London travel tips?

[r0g3r]

Hey guys I'm thinking of going to London in December and need some input.

I'm checking hotels and they're really not that cheap.. Do you have any recommendations as to where to stay or which area to stay in?

The cheapest ones are near airport but that would suck to go into the city every day.

Also how is London transit? Did you buy a pass? How much?

I'm planning to go for about a week. When you went last time, how much did it end up costing you (excluding hotel and airfare)?

Any other tips to make the trip awesome?

Thanks everyone, really appreciate your help

[98type_r]

Get yourself an Oyster card for transit, then you can just swipe and go instead of buying a ticket each time. Most one way trips on the tube are about 2 pounds but with an oyster card once you hit the daily max that is 7-8 pounds that's all you're going to pay for the day. You can refill at any tube station with cash or a credit card.

[ducaudi]

Totally agree with 98type_r, I just bought the Oyster pass card and it lasted me a week, I still have some pounds left on it. I did a lot of walking in London.

As for the hotels, I can't say more on that but for Hostels I stayed at the Astor Hyde Park and it was great for me. Definitely check out the pubs in London, and try the Fish and Chips...absolutely delicious, haven't found a place in Calgary that does it good like in London.

Hope you have a great trip in London!

[ga16i]

I was in London for a few days around September last year. Cost about 20~30 pounds per meal for 2 people at relatively casual places. Since our trips to England so far has been 10 years in between, we did A LOT of walking to take in the sights, and such. South bank is probably going to be cheaper for hotels in general I think. Stayed near Waterloo last time, not too far of a walk to the main bits. The things that I visited was more around the South side on both sides of the river, the only things up North for me was Tower of London and the Tower Bridge. It was definitely a bit of a hole for anything "reasonably priced by Calgary standards ~$200~$300 / night". I wouldn't like to travel to and from Heathrow into London everyday, it's about 45 min one way on the tube.

The touristy stuff can get real expensive, I think it worked out to be something like $100 per person to see Buckingham Palace, Gallery and Royal Mews (fancy garage). National Gallery is awesome and admission is free if you're into that sort of thing. Regent Street is higher end shopping for your beyond.ca baller needs, and Covent Garden is where you'll find a big Apple store, so that's where hipster central will be around.

Another tip is tips isn't really 15~20% like it is here. There's probably a service charge calculated and anything extra is probably around 1~2 pounds, basically loose change.

[Mibz]

We stayed in a Premiere Inn near Tower Bridge for cheap. It was within walking distance of most things, including the Tube.

Oyster card for transit fo sho.

If you're just doing touristy stuff the entire time then consider getting a hop-on-hop-off bus pass for a couple days.

If you want consistent laughs, tip like you do in Calgary and watch your servers face. Though I suppose they're probably used to it more in London. The looks I got in smaller dives in the UK were hilarious.

[r0g3r]

So does an Oyster card last a week? Like how does it work?

And about tips.. I don't get what you guys are saying. Is 15/20% not good for them?

[XylathaneGTR]

Originally posted by r0g3r
So does an Oyster card last a week? Like how does it work?

And about tips.. I don't get what you guys are saying. Is 15/20% not good for them?
No...what they're saying is tipping isn't really customary and if you do tip, it's usually less than 5%...just a couple of extra coins or notes in your pocket to say thanks.

What Mibz is saying is that people don't expect to see tipping like in Calgary (15% min) and are really surprised.

[Cos]

.

[natty54]

I'm checking hotels and they're really not that cheap.. Do you have any recommendations as to where to stay or which area to stay in? - I would try to stay inside London. That being said a hotel room when I went was approx 100 pounds a night. Alternatively could try a hostel approx 30 pounds per. In December more than likely going to be a lot more. I have also had luck with sites such as expedia and name your own price sites. I think Kayak does hotels now too

Also how is London transit? Did you buy a pass? How much? You don't get much better than London transit. Everything (I found) was always on time! I bought a week Oyster card. Was approx 50 pounds. You can use unlimited through zones 1-6 Here is a link of the tube - tube (http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/travel/downloads/tube_map.gif) If you stay by heathrow its really not that long of a ride

Any other tips to make the trip awesome? Enjoy yourself! Go see all the sites! Also go to a local pub and get a yard :P

[littledan]

check out a steak house called hawksmoor. So delicious! Its not too far from Leicester square so you can walk off your dinner after.

[ga16i]

It might seem pretty lame, but some of my highlights aside from the main tourist attractions were retail department stores. Tourist stuff is basically only for during the day, some nights after dinner I really enjoyed walking these department stores. Hamleys (toy store) is like their equivalent of FAO Schwarz but better, and Harrods is like Holt Renfrew times 100X. Whereas Holt Calgary's highest end are shit watches like Michael Kors and Nixon, Harrods will have Patek, Vacheron, etc. Of course I was just window shopping, but it's probably as close as I'm ever going to physically get to something like that. Definitely a sight to behold if you're into watches. If anything is weird and expensive, you can probably find it here. Sick of your table salt and have been pining for that fancy himalayan salt slab you see on Food Network? Yup, it's there.

[98type_r]

Originally posted by r0g3r
So does an Oyster card last a week? Like how does it work?


http://visitorshop.tfl.gov.uk/oystercard/product/oyster-card.html

Oyster card is good as long as there is money on it. To keep it simple buy the 10 pound card and just reload it as you need. They also have a 7 day Travelcard but I think it costs a bit more.

[littledan]

mmmmm salt beef sandwiches and tongue sandwiches at selfridges!

[Xtrema]

If you are going to the London Eye, do it before you have seen all the sites. Do it after and you feel it's kinda a rip off.

[v2kai]

Just got back from the UK about a week ago. We had crashed at Hotel Oliver just down the street from Earl's Court Tube station and Natural History Museum, restaurants within walking distance as well; Italian place (forget the name) was awesome! My relatives in the UK had stayed there before for a weekend on the cheap and recommended it to us. Wasnt the greatest but you get what you pay for... included a decent breakfast and was passable to just crash at night and served our purposes. Two nights was 150 pounds.

http://www.hoteloliver.co.uk/

Not sure what your budget is but if youre looking on the cheap as others suggested hostel is your best bet.

Other suggestions, download London Tube apps if you have a smartphone and there was another London Tour guide touristy one one which was really handy to have on hand. (sorry deleted them already and dont recall the names) The apps we used in particular didnt require a connection to function which saved on the data/phone bill.

[msommers]

Originally posted by ducaudi
for Hostels I stayed at the Astor Hyde Park and it was great for me.

Stayed in the same one! Agreed, it was a great little place.

[Perceptionist]

London is one of the most expensive cities in the world, so be prepared to pay lots for just about everything.

Other than what's already mentioned, I'd recommend checking out Brick Lane in East London, especially if you like indian food. Also I would recommend taking the tube to Camden Town and exploring the area. Lots of unique markets and shops around Camden Lock.

Sight seeing can be really expensive in London, but there's also some great free stuff too. The British Museum, National Gallery, and most other museums are free to get in. The changing of the guard in front of Buckingham Palace happens every 2 days and is free to the public. It was really busy when I was there, but worth seeing once.

[Cooked Rice]

I'd get a 1-week travel card for zones 1-4. this will cover just about everywhere you'll want to go, and it's unlimited travel for the week, which is nice for a lot of running around. The tube is extremely quick and efficient and will get you just about everywhere with ease.

I've stayed at a Hostel in Camden, St Christopher's I believe it was. Good if you are a party animal who doesn't sleep til 3-4AM, as Camden is a pretty lively place, and it's on top of a pub that blasts music on weekends.

Pack food with you, start your days off with a quick trip at grocery like Sainsbury's or Marks & Spencers, they both have an amazing selection of ready to eat meals. And they are located everywhere.

[Dave P]

Make sure you carry change around, as you have to pay at a lot of the public washrooms!

[r0g3r]

Thanks gents =D

[dewytrain]

I've got some questions about transit.

1. Whats the best way to get from gatwick to central london?

2. Traveling outside of london to manchester or convetry, is it better to get a rail pass or rent a car?

Thanks

[Bladeh]

Originally posted by dewytrain
I've got some questions about transit.

1. Whats the best way to get from gatwick to central london?

2. Traveling outside of london to manchester or convetry, is it better to get a rail pass or rent a car?

Thanks

1. Gatwick Express Train http://www.gatwickexpress.com/

2. Train to Manchester or Coventry. http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

[dewytrain]

Does anyone have any suggestions on ways to purchase soccer tickets for EPL and for champions league?

I've seen Thomas Cook's website with hotel packages which we will probably do for Man U, but were also looking to get tickets with out hotel for Chelsea and Arsenal as we are staying in London and renting a place.

Anyone ever had any experience with purchasing tickets good or bad?

Thanks

[toyboy88]

Originally posted by dewytrain
Does anyone have any suggestions on ways to purchase soccer tickets for EPL and for champions league?

I've seen Thomas Cook's website with hotel packages which we will probably do for Man U, but were also looking to get tickets with out hotel for Chelsea and Arsenal as we are staying in London and renting a place.

Anyone ever had any experience with purchasing tickets good or bad?

Thanks

Here's a good resource for BPL tickets:
http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/matchday/tickets.html

The link, shows ticket availability for each game (ie. sold out or not). And if not, it links directly (with prices) to Official ticket offices where you can get tickets.

I've also gotten a tickets to a couple games of eBay before, but as with any eBay/classified ticket seller - do you research and only buy from reputable (ie. high feedback) sellers. :)


Also, a bit late (as you seem to have accommodation sorted out already), but my accommodation tip for London is PRICELINE, PRICELINE, PRICELINE! London probably has the most reviews/'discovered' priceline hotels anywhere in the world (ie. posted onto sites like betterbidding.com, so you get good idea of what hotel you will get while bidding).

I was able to book nights at two hotels (Hilton and Novotel) in London back in April of this year, for $130-140 USD/night (when the best other rates available for same hotel/room were double or more what I paid through PL).

[dewytrain]

Thanks for the info

[rojhero]

Originally posted by Bladeh


1. Gatwick Express Train http://www.gatwickexpress.com/

2. Train to Manchester or Coventry. http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

Not sure if things have changed, but when I went two years ago I was told Gatwick Express was overpriced. I took a regular train to Victoria station and then took the tube. It might have been 5 minutes longer but it was less than half the price.