sightseeing in London

[Ocean Boy]

You just made my day. Our Stonehenge excursion post-cruise had to be changed and I hadn't yet figured out a way to get there in the time we have. Now I don't feel so bad.

 

Portobello Road Market was one of the first things I added to my "London list"

 

Don't remember ever hearing about the canal boat trip from Camden Lock.

 

Greenwich is what I'm trying to figure out now. Transport for London with Oyster Cards and Travelcards and now Thames Clippers confuses the heck out of me.

I don't remember which boat we took to get there but I am just chiming in to say that the trip to Greenwich is definitely worth it. It is definitely figuring out a way to make it work. The boat that we took also went out as far a the hurricane barrier which I thought was pretty cool to see.

[londongal796]

Do you mean Tower Bridge?

 

No, I mean London Bridge -- I mentioned it because I was saying 'London bridges' and thought it would be funny to highlight that the iconic London bridges also includes London Bridge. Perhaps it's not as visually iconic but it's certainly an important bridge (along with its predecessors).

 

Just to add that most ticket offices at Tube stations have closed now. You can still buy tickets at machines, though they are much more expensive than using Oyster or your own contactless payment cards. If you need help, staff will be available close to the ticket machines. And you can't buy tickets on buses -- the only on-the-spot payment method is Oyster or contactless cards.

 

I was mentioning the ticket offices at the piers -- for the River boat services. You are absolutely correct, most ticket offices have closed at tube stations but, from my recollection anyway, the offices at the piers remain.

[londongal796]

You just made my day. Our Stonehenge excursion post-cruise had to be changed and I hadn't yet figured out a way to get there in the time we have. Now I don't feel so bad.

 

Portobello Road Market was one of the first things I added to my "London list"

 

Don't remember ever hearing about the canal boat trip from Camden Lock.

 

Greenwich is what I'm trying to figure out now. Transport for London with Oyster Cards and Travelcards and now Thames Clippers confuses the heck out of me.

 

I think I was one of the ones who mentioned Stonehenge as OP said they had several days, it's a wonderful day trip if you have the time but if you're only in London for two days then it's not worth missing out on everything else.

 

River Boat services are honestly very straight forward, and the piers are very well sign-posted and easy to find. Once there, they are all staffed (because of safety issues) so you just need to speak to a member of staff and they can help you. If it's easier, buy your tickets separately. If you do have a contactless card / Oyster card for the tube, you can make payment with that -- otherwise, just pay with cash or credit card. I mention the officially name of the company which runs the TFL (Transport for London aka The Tube and other transit services in London) is Thames Clippers, as you were asking which river boat service to use. You can book a proper river boat cruise, but I don't recommend it -- all of the iconic bridges and sights are easy to see.

 

As others have mentioned, London is super easy to get around. This goes for all forms of transport, fortunately!!

[Globaliser]

No, I mean London Bridge -- I mentioned it because I was saying 'London bridges' and thought it would be funny to highlight that the iconic London bridges also includes London Bridge. Perhaps it's not as visually iconic but it's certainly an important bridge (along with its predecessors).

Understood - just as long as nobody is left thinking that a featureless box girder bridge built from concrete and steel will be visually appealing. The next bridge downstream is the one that everyone will be looking at.

[smm0218]

Trying to make sure I understand before we go (and know what to buy/setup in advance)

 

London May 30/June-6 Transportation arranged for getting to and leaving London

Staying in Notting Hill area

Will visit Greenwich one day (prob June 1st) would like to take river boat

Will be visiting Windsor June 4

If time allows may visit KEW

 

Am I correct that our best option would be an contactless Oyster Cards with one day Travelcards if we decide to go to KEW?

There is no Concessions (+60) rate for visitors using contactless Oyster?

We need separate train ticket for travel to Windosr?

River boat will use our Oyster Cards but cap will not apply?

We can use our AMEX cards (2 cards, one each) as contactless payment instead of physical Oyster cards with no need for deposit?

For contactless we will need two Oyster accounts, one for each of us?

 

Thanks for the help

[Globaliser]

Am I correct that our best option would be an contactless Oyster Cards with one day Travelcards if we decide to go to KEW?

...

We can use our AMEX cards (2 cards, one each) as contactless payment instead of physical Oyster cards with no need for deposit?

For contactless we will need two Oyster accounts, one for each of us?

To clear up some possible confusion: For present purposes, Oyster and contactless are different.

 

Oyster cards are issued by TfL and the ones that we are talking about hold pre-paid credit which is taken from the card as you use it for travel. You may have to put credit on the Oyster from time to time so that there is some to use. An Oyster requires a deposit, but both the deposit and the unused credit are refundable.

 

Contactless cards are credit cards or debit cards issued by your own bank which have a contactless payment facility. If you're using a contactless card then you do not need to have anything to do with the Oyster system, because TfL sends one purchase amount to your bank/credit card company every day for the cost of that day's travel, as if you were making a purchase in a shop. The same applies to phone payments (Apple Pay, Google Pay etc) - see https://tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/contactless/other-methods-of-contactless-payment.

 

When you use them, you use them in the same way: they have to be touched to the yellow card reader at the relevant points in your journey. Touch in and touch out on the Tube and DLR; touch in only on the bus.

 

If you use either Oyster or contactless to pay for Thames Clippers, I think that it's now touch in and touch out in the same way as the Tube. The fare charged by Thames Clippers if you pay by Oyster or contactless incorporates a discount, but the fare does not count towards the daily capping.

[Nizzie]

 

Contactless cards are credit cards or debit cards issued by your own bank which have a contactless payment facility.

 

 

 

 

While contactless cards are popular in many places they really haven’t been widely issued here in the US. At this point, chip cards have only been out for a couple of years and not all our point-of-sale systems accept them yet. I have one of the few true chip-and-PIN credit cards available here and many retailers don’t require the PIN. It’s mostly swipe or chip-and-signature in the States still. Many shops that have recently upgraded to allow chip cards may not want to invest again to accept contactless cards.

 

We have been slow to adopt banking technologies that have become standards elsewhere. We will get them eventually but it will take a while.

 

Now I’ve heard rumors that the transit system in London accepts contactless payments by smartphone, with Apple Pay and Android Pay and the like. If that is the case then US tourists wouldn’t need to scour the country for a progressive bank - they could just use the phone they already own. Is that true?

[Globaliser]

Now I’ve heard rumors that the transit system in London accepts contactless payments by smartphone, with Apple Pay and Android Pay and the like. If that is the case then US tourists wouldn’t need to scour the country for a progressive bank - they could just use the phone they already own. Is that true?

Yes, as I said above:-

 

The same applies to phone payments (Apple Pay, Google Pay etc) - see https://tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/contactless/other-methods-of-contactless-payment.

However, people using their phones to pay are the bane of my life. It is an almost unbelievably slow method, with users typically occupying a gate or reader for several seconds or more just for that one person to pay. Oyster, on the other hand, needs a typical read time of only about 30 milliseconds.

[Burgmeister]

Trying to make sure I understand before we go (and know what to buy/setup in advance)

 

London May 30/June-6 Transportation arranged for getting to and leaving London

Staying in Notting Hill area

Will visit Greenwich one day (prob June 1st) would like to take river boat

Will be visiting Windsor June 4

If time allows may visit KEW

 

Am I correct that our best option would be an contactless Oyster Cards with one day Travelcards if we decide to go to KEW?

There is no Concessions (+60) rate for visitors using contactless Oyster?

We need separate train ticket for travel to Windosr?

River boat will use our Oyster Cards but cap will not apply?

We can use our AMEX cards (2 cards, one each) as contactless payment instead of physical Oyster cards with no need for deposit?

For contactless we will need two Oyster accounts, one for each of us?

 

Thanks for the help

Assuming your AMEX cards are contactless then, yes, you can use them instead of Oyster cards. They would not need topping up. Remeber to use the same card each time as you would reach the daily cap quicker than if you mixed your cards. You do not need an Oyster account for using AMEX cards. You can, if you wish, set up an online account with TfL and register your AMEX cards butthe only advantage of that is that you can see a history of your travel. It isn't necessary to have an account to use your AMEX card for payment and you still havethe benefit of the cap

 

 

I wouldn't recommend a travel card as they really are not great value. The contactless card (or Oyster if you don't have contactless) has a fare cap that is no more than the price of a travelcard (I believe that it is actually less than the price of a travelcard - though this may have changed since our last visit). Kew is easily reached on the District Line.

 

You will need a separate train ticket for Windsor as that is not covered by TfL (too far out of central London). It is a good day out though - I can recommend it.

 

As far as I am aware there are no concessions for visitors over 60 with TfL.

 

For anyone else reading these pages it may be useful to know that there is a little known concession for kids under 16. You are able to take an Oyster card to a staff member at an underground station and they are able to electronically "convert" the Oyster card to a kids card and fares and cap are half that of an adult. The "conversion" lasts for 7 days. Kids under 11 travel free with an adult.

 

Finally, I know this sounds confusing but it is a really good system that, once you get your head around it, is quite straightforward.

[Burgmeister]

I think I was one of the ones who mentioned Stonehenge as OP said they had several days, it's a wonderful day trip if you have the time but if you're only in London for two days then it's not worth missing out on everything else.

I think its very much a subjective thing. I drive past it quite regularly and have failed to ever be impressed with it.

 

I reckon it is much smaller than people think it will be and, whilst it is historically of interest, it takes a about 10 minutes to walk around (not including the walk up "the avenue") and, considering its distance from London, I would say (and, again, this is my personal view) that its a waste of a day other than to say "I've seen it".

[Burgmeister]

You just made my day. Our Stonehenge excursion post-cruise had to be changed and I hadn't yet figured out a way to get there in the time we have. Now I don't feel so bad.

 

Portobello Road Market was one of the first things I added to my "London list"

 

Don't remember ever hearing about the canal boat trip from Camden Lock.

 

Greenwich is what I'm trying to figure out now. Transport for London with Oyster Cards and Travelcards and now Thames Clippers confuses the heck out of me.

 

Camden Lock canal boats https://www.camdenmarket.com/journal/camden-lock-take-a-canal-tour

We took the boat from Camden Lock to "Little Venice" (sounds grander than it is) and back. Little Venice is very close to Paddington Station. It was very enjoyable and serene - which is unexpected in the middle of London.

 

Camden used to be a fantastic place for street food but they are, unfortunately, closing all the places down for "Redevelopment". A real shame.

 

For Portobello Road I would exit the tube at Notting Hill Gate as that then takes you down the hill and generally "with the flow" of people. On our first trip we made the mistake of getting out at Ladbroke Grove and trying to "swim upstream" to Notting Hill Gate. Lesson learned!

 

As I said in my other response, don't use a travelcard, just use your AMEX or an Oyster card.

 

We have only done on Thames trip and I'm not sure we used the Clipper so can't really be of more help there. Definitely worth doing at least once though.

 

 

We got on at Westminster Pier where you can buy tickets from the booths, and got off at Greenwich. We used The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) to get back from Greenwich, this is covered by the Oyster card (or AMEX) and counts towards the cap.

[smm0218]

Camden Lock canal boats https://www.camdenmarket.com/journal/camden-lock-take-a-canal-tour

We took the boat from Camden Lock to "Little Venice" (sounds grander than it is) and back. Little Venice is very close to Paddington Station. It was very enjoyable and serene - which is unexpected in the middle of London.

 

Camden used to be a fantastic place for street food but they are, unfortunately, closing all the places down for "Redevelopment". A real shame.

 

For Portobello Road I would exit the tube at Notting Hill Gate as that then takes you down the hill and generally "with the flow" of people. On our first trip we made the mistake of getting out at Ladbroke Grove and trying to "swim upstream" to Notting Hill Gate. Lesson learned!

 

As I said in my other response, don't use a travelcard, just use your AMEX or an Oyster card.

 

We have only done on Thames trip and I'm not sure we used the Clipper so can't really be of more help there. Definitely worth doing at least once though.

 

 

We got on at Westminster Pier where you can buy tickets from the booths, and got off at Greenwich. We used The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) to get back from Greenwich, this is covered by the Oyster card (or AMEX) and counts towards the cap.

 

We are staying in Notting Hill so Portobello Road should be pretty easy to get to. :)

 

What I'm thinking about doing is getting up early on Fri and heading to Tower of London, then Tower Experience then Greenwich. If there is any energy left, head back to Tate Modern (open late Fri) for a short visit before heading back to Notting Hill. Trying to group the farthest from where we are staying into one (long) day.

 

I really appreciate all the advice.

[Ocean Boy]

We are staying in Notting Hill so Portobello Road should be pretty easy to get to. :)

 

What I'm thinking about doing is getting up early on Fri and heading to Tower of London, then Tower Experience then Greenwich. If there is any energy left, head back to Tate Modern (open late Fri) for a short visit before heading back to Notting Hill. Trying to group the farthest from where we are staying into one (long) day.

 

I really appreciate all the advice.

One point I would make is that I found the Tower of London much more fascinating than I ever imagined I would so don't short change yourself on time there. Of course you may not find the same things interesting that I do.

[Burgmeister]

We are staying in Notting Hill so Portobello Road should be pretty easy to get to. :)

 

What I'm thinking about doing is getting up early on Fri and heading to Tower of London, then Tower Experience then Greenwich. If there is any energy left, head back to Tate Modern (open late Fri) for a short visit before heading back to Notting Hill. Trying to group the farthest from where we are staying into one (long) day.

 

I really appreciate all the advice.

Never been to Tate Modern (not my thing) so can't offer any advice on that.

 

 

As Ocean Boy has said, the Tower is well worth a very long visit. Piece of advice - make sure you do a Guided Beefeater Tour. I'm sure the tour was free, but I could be mistaken - it couldn' t have cost much else I wouldn't have paid it! It really is the best way to get the most out of a visit. As well as being extremely knowledgable, those guys are just so funny. After the tour you will still have plenty to keep you occupied - we spent hours there and we didn't even bother to join the enormous queue for the crown jewels (school holidays = packed tourist attraction).

 

 

Not sure what the Tower Experience is. Is that Tower Bridge or teh Tower of London (Hopefully its not a tour around Tower Hamlets!). If its the bridge then it is just a short stroll from the Tower to get there.

 

Greenwich always seems to take longer to get to than you think and is worthy of a good half day on its own (at least). When I was a kid we went on a school trip to the Greenwich Maritime museum which I loved, but I haven't been back since (not my wife or daughter's thing) so the 40-odd year old memory may not be all that reality is! There's also the Cutty Sark which is a popular touristy thing, but I haven't bothered since that visit to the maritime museum in short trousers. Always seemed quite expensive for what it is to me. Again though, other people's opinions are bound to differ. Not sure whether you said when you were going but, if its in the summer, then at least the evenings stay light.

[smm0218]

Never been to Tate Modern (not my thing) so can't offer any advice on that.

 

 

As Ocean Boy has said, the Tower is well worth a very long visit. Piece of advice - make sure you do a Guided Beefeater Tour. I'm sure the tour was free, but I could be mistaken - it couldn' t have cost much else I wouldn't have paid it! It really is the best way to get the most out of a visit. As well as being extremely knowledgable, those guys are just so funny. After the tour you will still have plenty to keep you occupied - we spent hours there and we didn't even bother to join the enormous queue for the crown jewels (school holidays = packed tourist attraction).

 

 

Not sure what the Tower Experience is. Is that Tower Bridge or teh Tower of London (Hopefully its not a tour around Tower Hamlets!). If its the bridge then it is just a short stroll from the Tower to get there.

 

Greenwich always seems to take longer to get to than you think and is worthy of a good half day on its own (at least). When I was a kid we went on a school trip to the Greenwich Maritime museum which I loved, but I haven't been back since (not my wife or daughter's thing) so the 40-odd year old memory may not be all that reality is! There's also the Cutty Sark which is a popular touristy thing, but I haven't bothered since that visit to the maritime museum in short trousers. Always seemed quite expensive for what it is to me. Again though, other people's opinions are bound to differ. Not sure whether you said when you were going but, if its in the summer, then at least the evenings stay light.

 

Museums aren't really our thing, it just looks intriguing, more interested in building than contents. We will be there early June so should be able to take advantage of lighter evenings. Friday will be a long day but Sat will probably be a wander day so hopefully it will even out.

 

Thanks

[Ocean Boy]

I agree about doing the tour at the Tower. It adds so much to the experience. You can then explore more on your own after the tour. Without the tour you will be looking at things and miss out on their historical significance.

[smm0218]

I agree about doing the tour at the Tower. It adds so much to the experience. You can then explore more on your own after the tour. Without the tour you will be looking at things and miss out on their historical significance.

 

I'm going to try for a tour, I may only get there once and trying to do as much as possible.

[Burgmeister]

I'm going to try for a tour, I may only get there once and trying to do as much as possible.

Definitely worth it.

 

 

As for not liking museums, I totally get that. The Tower has lots to see without being "museumy" (I reckon that could be a real word one day), although I really liked the armoury exhibition (I avoided the word museum on purpose).

 

Obviously then, the Maritime museum and the Cutty Sark probably aren't for you but Greenwich is still worth a visit. Really nice area and the walk up to the observatory is a very pleasant experience - especially if the weather is playing along!

[smm0218]

Cutty Sark probably aren't for you but Greenwich is still worth a visit. Really nice area and the walk up to the observatory is a very pleasant experience - especially if the weather is playing along!

 

I think Cutty Sark is something DH will enjoy so we'll probably do that and I want to see Royal Observatory.

[Globaliser]

Not sure what the Tower Experience is. Is that Tower Bridge or teh Tower of London ... If its the bridge then it is just a short stroll from the Tower to get there.

I think this must be what used to be called the Tower Bridge Experience but looks like is now just the Tower Bridge Exhibition.

 

My only comment would be my usual one: don't try to pack in too many things into one day, or to plan everything to the nth degree. You cannot see everything; you cannot even see everything on the A list. Better to have seen a handful of things properly than to have grazed a handful of things you won't remember merely for the right to say that you've set foot in whatever place.

[orchestrapal]

 

My only comment would be my usual one: don't try to pack in too many things into one day, or to plan everything to the nth degree. You cannot see everything; you cannot even see everything on the A list. Better to have seen a handful of things properly than to have grazed a handful of things you won't remember merely for the right to say that you've set foot in whatever place.

 

You are so right but this is a very hard concept to teach a first timer. We have been in London forty four times, each time normally 2-8 weeks. We have not seen EVERYTHING. Of course we have now been in every theatre which is our main purpose for our visits. To each his or her own!

[londongal796]

I think this must be what used to be called the Tower Bridge Experience but looks like is now just the Tower Bridge Exhibition.

 

My only comment would be my usual one: don't try to pack in too many things into one day, or to plan everything to the nth degree. You cannot see everything; you cannot even see everything on the A list. Better to have seen a handful of things properly than to have grazed a handful of things you won't remember merely for the right to say that you've set foot in whatever place.

 

Also going to agree with this one here.

 

In one day, tackling Tower of London and Royal Observatory in Greenwich (AND Cutty Sark) will be a big task. The Royal Observatory is right at the top of a very long, steep hill. It's got fantastic views but it's a good hike, and that's after a lot of touring around the Tower of London (which features many many stairs). I have lived in London for 10 years, and I've never been to the Tower Bridge Exhibition. Unless the machine works are really your thing, I'd probably say skip the 'experience' part and just get some photos of it from the riversides, walk across it, maybe even grab a photo from the riverboat, etc. But this is totally your trip, and you can tackle as much as you want and focus on the highlights you feel you will most enjoy. :D

[smm0218]

Also going to agree with this one here.

 

In one day, tackling Tower of London and Royal Observatory in Greenwich (AND Cutty Sark) will be a big task. The Royal Observatory is right at the top of a very long, steep hill. It's got fantastic views but it's a good hike, and that's after a lot of touring around the Tower of London (which features many many stairs). I have lived in London for 10 years, and I've never been to the Tower Bridge Exhibition. Unless the machine works are really your thing, I'd probably say skip the 'experience' part and just get some photos of it from the riversides, walk across it, maybe even grab a photo from the riverboat, etc. But this is totally your trip, and you can tackle as much as you want and focus on the highlights you feel you will most enjoy. :D

 

I was trying to group places to see by how far from where we are staying (Notting Hill) but I understand now that Tower of London and Greenwich will probably be too much for one day. Looks like Greenwich is going to have to go on the "Sorry, not going to make it" list.

 

Thanks for the advice I really appreciate it.

 

Sandi

[londongal796]

I was trying to group places to see by how far from where we are staying (Notting Hill) but I understand now that Tower of London and Greenwich will probably be too much for one day. Looks like Greenwich is going to have to go on the "Sorry, not going to make it" list.

 

Thanks for the advice I really appreciate it.

 

Sandi

I still think Tower of London & Greenwich are possible -- especially as the days will be decently long in May. But Tower of London + Tower Bridge Exhibition + Greenwich would be a stretch.

 

The views from Greenwich are phenomenal so even just climbing the hill to go to the Royal Observatory and see the views would be worthwhile, if that's of interest.

 

Honestly -- you can do anything you like, as much as you like! :D

[Ocean Boy]

I still think Tower of London & Greenwich are possible -- especially as the days will be decently long in May. But Tower of London + Tower Bridge Exhibition + Greenwich would be a stretch.

 

The views from Greenwich are phenomenal so even just climbing the hill to go to the Royal Observatory and see the views would be worthwhile, if that's of interest.

 

Honestly -- you can do anything you like, as much as you like! :D

Yes there is a lot of daylight in May but the Observatory closes at 5 PM. I guess if one gets to the Tower as soon as it opens it is doable but I think I would constantly be feeling like I have to move along in order to have enough time for Greenwich. Time management can be difficult for someone on their first visit as they may not realize how long they may wish to remain in one place. I never thought I would want to spend as much time at the Tower as I did. The same was true for Westminster Abbey. Both places were much more fascinating than I ever imagined they would be. But you are right, it is up to people to decide for themselves want they want to to.

 

I love London. Just talking about it on this thread makes me want to buy a plane ticket and go over for a few day.