Our Greater London Megathread

Lapin

Always something going on in Covent Garden with a festive air at that time of year. Plenty of shops and free street entertainment with lots of indoor focal points to meet up if the weather is bad. And only a couple of minutes walk from Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus.

Town Man

Thanks everyone for the responses, there is more then enough there to find something to do.

Looking forward to the weekend now

exiledelbows

Lapin wrote: »

Always something going on in Covent Garden with a festive air at that time of year. Plenty of shops and free street entertainment with lots of indoor focal points to meet up if the weather is bad. And only a couple of minutes walk from Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus.

Plus there's a lego advent calendar this year

http://londonist.com/2012/11/giant-lego-advent-calendar-arrives-in-covent-garden.php

swanangel

Hey,

Would anyone be able to advise me how to get from Gatwick Airport to Bond Street, Mayfair, London on a Saturday please?

I have to get to Bond street by 12pm, I land at 9:10am and coming back that day for a 18:10 flight home.


Thanks a lot.

Clarehobo

Take the Gatwick Express to Victoria(30 mins - runs every 15 mins) and then underground or taxi to Bond St or else approx 30 mins walk.

http://journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk
http://www.thetrainline.com/

zagmund

You can also get any of the First Capital Connect (FCC) trains to London Bridge and a single change to the Jubilee Line there will get you to Bond Street. If you go via Victoria it will be more expensive, take longer and involve an extra change on the tube in my least favourite ever station for changing - Green Park.

The Gatwick Express is fine if you want to go to somewhere in the immediate vicinity of Victoria on on the connected tube lines (Victoria, Circle, District), but if it involves changing tube lines once you get to London then the routes via London Bridge are (in my experience) better. The London Bridge trains continue north to Blackfriars, Farringdon, Kings Cross and points north - offering good connectivity options.

Note that weekends can be a bit of a nightmare in terms of line closures so check these links before you head off - http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/livetravelnews/realtime/track.aspx?offset=weekend & http://www.tfl.gov.uk/livetravelnews/planned-works/calendar/default.aspx. The closures *normally* relate to tube lines only - you are unlikely to see major disruption (as in trains replaced by buses) on the train from Gatwick to London.

z

swanangel

Thanks a million, is it worth me getting one of those Oyster card thingys?

LiamMc

swanangel wrote: »

Thanks a million, is it worth me getting one of those Oyster card thingys?

yes. It's transferable to different passengers.

exiledelbows

If you're just there for a day a travelcard might be easier. But if you or anyone you know will be in London again get the Oyster, swallow the deposit and bring it home with you, as your two journeys will cost circa £4 in total so not worth getting a travelcard

Louche Lad

swanangel wrote: »

Thanks a million, is it worth me getting one of those Oyster card thingys?

Yes, a lot less fiddling about, so people behind you at the ticket barrier don't tut at you.

Lapin

zagmund wrote: »

You can also get any of the First Capital Connect (FCC) trains to London Bridge and a single change to the Jubilee Line there will get you to Bond Street. If you go via Victoria it will be more expensive, take longer and involve an extra change on the tube in my least favourite ever station for changing - Green Park.


z

I second this.

I checked out train times to suit your flights and this is the option I would choose.

Dep Gatwick Airport 10.02
Arr London Bridge 10.30

This gives you plenty of time to get from the plane to the platform. Especially if you need to buy a train ticket at Gatwick. The ticket office there is always busy so its better (and cheaper) to buy your ticket online.

At London Bridge, buy an Oyster card in the tube station, (cost £5 returnable deposit) and top it up by £7. This is enough to give you unlimited travel in Central London on buses and tubes throughout the day. Take the Jubilee Line northbound to Bond St. The tubes run every 3 minutes and the journey time is 9 minutes giving you plenty of time to be in Bond St by noon.

For the return journey, I'd aim to be in Bond St tube at 3.40pm. This will give you time to get back to London Bridge in time to catch the 16.12 train back to Gatwick where it arrives at 16.40.

Plenty of time to check in and relax for an hour before catching the plane home.

Enjoy your day !

swanangel

Lapin wrote: »

I second this.

I checked out train times to suit your flights and this is the option I would choose.

Dep Gatwick Airport 10.02
Arr London Bridge 10.30

This gives you plenty of time to get from the plane to the platform. Especially if you need to buy a train ticket at Gatwick. The ticket office there is always busy so its better (and cheaper) to buy your ticket online.

At London Bridge, buy an Oyster card in the tube station, (cost £5 returnable deposit) and top it up by £7. This is enough to give you unlimited travel in Central London on buses and tubes throughout the day. Take the Jubilee Line northbound to Bond St. The tubes run every 3 minutes and the journey time is 9 minutes giving you plenty of time to be in Bond St by noon.

For the return journey, I'd aim to be in Bond St tube at 3.40pm. This will give you time to get back to London Bridge in time to catch the 16.12 train back to Gatwick where it arrives at 16.40.

Plenty of time to check in and relax for an hour before catching the plane home.

Enjoy your day !

Wow Lapin, thanks for checking that out for me I really appreciate that. Will do!

julias_jewel

Hi guys

I am after getting a trip to London as a Christmas present and was wondering how much spending money would I need. Im only working 20 hours a week so i need to save money between now and march!!!

I need to take into consideration eating out and travelling. Wont be doing much shopping. Il be there for 4 days and 3 nights!!

Thanks Guys

Get yourself an oyster card, when you get there. If you put £30 on it, it should be plenty for 4 days (max charge is £8 per day for central London). Getting to and from the airport will cost extra, depending on where you are staying and which airport you are flying into.
Plenty of free stuff to do in London: All the major museums are free (science, v&a, natural history, war, british) main galleries (tate, portrait) are free some great parks. Also you can visit trafalgar square, picadiily circus.
Eating out is as expensive as you want. I went a few years ago on a tight budget and lived on fast food and cafe's. But the last time I went, I had more money and probably spent 5 times more on eating out.

coylemj

Deleted User wrote: »

Get yourself an oyster card, when you get there. If you put £30 on it, it should be plenty for 4 days (max charge is £8 per day for central London).

Total no-brainer.

Peak fares apply on the tube from 06:30-09:30 and 16:00-19:00 so as a tourist try to avoid travelling at those times because it will cost extra and the trains will be very busy.

However the daily price cap on the Oyster card for off-peak travel allows you to travel during the evening rush hour, you just need to avoid travelling before 9:30 Mon-Fri. The off-peak cap for zone 1 and zone 1+2 is £7 and if you venture into zones 3 or 4, it's £7.70. Provided you avoid travelling before 9:30, you can travel anywhere on the tube network and as soon as you hit the off-peak price cap, all remaining travel that day is free.

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/14416.aspx

The RAF Museum in Hendon is worth a visit, entry is free. Go to Colindale on the Northern line (black on the tube map, trains going to Edgware), turn left out of the tube station and it's a 10 minute walk.

http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/london/

You can get an Oyster card at the ticket office in most tube stations.

Fratton Fred

It is a bit of a "How long is a piece of string" type questions.

How much money you will need will depend on your tastes. In London, you can probably find an all you can eat chinese buffet for £10 per head, but if you want to spend £100 on a meal, there are also plenty of options for that as well.

Typically, I find London prices not too dissimilar to central Dublin prices, so if you have B&B accommodation, you could get a lunch time snack in Pret A Manger for £10 say and then spend £30 for an evening meal in a reasonable restaurant, but the more touristy places (such as Hard Rock, Rain Forest etc) would be a bit more maybe, but generally because drinks are pricier.

I would thoroughly recommend this place http://www.hixsoho.co.uk/menus/ it isn't Michelin starred, but it is very very good, very trendy and The early/late bird menus are only £22.50 as well, it is just off Piccadilly circus so nice and central.

schemingbohemia

Have a look at the Cheap Eats section in Time Out for food.

http://www.timeout.com/london/feature/3085/time-out-eating-drinking-awards-2012

Also, maybe sign up for groupon and similar sites in the UK for London based voucher deals?

thebuzz

Heathrow Airport to Luton Airport, just wondering is there any other bus service covering this route other than National Express?

Lapin

thebuzz wrote: »

Heathrow Airport to Luton Airport, just wondering is there any other bus service covering this route other than National Express?

Not that I know of. There are rail alternatives which I'll outline below, but they are slower and just as costly.


Both airports cater for different types of airline passenger for the most part.

Heathrow being an international hub, mainly accommodates intercontinental traffic and transfers between its own terminals.

Luton on the other hand serves low cost point to point airlines and charters.

As such, there is little demand for connections between the two airports.


Rail link between the two - Direct Tube to Kings Cross - Change there and get a train direct to Luton Airport Parkway. (Allow 2 hours before check in times are added).

There are other alternitaves such as hitchiking and cab sharing and there are a multitude of websites out there to point you in that direction. But I won't. While they have their uses elsewhere, I wouldn't reccommend them for airport transfers. You need time on your side for these.

Bad and all as they are - National Express will get you there.

banie01

Hiya Folks,
I'm planning on taking my 8y.o son on a trip to London to do the Theme Parks.
From what I can see most of these seem to be based in the Windsor/Heathrow area?
He is also a big Harry Potter fan so I want to take him to the Harry Potter studio tour and do the usual ''London'' touristy things too.

With this in mind.
I'm looking for some advice on where would be best to base ourselves?
Ideally a family friendly hotel with easy access to trains/commute to the attractions?
Or would hiring a car be a better option?
Any advice will be much appreciated! T.I.A

Fratton Fred

How long are you planning on going for?

Windsor itself is about a £25 taxi fair from Heathrow (If you book in advance, don't grab a black cab from the rank) and there is a shuttle bus from Windsor to Legoland (8 years old is the perfect age for Legoland). I am pretty sure you can also get a bus from Windsor to Thorpe Park, or can you get the train to Staines (about 15 minutes) and get the shuttle bus from there.

In Windsor, you have the Castle and you can easily spend a day sightseeing in the town itself. Then from Windsor to London you have two options. Windsor Central to Paddington via Slough is about 40 minutes, or the train from Windsor Riverside to Waterloo is about 50 minutes. Both Windsor stations are in the town centre and are about a ten minute slow walk apart.

The down side with Windsor is that it isn't cheap. it is a very classy place and this is reflected in teh standard of the hotels. There is, however, a travelodge in the middle of the town, but apparently this can be a bit noisy at weekends as Windsor has a very lively night scene.

If you want to do it the other way around, then your best bet would be to stay somewhere around Waterloo, as you can get to Windsor (for legoland) and Staines (for Thorpe Park) quite easily from there.

As for getting to Watford (For the Harry Potter tour), well, if you are in London, you can get the train from Euston, but it isn't too easy from Windsor, as it would involve a trip into London first. So if you base yourself in London, then you probably won't need a car, but if you are based in Windsor, a car may be useful. This then opens up your choice of hotels as well and may actually pay for itself. Windsor to Watford is about 40 minutes by car.

banie01

Fred thanks a million for the detailed reply!
Its very much appreciated and has given me plenty of options
We would probably go for at least 5 days/a week, so as not to be too rushed to jam everything into just a few days.
I'd never even thought of staying in central London, but you have made a compelling and sensible case for it!
Thanks!

Fratton Fred

banie01 wrote: »

Fred thanks a million for the detailed reply!
Its very much appreciated and has given me plenty of options
We would probably go for at least 5 days/a week, so as not to be too rushed to jam everything into just a few days.
I'd never even thought of staying in central London, but you have made a compelling and sensible case for it!
Thanks!

Waterloo isn't the smartest of areas, but it is very central and you can easily do the London Eye, London Aquarium (well worth a visit), Big Ben etc without having to get a train (There are a couple of hotels in County Hall, a Marriott and a Premier Inn, which might be be a good base). You also have the option to fly into Gatwick which could work out cheaper as well.

Consider Windsor though, it is a lovely town and is very cool. It has good upmarket shopping as well if that floats your boat.

banie01

Fratton Fred wrote: »

Waterloo isn't the smartest of areas, but it is very central and you can easily do the London Eye, London Aquarium (well worth a visit), Big Ben etc without having to get a train (There are a couple of hotels in County Hall, a Marriott and a Premier Inn, which might be be a good base). You also have the option to fly into Gatwick which could work out cheaper as well.

Consider Windsor though, it is a lovely town and is very cool. It has good upmarket shopping as well if that floats your boat.

Upmarket shopping on whats meant to be a lads holiday?
I'd best not let my partner see that particular post
I'm only a few minutes from SNN so I have easy access to all the London airports apart from Docklands I think.
So I think maybe basing in London close to tube and train access will allow us a lot more flexibility on this trip.
Thanks again Fred.

Huntelaar

Hi,

I'm going to London with my girlfriend in a couple of weeks and was wondering if anyone had any ideas for fun stuff to do/see?

We're going to see Wicked in the Apollo and are planning on going to see Big Ben, Tower Bridge, Aquarium in Westminster and London Eye.

Any other suggestions!?

Thanks!

Lapin

Huntelaar wrote: »

Hi,

I'm going to London with my girlfriend in a couple of weeks and was wondering if anyone had any ideas for fun stuff to do/see?

We're going to see Wicked in the Apollo and are planning on going to see Big Ben, Tower Bridge, Aquarium in Westminster and London Eye.

Any other suggestions!?

Thanks!

It really depends on where your interests lie and how long you'll be staying as there is something for everyone in London and you'll never get to pack everything in over a weekend, or even a week.

One suggestion would be to begin with an open top bus tour when you get there. As they take in most of the famous sights, you can decide which ones you'd like to see more of as you pass them and visit them later. There are a number of companies offering these tours each with different packages so its worth shopping around to see which suits you the best.

Big Ben, The London Aquarium and the London Eye are all located close to each other and can be done in a couple of hours. Although its worth noting that there is no public access to Big Ben, (unless you can get an MP to show you around !) Even at this time of year The London Eye will be busy so be sure to get tickets in advance and turn up at least half an hour before your alloted time.

Tower Bridge is a good bit further downstream and the most scenic way to get there is by Riverbus from Westminster pier. The trip will take you past some of the best known landmarks in London.

I'd also recommend a few hours in South Kensington to take in the Science Museum and the Natural History Museum nextdoor, and if you have time, the V&A across the road. While in the area you should drop into the world famous Harrod's Department Store nearby. Even if you don't intend doing any shopping the place is well worth a look around.

On a different planet from Harrod's but only a short journey away by Tube is Camden Town. No young person on trip to London should come home without a mooch around the markets, shops, cafés and bars around here !

As I said, its hard to advise on where to go and what to see without knowing what you're into but Visit London is an excellent website to help you plan your trip. For listings of whats on when and where and how much, Time Out is your bible.


Enjoy your trip.

MinesAlargeone

Does anyone know the best website for finding out what's on in London on any given weekend ?
Planning to travel to London in March for a long weekend.
Any tips ?

tibor

Londonist.com & Londoninstereo.com both have excellent this week/weekend features but neither look that far ahead.

The timeout list should give you an idea for now...
http://www.timeout.com/london/feature/1787/london-events-in-march

MinesAlargeone

tibor,
thanks - just what I was looking for !
I'll check out Londonist.com & Londoninstereo.com closer to time.

ScouseMouse

I am just back from london. I went over for a concert in the Roundhouse, Camden. Bought a london pass which gets me into loads of the museums and such but never used it.

Flew EI into Heathrow and got the tube. SOOOO easy. Stayed in Holiday Inn, Camden. Still got a few brochures and stuff (I think).

In Dublin if you want them.