Our Greater London Megathread

Richard tea

Ok some opinions on travel dates please. Kids finish school on friday the 26th june. We want to do two days in legoland staying in a nearby hotel & two days exploring London. Its also important to go to legoland before the locals start their school holidays on the 11th of july. Im thinking Mon - Thur or would legoland at weekend in be better?

Chesty08

Flying into London (Luton) on Friday.

Going sightseeing & things to do with the girlfriend and child (girl 7).

What is the best / cheapest way to get discounted entry.

Do I register with Days Out Guide and book attractions before I get there? Or do I purchase a train ticket and show up to the attraction and look for a 2 for 1?

My aunt and uncle have recommended meeting us at the airport, and driving into London so we wont need a train ticket on the Friday. Do we both need a train ticket to avail of the 2for1 or will 1 ticket suffice?

I know i have left things late but would love some advice on best thing / cheapest thing to do

angeldaisy

I'm planning a trip to the UK in July and will be heading to London for a week. Part of that week will be spent in Disney, and we are also planning to do the Harry Potter experience.

We'll be travelling by car, so I'm looking for a hotel that I could leave the car in for 4-5 nights, don't mind where as long as its near a tube/train so we can get to the Eurostar early morning.
North side would suit the best as I'm heading north after the week in London. Hotel accommodation would be needed for one night prior to leaving for Disney and 1 or 2 after we get back.

Any suggestions would be really helpful thanks.

zagmund

Err, so you have a week in London, but 4 or 5 of those days are going to be in Paris. So, not actually going to London as such then, is that right?

It really just sounds like you need to be somewhere (anywhere) north of Kings Cross or St Pancras and get the train in each day you are in London and ditto for the day you go to Paris.

Or, stay in/near Ebbsfleet or Ashford if you haven't already booked your Eurostar ticket, get your train from there instead of St Pancras and park your car at the station.

z

angeldaisy

We had planned to stay in London and travel out when necessary. But I can't really find anywhere to stay and park using Google other than at the airports
Which is why we are considering the opposite unless anyone knows different?

hibsman

Hi there,
A group of us, 4 lads, are flying to London for a night, before getting the train to Cardiff the following afternoon for a match.
We are sorted for Cardiff but I was wondering if anyone has tips on what area to stay in London?
We are flying to Stansted so somewhere reasonably close to Liverpool Street train station would be ideal, even if we had to get a taxi or tube.
Any tips on what area to stay in, so that we can have a night out and see some of the sights, would be greatly appreciated?
Cheers

grimm2005

I've mentioned it a few times around the forums here but Tune Hotel right by Liverpool St. station should be perfect for your needs. It's cheap, basic and clean, very close to the station, and also within walking distance to Shoreditch high street where there are a lot of bars and places to eat. It's about £60 - £80 a night for a twin room so you could get 2 between the 4 of you, costing you around £30 - £40 each (you pay for the room rather then per person). The tube will get you to most tourist attractions in about 10 - 15mins from Liverpool St. That's pretty much as good as you'll get in central London price wise and should fit your requirements.

Another tip, if you're getting the Stansted Express train from the airport (which I gather is your plan if Livepool st. is your destination) then book it 30 days in advance to get it for £8 each way, if you book it before 7 days in advance it'll cost £12 each way or £19 if you book within a week or at the station. Alternatively you can book the Terravision coach at the airport which is always £8 one way to Liverpool st, and is only 5 - 7mins longer then the train or you could go to Stratford for £6 one way, which leaves you 3 stops from Liverpool St.

whiskeyman

Try the generator hostel - and look for a room with 2 bunk beds.
Cheap as chips and good location too.

dogcat

You could use couchsurfing to stay free in a place for a night. If you stay in the city center you can get all the main sights before going to sleep overnight.

cocoman

hibsman wrote: »

Hi there,
A group of us, 4 lads, are flying to London for a night, before getting the train to Cardiff the following afternoon for a match.
We are sorted for Cardiff but I was wondering if anyone has tips on what area to stay in London?
We are flying to Stansted so somewhere reasonably close to Liverpool Street train station would be ideal, even if we had to get a taxi or tube.
Any tips on what area to stay in, so that we can have a night out and see some of the sights, would be greatly appreciated?
Cheers

If your trying to do it on the cheap I recommend the following (which four of us did last year):
We stayed at the St Christophers hostel at London Bridge (a 4 bed room - 2 bunk beds!). Was about £25 each. Room very basic but clean. Pub attached to hostel was good craic.
We flew to stanstead and got to bus to stratford. It was much cheaper than the train. From stratford we were able to get the tube directly to London bridge tube station (bout 8 stops).
Enjoy.

zagmund

Don't limit yourself to hotels near Liverpool Street. That's like someone coming to Dublin from down the country and deciding they have to stay near Heuston because that's where the train stops.

Consider where you want to be near and work from that. If your Cardiff train is early in the morning then you probably want to be over somewhere in the west of London to be near Paddington (or wherever it goes from). If your Cardiff train is later in the day then in reality you can stay anywhere in London and base it on what you want to do during the day instead of where you arrive or depart from.

z

hibsman

whiskeyman wrote: »

Try the generator hostel - and look for a room with 2 bunk beds.
Cheap as chips and good location too.

Hi whiskeyman, I have actually stayed there before, great hostel for sure but as far as I know they require a minimum 2 night stay at weekends. Thanks anyway.

hibsman

grimm2005 wrote: »

I've mentioned it a few times around the forums here but Tune Hotel right by Liverpool St. station should be perfect for your needs. It's cheap, basic and clean, very close to the station, and also within walking distance to Shoreditch high street where there are a lot of bars and places to eat. It's about £60 - £80 a night for a twin room so you could get 2 between the 4 of you, costing you around £30 - £40 each (you pay for the room rather then per person). The tube will get you to most tourist attractions in about 10 - 15mins from Liverpool St. That's pretty much as good as you'll get in central London price wise and should fit your requirements.

Thanks grimm, sounds good, will definitely check it out. We are not tied to that location but if there are a few decent bars nearby and it's fairly central then it's sounds like what we are after.

hibsman

cocoman wrote: »

If your trying to do it on the cheap I recommend the following (which four of us did last year):
We stayed at the St Christophers hostel at London Bridge (a 4 bed room - 2 bunk beds!). Was about £25 each. Room very basic but clean. Pub attached to hostel was good craic.

Thanks cocoman, just checked that and it's also a 2 night stay unfortunately. Great area though, close to Borough market.

hibsman

zagmund wrote: »

Don't limit yourself to hotels near Liverpool Street. That's like someone coming to Dublin from down the country and deciding they have to stay near Heuston because that's where the train stops.

Consider where you want to be near and work from that. If your Cardiff train is early in the morning then you probably want to be over somewhere in the west of London to be near Paddington (or wherever it goes from). If your Cardiff train is later in the day then in reality you can stay anywhere in London and base it on what you want to do during the day instead of where you arrive or depart from.

z

Hi zagmund. Yes that's a fair point, we are not tied to staying near Liverpool Street but obviously somewhere near there, or a handy tube ride away, would make it easier on the evening we arrive.
We have been to London before and usually find ourselves travelling into the centre to stay and go out in, as that's all we know. I suppose I'm just interested in people's thoughts on a good area to spend a night in London. To carry on your Dublin analogy, we usually head for Temple Bar but I'd be happier to try Wexford Street or Rathmines for a change?!
We don't travel to Cardiff until the following afternoon, so getting to Paddington shouldn't be a major issue.

TigerTim

Heading to London in June with my daughter & wondering which company is best to get multi attraction tickets. She wants to get to Madame Tussauds, Ripleys believe it or not & the London Eye & maybe more. Anyone tell me the most economical way to purchase tickets,

Thanks,

Tim

hibsman

grimm2005 wrote: »

I've mentioned it a few times around the forums here but Tune Hotel right by Liverpool St. station should be perfect for your needs. It's cheap, basic and clean, very close to the station, and also within walking distance to Shoreditch high street where there are a lot of bars and places to eat.

Hi grimm2005, I followed your advice and just booked the Tune Liverpool St for our night in London, seems ideal location wise, thanks for the tip. Going to stay around Shoreditch for the night, does anyone have any advice on good bars or a restaurant we should check out?

TigerTim

TigerTim wrote: »

Heading to London in June with my daughter & wondering which company is best to get multi attraction tickets. She wants to get to Madame Tussauds, Ripleys believe it or not & the London Eye & maybe more. Anyone tell me the most economical way to purchase tickets,

Thanks,

Tim

Merlin run Madam Tussauds & the London Eye (also the Sea Life aquarium and the London Dungeon), so multi attraction tickets can be gotten for these :https://www.londoneye.com/TicketsAndPrices/CombinationTickets/Default.aspx
For Ripleys, it is cheaper to go after 5pm http://www.ripleyslondon.com/tickets-offers/#individual-tickets
Also most of these attractions offer a discount when booking online.

Irish Gunner

Ok time to hit London again but this time try somewhere different

Done all the pubs in Finsbury and Islington areas. Also done a few in Camden, Worlds End not bad and some pubs around Bishopsgate. Any others that anyone can recommend that's a bit different. Some travelling over like their alternative music while some others into the Perry of the Katie kind :rolleyes:

So any decent boozers to try more or less in the same area something even quirky

Cheers

Spirogyra

Hi thinking of going there for the first time. Is it difficult to find one's way from the airport (probably Heathrow) to the centre? by that I mean the Canary Wharf, London Bridge area? would also like to see a museum? but in essence is it an easy city to navigate and is there anything to watch out for?.

Thanks

S

JohnMearsheimer

It's very easy to get around London. The London Underground is the easiest to use subway system I've ever used. The Piccadilly Line serves Heathrow. There are good transfers to other lines as well if you need them.

hfallada

If you want to go to Canary Wharf. Fly into London City. That is basically Canary Wharf. Its easy to get to the major sights from it

whomitconcerns

From lhr you can get the tube straight into the city. Our the Heathrow express depending on budget into Paddington. City airport is great of you get the flights for a good price.

Spirogyra

and if I was to go to Wimpole St ? is there much in that area?

Lapin

Spirogyra wrote: »

Hi thinking of going there for the first time. Is it difficult to find one's way from the airport (probably Heathrow) to the centre? by that I mean the Canary Wharf, London Bridge area? would also like to see a museum? but in essence is it an easy city to navigate and is there anything to watch out for?.

Thanks

S

"The Canary Wharf, London Bridge area?"

These are two very different and distinct areas about three miles apart and neither would be described as being in 'the centre'', (although London Bridge is in zone one on the tube map).

London doesn't have what we call a city centre. It is too big and there are any number of places that could claim to be the centre of it all. The term Central London is used instead to cover the area stretching roughly from Chelsea Bridge to Tower Bridge.

Both areas are accessible from Heathrow but require a couple of changes en route using public transport. If your stay is short one of the following options might be handier.

As someone said above, London City airport is on the doorstep of Canary Wharf and ideal for the area.

For London Bridge, there are direct trains from Gatwick and Luton.

There is so much to see and do in London that it is almost impossible to advise on anything without knowing what you are interested in but I'd recommend checking out the 'Time Out' webpage before you head over. It's the most comprehensive guide to whats happening when and where.

Despite its size, the way Central London is made up of many separate little neighbourhoods and distinct areas makes it easy to navigate and no matter where you go, there will be numerous sights and attractions withing walking distance.

Spirogyra wrote: »

and if I was to go to Wimpole St ? is there much in that area?

Not much in the street itself. It's mainly posh doctor's surgeries and private health clinics. The BBC is nearby and worth a look. You can head inside and have a coffee overlooking the huge newsroom and smile at the weather presenters a few feet away on the other side of the glass wall. The bigger the smile you give them, the bigger the wave they'll give you when they're finished telling Britain how much rain to expect.

Oxford St is just to the south if want a vision of hell on earth. However, for a vision of heaven, head in the other direction to Regent's Park. There are few places more beautiful on a sunny day!

Lapin

TigerTim wrote: »

Heading to London in June with my daughter & wondering which company is best to get multi attraction tickets. She wants to get to Madame Tussauds, Ripleys believe it or not & the London Eye & maybe more. Anyone tell me the most economical way to purchase tickets,

Thanks,

Tim

Don't want to sound harsh but if you're taking her to one of the greatest cities in the world, why don't you try and see a bit more of place while you're there?

I always get a sense of sadness when I see the crowds queuing for ages to see wax statues of Taylor Swift and Prince Charles when real London is passing them by outside.

And much of it for free, or a hell of a lot less than the rip off prices people pay for tourist traps like Tussaude's and Ripley's....

Phantasos

What's the best area of London to stay in? I'd like to do the rookie tourist stuff (museums/tower/westminster/etc.) but, as a 20-something male, I'd also like to stay in an area that I can go have a few beers in and enjoy a couple of nights out, without worrying about long journeys back to a hotel. I've seen everything from Leicester Square to Soho to Shoreditch to Camden and don't know what area is likely to be suited to someone my age.

I'll be flying Stansted or Gatwick, and probably mid-week if that makes any difference.

ShaShaBear

Myself and OH are planning a short trip to London for our anniversary, looking to go the second week in May. I usually always stay with family in Tooting, but we'd like to get somewhere closer to the city, with a bit of swank but still in budget prices if you get me? Any particular hotels you all would recommend (we only have two huge boxes to be ticked - decent shower and top notch breakfasts)? Or what sites you all would use to get the best deals?

Arbiter of Good Taste

There are about 10 of us heading to London inMay for a family occasion and I am looking into accommodation. As hotels have gotten so expensive again, I'm trying to look into houses or a couple of apartments before committing to a hotel.

What are the best sites to look at? I've tried a few, but they seem to either be people's own homes being rented out, or by owners with single properties ( which is not ideal if we go with a couple of properties as we would prefer the properties to be close to each other and ideally deal with one provider)

We range from early 30s to mid 70s so we're not looking for hostels or "party houses".

Thanks

charlietheminxx

Arbiter of Good Taste wrote: »

There are about 10 of us heading to London inMay for a family occasion and I am looking into accommodation. As hotels have gotten so expensive again, I'm trying to look into houses or a couple of apartments before committing to a hotel.

What are the best sites to look at? I've tried a few, but they seem to either be people's own homes being rented out, or by owners with single properties ( which is not ideal if we go with a couple of properties as we would prefer the properties to be close to each other and ideally deal with one provider)

We range from early 30s to mid 70s so we're not looking for hostels or "party houses".

Thanks

I stayed in a rental apartment in Hammersmith last week which I found on booking.com.

London is a big place, there's a lot out there depending on the area you're going for.