First time trip to London-December
Nov 17th, 2011, 11:08 AM
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First time trip to London-December
Hi, we've come up with an idea of a short (cheapest possible) trip from Toronto to London in the Christmas week. Need all kind of recommendations:
best(lowest) flight rates
best hotels rates
how to move around the city (to hotel/airport, and around)
best things to see and places to go, espacially on Christmas, and in term of getting to them.
Would really appreciate any advice.
Thanks.
best(lowest) flight rates
best hotels rates
how to move around the city (to hotel/airport, and around)
best things to see and places to go, espacially on Christmas, and in term of getting to them.
Would really appreciate any advice.
Thanks.
Nov 17th, 2011, 11:45 AM
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I use kayak.com to search for flights.
How to move around the city: Tube, bus and your feet once you're there. London is a great city to walk in, and has extensive public transport, especially in the city center. If you fly into Heathrow, you can also take the Tube from the airport to the city and vice versa (to make this easier, try to stay somewhere on the Piccadilly [dark blue] Tube line). Go to tfl.gov.uk for maps. Most attractions and many hotels will note on their web sites what the closest Tube stop is.
Best things to see: Here, you really need to do a little research on your own, as my must-see list is likely different from yours. Check the Fodor's Destinations page or any number of other "what to do in London" sites to get started. If you have specific interests, people here can help, but for general first-time tourists, those lists cover the biggies.
As far as best hotel rates, what is an actual nightly budget you're planning on? Some people are willing to pay more for location or a big bathroom or whatever, but some people just want a clean place to sleep within a 20-minute Tube ride of Big Ben. Your budget will really help people give advice. In the meantime, do a search here - there are MANY threads about hotels in London.
You *should* know that London is pretty dead on Christmas and, to some extent, the day after. Many, many things are closedincluding public transport closed on Christmas Day. So you'll want to stay somewhere near things you can walk to - for example, stay within walking distance of Westminster and on Christmas you can walk to Parliament, Big Ben, Trafalgar Square and along the South Bank.
How to move around the city: Tube, bus and your feet once you're there. London is a great city to walk in, and has extensive public transport, especially in the city center. If you fly into Heathrow, you can also take the Tube from the airport to the city and vice versa (to make this easier, try to stay somewhere on the Piccadilly [dark blue] Tube line). Go to tfl.gov.uk for maps. Most attractions and many hotels will note on their web sites what the closest Tube stop is.
Best things to see: Here, you really need to do a little research on your own, as my must-see list is likely different from yours. Check the Fodor's Destinations page or any number of other "what to do in London" sites to get started. If you have specific interests, people here can help, but for general first-time tourists, those lists cover the biggies.
As far as best hotel rates, what is an actual nightly budget you're planning on? Some people are willing to pay more for location or a big bathroom or whatever, but some people just want a clean place to sleep within a 20-minute Tube ride of Big Ben. Your budget will really help people give advice. In the meantime, do a search here - there are MANY threads about hotels in London.
You *should* know that London is pretty dead on Christmas and, to some extent, the day after. Many, many things are closedincluding public transport closed on Christmas Day. So you'll want to stay somewhere near things you can walk to - for example, stay within walking distance of Westminster and on Christmas you can walk to Parliament, Big Ben, Trafalgar Square and along the South Bank.
Nov 17th, 2011, 12:21 PM
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Another good tip - there is no public transit at all on xmas day and everything is pretty much shut up. Hotel restaurants are a good bet or ask your hotel/B&B for a recommendation when you book and reserve! There are also some ethnic places that will likely be open.
Best way to get around is a 7 day travel pass (if you are here for 5+ days). If there are two of you you can get them at a national rail station (mainland train station) not the underground station and you can take advantage of 2for1 deals (dont forget to print the voucher or pick one up at the train station for each you want to take advantage of. More details here: http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/2for1-london
Note that you also get a 7 day travel pass at an underground station on an oystercard, but this is not valid for 2for1 deals.
Other hint is to look at a guide book and see what you want to see and then check their websites for details of openings and closings over the holiday.
On xmas day London Walks usually does a walk in central London which is a nice way to spend a day when pretty much everything is closed: www.walks.com Their other walks are great as well.
Some top sites you shouldnt miss to get your started:
British Museum
Tower of London
St Pauls
Westminster Abbey
Walk through Parliament Sq
Perhaps a show
Enjoy your trip!
Best way to get around is a 7 day travel pass (if you are here for 5+ days). If there are two of you you can get them at a national rail station (mainland train station) not the underground station and you can take advantage of 2for1 deals (dont forget to print the voucher or pick one up at the train station for each you want to take advantage of. More details here: http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/2for1-london
Note that you also get a 7 day travel pass at an underground station on an oystercard, but this is not valid for 2for1 deals.
Other hint is to look at a guide book and see what you want to see and then check their websites for details of openings and closings over the holiday.
On xmas day London Walks usually does a walk in central London which is a nice way to spend a day when pretty much everything is closed: www.walks.com Their other walks are great as well.
Some top sites you shouldnt miss to get your started:
British Museum
Tower of London
St Pauls
Westminster Abbey
Walk through Parliament Sq
Perhaps a show
Enjoy your trip!
Nov 17th, 2011, 12:27 PM
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We were in London last Christmas for 9 days in the midst of the travel disaster created by days of snow disruptions. Christmas without any mass transit was wonderful. We walked to services at St. Paul's Cathedral from our Bloomsbury hotel. Our Christmas dinner was at a mediterranean restaurant in Covent Garden. There were few choices for dinner on Christmas Eve so a reservation for that evening is advisable.
We left on Boxing Day so other than paying a premium for an airport taxi service that day, I don't know how easy it was to get around London or what was open. Deborah
We left on Boxing Day so other than paying a premium for an airport taxi service that day, I don't know how easy it was to get around London or what was open. Deborah
Nov 17th, 2011, 01:01 PM
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I haven't used this site for booking flights yet - but it has been recommended to me:
http://www.canadianaffair.ca/
We were in London one Xmas day and visited the Dickens Museum ( http://www.dickensmuseum.com/ ), attended a service at Westminster Abbey, walked around, and enjoyed a meal in our apartment.
http://www.canadianaffair.ca/
We were in London one Xmas day and visited the Dickens Museum ( http://www.dickensmuseum.com/ ), attended a service at Westminster Abbey, walked around, and enjoyed a meal in our apartment.
Nov 17th, 2011, 10:57 PM
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A very public spirited gentleman has summarised Christmas opening dates and times at:
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTop...n_England.html
There are no trains in England on Dec 25 & 26. There is an every 20 min bus between Paddington and Heathrow both days (though undoubtedly starting later and finishing earlier than tubes and trains usually do). Normally, there's no tube or bus at all on Christmas Day, but something close-ish to a full service on Dec 26. This year, a detailed announcement is surprisingly late: there's a huge and complicated programme of building work on the railway system between Dec 23 and Jan 4. This will inevitably affect the Tube, which often shares the track with trains, and I suspect the knock-on is still not fully sorted out. But expect a highly disrupted tube system from close of business Dec 23 till early Jan, and none at all on Dec 25
Buses are unlikely to be affected (but unlikely to run at all, except to Heathrow), on Dec 25. Traffic in central London is close to non-existent from chucking-out time on Dec 23 till after the New Year. Crowded shops on Xmas Eve are a media delusion, put about by journalists who - like most Londoners - haven't been in central London on Xmas Eve for decades, but remain true to their profession's proud traditions of never avoiding a tired old cliche and never checking their facts. So buses in the centre will run smoothly
Although Sales start in big shops on Dec 26, a huge proportion of shops and restaurants (and even some pubs) in the centre remain closed on Dec 26 and 27, especially away from Oxford Street, Knightsbridge or Kensington High Street. A substantial proportion of quirky small shops, and some restaurants etc in their vicinity (even nakedly non-Christian places like specialist Muslim bookstores) close altogether from late on Dec 23 till the country officially reopens on Jan 4. Chain food stores close only on Christmas Day: a very large proportion of independents stay open even then
One recent Xmas tradition on sites like this is for the Britons to go into a moan about how London closes down, meaning there's nothing to see or do. Typical whinger claptrap: even at London's deadest, there's still more on offer here than anywhere else on earth.
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTop...n_England.html
There are no trains in England on Dec 25 & 26. There is an every 20 min bus between Paddington and Heathrow both days (though undoubtedly starting later and finishing earlier than tubes and trains usually do). Normally, there's no tube or bus at all on Christmas Day, but something close-ish to a full service on Dec 26. This year, a detailed announcement is surprisingly late: there's a huge and complicated programme of building work on the railway system between Dec 23 and Jan 4. This will inevitably affect the Tube, which often shares the track with trains, and I suspect the knock-on is still not fully sorted out. But expect a highly disrupted tube system from close of business Dec 23 till early Jan, and none at all on Dec 25
Buses are unlikely to be affected (but unlikely to run at all, except to Heathrow), on Dec 25. Traffic in central London is close to non-existent from chucking-out time on Dec 23 till after the New Year. Crowded shops on Xmas Eve are a media delusion, put about by journalists who - like most Londoners - haven't been in central London on Xmas Eve for decades, but remain true to their profession's proud traditions of never avoiding a tired old cliche and never checking their facts. So buses in the centre will run smoothly
Although Sales start in big shops on Dec 26, a huge proportion of shops and restaurants (and even some pubs) in the centre remain closed on Dec 26 and 27, especially away from Oxford Street, Knightsbridge or Kensington High Street. A substantial proportion of quirky small shops, and some restaurants etc in their vicinity (even nakedly non-Christian places like specialist Muslim bookstores) close altogether from late on Dec 23 till the country officially reopens on Jan 4. Chain food stores close only on Christmas Day: a very large proportion of independents stay open even then
One recent Xmas tradition on sites like this is for the Britons to go into a moan about how London closes down, meaning there's nothing to see or do. Typical whinger claptrap: even at London's deadest, there's still more on offer here than anywhere else on earth.
Nov 17th, 2011, 11:00 PM
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"Buses are unlikely to be affected (but unlikely to run at all, except to Heathrow), on Dec 25. "
Should have read "Buses are unlikely to be affected (but unlikely to run at all, except to Heathrow, on Dec 25.)
Should have read "Buses are unlikely to be affected (but unlikely to run at all, except to Heathrow, on Dec 25.)
Nov 18th, 2011, 05:43 AM
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Hi Mambo,
Consider flying out to Buffalo. Prices are better, airport is small and line short, so less stress than YYZ. if you go down night before and stay at certain hotesl, they will let you park for free for the week.
My last trip I booked a package deal using Expedia, for hotel + flight.
http://www.theetoncollection.co.uk/c...spx?pageID=410
I stayed in the Bloomsbury area, walk to restaurants, walk to British Museum. For exploring, I also walked to St Paul's one day, anotehr day the City/Inns of Court, and in other direction to Covent Garden/Trafalgar Sq (hub area which leads to many of the sites).
Do not rule out B&Bsm there are quite a few in central London. For example:
www.harlingfordhotel.com
I landed at Gatwick and took gatwicj Express to Victoria Station. If you land at gatwiock, this is one easy option to get into central London, there are also other trains. I tend to not take taxis. Fomr Heathrow, you coudl take the Tube.
At Victoria Station I bought an Oyster card and loaded it with ~45GBP. This allowed me to get around the city on the Tube just by swipping my card. I was there for ~6 days and had a bit left at teh end. If you reseaxch here, you will find some more options for loading your Oyster card .e.g. Travelcard.
If looking at hotels, prices can be seriously high. A lot of people here use Priceline to get hotel deals. A bit of research will lead reward you.
While there, consider London Walks as a good choice for seeing and hearing about areas of London.
http://www.walks.com/
Consider flying out to Buffalo. Prices are better, airport is small and line short, so less stress than YYZ. if you go down night before and stay at certain hotesl, they will let you park for free for the week.
My last trip I booked a package deal using Expedia, for hotel + flight.
http://www.theetoncollection.co.uk/c...spx?pageID=410
I stayed in the Bloomsbury area, walk to restaurants, walk to British Museum. For exploring, I also walked to St Paul's one day, anotehr day the City/Inns of Court, and in other direction to Covent Garden/Trafalgar Sq (hub area which leads to many of the sites).
Do not rule out B&Bsm there are quite a few in central London. For example:
www.harlingfordhotel.com
I landed at Gatwick and took gatwicj Express to Victoria Station. If you land at gatwiock, this is one easy option to get into central London, there are also other trains. I tend to not take taxis. Fomr Heathrow, you coudl take the Tube.
At Victoria Station I bought an Oyster card and loaded it with ~45GBP. This allowed me to get around the city on the Tube just by swipping my card. I was there for ~6 days and had a bit left at teh end. If you reseaxch here, you will find some more options for loading your Oyster card .e.g. Travelcard.
If looking at hotels, prices can be seriously high. A lot of people here use Priceline to get hotel deals. A bit of research will lead reward you.
While there, consider London Walks as a good choice for seeing and hearing about areas of London.
http://www.walks.com/
