Anybody familiar with traveling to London for a vacation?

[Kimberle]

With the exchange rate so good, my dd and I were thinking of going this summer. I've been googling, but feel kind of overwhelmed by the choices.

Where is a good area to stay? Is there a more centralized area where you could walk to many things or is everything spread around? How does the tube work? Can you buy a week pass or do you need a ticket for every trip? Are there bus day tours (like in NYC) to help you get familiar with the area?

I think we'd like to see the London Eye, Big Ben, historical stuff like castles and museums, Harrod's, and the Harry Potter Studio. It would also be nice to see some of the countryside.

We would be going the end of June or July.

TIA!

 

[sunshinehighway]

You can buy an Oyster card for the tube. You put money on it and it deducts the fare. You can add more money if you need to.
There's tons of tours.. Walking tours, day trips, bus tours. Visit a site like Viator. It's much easier to look through the tours that way.
You'll find things are both spread out and close together. It works best to see what's close by each other and plan your days based on that. Like the London Eye, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey are all basically in one area. You could plan a day to visit those things and walk.
Aa far as where to stay, I guess that would really depend on your budget. Regardless of the where, make sure you have a good tube stop nearby. There are several underground apps that are very useful in showing you how easy or difficult it is to get from place to place.

 

[cedricandsophie]

I'd suggest a good travel agent who can suggest good hotels in the best area to stay along with ideas for day trips.

 

[Aimeedyan]

We used an Oyster card and mostly used the tube to get around. I found it very easy to navigate! We probably didn't stay in the "best" area for tourist attractions but it was very safe and near several tube stations and that was really the most important part. The bus also ran very close to our hotel and we took it a few times - you have to do the double decker thing at least once Our hotel had a fantastic breakfast buffet that ended up being a budget help. We could eat early and really stay full until mid-afternoon, plus we weren't "wasting" time dining out for breakfast but instead could hit the ground running as soon as things opened.

I planned our days based on where they were located. Like mentioned above, some things are near each other and just make sense to hit at the same time. It was our first trip to London so we never left the city - too much we wanted to do. I did not see a need for any tours (outside of the attraction specific tour, like the one at Tower of London - highly recommend - and included in cost).

Prepare for lots of walking! Even with taking the tube, I took WAY more steps than any day at Disney.

 

[sunshinehighway]

Lots of walking and lots of stairs!
Personally I enjoyed doing a few walking tours. There's at least one tour company (I think it's London Walks) that just has a schedule for each day and you show up at the meeting place and pay the guide..no reservations. That's a nice option because it provides a lot of flexibility.

 

[plutotek]

If you're set on planning it yourself, I'd suggest the London and England tour books by Rick Steves. He covers just about any questions you may have.

 

[Teresa Pitman]

I just went in October with my 15 year old grandson. We stayed in a hotel that was right beside Paddington station (because it was easiest to get to Paddington from the airport). Quite nice (although the room layout was odd) and new. We had an Oyster card and just took the tube to see what we wanted. We did the Tower of London tour which was fabulous and then spent a few more hours exploring on our own. It was definitely a highlight. We also went to several of the museums - most are free or pay by donation - and all very accessible by tube. We did one day on the "hop on, hop off" bus - there are several different companies doing this - it worked out really well. We got off to check out some sites (Buckingham Palace, Westminster, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, Harrods) and then just got back on the next bus at the stop and continued on.

The only thing that was hard for me is there were SO MANY STAIRS. I would hate to live in London and be using a wheelchair. I'm sure it keeps everyone fit but I am NOT fit and it was a bit hard on my knees to be always going up and down stairs. But it was all pretty amazing anyway. My grandson wants to go back.

 

[bookgirl]

I just got back from European trip (London 6 nts and France 2 nts) in September. I was a woman traveling alone and did not use a travel agent or travel with a group tour. It was really easy and I had no problems aside from one 20 minute period were I got turned around in the Paris Metro and ended up in an area I didn't know. Absolutely no problems in London.

I pre bought an Oyster Card (was plastic and decorative) as I didn't want a paper pass. I used this on the tubes, the water taxis on the Thames, buses and the overland trains within England. It was great as it knew when your individual fares hit the same cost as a 'day' pass and quit charging you after that for the rest of the day.

I chose to base my hotels on transportation instead of location. My first 5 nights in London I stayed at a hotel next to the Kings Cross Station. Kings Cross has about 6 tube lines and as many overland trains that pass through it (as well as being home to Platform 9 3/4). I was able to take a direct line from Heathrow to Kings Cross and then walk outside and across the road to my hotel. I used Kings Cross to access every single tourist attraction with no or only 1 transfer. (I did take a bus to the British Museum but that was more a desire to take a Double Decker than lack of tube access). Because of this I had an easy time navigating to all locations not just those near my hotel or a smaller station with less lines going through it.

St Pancres is next door to KC Station and that is where I caught the train to Paris (it also goes to Disneyland Paris). There are also Tube locations there and about a half a mile down the road at Euston Station.

I had a Tesco (grocery) around the corner. Marks and Spencer's in the stations, Pubs, Costa & Starbucks, McDonald's, restaurants and about 15 bus stations within a 5 minute walk. It was a great location and I never felt unsafe because it was always occupied with people and there were visible transit police and regular police around.

My friend has been twice, and she's older than me (I'm 50) and she likes the Earls Court area. It's closer to some tourist areas and had good transportation options as well.

I would be happy to answer any questions. I visited Buckingham Palace, Westmisister Abby/Big Ben area, Tower of London, London Eye, British Library, British Museum, Oxford Street, Hampton Court Palace. I took a day trip out to Windsor Palace, Bath and Stonehenge which was a day tour that I purchased. I also did a Tea Cruise on The Thames.

I also spent the weekend in Paris and went to Disneyland Paris for the day.

I will admit I won't be able to tell you much about dining. I literally snacked my way through Europe and only had one sit down and order type meal. (I did have 4 meals on planes or trains but I don't really count them as true sit down meals)

I also agree about the stairs. History is not particularly ADA compliant. There is also just a lot of walking around so it can be tiring and makes Disney look like a short stroll.

Hope this helps and again I planned my trip completely on my own and while it can be overwhelming it is doable.

 

[tabby1881]

We were in London this past summer and had a wonderful time. I've been there before as my family is from UK. London is a very popular destination, especially in the summer. The crowds were bigger than I had ever seen before. One of my favorite places is Westminster Abbey. It was so crowded, but worth it. I had bought the tickets online ahead of time. That helped. Be aware that the tube is absolutely mobbed in central London during the evening rush hour. We planned for that so it wasn't a problem. We had great evening meals in pubs, not very expensive at all. We usually buy sandwiches for lunch in places like M&S Simply Food, Sainsbury's Local, etc. We went to the British Museum, very crowded, but interesting. Love seeing the Rosetta Stone. (Couldn't get into the ladies toilets, lines were too long) I like the old churches in London so we visited Temple Church and my absolute favorite St. Bartholomew's the Great. We also went up to the observation deck, London Sky Garden. What a great view. It was free, we just had to request tickets on line ahead of time. This time we arranged for a car to pick us up at Heathrow. That was nice. We stay near Hyde Park as there is a hotel there that we like and we can afford. It is right in between two tube stations. I like the hotel because it has a/c in the rooms. Not all London hotels do, and whenever I go over there, it ends up being really warm. (my relatives associate my visits with heat waves) Make sure you give yourself enough time. There is so much to see and do.

 

[minneylovesmicky]

We were there in February this year, weather was beautiful, not really that cold. We stayed at The Pheonix Hotel in Kensington Gardens Square, it was close to Kensington Palace - so close the black chopper that Kate and Wills rode in was soooooo low over our hotel, it was like we could reach out and touch it.

The Tube stop was a short stroll away and so many eateries too.

We got the 7 day rail pass, you do need a passport size photo for those ones, so if you go that way, make sure you have them handy. We were able to use these for 2-4-1 discounts to places - more info here https://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/

Don't know if the Oyster Card gets you access to the 2-4-1, as we never looked into that. You can only get the rail cards that are eligible for the 2-4-1 discounts at certain stations, so be sure to check that out too, we got ours at Paddington Station.

We took the Heathrow Express from the Airport to Paddington station, then a taxi to our hotel, the earlier out that you buy the Heathrow Express tickets, the cheaper they work out to be. No stairs to worry about, fast - took about 14 minutes from memory and so clean.

We did a few day trips with Evans Evans tours and can highly recommend them, not a stuffy tour group, very informative without being boring.

Check out Trip Advisor London Forum, lots of helpful advice there.

Love London and would go back in a heartbeat BUT the 22 hour flight is a killer.

Have a great time.

 

[sunshinehighway]

Another option for where to stay is a serviced apartment. I stayed in one and it was great. It was just a studio but having a kitchen and washing machine was great, as was having a couch to relax on after a long day out. The one I stayed in was right near St. Paul's. We ended up using BlackFriars tube station which was about a 5 minute walk away. Three neighbourhood was very nice. It's in the financial district so during the day it was busy but at night it was very quiet (expect for the bells from St. Pauls).
If you're looking through the usual travel sites for hotels, you'll find serviced apartments too.

 

[Dancind]

We are going in May. Adult daughter is going with us so I focused on apartments. Booked a nice Airbnb in Soho. Top of my list is a West End show, and there are a lot of restaurants around. We will probably get the Oyster pass too but only have four full days and one of them will be the HP tour. Haven't gotten everything nailed down yet!

Went to Italy and part of France last year (Paris this trip) and yes, the stairs! It's so different from the way the US was built, it's no wonder the Europeans can eat so late at night and whatever they want it seems.

 

[BadPinkTink]

waves hi, I lived in London for 4 years.

The basics

London is made up of different areas in a central area. Think of a pizza, each slice is an area and you get to them by tube or bus. The main tourist area, where the shops (Oxford Street, Regents Street, Old Bond Street, Saville Row) and theatres (Sharfsbury Avenue, Covent Garden) are is called the West End. Big Ben and Houses of Parliament are in Westminster. The London Eye is at South Bank. Buckingham Palace is at Victoria.

There are 3 main airports
1. Heathrow, located south west, main international airport
Direct tube (Picadilly Line) to The West End
Heathrow Express Train to Paddington

2. Gatwick, located south east, second international airport
Direct train Gatwick Express to Victoria

3. Stansted, located north east, mostly European short haul
Direct train Stansted Express to Liverpool Street

Everywhere in London is connected, either by bus or by tube, so you dont have to stay in an area to see a particular attraction. The main areas I would recommend are West End or Victoria

There are plenty of mid price hotel chains, I would recommend looking at
Travel Lodge
Premier Inn
Comfort Inn

I went back to London in November 2016 to visit friends, I stayed at Comfort Inn Buckingham Palace Road in Victoria. I have also previously stayed at Travel Lodge Covent Garden, Travel Lodge Marylebone and Travel Lodge Southwark.

An Oyster card is your key to public transport in London. They are a blue plastic credit card sized card. They can be bought at your first train station or tube station, at the ticket desks. They cost approx £3 to buy and then you either load them with money for pay as you go or buy a multi day ticket. They are valid on some overground trains, all regular London buses, all tubes and on the DLR ( Docklands Light Railway) To use you just swipe the card on the yellow reader. For trains and tubes you need to swipe when you enter (this opens the turnstile gate) and swipe when you exit ( to open the turnstile gate) on buses you just swipe when you enter. When using Pay As You Go the amount taken off is capped at the amount of a one day ticket which is approx £6. This means that when using pay as you go you wont get charged more than the price of a 1 day ticket, no matter how many journeys you take.

Feel free to ask any questions

 

[holycow]

Thanks for all of the info!

 

[crazymama]

My DD and I are also heading to London in late July 2017 so I found all this info very helpful too! Thanks so much!

 

[CarolAnn856]

Hi! My daughter and I went to London over the summer and had a fantastic time! Here are a few threads on the UK board that have good info.

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