London trip
May 23rd, 2011, 02:43 PM
#1
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London trip
I need advise regarding tube tickets. It's me, my husband 15 y/o and 6 y/o traveling. We will be in London 3 nights. We arrive on Saturday AM from heathrow and head to central London that day. We will go back to our heathrow hotel that night. We plan to go back to central London Sunday and stay there overnight. We go back to our heathrow hotel Monday night to catch an early flight Tuesday AM. What's the best tube tickets for us? Appreciate response. What itinerary do you recommend? We like to cover tower f london, Westminster abbey, London eye, st Pauls cath., river Thames cruise harrods, Hyde park and Kensington palace . My 15 y/ o wants to experience one of the Harry potters walk. We have a ticket for a m atinee show Saturday PM.
May 23rd, 2011, 03:22 PM
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Can you rearrange your hotels so that you spent two nights in London? It would save you time traveling back and forth from Heathrow.
Basically, you have 2 1/2 days for London, correct? It's not a lot of time for all you want to do. If you click on my screen name, you'll find my trip report, including the 2 1/2 days we spent in London.
A verger's tour at Westminster Abbey takes about 90 minutes and is well worth the time.
St. Paul's and the Tower of London are near each other, so that's a logical grouping. I haven't been to either one yet, so others here can better advise you on how to schedule those.
http://www.walks.com/London_Walks_Ho...r/default.aspx for a Harry Potter walk.
Lee Ann
Basically, you have 2 1/2 days for London, correct? It's not a lot of time for all you want to do. If you click on my screen name, you'll find my trip report, including the 2 1/2 days we spent in London.
A verger's tour at Westminster Abbey takes about 90 minutes and is well worth the time.
St. Paul's and the Tower of London are near each other, so that's a logical grouping. I haven't been to either one yet, so others here can better advise you on how to schedule those.
http://www.walks.com/London_Walks_Ho...r/default.aspx for a Harry Potter walk.
Lee Ann
May 23rd, 2011, 04:25 PM
#3
I'm w/ Lee Ann -- is there some compelling reason you are staying at LHR the first night (and even the 3rd night for that matter)?
Even if the LHR hotel is free I wouldn't do it. You will waste 3 hours just traveling into/out of London. When you factor in geting from airport to hotel, hotel to airport, airport to central London -- you are talking more than 90 minutes.
And unless the flight out is before 7:30 AM, I'd also stay th third night in central London. But night 3 isn't abiggie -- it is night 1 that makes no sense.
Your 6 yo travels for free on the buses/tube.
If you stay IN London you can manage everything on your list. But the matinee will REALLY eat into your limited sightseeing time. I'd consider taking in an evening performance instead.
Even if the LHR hotel is free I wouldn't do it. You will waste 3 hours just traveling into/out of London. When you factor in geting from airport to hotel, hotel to airport, airport to central London -- you are talking more than 90 minutes.
And unless the flight out is before 7:30 AM, I'd also stay th third night in central London. But night 3 isn't abiggie -- it is night 1 that makes no sense.
Your 6 yo travels for free on the buses/tube.
If you stay IN London you can manage everything on your list. But the matinee will REALLY eat into your limited sightseeing time. I'd consider taking in an evening performance instead.
May 23rd, 2011, 05:39 PM
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Strongly ditto the others on staying in central London.
There's no way you'll be able to fit everything on your list in, especially if you do decide to stick with the LHR hotel. Based on your list, the first things I'd cut would be the Kensington/Hyde Park areas (Harrod's included). Swap Hyde Park for St. James's - it's very near the Westminster area and is also smaller. My personal feeling on Hyde Park is that it's several interesting areas with massive amounts of green space in between - great for football games and concerts, not so much for trying to see it all in a short time.
The most logical thing would be a Tower/St. Paul's day and a Westminster area day. Saturday during the day is pretty much shot with the matinee, so that basically leaves you Sunday for the Westminster area and Monday for the Tower/St Paul's (or vice versa - you'll have to check opening hours for the churches, especially on a Sunday, to see when they're open to visitors). The company Lee Ann linked is great - I haven't taken their Harry Potter walk, but the others I've done have been fantastic.
There's no way you'll be able to fit everything on your list in, especially if you do decide to stick with the LHR hotel. Based on your list, the first things I'd cut would be the Kensington/Hyde Park areas (Harrod's included). Swap Hyde Park for St. James's - it's very near the Westminster area and is also smaller. My personal feeling on Hyde Park is that it's several interesting areas with massive amounts of green space in between - great for football games and concerts, not so much for trying to see it all in a short time.
The most logical thing would be a Tower/St. Paul's day and a Westminster area day. Saturday during the day is pretty much shot with the matinee, so that basically leaves you Sunday for the Westminster area and Monday for the Tower/St Paul's (or vice versa - you'll have to check opening hours for the churches, especially on a Sunday, to see when they're open to visitors). The company Lee Ann linked is great - I haven't taken their Harry Potter walk, but the others I've done have been fantastic.
May 23rd, 2011, 06:44 PM
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Thanks for all your advice. I booked these rooms nonrefundable when I realized that it was a mistake. We are arriving from US at 730 AM and we would like to take a quick shower before we proceed o central London. Since I have a 6 y/o we need to see a matinee show. Our flight to Greece that Monday will be 730 AM. But I am now thinking of staying at central London for the first two nights. Thanks again.
May 23rd, 2011, 06:59 PM
#6
Have you guaranteed an early check in? If not, don't count on getting in/having a shower at 9:00 or 9:30AM
W/ a 0730 arrival -lines at immigration can sometimes be very long (many long haul flights land in the early morning).
If it can fit in the budget, I'd 'eat' the first night's room and stay st you London hotel night's 1 and 2. Have you alread bookd your central London hotel? If so, which one?
Very often it is best to use a pre-booked car service like justairports.com instead of schlepping in on the tube while jet lagged. If the London hotel can't check you in at arrival, they will hold your bags until the room is ready (except for a very few budget chains that don't have facilities to hold bags)
W/ a 0730 arrival -lines at immigration can sometimes be very long (many long haul flights land in the early morning).
If it can fit in the budget, I'd 'eat' the first night's room and stay st you London hotel night's 1 and 2. Have you alread bookd your central London hotel? If so, which one?
Very often it is best to use a pre-booked car service like justairports.com instead of schlepping in on the tube while jet lagged. If the London hotel can't check you in at arrival, they will hold your bags until the room is ready (except for a very few budget chains that don't have facilities to hold bags)
May 24th, 2011, 05:16 AM
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What Lee Ann and janis advise is spot on; I'd definitely consider justairports for transport, too, except you do have luggage issues, so will have to consider what you will do with them, which depends on what you decide to do about rooms the first night and their check-in arrangements.
Neither church is open for sightseeing on Sunday.
I'd try to be at the Tower at opening on Sunday.
Neither church is open for sightseeing on Sunday.
I'd try to be at the Tower at opening on Sunday.
