Our Greater London Megathread

exiledelbows

For shows:

Matilda
Spamalot
Jersey Boys (if it's still on)
Singing in the Rain

Marcusm

I don't think it's a dump anymore and I think all rooms have new bathrooms (which I see as important). However, generally very small rooms and I've heard reports of rooms where the door practically opens on to the bed (with bed head at corridor wall). That I generally detest as it means noise is less remote. All that said, you'd find it difficult to find a more centrally located hotel in its class.

Esto Fidelis

Marcusm wrote: »

I don't think it's a dump anymore and I think all rooms have new bathrooms (which I see as important). However, generally very small rooms and I've heard reports of rooms where the door practically opens on to the bed (with bed head at corridor wall). That I generally detest as it means noise is less remote. All that said, you'd find it difficult to find a more centrally located hotel in its class.

Thanks, but couldn't get flight to Gatwick so just booked Stanstead. Do you know the route from there to this hotel. Thanks again

exiledelbows

Get the Stansted Express to Liverpool St then the Circle/District from there to either Temple or Embankment. Hotel's a 5-minute walk from either. If, like me, you think the Stansted Express is a rip off then I recommend Easybus (easybus.co.uk). Much cheaper and more flexible than their sister airline company as you can catch a bus an hour either side of your booking (if there's space). They drop at Baker Street, in which case hop on the Bakerloo line to Charing Cross or Embankment.

Fratton Fred

Matilda is excellent, especially if you've read the book.

schemingbohemia

Lapin wrote: »

I'd definitely opt for the later train.

If you have check in luggage to collect, that will slow you down and if the flight is delayed by as little as 20 minutes, Usain Bolt would do well to make the 16.58 train.

Even if you don't have luggage to collect, and your flight arrives on time, you you should allow for the following -

- Allow ten minutes to get off the plane once the seat belt signs are turned off.

- Allow a ten minute walk to get from the aircraft to the station.

- Always ALWAYS allow at least ten minutes to use the ticket machines / office when you get to the station. Gatwick train station is always busy.

Take the 17.10 train. Its only an extra 12 minutes and the chances are you won't be hanging around for those minutes anyway.

In theory, it is possible to get from plane to train in Gatwick in less than 20 minutes.

But in practice, it often takes a lot longer.

schemingbohemia wrote: »

Thanks for that, will probably get the later one so. Just hate being in rush hour trains in London, will have to get a Tube once I get to Victoria so was hoping the earlier the better.

Lapin wrote: »

The earlier train would actually arrive into Victoria in the thick of peak time at the station, while the rush will have marginally slackened off by the time the later one gets in. Very marginally, so not much difference really. Trains from Gatwick themselves at that time of day won't be affected by the rush hour at all.

If you are getting the Gatwick Express its worth noting that there are much cheaper rail services from Gatwick into London Bridge, Blackfriars, and St Pancras stations in Central London with First Capital Connect, and journey times aren't much longer.

schemingbohemia wrote: »

Booked the 17.10 train for a Fiver through www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk also got my return on the Sunday for the same fare. Why would anyone use Gatwick Express?

Now everything went in my favour so this advice is not really useful for others but

- got into row 5 on the plane (rows 3 and 4 were empty, usual Ryanair load balancing rubbish) an aisle seat

- was third person off plane which landed 10 minutes early and opened doors 7 minutes early

- got to ticket machines at Gatwick train station within 15 minutes of getting off plane, so 16.18

- then my troubles began, machine only printed the outward bound part not the return, had to then queue up to request re-print which initially they denied, basically saying i'd left the tickets in the machine after a total of 25 minutes (queuing and supervisor discussion time) I got my reprinted tickets (and was told by counter person that I wasn't the first this had happened to) and still had time to get my train, if i'd gone for the ealier train it would have been very tight.

- so booking the later train ended up making sense and generally would be the safe thing to do but it can definitely be done quicker, but only if everything goes your way!

- oh on the way home got from train platform through security in 15 minutes!

Lapin

Glad to see my theory & practice scenario put to the test.

"In theory, it is possible to get from plane to train in Gatwick in less than 20 minutes.

But in practice, it often takes a lot longer."



And I can't stress this other recommendation I gave strongly enough.

"Always ALWAYS allow at least ten minutes to use the ticket machines / office when you get to the station. Gatwick train station is always busy".

I pass throught the place often enough to how queues or hiccups here can result in getting into Central London later than planned.

schemingbohemia

Yeah definitely made sense to take the later train. But if you weren't as risk averse as me, or if perhaps having to buy a ticket on the day if you missed the cheaper pre-booked one wasn't an issue it's, as you said, do-able.

Thanks again.

frederick666

How Much Do I need for a week's London Trip?

Hi, I am a student and I work part time dont really have loads of money to spend. I have booked and paid for the flight and hostel. I just wonder how much would the other expenses be for a trip in London for a week? I have planned to visit loads of attractions but the majority are free ones. Here is the list:

- Big Ben
- Westminster
- British Museum
- British Library
- National Gallery
- London Eye
- Tower of London
- Canary Wharf
- St Paul's Cathedral
- Hyde Park
- St Jame's Park
- King's Cross Station (Harry Potter's 9 3/4 Station)
- Bank of England Museum
- Imperial War Museum London
- Museum of London
- Royal Air Force Museum London
- Horse Guards Parade
- Museum of Immigration and Diversity
- Trafalgar Square
- Buckingham Palace
- London Bridge
- West End
- Chinatown
- Chelsea FC Stadium
- Soho
- Windsor Castle???
- Greenwich Park???
- Tate Modern???

hhoohh! lol these are the places I have planned to visit, any advice on which of them should be spent a bit more time in and which shouldnt even be bothered? Thanks very much for your kind help, really appreciate it.

Louche Lad

frederick666 wrote: »

How Much Do I need for a week's London Trip?

Hi, I am a student and I work part time dont really have loads of money to spend. I have booked and paid for the flight and hostel. I just wonder how much would the other expenses be for a trip in London for a week? I have planned to visit loads of attractions but the majority are free ones. Here is the list:

- Big Ben
- Westminster
- British Museum
- British Library
- National Gallery
- London Eye
- Tower of London
- Canary Wharf
- St Paul's Cathedral
- Hyde Park
- St Jame's Park
- King's Cross Station (Harry Potter's 9 3/4 Station) Yes, if you've been before - quite a stunning remodelling
- Bank of England Museum
- Imperial War Museum London
- Museum of London
- Royal Air Force Museum London
- Horse Guards Parade
- Museum of Immigration and Diversity
- Trafalgar Square Worth passing through, climb on a lion
- Buckingham Palace Tourist trap
- London Bridge Think you mean Tower Bridge (London Bridge is dull)
- West End Do you mean shopping? Theatres?
- Chinatown Yes
- Chelsea FC Stadium
- Soho Yes, at same time as Chinatown
- Windsor Castle??? Takes a long time to get to
- Greenwich Park??? Takes time to get to
- Tate Modern???

frederick666

Louche Lad wrote: »

- Big Ben
- Westminster
- British Museum
- British Library
- National Gallery
- London Eye
- Tower of London
- Canary Wharf
- St Paul's Cathedral
- Hyde Park
- St Jame's Park
- King's Cross Station (Harry Potter's 9 3/4 Station) Yes, if you've been before - quite a stunning remodelling
- Bank of England Museum
- Imperial War Museum London
- Museum of London
- Royal Air Force Museum London
- Horse Guards Parade
- Museum of Immigration and Diversity
- Trafalgar Square Worth passing through, climb on a lion
- Buckingham Palace Tourist trap
- London Bridge Think you mean Tower Bridge (London Bridge is dull)
- West End Do you mean shopping? Theatres?
- Chinatown Yes
- Chelsea FC Stadium
- Soho Yes, at same time as Chinatown
- Windsor Castle??? Takes a long time to get to
- Greenwich Park??? Takes time to get to
- Tate Modern???

yeah I have searched on Google maps n noticed Windsor Castle is miles away from London city centre. but the beauty of d site is quite extraordinary I have been told.

About the West End yeah, I plan on visiting some Markets with small souvenirs and clothes and electronics and so forth. Im not quite sure what West End has to offer, Im not a big fan of big textbook shop chains, dont really have the money for that anyway lol.

regarding to London Bridge, yeah I mean Tower Bridge...I'll pay a visit to it I reckon as its an iconic landmark of London basically.

frederick666

frederick666 wrote: »

How Much Do I need for a week's London Trip?

Hi, I am a student and I work part time dont really have loads of money to spend. I have booked and paid for the flight and hostel. I just wonder how much would the other expenses be for a trip in London for a week? I have planned to visit loads of attractions but the majority are free ones. Here is the list:

- Big Ben
- Westminster
- British Museum
- British Library
- National Gallery
- London Eye
- Tower of London
- Canary Wharf
- St Paul's Cathedral
- Hyde Park
- St Jame's Park
- King's Cross Station (Harry Potter's 9 3/4 Station)
- Bank of England Museum
- Imperial War Museum London
- Museum of London
- Royal Air Force Museum London
- Horse Guards Parade
- Museum of Immigration and Diversity
- Trafalgar Square
- Buckingham Palace
- London Bridge
- West End
- Chinatown
- Chelsea FC Stadium
- Soho
- Windsor Castle???
- Greenwich Park???
- Tate Modern???

hhoohh! lol these are the places I have planned to visit, any advice on which of them should be spent a bit more time in and which shouldnt even be bothered? Thanks very much for your kind help, really appreciate it.

One thing I would suggest is a boat trip on the Thames, lots of companies do it and you get great views of the city.
As a big cinema fan, every time i go to London, I make sure I go to the Imax in waterloo. You'll never see a normal cinema the same once you've been.
Check out the London Pass, it's a great way to manage funds, and you can get it with a travel card. If you are planning to view a lot of attractions it might work out cheaper for you. I used it before saved a little money but also saved some time queuing (was a few years ago though). Be careful as there are limitations on how much you can use it. If you plan ahead you can make the most of it.

panama

hi

Does anyone know any cheap train options from Birmingham airport to central London?? We're travelling around the morning of the 28th just after xmas but it's a workday and the likes of Virgin trains are working out a bit too dear.
Would appreciate any tips. The London station we arrive into isn't that important as long as it's fairly central city wise.

panama

panama wrote: »

hi

Does anyone know any cheap train options from Birmingham airport to central London?? We're travelling around the morning of the 28th just after xmas but it's a workday and the likes of Virgin trains are working out a bit too dear.
Would appreciate any tips. The London station we arrive into isn't that important as long as it's fairly central city wise.

If you can go early, (6:40 Birm - London Euston 7:53)you can get virgin for £7.50
Or a little later 12:41 for £11
http://www.farefinder.virgintrains.co.uk/BestFares.aspx?orig=BHI&dest=EUS&out=20121228

exiledelbows

Basically it's going to be really expensive between about 7am and 11am but should be a lot cheaper after that, so if you can kill time in Birmingham too.

Alternatively, megabus can get you down for £6 in three hours

http://uk.megabus.com/

NeitherJohn

Have booked trip from the 27th to the 31st of Dec. Science Museum, Madame Tussauds, aquarium, London Eye, Winter Wonderland, and the Original London Bus Tour all paid for already for when we go over.

Probably going to do the London River Cruise on the morning/afternoon of the 27th as our flight gets in rather early.

We've a day set aside for a bit of shopping on Oxford Street and Regent Street. Is there likely to be any good sales around the 30th of Dec? I know Boxing Day is the main day for sales but maybe someone might know of other ones?

Thanks!

panama

Deleted User wrote: »

If you can go early, (6:40 Birm - London Euston 7:53)you can get virgin for £7.50
Or a little later 12:41 for £11
http://www.farefinder.virgintrains.co.uk/BestFares.aspx?orig=BHI&dest=EUS&out=20121228

Thanks but unfortunately not an option as we land at 7.30.

So it would have to be 8am onwards. Don't mind hanging around for a while as long as it's not too long if you know what I mean.

schemingbohemia

There are loads of train fares for £20 you're unlikely to get cheaper at this stage.

www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk

Fratton Fred

according to www.nationalrail.co.uk £20 is the cheapest you are likely to get.

frederick666

Just wanna ask, where is cheaper when it comes to shopping? Galway or London? As I have read on loads of posts UK is defintely cheaper than Ireland having said London being the capital apparently is the most expensive place to shop in England. Whereas Galway is just a small city so I doubt if London wud be any cheaper than Galway? Any ideas!?

Fratton Fred

frederick666 wrote: »

Just wanna ask, where is cheaper when it comes to shopping? Galway or London? As I have read on loads of posts UK is defintely cheaper than Ireland having said London being the capital apparently is the most expensive place to shop in England. Whereas Galway is just a small city so I doubt if London wud be any cheaper than Galway? Any ideas!?

If you go to one of the large retail places, like Blue Water or Westfield, then it is probably cheaper, but you will get a much bigger choice. Imagine Dundrum on steroids.

London isn't anymore expensive for normal branded things, top shop etc, but if you take a walk down Bond Street, Kings Road, Hampsted High Street etc then you will come across the real expensive stuff ie D&G, Chanel etc etc.

panama

schemingbohemia wrote: »

There are loads of train fares for £20 you're unlikely to get cheaper at this stage.

www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk

Would the train fares be more likely to go up rather than down nearer the date?

exiledelbows

Up. Only up. As you're coming in on a plane i wouldn't chance an advance ticket anyway, so get the cheapest super saver off-peak (which allows flexibility outside peak times) you can find.

schemingbohemia

exiledelbows wrote: »

Up. Only up. As you're coming in on a plane i wouldn't chance an advance ticket anyway, so get the cheapest super saver off-peak (which allows flexibility outside peak times) you can find.

One thing to note, I booked what I thought was a ticket for a specific train (one of the cheapest) but when I picked the tickets up from the machine in Birmingham airport it actually stated it was valid for all off-peak services. I got from the plane to the train station in about 15 minutes in Birmingham, i'd book a specific train but give myself an hour between landing and train.

james0903

Myself and my friend are contemplating a move to London in February 2013, was just wondering where would be best place to live in regards to affordable accommodation? I am a recent college graduate and currently work in a bar so ill will hopefully have 3000 grand saved up for then, as will my friend. do ye think that would suffice to get us set up intially ?

Lapin

james0903 wrote: »

Myself and my friend are contemplating a move to London in February 2013, was just wondering where would be best place to live in regards to affordable accommodation? I am a recent college graduate and currently work in a bar so ill will hopefully have 3000 grand saved up for then, as will my friend. do ye think that would suffice to get us set up intially ?

Hi, You're probably better off asking that question on the London Forum as it is frequented by people living and working in London.

This thread is mainly used for giving advice to people visiting London for holidays / weekend breaks and looking for info on airports, hotels etc.


For what its worth, 3k should be plenty to get you set up and running, (especially if there are two of you sharing).

Although it would be ideal to have a job lined up before you go as you won't be long going through it if you're not careful.

Best of luck and enjoy it there !

james0903

Thanks Lapin much appreciated

Town Man

Hi everyone

Hope this is the right place to put this. I am helping to take a group of students next weekend to London on a school tour. They will be given an hour here or there as free time to go shopping etc.

Just wondering does anybody know of any events happening in Central London which are free or may be worthwhile visiting. I was hoping there may be something on seeing as it is the week before Christmas.

If anyone could help it would be great

Thanks

zagmund

There will be loads on. The challenge won't be finding what to do for that hour or two, it will be deciding which things not to do because you don't have enough time.

Time Out is always a great resource - http://www.timeout.com/london/christmas/ & http://www.timeout.com/london/kids/

There's always something at least vaguely educational going on around the South Bank - http://www.southbanklondon.com/ - with the Royal Festival Hall & assorted other art-y places. There's also the Imperial War Museum which is fun and a whole lot less hectic than the other mega-museums in London.

z

Fratton Fred

Christmas in the West End is always worth seeing. As well as a visit to Trafalgar Square to see the tree and lights there.