beside it!)

Another tour I would recommend is the London by Night tour. We did it a few years ago when I took my DBF on his first trip to London - and loved it! We got some lovely photos of iconic sites like Big Ben lit up - https://londonbynight.com/london-by-night-sightseeing-bus-tour.htm

For HP, some travel involved in this. http://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk

We have never been, but it is meant to be brilliant, and is definitely on our to do list. I have taken the travel info direct from the website:

"The Studio Tour’s nearest railway station is Watford Junction and direct services arrive there from both London Euston (20 minute journey) and Birmingham New Street (1 hour journey). Other non-direct train services operate from London Euston, but please be aware that these may take longer to arrive at Watford Junction.

A shuttle bus, operated by Mullany's Coaches, runs from Watford Junction to the Studio Tour with a journey time of around 15 minutes. Please plan to arrive at Watford Junction 45 minutes before the time stated on your ticket and have your ticket or booking confirmation ready when boarding the shuttle bus."

I have never been to StoneHenge, but from the website it is 9.5 miles away from the nearest station (Salisbury). While you can get a direct train from Waterloo to Salisbury, you would need to look into a taxi or bus for the rest of the journey. There may be a coach that runs direct from London Victoria Coach Station.

Westminister Abbey's website provides times of all its daily services, as well as when special services are being held. http://www.westminster-abbey.org/worship/general-service-times

My recommendations would be London Eye, Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral, The Churchill War Rooms, walk along Whitehall for 10 Downing Street & Cenotaph. Walk along The Mall to Buckingham Palace. If its good weather on a Sunday afternoon, sitting along the South Bank people watching & taking in the different street performers.

Hope this helps! :goodvibes
 
Try Marlin Apartments also for a serviced apartment. They have various places throughout London. We have stayed a few times at the London Bridge ones. Lots of space, the two bedroomed flats have two bathrooms, a lounge/kitchen/dining room. Would recommend them.

Pam
 
Hi @Deb in IA

Sorry, this is going to be a long reply, but I wanted to give you some of my hints & tips! :thumbsup2

Most of the trains to London I have been on have places to stow luggage on each carriage, as the trains usually have tourists on board, the trains seem to be well catered for luggage.

What area of London are you looking to stay in?

My favourite place is the South Bank, right beside the Thames, because you are so close to all the big attractions and sights - London Eye, London Aquarium, London Dungeons are all in very close proximity. There is also a Thames Clippers dock beside the Eye - these are the boats that sail up & down the river, with stops along the way. There are stops beside places like Tower of London & HMS Belfast.

Further along you have the OXO building, the Globe theatre, HMS Belfast, The Shard, London Bridge, and across the river the fabulous Tower of London.

A stroll across Westminster Bridge (beside London Eye & County Hall) and you are at Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey & Westminster Tube station. Walk along Whitehall to see the Cenotaph, 10 Downing Street & The Churchill War Rooms, Horse Guards and St James' Park. A walk through St James Park, or The Mall which is beside it, will take you to Buckingham Palace.

There is a Premier Inn (hotel) located in County Hall, which is the curved building directly behind London Eye, but there are a large number of other hotels within the area. Most hotels will have joining rooms (two rooms connected to each other by an internal door). That might be an option for you?

For renting somewhere, try http://www.homeaway.co.uk were owners advertise there properties for holiday rentals.

I would recommend looking into a Visitor Oyster card (for use on the tubes & London buses). http://www.tfl.gov.uk/travel-information/visiting-london/visitor-oyster-card
There is plenty of info & a video (I think!) on the site, but you basically top-up/load money onto the card, and tap it against the big yellow dome at the tube station gates & bus doorways (a bit like tapping your magic band against the mickey heads at the rooms, park entrances etc)

The tube is incredibly handy & you get used to it pretty quickly. Apps like CityMapper are great for putting in you location & destination, and CityMapper will recommend which tubes and/or bus routes you need. It will move you around London faster, so you can take in a few sights at your own pace.

For the hop-on/hop-off, look into The Original Tour London Sightseeing - http://www.theoriginaltour.com (sorry for again referring back to County Hall, but they have stops beside it!)

Another tour I would recommend is the London by Night tour. We did it a few years ago when I took my DBF on his first trip to London - and loved it! We got some lovely photos of iconic sites like Big Ben lit up - https://londonbynight.com/london-by-night-sightseeing-bus-tour.htm

For HP, some travel involved in this. http://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk

We have never been, but it is meant to be brilliant, and is definitely on our to do list. I have taken the travel info direct from the website:

"The Studio Tour’s nearest railway station is Watford Junction and direct services arrive there from both London Euston (20 minute journey) and Birmingham New Street (1 hour journey). Other non-direct train services operate from London Euston, but please be aware that these may take longer to arrive at Watford Junction.

A shuttle bus, operated by Mullany's Coaches, runs from Watford Junction to the Studio Tour with a journey time of around 15 minutes. Please plan to arrive at Watford Junction 45 minutes before the time stated on your ticket and have your ticket or booking confirmation ready when boarding the shuttle bus."

I have never been to StoneHenge, but from the website it is 9.5 miles away from the nearest station (Salisbury). While you can get a direct train from Waterloo to Salisbury, you would need to look into a taxi or bus for the rest of the journey. There may be a coach that runs direct from London Victoria Coach Station.

Westminister Abbey's website provides times of all its daily services, as well as when special services are being held. http://www.westminster-abbey.org/worship/general-service-times

My recommendations would be London Eye, Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral, The Churchill War Rooms, walk along Whitehall for 10 Downing Street & Cenotaph. Walk along The Mall to Buckingham Palace. If its good weather on a Sunday afternoon, sitting along the South Bank people watching & taking in the different street performers.

Hope this helps! :goodvibes

This is a HUGE help! Thank you so much for all the time and effort you put into this! We are really looking forward to this trip, and I am having so much fun planning it!
 


Try Marlin Apartments also for a serviced apartment. They have various places throughout London. We have stayed a few times at the London Bridge ones. Lots of space, the two bedroomed flats have two bathrooms, a lounge/kitchen/dining room. Would recommend them.

Pam

Thanks, Pam, I will definitely check it out!
 
This is a HUGE help! Thank you so much for all the time and effort you put into this! We are really looking forward to this trip, and I am having so much fun planning it!

No problem.

It is a great place. You will have a fab time planning because there is so much. If you are into History it has everything (Palaces, the Tower, Westminster Abbey). Then a bit of fun (Madam Tussauds, Ripley's Believe it or Not!)

I have been a lot over the years. I was fortunate enough to have had an aunt who lived in London, so I have been able to do plenty of exploring.

There is so much to see and do, and to recommend!

Even talking a walk around Carnaby Street, which is near to Oxford & Regent Streets. Carnaby Street is famous for being "the home" of the Mods & being the home of the swinging 60s, bands like the Rolling Stones & The Who where in the area for work, as there were underground music bars to suit there styles.

It is also full of offbeat and quirky shops. Johnny Cupcakes, your son might like it, is full of pretty cool clothing. Look it up, I think it was a company that started life in Boston. Then there is ChoccyWoccyDoDah (yes, that is its name). Originally started up in Brighton, it is a cafe & store selling the most amazing chocolate! The cakes are out of this world. http://www.choccywoccydoodah.com

You will also be very close to Hamleys, Liberty London and Anthropologie. Also, slightly further away, The Hummingbird Bakery (I even bought they baking books! :lovestruc)

There is also Hampton Court Palace. You can get a train from Waterloo to Hampton Court - takes about 30-35mins. Short walk to the station to the beautiful palace, a favourite of King Henry VIII. With beautiful gardens, a maze and you can roam the Palace at your leisure. It is celebrating its 500th anniversary this year, so there are special events scheduled throughout the year.

I am looking forward to seeing where you go! :-)
 
Just to let you know, OP, there is not enough at Stonehenge to keep you occupied all day. It is a huge let down, to be honest.

If you really want to see it, go, of course, but don't except it to be an all day event. If you can get on a morning tour, you can actually go up to the stones. Otherwise, you're stuck behind a fence. DH says tickets must be bought in advance now too.
 


One place in London that we love to visit with daughter who is 25 is Camden Market. The whole area is full of great fashion shops, food carts, jewellery, artisans. It is very 'hip', and was the home of the likes of Amy Winehouse (there is a statue of her in the Market), and Boy George. There is a fantastic restaurant called Gilgamesh which has really good food and is great for star spotting. We go often, we only live 30 minutes by train from the capital and Camden is one of our favourite places.

Pam
 
agree re stone henge - its about half the size you are expecting it is going to be and its at least 2 hours travel each way. - its just a field with some big rocks in it - and you can't even touch them.

london is basically full of stuff to do

I'd generally avoid things like madame tussauds as its a bit of a cheese fest

most museums are free - if you like thats sort of thing

as previous poster said - the walk along the south bank is a great one -we normally do that with visitors
as well as just exploring the west end/covent garden/soho.

as well as greenwich park (but mainly as we can walk there from our house!!)

the boats are nice to get too - some are tourist boats - others are 'commuter' boats - theres several piers along the river.

no one drives in london - NO ONE in their right mind anyway- its all tube/buses/taxis

maybe worth booking a couple of restaurants.
depending on what you like

for steak - modestly expensive - is hawksmoor - http://thehawksmoor.com/ there is a small one in covent garden and big one that also does fish in air street (just off piccadilly/regent street) will be around £30-£50 a person

for a burger - try byron - lots of branches - you can noramlly just walk up to that as there's LOADS - i'm going to one tonight! which is almost downstairs from my work in hoxton square. will be around £15 a person

fancy some disney style dinning - there is a rainforrest cafe on shaftsbury avenue by piccadilly circus. around £15-£25 a person - your lot are probably too old for that though!!

for fish J Sheeky - http://www.j-sheekey.co.uk/ covent garden/Leicester sq - its a bit fancy - but they do an amazing lunch menu too £30-£60 a person

BBQ - try bodeans http://www.bodeansbbq.com/site/

noodles/fusion asian - wagamama - £15-£20 a head has lots of branches http://www.wagamama.com/

best to wander a street or so away from the main tourist traps to get the nicer places. charlotte street has lots of nice places
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place...2!3m1!1s0x48761b2be455ba33:0x6ac1b9e7d4ad0f6f (lantana cafe is very good)

wahaca is good for mexican 'street' food (again this is a chain )

theres quite a steet food thing going on but it tend to be a little further out rather than in town



oh and theres lots of nandos (£10-£20 a head) for flame grilled chicken with spice in a variety of heats from plain(ish) to extra hot


but basically spit and you'll find a good place to eat in london!! :)
 
Hey MacLondon, I loved your tips for food. Never been to Hawksmoor, but passed one often at Seven Dials. Next time we'll go in! Never been the Wahaca, is it good? And we will definitely go wandering in Charlotte Street.

Pam
 
agree re stone henge - its about half the size you are expecting it is going to be and its at least 2 hours travel each way. - its just a field with some big rocks in it - and you can't even touch them.

london is basically full of stuff to do

I'd generally avoid things like madame tussauds as its a bit of a cheese fest

most museums are free - if you like thats sort of thing

as previous poster said - the walk along the south bank is a great one -we normally do that with visitors
as well as just exploring the west end/covent garden/soho.

as well as greenwich park (but mainly as we can walk there from our house!!)

the boats are nice to get too - some are tourist boats - others are 'commuter' boats - theres several piers along the river.

no one drives in london - NO ONE in their right mind anyway- its all tube/buses/taxis

maybe worth booking a couple of restaurants.
depending on what you like

for steak - modestly expensive - is hawksmoor - http://thehawksmoor.com/ there is a small one in covent garden and big one that also does fish in air street (just off piccadilly/regent street) will be around £30-£50 a person

for a burger - try byron - lots of branches - you can noramlly just walk up to that as there's LOADS - i'm going to one tonight! which is almost downstairs from my work in hoxton square. will be around £15 a person

fancy some disney style dinning - there is a rainforrest cafe on shaftsbury avenue by piccadilly circus. around £15-£25 a person - your lot are probably too old for that though!!

for fish J Sheeky - http://www.j-sheekey.co.uk/ covent garden/Leicester sq - its a bit fancy - but they do an amazing lunch menu too £30-£60 a person

BBQ - try bodeans http://www.bodeansbbq.com/site/

noodles/fusion asian - wagamama - £15-£20 a head has lots of branches http://www.wagamama.com/

best to wander a street or so away from the main tourist traps to get the nicer places. charlotte street has lots of nice places
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place...2!3m1!1s0x48761b2be455ba33:0x6ac1b9e7d4ad0f6f (lantana cafe is very good)

wahaca is good for mexican 'street' food (again this is a chain )

theres quite a steet food thing going on but it tend to be a little further out rather than in town



oh and theres lots of nandos (£10-£20 a head) for flame grilled chicken with spice in a variety of heats from plain(ish) to extra hot


but basically spit and you'll find a good place to eat in london!! :)

THANK YOU!

We love to eat (another reason we also love the Disney Cruises), and these suggestions are great!

A few questions, if you don't mind.

Where would you suggest we go for a good afternoon tea?

And, we are somewhat embarrassed to admit, we are Gordon Ramsay fans. Would you recommend trying to go to his flagship establishment, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, or would you recommend one of his other places?
 
No problem.

It is a great place. You will have a fab time planning because there is so much. If you are into History it has everything (Palaces, the Tower, Westminster Abbey). Then a bit of fun (Madam Tussauds, Ripley's Believe it or Not!)

I have been a lot over the years. I was fortunate enough to have had an aunt who lived in London, so I have been able to do plenty of exploring.

There is so much to see and do, and to recommend!

Even talking a walk around Carnaby Street, which is near to Oxford & Regent Streets. Carnaby Street is famous for being "the home" of the Mods & being the home of the swinging 60s, bands like the Rolling Stones & The Who where in the area for work, as there were underground music bars to suit there styles.

It is also full of offbeat and quirky shops. Johnny Cupcakes, your son might like it, is full of pretty cool clothing. Look it up, I think it was a company that started life in Boston. Then there is ChoccyWoccyDoDah (yes, that is its name). Originally started up in Brighton, it is a cafe & store selling the most amazing chocolate! The cakes are out of this world. http://www.choccywoccydoodah.com

You will also be very close to Hamleys, Liberty London and Anthropologie. Also, slightly further away, The Hummingbird Bakery (I even bought they baking books! :lovestruc)

There is also Hampton Court Palace. You can get a train from Waterloo to Hampton Court - takes about 30-35mins. Short walk to the station to the beautiful palace, a favourite of King Henry VIII. With beautiful gardens, a maze and you can roam the Palace at your leisure. It is celebrating its 500th anniversary this year, so there are special events scheduled throughout the year.

I am looking forward to seeing where you go! :-)


Oh, so good to know!

DH is the world's biggest fan of Mick and the boys (aka The Rolling Stones) and he is really wanting to "tour" the places where they were in London. Are there any specific Stones tours? I checked the London Walks, and they have a general Rock and Roll walk, but nothing just about the Stones.

The chocolate sounds great too! I've heard that the chocolate in England tastes richer than in the US - can't wait to try it!
 
And here's one more question, for you London experts:

We are planning to get Oyster cards, and travel a lot on the Tube. Is it very difficult to navigate the system? We don't have a lot of experience using subways (not a lot of them in Iowa!), and are a bit intimidated by it!
 
If you can get a reservation, and don't mind it being a little pricey, nowhere beats the Ritz for afternoon tea. It does have a formal dress code though.
 
Not sure about a Stones walk, but the Rock n Roll tour might be a good option for him.

And here's one more question, for you London experts:

We are planning to get Oyster cards, and travel a lot on the Tube. Is it very difficult to navigate the system? We don't have a lot of experience using subways (not a lot of them in Iowa!), and are a bit intimidated by it!

Once you get used to the tube, it is fairly straight forward. Check out the link in my first post as it gives plenty of information on how it works. Also, do take a look at the link for the visitor Oyster cards, which you can order with a certain amount already topped up on it. There are self service machines at the stations were you can load more money onto the cards if needed.

The stations are well sign posted, with maps of the lines and routes and all the stops are announced on the train.

There are usually staff at the entrances if you are not sure. At the really busy stations like Waterloo, there is sometimes staff on the platform.

Don't be intimated by it. If you are on the tube and think you are heading the wrong direction, just get off at the next stop and try again. I have done this before.

If anyone has a smartphone, look up an app called CityMapper. You can enter your starting destination and where you want to go i.e. Your hotel to Wesminister Abbey and it will tell you the fastest tube route (including which lines & stops to take!)
 
And here's one more question, for you London experts:

We are planning to get Oyster cards, and travel a lot on the Tube. Is it very difficult to navigate the system? We don't have a lot of experience using subways (not a lot of them in Iowa!), and are a bit intimidated by it!


yes get oyster cards - its WAY WAY cheaper - though you can get paper day travel cards still - i think.

UK people can use any contactless payment card - so dont need a dedicated oyster - but i think thats only uk issued cards.

apparently we had 17.4 million visitors in london last year!!
 
THANK YOU!

We love to eat (another reason we also love the Disney Cruises), and these suggestions are great!

A few questions, if you don't mind.

Where would you suggest we go for a good afternoon tea?

And, we are somewhat embarrassed to admit, we are Gordon Ramsay fans. Would you recommend trying to go to his flagship establishment, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, or would you recommend one of his other places?

ah i couldn't say - I have only done afternoon tea once - at the Savoy on valentines day!
I hate tea! so ended up with peppermint - as i'm a coffee drinker - though they did have that as an option.
I'm sure GR's place is very good.

If you want some 'pricey' chocolate - try paul a young - he has a few stores - wardour street is biggest
just the most amazing thing you'll ever have - esp the sea salted caramels.
 
Hey MacLondon, I loved your tips for food. Never been to Hawksmoor, but passed one often at Seven Dials. Next time we'll go in! Never been the Wahaca, is it good? And we will definitely go wandering in Charlotte Street.

Pam

hawskmoor is very very good :) though oddly the highlight for me was the red wine sorbet!
wahaca is snacky - its good quality chain stuff, its a bit like mexican tapas.

if you want an amazing pizza you have to goto http://www.francomanca.co.uk/
which now have loads of branches - back in 2012 they had 2!
 
ah i couldn't say - I have only done afternoon tea once - at the Savoy on valentines day!
I hate tea! so ended up with peppermint - as i'm a coffee drinker - though they did have that as an option.
I'm sure GR's place is very good.

If you want some 'pricey' chocolate - try paul a young - he has a few stores - wardour street is biggest
just the most amazing thing you'll ever have - esp the sea salted caramels.


OK, how about recommendations for a good pub?
 

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