Trip to London

[evildoc614]

I have been wanting to go to London for some time now and i might be able to plan a trip for next year. My wife has been to London before but i have not so i am wondering if any one can offer up the Name of a good hotel, a nice pub, and some other things to check out while iam There. Also Iam not to sure how much money i should plan on spending while iam there. Iam not a big shopper but it would be nice to get a few things for people and for cabs/taxi's/bus/train or how ever i plan on getting around. Thanks Guys

[DR]

Depends - a rail card is about 5 quid for the day that should sort that out. Most tourist things will cost you around 20 entry.

Pubs? I know a fair few - drop me a PM when you know where your going and things - ill recommend some good journo drinking holes.

Hotels? Well I would aim to stay in a Holiday inn - there are heaps around.

Car rental? If your staying in the city dont bother.

To get from Heathrow to London it is about 45 mins in a car or you can get a train in to Paddington.

[evildoc614]

i dont think i would dare drive in london, i have drove in korea and japan and i would have rather took cabs or buses as much as possible

[DR]

The underground tickets works on Buses too - Cabs depend where your going and what time but they do have a premium.

[TeePee]

Cabs are more expensive than they are worth, and have a habbit of dumping you in the wrong place if you don't know where you are going, you should aim to use the underground and buses where possible.

Personally I think you should avoid most of the overly tourist stuff. Palaces, etc, generally aren't worth a visit, although they are pretty from the outside. The Tower should probably be the first thing on your list to visit. St Pauls Cathedral and The Albert Hall are both worth seeing.

[Flibb]

Most Museums are free to get in, they just ask for a donation. A couple of my favourite places for a wander are Kew Gardens and the British Museum. Its also worth looking at places just outside London, its very easy to get to places like Canterbury, Bath and Camebridge on the train, direct trains with no changes. Look here for timetables and prices
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/planmy...99_20041112449

London is noticeably more expensive than other areas and British Hotels can be pricey. When we go on holiday within the UK we rent cotages, often get one near a railway station so its easy to get to the bigger regional towns.
Have a good new year
Flibb

[KBeee]

Cabs in London are VERY expensive. If you fly into Heathrow just get the Underground to central London, and if you fly into Gatwick get the Gatwick Express to Victoria. A cab from the airport to central London will cost you about the same as hiring a limo for a couple of hours!
The are Holiday Inns, Holiday Inn Expresses, even a Days Inn that I know of in London, that charge by the room instead of per person, so can save you money. Many UK hotels charge per person which can work out at £120 a night for 2 people, in a pretty grotty hotel.
Buses cost £1 a trip, whatever distance you go, or £0.70 for short hops outside the Central Zone.
Sites worth seeing are many. The National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery are both in or close to Trafalgar Square, and a short walk from Leicester Square. In Leicester Square is a booth that sells half price theatre tickets, (though, from my point of view, the most interesting thing in Leicester Sq. is underneath, and not open to the public). The Tate, Tate Modern, Victoria and Albert Museum, Science Museum and Natural History Museum are all worth a visit. Madame Tussauds is ok but not too interesting, and has long queues usually. If you do visit Tussauds, it's good to take a walk in Regents Park, and visit Queen Mary's Gardens in the centre. There's a good but reasonably priced restaurant there, and the rose gardens are lovely.

Hmmmmmmmmmm... I think I'm in the wrong job....
Tour guide anyone?

[wol]

Talking of which you can get those Tour busses that guide you round and you can jump on/off at any point.

When you're in london stick to whats called a Zone 1 & 2 travel card. You can use the train/bus etc as many times as you like on this ticket in one day within zones 1 & 2 (the centre of london).

One evening take a stroll through Leicester Sq and into China Town, go see a theatre show whilst you're there.

Have a go on the London Eye, quite good fun, but i wouldnt bother going on a day with bad weather as you wont see much.


Tower of london, london dungeons, madam tussueds (sp??) the usual lot of places.

Ill think of some other bits....


Wol

[wol]

A few more bits for you:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/sp...2_Sightseeing/
http://www.londontouristboard.com/
http://www.coventgardenlife.com
http://www.londonpass.com/ - Never used it but thought it might be of use to you!
http://www.londonnet.co.uk/

Another thought, regents/oxford street for shopping, if you want.


Dont forget to let us know how it goes!

Wol

[evildoc614]

thanks guys

[Event Horizon]

Have a look here, there are some great places to visit, http://www.coventgardenlife.com/sigh...londonwide.htm

my favourites are the British museum, and the Victoria & Albert museum, almost all museums in London are free for entry but do have donation boxes. If i was going to avoid any London attractions, it would bet the Tate Modern gallery, pile of crap

If you are on a budget, you might consider a hotel on the outskirts of London, but somewhere that is near a mainline station or tube line.
Hope you have a fantastic time!

[spazman]

So much stuff to do in london list would be too huge. If your going shopping i would roccomend going to harrods (although id reccomend not spending and money there)

[wol]

How much is your budget on hotels? Theres a very nice Hilton in Olympia that is quite cheap at times.


Wol

[evildoc614]

iam really not trying to go crazy but i would like a nice hotel i plan on staying for 6 nights

[wol]

http://www.hilton.co.uk

Not sure how cheap they are though

Wol