Our Greater London Megathread

afatbollix

Fly into Gatwick and then you will be able to get the train to Chesington via Clapham Junction. It will take a while as you have to go past it and then change out on a different line. It would be quicker to get a train to Croydon and then a mini cab the final bit if you dont want to spend long on the train.

To get to Legoland get the train to Clapham junction and change for a train to Windsor and a cab the final bit of the way.

Then after lego land fly back via Heathrow (Would be cheaper to get a taxi for this bit) I have codes for £10 off ubers which would give you a few pound off. But you can use train to Staines change and then train to Heathrow.

Zascar

I'm looking at some cheap ryanair flights to London Gatwick. Then I need to get into London - but the Gatwick express is surprisingly expensive! Nearly €80 return for two.

Does anyone know if there is a normal train I can get? I'm not in a major rush.

Thanks

jaymcg91

Not really surprising, it's primarily a tourist service - mission to gouge the poor foreigners.

Returns start from £20 on the regular Southeastern Railway (no stops, it takes me an extra 9 mins compared to the Gatwick Express). Just have to look at the departures board at Victoria to make sure the train you take stops at Gatwick Airport.

http://www.southeasternrailway.co.uk/

I actually get day returns (I'm in and out a fair bit) for £12.60. Not bad value at all.

lc180

I'm flying into Gatwick next weekend and instead of the train I'm using Easybus to get into the city centre.

Obviously it's not as quick but I managed to get a return ticket for £5 so pretty hard to beat. The earlier you book the cheaper.

Louche Lad

Southern Railway can be a lot cheaper. Just checked, and it comes to around £35 for two return. It depends on the time of travel though: you can get even cheaper tickets for some specific trains, but it's maybe not worth taking a risk getting a particular train in case of flight delays.

NB: it's Southern (not Southeastern) who operate most of the trains through Gatwick.

Zascar

jaymcg91 wrote: »

Not really surprising, it's primarily a tourist service - mission to gouge the poor foreigners.

Returns start from £20 on the regular Southeastern Railway (no stops, it takes me an extra 9 mins compared to the Gatwick Express). Just have to look at the departures board at Victoria to make sure the train you take stops at Gatwick Airport.

http://www.southeasternrailway.co.uk/

I actually get day returns (I'm in and out a fair bit) for £12.60. Not bad value at all.

Thanks, a quick look and there seem to be trains for £10 each way. £40 for two return which is €50 - still not cheap but saves me €30 anyway!

Do I have to book online or can I do it there? Seems to be loads of trains, every few minutes almost

Jubo

An alternative would be a National Express coach to Victoria station. The number bus is A3 and it goes from downstairs from the south terminal (where ryanair fly into). They run hourly and it's about £10ish each way (I think?!)

spurious

lc180 wrote: »

I'm flying into Gatwick next weekend and instead of the train I'm using Easybus to get into the city centre.

Obviously it's not as quick but I managed to get a return ticket for £5 so pretty hard to beat. The earlier you book the cheaper.

I use easybus too. Huge savings.

Vic_08

Zascar wrote: »

Thanks, a quick look and there seem to be trains for £10 each way. £40 for two return which is €50 - still not cheap but saves me €30 anyway!

Do I have to book online or can I do it there? Seems to be loads of trains, every few minutes almost

The best ticket depends on what you are doing and when.
off-peak day returns are the best value but if you are not returning the same day then 2 singles or anytime returns are needed.

Cheapest single is £7.40 Sat/Sun BH only on Thameslink to London Bridge, Blackfriars, Farringdon or St Pancras at.

Cheapest weekdays singles are on the thameslink route at £10.00 or £19.00 return those fares are only valid on the thameslink route but are unrestricted for time, return is valid any train for 1 month.

If you are going to be traveling around London on the same day then a day travelcard from Gatwick is likely to be cheapest.

A Thameslink off-peak 1 day travelcard is the cheapest at £13.50 This gives one day return trip from Gatwick to any London station on a Thameslink service (East Croydon is the first station inside London zones, beyond there all trains/routes are allowed) and then unlimited travel within London zones 1-6 on all Trains, Underground, Buses, DLR.

This is an off-peak fare valid on any Thameslink route train leaving Gatwick after 09.32

All of these fares can be bought at the station, no advance booking necessary.

exiledelbows

Vic_08 wrote: »

The best ticket depends on what you are doing and when.
off-peak day returns are the best value but if you are not returning the same day then 2 singles or anytime returns are needed.

Cheapest single is £7.40 Sat/Sun BH only on Thameslink to London Bridge, Blackfriars, Farringdon or St Pancras at.

Cheapest weekdays singles are on the thameslink route at £10.00 or £19.00 return those fares are only valid on the thameslink route but are unrestricted for time, return is valid any train for 1 month.

If you are going to be traveling around London on the same day then a day travelcard from Gatwick is likely to be cheapest.

A Thameslink off-peak 1 day travelcard is the cheapest at £13.50 This gives one day return trip from Gatwick to any London station on a Thameslink service (East Croydon is the first station inside London zones, beyond there all trains/routes are allowed) and then unlimited travel within London zones 1-6 on all Trains, Underground, Buses, DLR.

This is an off-peak fare valid on any Thameslink route train leaving Gatwick after 09.32

All of these fares can be bought at the station, no advance booking necessary.

i'd recommend buying in advance. Gatwick station is always packed with confused tourists who don't know what they're doing, and finding that fare on the ticket machines can be a nightmare. Buying in advance means you just walk up the those machines with a code and your card and you're done.

exiledelbows

Also I'd recommend National Express over Easybus. Similar price, much more comfortable and less horror stories.

Vic_08

exiledelbows wrote: »

i'd recommend buying in advance. Gatwick station is always packed with confused tourists who don't know what they're doing, and finding that fare on the ticket machines can be a nightmare. Buying in advance means you just walk up the those machines with a code and your card and you're done.

Good point that, I forgot what a hassle the ticket desks at Gatwick are.

A few points for anyone buying UK rail tickets online:
You must bring the credit/debit card used to buy the tickets with you to collect them from ticket vending machines.

The websites ask you to nominate a specific station to collect tickets from but the ticket-on-demand system is centrally run so you can usually collect them from any machine at any station. (They do this so people do not turn up at stations without ticket machines expecting to collect their tickets)

Do not use thetrainline.com (the one always advertising great savings on TV) they sell the exact same range of fares as the train operating companies websites but they add a booking fee to it so they are never the cheapest.

The booking websites force you to choose specific trains in the booking process and will give you an itinerary, you are not restricted to using these specific trains unless the tickets specifically state this. Standard "walk-up" fares are also sold online and these have exactly the same conditions wherever they are bought.

Tickets labeled "Anytime" "Off-Peak" "Day Return" and a few others are not tied to a specific train and can be used on any service within restrictions.

Tickets labeled "Advance" are tied to specific trains and are usually invalid on any train but the one listed, if caught on the wrong train you will more often then not be charged for a new full fare ticket.

johnire

Hi
Just wondering if anyone could recommend a hotel within walking distance(10-15 minutes) of Oxford St/Soho area?
I'm looking for somewhere that's nice that includes breakfast and has free wifi.
Oh....and reasonably priced!!!!
Thanks in advance.

zagmund

See the giant London megathread. First things first . . . define reasonable or you will get suggestions ranging up to £500 or more.

z

johnire

It's for a Friday and Saturday night for2 people next July.
I was hoping to spend no more than £250.

zagmund wrote: »

See the giant London megathread. First things first . . . define reasonable or you will get suggestions ranging up to £500 or more.

z

Qwerty27

Hi folks - looking at booking a weekend trip, say Sat - Mon for 4 adults and a toddler and just wondering what is the cheapest way to get to/from any of the airports to city centre? I was thinking maybe tube from Heathrow but realise this might take longer than train/bus from Gatwick.

Any help appreciated!

Louche Lad

Qwerty27 wrote: »

Hi folks - looking at booking a weekend trip, say Sat - Mon for 4 adults and a toddler and just wondering what is the cheapest way to get to/from any of the airports to city centre? I was thinking maybe tube from Heathrow but realise this might take longer than train/bus from Gatwick.

Any help appreciated!

Tube from Heathrow might well be quicker if it's more convenient for where you're going - depends what you mean by "city centre".

Lapin

exiledelbows wrote: »

Also I'd recommend National Express over Easybus. Similar price, much more comfortable and less horror stories.

I used this service earlier this year for the first time and never again. It took almost 2.5 hours in both directions.

It also put me off Easybus or any other coach operator. Its not worth it for the sake of the pounds extra it costs to get a train into Central London (London Bridge) in less than half an hour.

Lapin

Qwerty27 wrote: »

Hi folks - looking at booking a weekend trip, say Sat - Mon for 4 adults and a toddler and just wondering what is the cheapest way to get to/from any of the airports to city centre? I was thinking maybe tube from Heathrow but realise this might take longer than train/bus from Gatwick.

Any help appreciated!

Tube from Heathrow will definitely be quicker than a bus from Gatwick.

As for costs, The tube is on the Oyster Card so you can include it in your travel budget for getting around London while you're there. The child travels free on all services served by the Oyster.

Bear in mind, flights to Heathrow tend to be more expensive than those to Gatwick, Luton or Stansted so its worth factoring this in to onward travel expenses if cost is an issue.

But as Louche said above, it depends on what you mean by 'city centre'.
The term isn't really used in London as it could include anywhere from Kensington Palace at one end of town to Tower Bridge at the other. A distance of almost five miles as the crow flies.

lc180

Lapin wrote: »

I used this service earlier this year for the first time and never again. It took almost 2.5 hours in both directions.

It also put me off Easybus or any other coach operator. Its not worth it for the sake of the pounds extra it costs to get a train into Central London (London Bridge) in less than half an hour.

Can I ask what was the reason for the 2.5 hour journey? Was it just typically London traffic?

I've booked the 6pm Easybus from Gatwick this Friday so that's rush hour plus weekend commuters. Does traffic about the time usually be bad in London? I don't fancy a ridiculously long journey into the city so I'm now thinking the train would be the smart move, even if it is expensive. It was only £2 for my bus ticket so no biggie if I don't use it.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

rainbow kirby

lc180 wrote: »

I'm now thinking the train would be the smart move, even if it is expensive. It was only £2 for my bus ticket so no biggie if I don't use it.

The train to/from Gatwick is only around a tenner (Southern or Thameslink) - not crazy expensive. Worth it to avoid the traffic.

lc180

rainbow kirby wrote: »

The train to/from Gatwick is only around a tenner (Southern or Thameslink) - not crazy expensive. Worth it to avoid the traffic.

Ah right! My mate told me it was closer to £20 one way. I'll definitely look into it, the train sounds like the way to go. cheers for tip!

rainbow kirby

That's the Gatwick Express, which is there to rip off the uninformed! A fast Southern service to Victoria is only around 5-10 minutes slower than the Gatwick express and half the price.

Marcusm

lc180 wrote: »

Can I ask what was the reason for the 2.5 hour journey? Was it just typically London traffic?

I've booked the 6pm Easybus from Gatwick this Friday so that's rush hour plus weekend commuters. Does traffic about the time usually be bad in London? I don't fancy a ridiculously long journey into the city so I'm now thinking the train would be the smart move, even if it is expensive. It was only £2 for my bus ticket so no biggie if I don't use it.

MAdness; amongst other things there are roadworks on the M23 immediately north of Gatwick, While a fairly short stretch, it can add 45 minutes currently. At 6am, you could probably do Gatwick to London in 45-50 minutes. t any other stage, you need to assume at least 2 hours. I do this regularly when picking up people (often with mobility issues) from the airport. In a car I can adjust my route, the bus driver will just sit in his route and the bulk of the slow parts don't have bus lanes. A bus from Gatwick is rarely a good idea.

Marcusm

Qwerty27 wrote: »

Hi folks - looking at booking a weekend trip, say Sat - Mon for 4 adults and a toddler and just wondering what is the cheapest way to get to/from any of the airports to city centre? I was thinking maybe tube from Heathrow but realise this might take longer than train/bus from Gatwick.

Any help appreciated!

4 adults plus toddler and luggage from Heathrow would imply a minicabl to me. Use a service like Just Airports or BA Transfer (nothing to do with airline) and get a fixed quote in advance. From £30 for West London upwards. MOre expensive than the tube but not by much for 4 paying passengers.

valtra2

Just wondering where to stay for 3 nights. have got a hotel in Kensington would that be okay. All info welcome. its in April

Help!!!!

yeah Kensington is pretty central, I suggest you try to walk around as much as you can
otherwise bus or tubes.....get an oyster card when you get there

Lapin

lc180 wrote: »

Can I ask what was the reason for the 2.5 hour journey? Was it just typically London traffic?

Others have more or less said anything I was going to say and they are all spot on.

But just to add.

London traffic and roadworks will always slow you down.
We flew up the motorways (M23 and M25), but once we hit Epsom on the edge of London, it crawled the rest of the way, and the bus pulls in at local bus stops along the way too slowing it even further. The word Express in the company's name doesn't live up to it's name.

The bus is undoubtedly excellent value but if you're only visiting town for a couple of days you should decide if its worth spending your time chugging through such delightful places as Sutton or Croydon when you could be taking in the sights and sounds of Soho and Covent Garden.

There are good fares to be had on trains from Gatwick to London Bridge, Blackfriars, St Pancras and Victoria if you book in advance online. But don't get suckered into the Gatwick Express to Victoria. Total rip off.

Lapin

valtra2 wrote: »

Just wondering where to stay for 3 nights. have got a hotel in Kensington would that be okay. All info welcome. its in April

Kensington is a vague description as it covers a large area west of Hyde Park taking in trendy areas like Notting Hill to the North to the ultra affluent South Kensington. It is generally regarded as one of the best areas of London and as such, there are hundreds of small B&B type hotels in areas nearby like Earls Court, West Brompton and Bayswater that classify themselves as being in Kensington.

What street is your hotel on?