ideas for London???

[chrismch]

We've booked a Baltics cruise next Aug and are planning 2 days each for pre & post cruise in London. Should be book the hotel & shuttle to Dover with the cruise line or book on our own? Any suggestions for hotels that are well located? What should be on our "must see" list? Suggestions for casual dining - good local fare? If we book on our own how best to handle our transit to Dover? Thanks for any input! :p

[Globaliser]

Any suggestions for hotels that are well located? What should be on our "must see" list? Suggestions for casual dining - good local fare? If we book on our own how best to handle our transit to Dover?

Please search this forum. There is a lot of accumulated wisdom in the threads to which there are many replies, much of it from people who aren't going write the same replies twice a week.

[Spikesgirl]

Chrismch, we have just the opposite problem that you have. Our friends (two different couples) vacation so much in London that they have a flat that they share. That being said, we have ben offered so much information that our heads are swimming. At the moment, I have no less than 14 books on touring the city - eek! It's going to be hard to not hurt their feelings when we decide to do something other than what they have suggested.

 

My suggestion would be to go to the library and check to see if they have any copies of travel guides by DK publishing. These guys do a series called "The Ten Best of Everything" and might help you narrow your playing field a bit. This is what we ended up doing. I think the worse thing you can do on you vacation is try to do too much and end up tire, sore and disappointed.

 

We've pretty much decided that we are spending a day at BM and I'd also like to visit the Museum of Childhood and see at least one show. Other than that, we are going to pretty much play it by ear. We're not much into churches and one can only handle so many museums, especially with a 14 year old in tow. I'm sure whatever we do will be fun and worthwhile.

 

Charlie

[English Jane]

I'd be happy to answer your questions. I know that the amount of information available is overwhelming - It's a bit like that description of

using the internet being like trying to get a glass of water from Niagra Falls!

 

Please narrow things down a bit by describing yourselves and your interests.

 

Jane

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[TITISSA]

Hi Jane,

 

Can you help us out as well? We are sailing out of Barcelona next summer but we are flying to Heathrow instead of Barcelona and we'll spend 2 nights and only 1 day in London. Both myself and my husband have been to London before, but it will be the first time for our 2 teenager daughters, ages 16 and 14 next summer. I do have a lot of info on London and already bought a book London day by day by Frommer's. It is overwhelming trying to decide what to do and what to let go. We are staying at the London Marriott County Hall. I chose this hotel because of its location and we were able to get a room big enough for the 4 of us. I didn't want to separate the family. My question is: What is really a must and can be accomplished in 1 day?

 

Thanks.

 

Leticia.

[English Jane]

Hi Leticia,

I don't know about your partiular interests but I have got a daughter who has just turned 17 and a son of 15 so I think that will help colour my suggestions to you.

 

Your hotel is a good choice, I am a Marriott fan myself and the location is very good.

 

If you are a fit family, much of the city is best if you walk, but ...

 

I would suggest that you firstly take a tube - London Underground train (Waterloo station is nearby) and that will take you directly on the Northern Line to Camden Town. This is a vibrant area of hippies, artists and the like. There is a large, sprawling market and many interesting shops. The atmosphere is a bit like Amsterdam (if you've been there).There are also many stalls selling unusual foods - ethnic and health foods especially. Teenage girls LOVE it there. It is best to go in the morning as it can get very busy.

 

If you then get the same tube back but get off in Leicester Square, you are right in the middle of things. If you have a good map you can walk from there to Covent Garden. This is a very popular craft and gift market with some interesting shops around it. If you simply arrive there by tube, you miss the chance to walk though Chinatown and also nearby Neal's yard which also has some fascinating shops.

 

If you then get the central line to Marble Arch you can walk the length of Oxford street and take in the VERY expensive Bond Street and the flagshipTop Shop - every girls favourite shop. It is ENORMOUS. I would then turn down Regent Street - go in the unmissable 'Liberty's of London' shop and you can also see the famous toyshop Hamleys.

 

When you are flagging, if you took the central line to St Paul's cathedral, you will see the masterpiece by Wren which escaped the blitz. Walking from the cathedral towards the river you can cross using the pedestrian Millenium Bridge toward the Tate Modern art gallery. If you then turn right you can follow the river past Shakespeare's Globe theatre and Southwark cathedral - you are now walking back towards your hotel.

 

There are many other attractions to visit, museums etc. If you have any particular interests, I would be happy to advise further. Also, I would suggest that you get a 1 day tube ticket (available from the first station you visit) then you can hop on and off at will. You will obviously need a tube map.

 

Jane

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[pcur]

DH and I went to London for the first time last October, and are going back again this coming April. We loved London, and took the Big Bus hop on/off tour bus, sitting on top to see it all. I think for first timers anywhere, this is the best way to get to know a city. You have a quick one hour narrated tour, and then go back to the places that look the most interesting to you. The Tube is great if you're just wanting to get from one place to the other without seeing anything. I got my Big Bus tickets online for about a 2GBP discount per person. You print the voucher and give it to the driver for your 24-hour pass (they have longer ones, too).

 

We very much enjoyed London Tower, and I had to be peeled off the "people mover" around the Crown Jewels. Amazing!

 

You might want to go shopping if your teenagers are into that, but it's going to be expensive!

 

This coming trip we want to go to Portobello Market up northwest of Hyde Park. Look it up on the internet; I think your kids would enjoy it.

 

I'm about to start a thread with some questions about Warwick Castle, so go look for that on this board.

 

London Walks are very popular, and they have them all over London and at night, too: http://www.walks.com/

[phabric]

We will be in London July 21-24/07. I was thinking of taking the On/Off tour bus one day to get idea where everything is. I will be buying the London Pass for 3 days. Is it a good idea to take the London Pass with transportation to go back and see things for the other days. We will be staying at the Rubens hotel.

[pcur]

The Big Bus ticket is good for 24 hours, and your London Pass with transport includes a 3GBP discount for adults. We always like to take a tour bus around the first time, then go back and see what is interesting. It adds about 17 GBP to your price for an adult, but at least you get an overview, especially if you're not sure what you want to see right away. There's so much!!