Our Greater London Megathread

Savman · 25-03-2011 6:43pm

Gatwick tbh, much prefer it to LHR. LTN is messy, I have not used Stansted or London City but the latter sounds like it would be worth it if on a tight schedule.

tommy21 · 30-03-2011 12:10am

Have flights and hotel booked and now doing up an itinerary to suprise the gf with

Can I ask if anyone thinks these guided bus tours are worth it or would you be as well to use public transport considering its so good? Also are these london tour cards that cover entry to different attractions a waste of time?

Any thoughts or recommendations welcome!

zagmund · 30-03-2011 9:22am

Savman - London City is a great airport, in and out in 10 minutes sometimes. However, while it is central-ish, and the transport links to central London are good, they aren't necessarily fast. The DLR which has a station right in the airport is great, but it pretty much trundles along. You can connect with the Jubilee line and get to Westminster and other areas, but it does all take time. You need to count 30+ minutes from getting to the DLR station to getting out at Westminster for example.

Having said that, London City would be my preference over the others. Just watch out for mega-queues at rush-hour in the evening as all the bankers & IT folk head back home to Europe from Docklands & the City.

Obviously you also get mega-queues at the other airports too, but you might get lulled into a false sense of security when you arrive and are out the other side of the terminal less than 10 minutes after your planes pulls up to the gate. Going the other direction can take a lot longer.

z

dave3 · 03-04-2011 4:49am

Hi all,
I'm heading to london by myself next week and hope to take in a show. Just wondering about getting somthing to eat beforehand. Would i look stranger asking for a table for one in a resturaunt. Would i be refused even.

dave.

tommy21 · 05-04-2011 11:21pm

Having successfully booked and suprised my gf with a trip to London from May 2nd to the 6th (Mon-Fri), I have realised two things today.

1) May 2nd is a bank holiday! Will this impact majorly on what is open? From what I can figure from researching on the net all the main sights etc are open 24/7 except 25th December. I figure the biggest impact might be the tube running on sunday hours perhaps on the Monday?

2) The May Day Protests ... will these have occurred on the day before we come over (the 1st May, Sunday) or are they likely to occur the next day?

Hoping someonce can allay my fears, particularly re no. 2 - from years gone by watching it on tv it makes central London look like a no-go area. I know there were riots recently but these were just in relation to gov. cuts right?

Cheers

BuffyBot · 06-04-2011 12:31am

Bank holidays don't mean that much. Pretty much everything will be open as normal, and even Sunday public transport is not all that different than during the week especially in the centre.

As for the protests, even if they do occur, London is a big, big city and they would be very easy to avoid.

Fratton Fred · 06-04-2011 2:08pm

tommy21 wrote: »

Having successfully booked and suprised my gf with a trip to London from May 2nd to the 6th (Mon-Fri), I have realised two things today.

1) May 2nd is a bank holiday! Will this impact majorly on what is open? From what I can figure from researching on the net all the main sights etc are open 24/7 except 25th December. I figure the biggest impact might be the tube running on sunday hours perhaps on the Monday?

2) The May Day Protests ... will these have occurred on the day before we come over (the 1st May, Sunday) or are they likely to occur the next day?

Hoping someonce can allay my fears, particularly re no. 2 - from years gone by watching it on tv it makes central London look like a no-go area. I know there were riots recently but these were just in relation to gov. cuts right?

Cheers

not many tourists will see the protests as they tend to take place in the square mile. Avoid St Pauls and maybe the tower on that day and you will be fine.

tommy21 · 06-04-2011 2:21pm

Fratton Fred wrote: »

not many tourists will see the protests as they tend to take place in the square mile. Avoid St Pauls and maybe the tower on that day and you will be fine.

Cheers for the reply - do you mean on the 2nd (monday)? Or will the protests take place on May 1st regardless of what day it is each year?

Fratton Fred · 06-04-2011 10:56pm

tommy21 wrote: »

Cheers for the reply - do you mean on the 2nd (monday)? Or will the protests take place on May 1st regardless of what day it is each year?

Good question. I'm not sure but i would expect it to be on the 1st.

There are fears of the great unwashed demonstrating at the Royal wedding on the Friday, so i can't imagine they would be at it twice on the same weekend.

gebbel · 07-04-2011 7:24pm

Trying to book a single ticket from Heathrow T1 to Paddington on thetrainline.com. It seems there is no collection point at the airport for the ticket so I can't avail of the lower online price . Can anyone advise if this is the case and suggest the best value train there?

Thanks.

patsyrockem · 13-04-2011 12:02am

Hi all,

Heading to london this weekend for football game with GF, staying beside euston station, I'm looking for a venue/pub with live music in or around this area. Heard camden is lively but seedy and expensive. Any ideas?

Savman · 13-04-2011 11:19am

http://venues.meanfiddler.com/jazz-cafe/home

jaff · 13-04-2011 5:22pm

patsyrockem wrote: »

Hi all,

Heading to london this weekend for football game with GF, staying beside euston station, I'm looking for a venue/pub with live music in or around this area. Heard camden is lively but seedy and expensive. Any ideas?

Camden isn't that bad really and no more expensive than other parts of London. The Dublin Castle or Barfly are a couple of places to check for live music. If you want to take the missus to half decent bars, restaurants I recommend Upper Street in Angel which is beside Euston and easily reachable by bus or tube. There are plenty of options round there. Euston itself is little more than a train station and busy road so you'll have to venture somewhere.

Have a nice trip!

jaff · 13-04-2011 5:25pm

dave3 wrote: »

Hi all,
I'm heading to london by myself next week and hope to take in a show. Just wondering about getting somthing to eat beforehand. Would i look stranger asking for a table for one in a resturaunt. Would i be refused even.

dave.

God no. London is full of single working professionals who eat out all the time. You'll be grand.

Raoul · 15-04-2011 12:06pm

Thinking of bringing the girlfriend to London for two nights on the June bank holiday. It is really tough to find a nice cheap place to stay in a central enough area. I only want somewhere that is around 200 or 250 euro (is that at all realistic).

Also want to go to the lion king, where is the best place to get tickets?

roundymac · 17-04-2011 9:47pm

Raoul wrote: »

Thinking of bringing the girlfriend to London for two nights on the June bank holiday. It is really tough to find a nice cheap place to stay in a central enough area. I only want somewhere that is around 200 or 250 euro (is that at all realistic).

Also want to go to the lion king, where is the best place to get tickets?

Jurys inns are very good, you can book them online and your not billed until 2pm on the day of check-in , so you can cancell foc up to then. Also buy your selves a pair of oyster cards, put about £20 credit on them and you can use them on bus's and underground very easy to top up and you have them for the next time you go to London. What airport you flying into.

roundymac · 17-04-2011 9:49pm

If you want to get tickets for a show go to Leicester square, the ticket booths there sell tickets for that day, generally at a reduced price.

Raoul · 18-04-2011 7:10am

Already booked the hotel at this stage. Flying into stansted. Does the oyster card work on the express? Do you think we need the card if we are only there two days?

Also booking a show, unfortunately I can only get tickets to the third price seats, well afford. Is lastminute.com the best place to get them or should I just wait fort leceister square. It has a present and a surprise until we get there so might be better if I have them before going
Thanks

roundymac · 18-04-2011 12:48pm

No the oyster works on the underground and london bus's only, I'm not sure about Docklands light rail. The benifit of the oyster is there is no messing about at tube stations for change etc, this is where a lot of pickpockets hang out. Also you bring your card home for your next visit, whatever credit is left is still valid. We normally put £20 on to ours so we're ready to go when we go back to London, oh and the card is valid for all zones, 1-6. If your traveling at a weekend the Stansted Express gets replaced by bus's some of the time for line repairs. Allow extra time for your flight, Ryanair won't wait for you.

undo · 20-04-2011 5:07pm

roundymac wrote: »

No the oyster works on the underground and london bus's only, I'm not sure about Docklands light rail.

It is valid on Docklands Light Railway and London Overground as well.

The benifit of the oyster is there is no messing about at tube stations for change etc

Other benefit are much lower fares and a daily cap. When using public transport in London, the Oyster really is a must.

Raoul · 20-04-2011 6:36pm

undo wrote: »

It is valid on Docklands Light Railway and London Overground as well.

Other benefit are much lower fares and a daily cap. When using public transport in London, the Oyster really is a must.

So would this be cheaper than getting say a weekend pass or whatever?

Also, do you need two separate oyster cards for two people or do you get actual tickets after from the ticket machine using the card?

roundymac · 20-04-2011 10:25pm

Oh god yes, you can access all zones with an oyster card, just check your credit every now and then. Yes you do need an oyster card per person, but the good thing is at the end of your stay you keep your card for your next trip, and if there is any credit left that is still valid. You can also give them to someone else if you want to.

tommy21 · 28-04-2011 12:30am

Just about to head to London - just wondering if anyone knows the rough cost of withdrawing money from a laser card (I'm with AIB) in London (I know to avoid ones in stores/train stations that add an extra premium) - I have budgeted about 550 pounds (excluding accomodation) for 5 days and while I will bring about 300 pounds in cash, I am reluctant to bring whole amount in cash. I also know that I can only take out about 80 euro/60 pounds per day (ridiculous I know), but just wondering re the oversees charges etc. Thanks

roundymac · 28-04-2011 10:53pm

Quick phone call to your local AIB should help.

Heuston14 · 02-05-2011 10:40pm

Has anyone ever used visitlondonoffers.com to book a hotel? Any idea is it safe, secure etc? Thanks in advance

roundymac · 02-05-2011 11:07pm

You won't go far wrong with Ryanair hotels or aer lingus hotels. Need a hotel.com is another good one.

roundymac · 02-05-2011 11:08pm

tommy21 wrote: »

Just about to head to London - just wondering if anyone knows the rough cost of withdrawing money from a laser card (I'm with AIB) in London (I know to avoid ones in stores/train stations that add an extra premium) - I have budgeted about 550 pounds (excluding accomodation) for 5 days and while I will bring about 300 pounds in cash, I am reluctant to bring whole amount in cash. I also know that I can only take out about 80 euro/60 pounds per day (ridiculous I know), but just wondering re the oversees charges etc. Thanks

Why are you saying you are limited to €€80 a day, thats not right.

Heuston14 · 02-05-2011 11:17pm

Thanks, I'm sick looking at booking sites at this stage:D. The reason I ask about visitlondonoffers.com is because there is a particular hotel I'd like to stay in and it's a very good price on it. Anyone used it?

Raoul · 03-05-2011 8:38am

Heuston14 wrote: »

Thanks, I'm sick looking at booking sites at this stage:D. The reason I ask about visitlondonoffers.com is because there is a particular hotel I'd like to stay in and it's a very good price on it. Anyone used it?

Haven't used that site. But look and see if the hotel on hotels.com because they have 10% off vouchers, then use lastminute.com to get a further 12 percent off. Big savings to be had

premiergal · 09-05-2011 8:15pm

Hello,
Heading to London for a couple days with the boyf.
Were on a budget and planning in staying travel lodge at tower of london.
Were flying into stansted is the hotel easy to access from this airport.
Was planning on getting bus from airport to Liverpool/Victoria station which of these would be most convenient?is this hotel convenient for all usual tourist things?is area ok?

tommy21 · 09-05-2011 8:32pm

@Premiergal - have you booked hotel yet? I suggest not -

I just passed this Travel Lodge on my way to Premier Inn next door. Area itself is nice enough, there is a tesco express nearby, Waitrose (cheap restuarant/pub) and other restaurants including a nice Wagamammas, and of course you have Tower of London on our doorstep. I got here Sunday however and discovered that Tower Hill tube stop (which is served by circle lines and district) was closed for planned works and will be next weekend also (though district is limited service next week so check it out for yourself if it suits), and major upheavals every weekend into future. So its a bit of a hike if you don't know where your going to get from nearest tube that's running, which for me was Holborn or Bank I think as that was as far as I could get by tube. Check out here http://www.tfl.gov.uk/livetravelnews/planned-works/calendar/default.aspx and plan your accomodation around lines that are not planned to be closed I would say. If you have booked already, the number 15 bus serves regularly near your travel lodge, which will take you to liverpool st. But bring a good map! Distances are really quite short on foot if you know the streets to take but if you don't you will wonder for hours. If you want a recommendation on Premier Inn let me know.

In terms of Stanstead I am not so sure. You will have to get a bus in but they are a little less regular on a weekend (unless you fork out for Stanstead Express).

tommy21 · 09-05-2011 8:47pm

roundymac wrote: »

Why are you saying you are limited to €€80 a day, thats not right.

That's what bank told me (college road branch AIB Cork). Maybe I misunderstood, can anyone confirm?

premiergal · 09-05-2011 10:10pm

Planning on going monday-Wednesday so probably wouldn't be affected by works.
Haven't booked it there will have another look around so thanks for your reply.
What premier inn would you recommend?
Just looking for good base for all tourist stuff.

OPENROAD · 09-05-2011 10:40pm

premiergal wrote: »

Planning on going monday-Wednesday so probably wouldn't be affected by works.
Haven't booked it there will have another look around so thanks for your reply.
What premier inn would you recommend?
Just looking for good base for all tourist stuff.

Can't specifically comment on the Premier Inn per se, but if you want to stay in the Premier Inn but are interested in other locations, I can say you won't go wrong with the Premier Inn Kensington.

Location is perfect, I normally stay around the corner in the Holiday Inn, tube station(Gloucester Rd) is about 5 min walk to the Premier Inn Kensington along Cromwell Road.

Harrods is two tube stops from Gloucester Road, the Natural History Muuseum is one tube stop(South Kensington) or about a 12 min walk from the Premier Inn Kensington.

Kensington Gardens and Kensington Palace is about a 10 min walk from the Hotel.

Oxford Street is about a 20 min tube trip from Gloucester Road(one change)

London Eye (Westminster tube station)is a direct tube trip from Gloucester Rd Circle or District Line( about 12 mins)

Tower of London (Tower Hill Tube station) is a direct tube from Gloucester Rd(Circle or District Line) approx 20 mins or you can jump off at Westminster and take the boat along the Thames to the Tower.

Some nice coffee shops restaurants in the general Gloucester Rd area.

From Stanstead, you can take the Stanstead Express to Liverpool st and the circle line direct to Glouester Rd. Premier Inn Tower Of London would be nearer to Stanstead, again take the Stanstead Express and then the circle line to the Tower Hill, but as said Gloucester Rd is just a bit further along the line (approx 14 stops but the stops are quite close to each other).

Any other specific questions feel free to ask.

http://www.premierinn.com/en/hotel/LONKEN/london-kensington-earls-court

roundymac · 09-05-2011 11:10pm

tommy21 wrote: »

That's what bank told me (college road branch AIB Cork). Maybe I misunderstood, can anyone confirm?

I never had any problems withdrawing money with a laser card, maybe it was €800 in a day.

undo · 12-05-2011 4:04pm

Some silly limit was recently introduced for AIB Laser cards when used abroad. I am not sure whether it is as low as €88 but it is in that ballpark. Stupid and inconvenient, without a doubt.

roundymac · 12-05-2011 5:29pm

That's just great, first they bankrupt the country and try to stop us having fun.

DM92 · 21-05-2011 8:02pm

Hi, just wondering if anyone would be able to recommend any good hotels in London? Preferably low cost, clean and also in a good location. Anything modern would be a bonus!
Thanks

fergalfriel · 23-05-2011 12:02am

have a look at hoxton hotel - reasonably priced for london, good location, trendy place

karltimber · 26-05-2011 9:40am

Hi

hotel again ?

but for 2 adults & 3 kids. the smallest can go on a camper bed.
Am I better off searching for 2 + 2 and then asking for an extra bed - as a 2+3 search really limits the results.

anyone done a family of 5 trip to london - any rec's

thx

K

Hrududu · 02-06-2011 3:15pm

Any recomendations for a nice lunch in the Covent Garden area?

Pierce_1991 · 06-06-2011 5:54pm

Hey, sorry if this has been asked on here before. I heard there was some way of getting from Stansted to the center of London for only around 5 pounds. Anytime I've gone through stansted, I've had to get the Stansted express which costs a lot more. Any help would be appreciated.

who the fug · 06-06-2011 9:23pm

Pierce_1991 wrote: »

Hey, sorry if this has been asked on here before. I heard there was some way of getting from Stansted to the center of London for only around 5 pounds. Anytime I've gone through stansted, I've had to get the Stansted express which costs a lot more. Any help would be appreciated.

Sounds like the coach , better off aiming for gatwick or ****erow

Pierce_1991 · 06-06-2011 11:33pm

who the fug wrote: »

Sounds like the coach , better off aiming for gatwick or ****erow

Cheers, an hour and 40 minutes might be a bit long but sure we'll see. Thanks for the link

**Timbuk2** · 14-06-2011 10:14pm

There'll be 4 of us going to London in August for 3 days (possibly 4). What is the best transport option for around the city?

I was looking at a 3-day Travelcard (buses, tubes, DLR and even overground rail) but it's within zones 1-6 which is a very wide area - zones 1-2 would be plenty for us - does such a thing exist?

Would Oyster cards be a better solution? According to the information (http://visitorshop.tfl.gov.uk/english/ticket-types.htm) about Visitor Oytser cards "Multiple journeys within the same zone(s) are capped at the equivalent Day Travelcard rate." - so surely this is a better option, as if I make a lot of journies I won't be charged more than the Travelcard rate, but if I make less, I will be charged less than the travelcard rate (or have I misunderstood?)

Could anybody recommend any hostels / cheap accomodation? What are the likes of Clink78, Generator and YHA London Central like? HostelBookers gives them good ratings, and the prices don't seem too bad considering location! In fact, anywhere within Zones 1-2 (or somewhere that is covered by a travel/oyster card) would be ok!

OPENROAD · 14-06-2011 11:10pm

**Timbuk2** wrote: »

There'll be 4 of us going to London in August for 3 days (possibly 4). What is the best transport option for around the city?

I was looking at a 3-day Travelcard (buses, tubes, DLR and even overground rail) but it's within zones 1-6 which is a very wide area - zones 1-2 would be plenty for us - does such a thing exist?

Would Oyster cards be a better solution? According to the information (http://visitorshop.tfl.gov.uk/english/ticket-types.htm) about Visitor Oytser cards "Multiple journeys within the same zone(s) are capped at the equivalent Day Travelcard rate." - so surely this is a better option, as if I make a lot of journies I won't be charged more than the Travelcard rate, but if I make less, I will be charged less than the travelcard rate (or have I misunderstood?)

Could anybody recommend any hostels / cheap accomodation? What are the likes of Clink78, Generator and YHA London Central like? HostelBookers gives them good ratings, and the prices don't seem too bad considering location! In fact, anywhere within Zones 1-2 (or somewhere that is covered by a travel/oyster card) would be ok!

How much do you want to spend on accommodation per person per night in £ Sterling ?

Ferris_Bueller · 15-06-2011 12:52am

Hey guys, thinking about going over to London with the girlfriend at the end of August sometime as flights into Stansted are very cheap atm, never been to London though so would appreciate any help! Firstly if we were to only go for one night (2 days essentially), would that be enough time for two 19 year olds who have never been to London? Is the journey from Stansted to the city a long/difficult one? And how expensive of a city is London? We wouldn't be on a big budget at all unfortunately, so would anyone know how much money you would want to bring just for 2 days?

Oh and most importantly, where would be a good place to stay? Most importantly in a safe location, ideally not far from the city center I suppose! Was thinking a travel lodge?

Very much just still in the idea phase, but any advice would be fantastic!

**Timbuk2** · 15-06-2011 1:26am

OPENROAD wrote: »

How much do you want to spend on accommodation per person per night in £ Sterling ?

Ideally £20-£35 per person per night if that's not an unrealistic target! Not looking for anything fancy just somewhere to spend the night!

Ferris_Bueller, we are also 19 going over to London this summer. There's a Stansted Express train between the airport and Liverpool Street Station but you can get it for cheaper if you book a place on EasyBus (it'll take longer, as it's by bus, but it's considerably cheaper) - I haven't used them but plan to and they look ok, fairly frequent! Leave a lot of time to get back to the airport just in case there's bad traffic - the journey can take anywhere from 45 minutes to up to 2 hours depending (so I read!)

OPENROAD · 15-06-2011 2:08am

Ferris_Bueller wrote: »

Hey guys, thinking about going over to London with the girlfriend at the end of August sometime as flights into Stansted are very cheap atm, never been to London though so would appreciate any help! Firstly if we were to only go for one night (2 days essentially), would that be enough time for two 19 year olds who have never been to London? Is the journey from Stansted to the city a long/difficult one? And how expensive of a city is London? We wouldn't be on a big budget at all unfortunately, so would anyone know how much money you would want to bring just for 2 days?

Oh and most importantly, where would be a good place to stay? Most importantly in a safe location, ideally not far from the city center I suppose! Was thinking a travel lodge?

Very much just still in the idea phase, but any advice would be fantastic!

London is like a second home to me and I have still so much to see and do

, having said that, if you can make it two full days, you can get quite a lot covered in terms of the main tourist attractions, what makes London so special is the non tourist stuff though

The journey from Stansted to Central London is an easy one, depending on your budget the Stansted express is the best option imo

https://www.stanstedexpress.com/index.asp?SID={BC3DFC9C-19A9-44E0-8A6D-EEA91C21908B}

Price wise, kind of a tricky one that, I personally feel London is cheaper for every day goods, for instance my local coffee shop charges almost 3 euro for a latte here in Dublin, I can get a latte in a beautiful Kensington coffee shop for £1.90 with a free croissant in the mornings. I would say budget as if you are in Dublin

Location wise, if you look at my previous post, I would always go for the South Kensington area of London, like any city though you have to be careful and street wise. South Kensington is a very nice area though and very close to everything. What budget did you have in mind for your hotel per night in £ sterling?

Fratton Fred · 15-06-2011 9:16am

Timbuk2,

I would go for an oyster card. Mainly because it is incredibly flexible and you only pay for what you use and as you say, it is capped at the equivalent travel card day rate. you should be able to pick one up at Liverpool street and if you put £20 on it will more than cover you for three days. Anything you don't use will stay on your card for the next time you visit London.

It also makes you look less like a tourist, providing you don't try and stand on the left side of the escalator, that is a sure sign of a tourist and a guaranteed way to piss off the locals!!

Our Greater London Megathread

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