Need help for 1 day pre-cruise in London, UK

Hi dear,

We are a couple at 50's sailing Independence OTS in September from Southampton. We will have one day pre-cruise by our own in London. Plan to take the Tube at around 9:30am from our Airport Hotel near Bath Road to Westminster Station, do the self walking tour for the main attractions like Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace...etc. After lunch, plan to take the Thamesclippers from Embankment R/T to see the London Bridge, Tower Millenium, London Eye...etc. After dinner, take the Tube back to hotel.

This is our first time visiting London, is it doable? Can somebody give more advice and ideas so that we can do the commute correctly and see the most of the attractions in just one day.

Thanks in advance!

Just a couple of things to clarify:

You mention "London Bridge", I suspect you've made the common mistake of thinking that's the iconic gothic one with the lifting bascules. No, that's Tower Bridge - alongside the Tower of London.

London Bridge is a pretty mundane bridge further up-stream.

The Millennium Bridge is the steel footbridge you'll pass under on the boat, Tower Millennium Pier is where you board the boat by the Tower of London, and Millennium Tower didn't get past the drawing-board - a strange skyscraper nicknamed the Gherkin was built instead, highly visible though you're unlikely to pass close to it.

The London Eye is close to Westminster Bridge, on the opposite side of the river from the Embankment.

Yes, your plan is perfectly feasible, though of course you'll only be able to scratch the surface. If you want to stick to that plan, best to take the tube only as far as St James' Park (involves one change), it's then a short walk to Buckingham Palace. Then it's a 15 min walk to Parliament Square (Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, The Mall, Westminster Bridge). Boat trip from the Embankment by Westminster Bridge to the Tower of London & Tower Bridge.

But a hop-on bus is probably a more economical use of your time for a one-day visit - the yellow route of the Original hop-on service is probably best if you want to pass by all the major sights, and it has a live commentary.

http://www.theoriginaltour.com/UserFiles/OriginalTourMap.jpg

You'll have to get off the bus & walk round the corner to see Buckingham Palace (buses aren't allowed past the front) but buses run every 10 minutes or so.

You should find you have time to hop off elsewhere, perhaps to walk The Mall between Big Ben and Trafalgar Square (though that's on the bus route) or explore the Tower of London & Traitors' Gate (though there's usually a long line to tour), or pop into St Paul's cathedral.

A ho-ho bus ticket also covers you for the boat trip between Westminster Bridge (stops on the Embankment near Big Ben and on the opposite side by the London Eye) and the Tower of London.

http://www.theoriginaltour.com/tour-information/tour-info.htm

Best to join the yellow route at the start, it's very simple.

Buy return tube tickets at Heathrow for about £11 pp. Take the tube from Heathrow to Piccadilly Circus (all tube trains from Heathrow call there, no need to change tube trains & a service every 5 - 10 minutes, journey time about 40 mins, )

https://www.tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/documents/standard-tube-map.pdf

Then a short walk to the ticket booth & bus at the junction of Coventry Street / Whitcomb St / Wardour St. A complete tour on that yellow route takes about 2hrs 15.

Widest choice of eateries for a lunchtime snack is Covent Garden, widest choice of restaurants for dinner is near there, on & around The Strand. But you'll not be far from food, including in most pubs, anywhere in central London.

Check here for the last tube times back to Heathrow.

http://www.lasttrain.co.uk/

Heathrow is on the Piccadilly line (navy blue on maps & signs) but depending on where you are when you decide to head for bed you may need a connecting line from the nearest tube station.

Although travel from Heathrow is simple (all trains go through central London) there's a small complication for the return. Some Piccadilly line trains terminate at Uxbridge (top left on the tube map) rather than Heathrow (bottom left). So check the overhead signs on the platform, & pass on those bound for Uxbridge. Some Heathrow trains go to T4, some go to T5, all Heathrow trains go to T1/2/3.

JB :)

Agree...do consider using the HOHO

www.theoriginaltour.com

Hi dear,

 

We are a couple at 50's sailing Independence OTS in September from Southampton. We will have one day pre-cruise by our own in London. Plan to take the Tube at around 9:30am from our Airport Hotel near Bath Road to Westminster Station, do the self walking tour for the main attractions like Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace...etc. After lunch, plan to take the Thamesclippers from Embankment R/T to see the London Bridge, Tower Millenium, London Eye...etc. After dinner, take the Tube back to hotel.

 

This is our first time visiting London, is it doable? Can somebody give more advice and ideas so that we can do the commute correctly and see the most of the attractions in just one day.

 

Thanks in advance!

Will this be your arrival day? Are you taking the Tube at 9:30 AM because that's the earliest you think you'll be available to do so?

Several of the attractions you've mentioned are simply walk-by attractions and can be done earlier. For example, Big Ben is simply a walk-by place. Its neighbor, Parliament, is an interesting place to tour inside with audio tours. (Check schedule for days when Parliament is open to visitors.) Many of the places I'm guessing you'd like to visit (e.g. Buckingham Palace) open as early as 9:00 AM, if you're planning on touring inside.

Others have recommended taking the HOHO bus and that's a lovely option if you'll be happy to drive past all the sights. Consider mixing a visit inside your top one or two destinations with driving past the remaining places.

Are you absolutely set on staying at a hotel near the airport? You'd definitely maximize your visit to London by staying in London itself. (Big Ben is particularly attractive lit at night.)

If you want to do the things listed on your schedule, you are not going to have much time to go inside the attractions. I agree that the suggestion of a HOHO bus is a good one. It will give you a good overview of London.

If you like what you see, then you can return for a longer visit another time.

Thanks all of you for the advice!

JB - I'll consider the HOHO bus and see if it works better for us. You are so nice to remind me the small complication for the return. Thanks!:)

Pet Nit Noy - Yes, this is our arrival day but we'll try to set off as early as possible. Btw, this time will only give us a glance of London and another excuse to visit London again :p

Ashland & LondonTowner - Thanks for the inputs and for sure we'll visit London longer time in the future.

Thanks again!

Thanks all of you for the advice!

 

JB - I'll consider the HOHO bus and see if it works better for us. You are so nice to remind me the small complication for the return. Thanks!:)

 

Pet Nit Noy - Yes, this is our arrival day but we'll try to set off as early as possible. Btw, this time will only give us a glance of London and another excuse to visit London again :p

 

Ashland & LondonTowner - Thanks for the inputs and for sure we'll visit London longer time in the future.

 

Thanks again!

Enjoy !!!! Even a quick drive by is better than nothing at all...it will just make a return trip that more urgent. :)

Hi dear,

 

We are a couple at 50's sailing Independence OTS in September from Southampton. We will have one day pre-cruise by our own in London. Plan to take the Tube at around 9:30am from our Airport Hotel near Bath Road to Westminster Station, do the self walking tour for the main attractions like Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace...etc. After lunch, plan to take the Thamesclippers from Embankment R/T to see the London Bridge, Tower Millenium, London Eye...etc. After dinner, take the Tube back to hotel.

 

This is our first time visiting London, is it doable? Can somebody give more advice and ideas so that we can do the commute correctly and see the most of the attractions in just one day.

 

Thanks in advance!

Walking tour in the morning is doable - allow 3 hours.

The Thames clipper is wonderful, why not take it all the way down to Greenwich in the afternoon. You will see the sights you mentioned (tower bridge, eye etc) on the way there and on the way back at night all lit up. Greenwich is home to the cutty sark and Royal Observatory ( Greenwich mean time). Greenwich would be a nice place to eat dinner. There is a wonderful pub restaurant in Greenwich overlooking the Thames called ' Trafalgar Tavern' I would recommend.

Last boat back to Central London is just after 10pm.

Walking tour in the morning is doable - allow 3 hours.

 

The Thames clipper is wonderful, why not take it all the way down to Greenwich in the afternoon. You will see the sights you mentioned (tower bridge, eye etc) on the way there and on the way back at night all lit up. Greenwich is home to the cutty sark and Royal Observatory ( Greenwich mean time). Greenwich would be a nice place to eat dinner. There is a wonderful pub restaurant in Greenwich overlooking the Thames called ' Trafalgar Tavern' I would recommend.

 

Last boat back to Central London is just after 10pm.

Thanks for your recommendations! Will search 'Trafalgar Tavern' to see if we can have dinner there before heading back to Heathrow.

Thanks for your recommendations! Will search 'Trafalgar Tavern' to see if we can have dinner there before heading back to Heathrow.

To me, this is still the flaw in your plan. Staying at LHR means you spend a lot of time travelling to/from your hotel, whereas if you stayed somewhere in Central London, it would be just in from LHR, drop your bags off and off with your day, with the ability to stay out much later, or even go back to the hotel for a rest before going out in the evening.

Agree with those who say you will eat up your time travelling in and out of Central London.

One thing to note is that there is no Underground or Railway on Bath Road. You will have to take the hotel shuttle bus into the airport to pick up the Piccadilly Line which is, near as dammit, 1hr to central London. Unless you are happy with Knightsbridge, Covent Garden, you will have further travelling time. London is a big city!

If you leave your hotel around 9/9.30, you will not be at your desired start point (Westminster) until about 11am. You could save some time by taking a taxi to Feltham station and picking up a 25-minute rail service to Waterloo. It's a 10 minute walk from Waterloo to Westminster.

Your sightseeing itinerary is very packed. You will just be scraping the surface.

To me, this is still the flaw in your plan. Staying at LHR means you spend a lot of time travelling to/from your hotel, whereas if you stayed somewhere in Central London, it would be just in from LHR, drop your bags off and off with your day, with the ability to stay out much later, or even go back to the hotel for a rest before going out in the evening.

Agree with those who say you will eat up your time travelling in and out of Central London.

 

One thing to note is that there is no Underground or Railway on Bath Road. You will have to take the hotel shuttle bus into the airport to pick up the Piccadilly Line which is, near as dammit, 1hr to central London.

It really makes no sense to stay at an airport hotel for this, particularly when it's so easy to get from central London to Southampton on the morning of the cruise.

I agree the OP should stay as close to Waterloo station as possible

the Premier Inn at Waterloo would be a very good economical option. The beds are VERY comfortable!

I just checked a random date in September and a room was between £79 and £104

I always choose to stay at premier inns when on business.

Here is the link:

http://www.premierinn.com/en/checkHotel/LONWAT/london-waterloo-westminster-bridge

Re the Heathrow hotel or central London hotel debate I'll kinda play Devil's Advocate cos there are some very valid reasons for a central London hotel.

But for a one-night stay there are pro's & con's, though I agree that an airport hotel is soul-less & inconvenient for a longer stay.

Airport hotels are generally quite a bit cheaper than city centre hotels, and schlepping bags on the tube is no fun.

And although a taxi (or direct bus service, at least from T5) to Feltham rail station is more convenient with luggage than the tube, the combined taxi, wait, and train journey would surely take longer than the tube & cost a wedge more.

On the other hand, Southampton from central London is cheaper than from Heathrow by coach. And by train it's more convenient (esp from a hotel close to Waterloo such as kfowinst's suggestion of Premier Inn Waterloo, or Premier Inn's County Hall property), and the direct train from Waterloo is a lot cheaper if you pre-book bucket-price tickets for one of a limited number of those trains on http://uk.megabus.com/megatrain.aspx

The central London option doesn't really give you an opportunity to continue sight-seeing in the morning - after a heavy day you'll want to have a lazy morning & head for Southampton around 11am, much the same as from Heathrow.

JB :)

particularly when it's so easy to get from central London to Southampton on the morning of the cruise.

Glad to see this; I was going to ask. We'll be staying at the Marriott Hotel Park Lane for a few nights pre-cruise and was hoping it would be easy to just take a car hire to Southampton the morning of the cruise (Saturday). So, that's perfectly feasible? How long of a drive there?

Thanks!

We'll be staying at the Marriott Hotel Park Lane for a few nights pre-cruise and was hoping it would be easy to just take a car hire to Southampton the morning of the cruise (Saturday). So, that's perfectly feasible? How long of a drive there?

Presumably you mean a car with a driver rather than a self-drive hire car? That would probably take about 2 hours on a Saturday morning.

Yes, that is what I meant. Thank you! I've been reading various reviews and it seems like Smiths for Airports or Woodford Chauffeur Cars are well regarded.

What is the stair situation from lhr to Piccadilly and then Waterloo station to Southampton? I'm trying to decide if it's doable with luggage. Are there escalators? Elevators? Thanks.

What's the best tube route from Heathrow to our hotel, Premier Inn County Hall on a Monday morning during rush hour? Our plane lands at 7:50 am on July 6. I see three possible options but wonder which will be easiest with luggage and work crowds. many thanks for your help.

What is the stair situation from lhr to Piccadilly and then Waterloo station to Southampton? I'm trying to decide if it's doable with luggage. Are there escalators? Elevators?

Or do you mean two separate journeys?

If two separate journeys, what do you mean by "to Piccadilly"? Do you mean to Piccadilly Circus Tube station? Or to somewhere on Piccadilly, the street? If so, where on Piccadilly, and which Tube station would you be thinking of using?

And as far as Waterloo to Southampton is concerned, how would you be getting to Waterloo station? Once you've arrived on the station concourse, everything is on the same level. Taxis drop off at that level, and there are a number of step-free ways of getting from street level to concourse level. But without more details, it's hard to be less vague.

What's the best tube route from Heathrow to our hotel, Premier Inn County Hall on a Monday morning during rush hour? Our plane lands at 7:50 am on July 6. I see three possible options but wonder which will be easiest with luggage and work crowds.

• Piccadilly Line from Heathrow (there should be step-free access to the platform) to Hammersmith
• Cross-platform change to the District Line to Westminster
• Exit at Westminster (step-free access available to street level, in stages).
• Walk across Westminster Bridge to your hotel

The recommendation for changing at Hammersmith is because of the morning peak; otherwise, Barons Court is usually better. However, if your flight arrives at 7.50 am, I expect that you won't reach Hammersmith until 9.30 am or so by which time the busiest time will have passed, so Barons Court should be just as good.

What I would suggest is this:-

• Piccadilly Line from Heathrow (there should be step-free access to the platform) to Hammersmith
• Cross-platform change to the District Line to Westminster
• Exit at Westminster (step-free access available to street level, in stages).
• Walk across Westminster Bridge to your hotel

The recommendation for changing at Hammersmith is because of the morning peak; otherwise, Barons Court is usually better. However, if your flight arrives at 7.50 am, I expect that you won't reach Hammersmith until 9.30 am or so by which time the busiest time will have passed, so Barons Court should be just as good.

Many thanks--always better to ask the locals rather than relying on the tube maps.

Are you talking about doing Heathrow to Southampton all in one journey? (If so, why are you trying to do this by Tube and train at all?)

 

Or do you mean two separate journeys?

 

If two separate journeys, what do you mean by "to Piccadilly"? Do you mean to Piccadilly Circus Tube station? Or to somewhere on Piccadilly, the street? If so, where on Piccadilly, and which Tube station would you be thinking of using?

 

And as far as Waterloo to Southampton is concerned, how would you be getting to Waterloo station? Once you've arrived on the station concourse, everything is on the same level. Taxis drop off at that level, and there are a number of step-free ways of getting from street level to concourse level. But without more details, it's hard to be less vague.

Yes, two separate journeys. We'll be staying in Soho for a few days before our cruise. I've been doing additional research. There are 3 tube stations, Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, and Tottenham Court in proximity to the hotel with Tottenham Court being the closest. Tottenham Court is not on the Piccadilly line and the other 2 stations are a little too far to walk with luggage. Are taxis easily available when exiting the Piccadilly Circus station? Does the Piccadilly Circus station have a lot of stairs?

After a few days in London, we will be traveling from London to Southampton. We can either take the tube to Waterloo from the Tottenham Court station or a taxi to Waterloo. Again, I'm questioning the stairs at these stations. I normally wouldn't be so concerned about the stairs, but I just returned from Paris and decided to take the metro with luggage and it was not a fun ride to say the least.

Yes, two separate journeys. We'll be staying in Soho for a few days before our cruise. I've been doing additional research. There are 3 tube stations, Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, and Tottenham Court in proximity to the hotel with Tottenham Court being the closest. Tottenham Court is not on the Piccadilly line and the other 2 stations are a little too far to walk with luggage. Are taxis easily available when exiting the Piccadilly Circus station? Does the Piccadilly Circus station have a lot of stairs?

None of these are easy with luggage. There is no step-free access to the street at any of them. Even though much of the rise is done by escalators, I would not like to try to get luggage up the stairs that remain.

I think your best bet might be to get out at Green Park (step free to street level) and then get a taxi from there.

After a few days in London, we will be traveling from London to Southampton. We can either take the tube to Waterloo from the Tottenham Court station or a taxi to Waterloo.