London Calling!

[Birdjaguar]

My work does not involve any foreign travel so I don't get overseas very often. I have never been to London, but am maneuvering for a business trip to London in June. I won't know though until early May. I'm planning anyway. I don't know much about London and am planning to add 5 or 6 days to the three business part to explore things.

I have several questions:

How easy is it to get around and see the sights from a single hotel base? Can I count on taxis or the subway if I'm not pushed for time? How expensive are taxis?

Is a day trip to Paris by train feasible?

Is there an easy way to see sights outside of London on a day trip basis? Which ones are close enough to be easy? Which ones might be worth it if I stayed the night? How does one get their without a car?

So far, hotels I've looked at in downtown seem pricey (in the $300+ a night range) which is fine for a night or two, but do you have any suggestions for hotels that are nice, well located, and in the $175-$250 range.

I am also open to restaurant ideas and other thoughts that those with experience in London may have.

Thanks!

 

[sophie]

I have several questions:

How easy is it to get around and see the sights from a single hotel base? Can I count on taxis or the subway if I'm not pushed for time? How expensive are taxis?

Most of the big London sights are in walking distance. Don't do the dumb tourist thing of taking the Tube to things that are literally a 10 minute walk away. Otherwise public transit is pretty affordable. Buses are actually really convenient and cheaper than the tube. Taxis are reasonable and the drivers tend to be really cool people.

Is a day trip to Paris by train feasible?

1) By bus it's something like 4 or 5 hours. By train a couple hours. But would you really want to do Paris in an afternoon? That's a 3-day trip minimum.

Is there an easy way to see sights outside of London on a day trip basis? Which ones are close enough to be easy? Which ones might be worth it if I stayed the night? How does one get their without a car?

Gotta do the overland train. Uhh I didn't do a whole lot of train travel. Depending on how long you're staying you can probably do just London for at least a week. There's TONS to do over there. Windsor Castle and Runnymeade (where the Magna Carta was signed) come to mind.

Be sure to go to Somerset House near Aldwych. One of the best places in London, IMO. Also check the West End theaters. You can see some really cool musicals for quite cheap.

So far, hotels I've looked at in downtown seem pricey (in the $300+ a night range) which is fine for a night or two, but do you have any suggestions for hotels that are nice, well located, and in the $175-$250 range.

Depends on what and where you're looking. My first night in London I found a hotel last minute for £100. Also check hostel listings. Not all hostels are dorms. You can get single rooms for SUPER cheap. That's how I did my tour of Europe. Single rooms for like 30 euros a night.

As for restaurants. I doubt I could give you anything you'd want to check out. Starving student budget and all that. I can recommend a ton of cheap pizza places though.

 

[Birdjaguar]

Most of the big London sights are in walking distance. Don't do the dumb tourist thing of taking the Tube to things that are literally a 10 minute walk away. Otherwise public transit is pretty affordable. Buses are actually really convenient and cheaper than the tube. Taxis are reasonable and the drivers tend to be really cool people.

1) By bus it's something like 4 or 5 hours. By train a couple hours. But would you really want to do Paris in an afternoon? That's a 3-day trip minimum.

Gotta do the overland train. Uhh I didn't do a whole lot of train travel. Depending on how long you're staying you can probably do just London for at least a week. There's TONS to do over there. Windsor Castle and Runnymeade (where the Magna Carta was signed) come to mind.

Be sure to go to Somerset House near Aldwych. One of the best places in London, IMO. Also check the West End theaters. You can see some really cool musicals for quite cheap.

Depends on what and where you're looking. My first night in London I found a hotel last minute for £100. Also check hostel listings. Not all hostels are dorms. You can get single rooms for SUPER cheap. That's how I did my tour of Europe. Single rooms for like 30 euros a night.

As for restaurants. I doubt I could give you anything you'd want to check out. Starving student budget and all that. I can recommend a ton of cheap pizza places though.

Thanks. It's good to know that getting around won't be a problem. I'm not going on a student budget and will probably have an associate with me. I had figured $200 a night would get me a pretty decent hotel downtown. I'm way past hosteling. I hadn't thought about the West end theaters, that's a great idea. My excursion to Paris would be to see a friend; I've been before so I can just "pass through" this trip.

With the Euro being so cheap I hope prices will be more to my liking.

Does anyone know about those "on and off" bus tours? I did one in Barcelona a decade ago and it was a pretty good way to cover lots of ground without too much effort.

What area would be most central to the obvious tourist sites? Kings Crossing? Hyde Park? Knightsbridge? etc.

 

[Yeekim]

Otherwise public transit is pretty affordable.

The point of public transit is to be "affordable", but that of London is still among most expensive in the world.

(Well, 5th most expensive, actually, according to this:
http://www.businessinsider.com/most-expensive-public-transit-networks-2012-9#5-london-england-16).

 

[Borachio]

Gah! London in June. I can't imagine any holiday I'd like less. Unless it were New York in August.


Well, just about any big city, really. I do like me some cool museums though. Still, a person can't have everything, I suppose.

 

[Mise]

Owen pretty much covered it, but just some other thoughts...

How easy is it to get around and see the sights from a single hotel base? Can I count on taxis or the subway if I'm not pushed for time? How expensive are taxis?

If you're going for a week, you should think about getting an Oyster card and put a 7 day travel card on it. You can get one of these from any Underground station - the people at the booth pretty much only ever talk to tourists, so they're usually quite helpful and friendly. This will cost £32 for zones 1-2 (i.e. central, where most stuff is), and gives you unlimited travel on all public transport within these zones.

Alternatively, if you have a credit card that does contactless payment (and doesn't charge for foreign purchases, etc.), then you can use this on all public transport too. This will probably work out cheaper and more convenient than buying the Oyster + travelcard, but again, it depends on the particulars of your credit card.

Is a day trip to Paris by train feasible?

If you're here for 5-6 days + 3 for business, then you can probably afford to spend a night in Paris. A day trip is feasible, but it would involve ~6 hours travelling in total out of a ~18 hour day, so I would do it over two days instead.

Is there an easy way to see sights outside of London on a day trip basis? Which ones are close enough to be easy? Which ones might be worth it if I stayed the night? How does one get their without a car?

What sort of stuff interests you?

So far, hotels I've looked at in downtown seem pricey (in the $300+ a night range) which is fine for a night or two, but do you have any suggestions for hotels that are nice, well located, and in the $175-$250 range.

If you're overwhelmed by the choice and need to narrow down to an area, I'd recommend the Paddington area, as prices for hotels here are generally more reasonable. It's very central with good underground links. It's also a particularly pretty part of London (well, in my opinion at least). The only downside is that, while there are a few touristy things nearby (Madame Tussauds, Planetarium, Sherlock Holmes/Baker St, Hyde Park), most touristy things require getting to via public transport. However, the other side of the coin is that the hotels are more like $150 and bed and breakfasts are sub-$100.

 

[really]

Is a day trip to Paris by train feasible?

If you are going to visit a friend and not do touristy stuff - yes it is feasible, but it could be a long day.

 

[Flying Pig]

My only advice would be to be wary of ordering drinks in even the not-so-fancy restaurants - last time I was there I popped into a bar and had what seemed like a very reasonable meal (£7.99 in London) and a pint of pretty nondescript beer, and the bill came back at thirteen quid - they'd charged a fiver for what I could get down the road for two pounds.

 

[classical_hero]

You start a thread with the thread name without this song? I am disappointed.

Link to video.

 

[EgonSpengler]

Taxis are reasonable and the drivers tend to be really cool people.

I'll second this. In fact, taking a London black taxi is itself a must for a visitor. The drivers are among the foremost experts on their city. They actually have to pass a rigorous test to get their licenses. You're missing out if you just sit quietly in the back of a London taxi looking at your phone. Strike up a conversation, you'll almost certainly learn something.

 

[Borachio]

You start a thread with the thread name without this song? I am disappointed.

You beat me to it!

 

[Birdjaguar]

Owen pretty much covered it, but just some other thoughts...

If you're going for a week, you should think about getting an Oyster card and put a 7 day travel card on it. You can get one of these from any Underground station - the people at the booth pretty much only ever talk to tourists, so they're usually quite helpful and friendly. This will cost £32 for zones 1-2 (i.e. central, where most stuff is), and gives you unlimited travel on all public transport within these zones.

Great idea!

If you're here for 5-6 days + 3 for business, then you can probably afford to spend a night in Paris. A day trip is feasible, but it would involve ~6 hours travelling in total out of a ~18 hour day, so I would do it over two days instead.

Yes, it is looking less feasible to make it a day trip. I guess i could stand a night in Paris...

What sort of stuff interests you?

Stonehenge? Dover? Highclere Castle? Glastonbury Tor? Maggie's Abby's Farm?

I think of GB as a pretty small place. In NM you have to drive 2-3 hours to reach the state line and 8 hours to reach Phoenix or Denver. It takes lots of driving to get anywhere beyond our desert and mountains. I kinda of imagine that 8 hours on a freeway from London would put me in Oslo or Madrid at least.

If you're overwhelmed by the choice and need to narrow down to an area, I'd recommend the Paddington area, as prices for hotels here are generally more reasonable. It's very central with good underground links. It's also a particularly pretty part of London (well, in my opinion at least). The only downside is that, while there are a few touristy things nearby (Madame Tussauds, Planetarium, Sherlock Holmes/Baker St, Hyde Park), most touristy things require getting to via public transport. However, the other side of the coin is that the hotels are more like $150 and bed and breakfasts are sub-$100.

Thanks. I'll look around there too.

My only advice would be to be wary of ordering drinks in even the not-so-fancy restaurants - last time I was there I popped into a bar and had what seemed like a very reasonable meal (£7.99 in London) and a pint of pretty nondescript beer, and the bill came back at thirteen quid - they'd charged a fiver for what I could get down the road for two pounds.

I'm not much of a drinker so that won't be a problem.

I'll second this. In fact, taking a London black taxi is itself a must for a visitor. The drivers are among the foremost experts on their city. They actually have to pass a rigorous test to get their licenses. You're missing out if you just sit quietly in the back of a London taxi looking at your phone. Strike up a conversation, you'll almost certainly learn something.

I'll make sure we give the taxis a try!!

"London Calling" playing in the background

I want to see the Tower of London, but wonder if any of the other "royal" places are worth a visit when I could be in the British Museum. Any opinions on whether HMS Victory is better than the Cutty Sark?

 

[Camikaze]

Stonehenge? Dover? Highclere Castle? Glastonbury Tor? Maggie's Abby's Farm?

Most places you'd want to visit are operated by the National Trust, English Heritage or Historic Royal Palaces. Those websites have maps showing all their properties, to give you an idea of the possibilities.

Castles & palaces are probably the best places to visit outside of London, though daytrips to towns like Oxford or Canterbury are also very worthwhile if that's the sort of thing you'd prefer. Stonehenge is a bore, though you could bundle it in with a trip to Salisbury Cathedral.

Of the castles & palaces within day-trip distance from London, the top picks are probably Windsor Castle, Hampton Court Palace, Dover Castle (make sure you stop by Walmer Castle on your way there or back), Leeds Castle and maybe Hever Castle. Staying in Stratford-upon-Avon and visiting Warwick Castle & Kenilworth Castle would also be nice.

Depending on the balance you want to strike between visiting things in London and visiting things outside of London, staying just outside and hiring a car could be best (or staying outside London for part of your trip). Public transport to get into London is really easy, but public transport to places outside of London is more difficult (depending on the particular site).

 

[Atticus]

Stonehenge?

Victoria has completed Stonehenge in London?

 

[Borachio]

I think of GB as a pretty small place. In NM you have to drive 2-3 hours to reach the state line and 8 hours to reach Phoenix or Denver. It takes lots of driving to get anywhere beyond our desert and mountains. I kinda of imagine that 8 hours on a freeway from London would put me in Oslo or Madrid at least.

Er... this is nearly right.

8 hours driving from London (once you get out of London! which could easily take another 2 hours) will pretty much cover England and Wales. It won't get you very far into Scotland, though. But another 8 hours would cover most of that too. Apart from the Western Isles.

8 hours driving from London into Europe, will take you a chunk the other side of Paris, I guess.

I knew a guy who drove all the way, in one go, from the French Riviera back home to about 70 miles north of London. It took him 19 hours, iirc. An awful lot depends on the traffic, though. And France can have some awful lot of traffic at times. And at other times, practically none. Unlike England which has an awful lot of traffic practically all the time.

 

[EgonSpengler]

At the risk of stating the obvious, be sure to look into some live music. Not the global superstars playing the O2 and Brixton Academy, but the smaller venues showing bands who may never travel outside the UK. When I was in London in '02 or '03, Oasis and The Cranberries were playing at one of the giant places, but perhaps my biggest score was finding a copy of a local arts n' culture newspaper on the Tube from Heathrow that not only listed dozens of weekend performances but provided a brief description of each band (this is a bit of genius that every local paper should adopt forthwith - the blurb "rowdy punks from Dublin" got me to walk 30 minutes finding some small bar with a dimly-lit back room in I-don't-know-where, and it was totally worth it).

Also, there are pubs that serve good versions of English food. Maybe try asking one of the aforementioned Black Cab drivers to recommend one. Fish & chips, bangers & mash, meat pie, beef & gravy with a Yorkshire pudding on the side (hopefully you're not vegetarian). All with a pint pulled from a tap, if you drink.

 

[EnglishEdward]

Is there an easy way to see sights outside of London on a day trip basis? Which ones are close enough to be easy? Which ones might be worth it if I stayed the night? How does one get their without a car?

Yes; and best by train.

Plenty of room if reverse commuting e.g. leaving London in morning, returning afternoon/evening.

Nice view out window and some have Internet access.


There are buses and coaches which are cheaper but will take you 50% longer.


I'd recommend places with historic city centres which are usually near the train station.

Brighton (sea side), Cambridge (university colleges), Norwich (2nd biggest city wall),
Oxford (university colleges), Portsmouth (naval) all under two hours train from London.

If going further i.e. Edinburgh (train or plane), it is worth staying overnight.


There is a lot to see in London, so I suggest you cap it at 2 trips out.


London has a lot of traffic, difficult to park; not the place to first try driving on the left.
It is not just driving on the left, you would be sitting on the right too; and some UK
innovations such as busy large roundabouts are a challenge to even us old Brits.

 

[Borachio]

London driving is challenging even for me. And I've been driving on UK roads, a lot of it professionally, for over 40 years.

 

[Birdjaguar]

And the good ideas keep on coming! Thanks.

I am perfectly willing to not attempt to drive around London.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Beware of blue phone booths. You could end up literally anywhere/when.