Some advice please. I'm planning on taking my other half to London in a few weeks around mid october. I've actually never been apart from flying through the airports in the past.
Can people recommend decent places to stay that make it easy to get around, places to see, eat etc? Also is it easier to fly down or use the train?
Thanks in advance.
Jimmy
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Thread: London
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19-09-2016 02:22 PM #1
London
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19-09-2016 03:54 PM #2This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
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19-09-2016 05:09 PM #3
With regards to flying or train, having done both I'd say there are pros and cons to both.
With the train the big pro is you are straight into Kings Cross (from Edinburgh) so are able to get to most places in London relatively easily and quickly. It can be expensive but booked at the right time the price can be brought down. Con is obviously the journey time. On the flip side whilst a flight is only 50 minutes or so you have to factor in time at the airport at either end plus journey tine from the airport (especially if you fly budget and are at Stansted).
BA fly to city which is ideal as it can have you on the DLR and in central London within 40 minutes of landing. BA will also get you to Heathrow which gives you the quick (and relatively expensive) option of the Heathrow Express train or you can get the tube which takes a good bit longer. With BA the price is obviously higher than the budgets, it works for me because I have enough Avios I can do it for next to nothing. Easyjet and Ryanair are likely to get you to Gatwick or Stansted which is going to involve either an Express, with the same issues as Heathrow or a bus which is pretty cheap but again extends the journey time.
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19-09-2016 05:29 PM #4
When it comes to getting around, make sure you use the Tube. Getting a bus around London is a complete waste of time.
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19-09-2016 06:06 PM #5
Staying anywhere in zone 1 makes getting around very easy indeed. I've stayed in a few places around central London and never find it to be overly difficult! Obviously, the more central, the more expensive it is. In terms of travelling down, I normally always take the train rather than flying.
I always seem to end up in Premier Inn's when I'm in London (I like their consistency) - stayed in one at Leicester Square, which is about as central as you can get and it was amazingly well soundproofed given the mass and constant volume of traffic outside! Last time I was down was on business and I stayed at Gloucester Square at the Holiday Inn - great proximity for the museums, Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace and Harrods but a bit further to Covent Garden/Soho/Oxford Street etc. Having said that, I was a 2 minute walk to Gloucester Square tube station.
I'd agree that getting used to the tube is good advice, but the last few times I've been down (barring a LONG journey), I've taken to walking around. You can walk from Kings Cross/Euston to the museum quarter in about an hour and a half and everything 'touristy' is in between that radius. You get to see much more of the city and it's a refreshing change from being down in the Tube all the time. Don't get me wrong, it's a very efficient system but sometimes you want to see what's above ground.
Enjoy - it's one of my favourite cities on earth!Madness, as you know, is a lot like gravity. All it takes is a little push.
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19-09-2016 06:38 PM #6
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If it's your first visit, I suggest you catch a river bus from Chelsea (or Westminster Pier) and take it to Greenwich and you can see London from the river. They take Oyster (pre-paid travel card) and then spend some time in Greenwich. There's also some cracking riverside boozers there if you take a stroll along the river path in an easterly direction.
Food wise - too many to mention, but my advice is to avoid eating in the vicinity of Leicester Square and Chinatown mostly serves eats that are reminiscent of cud. Scouse rightly mentions Borough Market...but don't expect to find too many bargains.
The Imperial War Museum is well worth a visit and is only a 10 minute walk from Borough Market.
Let me know what your food preference and budget is and I'll point you in the right direction as there really is some fabulous eateries.
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19-09-2016 07:29 PM #7
Thanks so far folks. How does that tube compare to the New York or Madrid subways for anyone that has used them too? I find them both amazingly easy to use.
Sergey I'll drop you a PM in a bit mate. Thanks.
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19-09-2016 07:42 PM #8This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
The tube in London is similar to the New York subway and is just as easy to use. The only downside to the London Underground is that there is no air conditioning like there is in New York.
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19-09-2016 08:04 PM #9This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
Saves spending an age looking at maps and trying to work it out.
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19-09-2016 08:22 PM #10
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Get yourself a map and be prepared to do a bit of walking (don't use a Tube map as a guide as to where stations should be - Harry Beck designed it for ease of use while underground - not the direction of where stations actually are above ground). Your hotel will have one in reception and it'll be FOC.
Also depending when you travel - there's good Pub League football to be viewed for £10. Loads of clubs to see - Enfield/Wingate/Hendon/Harrow are North of the Thames with Dulwich/Kingstonian/Met Police South - all doable with your Oyster
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20-09-2016 09:06 AM #12
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Train is by far the better option for travel ito London imo, from someone who frequently travels there. Flights into Heathrow and Gatwick are often delayed and you have to add on the time spent in the airport and actually getting into London after arrival. On that point however, the Gatwick Express is an excellent service. Only takes about 30 minutes to get you to Victoria station. Train can take as little as four hours right into Kings Cross and personally I find train travel to be much more relaxing than flying.
As for places to stay, there's no shortage in London. It really depends on your price range, regardless you should be prepared for higher than normal prices! And that goes for everything, not just accommodation. Be sure to check out Covent Garden, the west end theatre district, o'neills bar in Chinatown which has live music every night.
The tube is by far the best way to get around and it's fairly simple to use. I think you can use contactless card to pay now which makes it even easier.
If you like steak, be sure to try Gaucho. There are a few in London, including Tower Bridge and Piccadilly.
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20-09-2016 09:19 AM #13
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Watch out for virgin trains flash sales, i got me and two kids return to london in august for £56. We stayed in the travellodge in Finsbury park, cheaper than centre london and only a few minutes on the tube.
Tubes are great and easy to navigate. Buy a visitors oyster card before you go. We only needed to travel into zone 2 so it was capped at £6 odds a day.
Thjngs to do, depends if you want to do the full tourist stuff. We did the Tower of London and loved it. We also did the Harry Potter studio tour which was fantastic if your a HP fan. A wander round Piccadilly circus at night is really nice too.
Covent gdn has plenty of really nice wee places to eat and of course theres always the theatre.
A bit different but we also did a treasure trail round covent gdn which was really interesting, we found really lovely wee crooks and crannys and actually read plaques etc. Bought and dowloaded from the internet :)
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20-09-2016 02:25 PM #14This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
How easy was that to get to from where you stayed? I looked it up and it's reasonably priced compared to other places. I'm thinking about just flying into london city but if i can get cheaper train tickets that is an option.
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20-09-2016 02:53 PM #15
The rooftop OXO Tower Bar is worth a visit, though a tad expensive, quite similar to Oloroso. There are 3 or 4 Simmons Cocktail Bars dotted around Central London that have very decent happy hours, I like the one at Kings Cross just across from Millers which is quite good for live sport. The Pride of Spittalfields pub at Brick Lane is like going back 50 years in time but, I love it.
Last edited by HUTCHYHIBBY; 20-09-2016 at 03:01 PM.
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20-09-2016 03:00 PM #16
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On the subject of Visitor Oyster Cards, I'm pretty sure they need to be bought before you get to London and they post them out, so I'd get on that.
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20-09-2016 05:12 PM #17
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I'm going down end of November, can anyone recommend any good restaurants? Someone recommended Bob Bob Ricard which is a mix of Russian/English food but has a press for prosecco button!
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20-09-2016 05:22 PM #18
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Youll need to pre book the harry potter studios asap and allow yourself a good 3 hours there. Its very easy to get to. Tube to euston then train to watford. Outside watford train station is the bus station and theres a designated HP stop. Bus takes you to the door. Give yourself a good 90 mins to get there. Theres a cafe there thats reasonably priced so getting there early isnt a problem. The gift shop is extortionate though! Its very easy to spend a lot of money there on photos and videos and butterbeer (yum).
The Finsbury park travel lodge is less than 5 mins walk from the tube station, just remember to scan your oyster card as theres no barrier. Theres not much else around there but its about 6 mins into city centre on the tube.
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20-09-2016 06:15 PM #19
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I also mentioned Gaucho in an earlier post. Probably the best steak I've ever had.
Iberica restaurant at Victoria is great for tapas.
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20-09-2016 06:40 PM #20
With regards to pricing for food and drink in London I always find the stuff about how expensive it is a bit exagerrated.
It may be worse if you are from elsewhere but being from Edinburgh I'm used to paying relatively high prices anyway so don't really notice a massive jump in London. Like anywhere if you eat and drink on the main tourist drags you'll pay inflated prices. Last time I was down in London I was staying in Shepherds Bush and got chatting to a few QPR lads who were in the pub for a few pints pre going to Loftus Road. They pointed me in the direction of a few decent pubs that didn't break the bank.
Foor eating recommendations that won't break the bank, based on my own experience, I'd suggest Smack Lobster on Dean Street in Soho, Jar Kitchen on Drury Lane or The Rib Man at Brick Lane Market.PM Awards General Poster of The Year 2015, 2016, 2017. Probably robbed in other years
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20-09-2016 08:52 PM #21This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
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20-09-2016 09:14 PM #22
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I ate some wonderful Turkish grub at lunch today that was better (and cheaper) than you'll get in Istanbul.
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21-09-2016 05:54 AM #23
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21-09-2016 06:23 AM #24
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21-09-2016 07:16 AM #25
It's a cliché, but I had a great night out, complete with cheap and really good curry on Brick Lane.
London's great to visit. Borough Market is a bit of a must as well.
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21-09-2016 08:04 AM #26
As an extra note with regards to Oyster Cards - TfL are starting to phase them out now I believe - so your contactless card (or contactless payments on your phone) will cap at the same price as an Oyster card would cap at! Just tap it on the automatic barriers in the same way you would with an Oyster card
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25-09-2016 02:48 PM #27
Mrs OS and myself do prefer the train to London, doesn't put to much extra time onto your journey and you're center to center. We tend to do first class where your wined and dined. We tend to stay in the Covent Garden Travelodge, handy for everything. We've even got a we pub round the corner we are now well known in and always made welcome.
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25-09-2016 05:31 PM #28This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
There are some good rooftop bars which are worth visiting. Going on the eye is expensive and for the same price you can go to the rooftop bar at Fenchurch Street or the Heron Tower, not queue and get a drink.
For accomodation, I think the grange hotels are nice and reasonably priced.
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03-10-2016 10:28 AM #29
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a mix of Russian/English food - I am really curioused what is this
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