cindyjo

arriving at gatwick 7:40am and not leaving on eurostar until 2:41pm. is there a locker rental at waterloo or baggage storage? we would like to take advantage of the few hours we have in the area. any suggestions for a close restaurant or interesting sights that don't take us too far away from the station?
also - arriving at waterloo from paris 2pm and want to stay in london that night. we will be flying home out of gatwick. is there an area that would be easier to get to gatwick by train. we do want to stay in london that night instead of gatwick even though our flight is at 10:05am. thank you for any help.

janisj

there is a staffed left luggage at Waterloo. Be sure to give it enough time to retrieve your bags since there can be a queue.

Waterloo is close to LOTS of sights/restaurants. It is on the southbank so there is everything from the London Eye to Tate Modern to the Globe. And just lots of good places to eat along the river or in The Cut which is a street right behind Waterloo.

You can stay just about anywhere when you get back to London, but the most convenient would be at/near Victoria station and then catch the Gatwick Express train. There is a Thistle right at the station. (Or you could stay near London Bridge or Kings Cross which also have rail links to Gatwick)

jody

You'll be right near the London Eye and also all of South Bank. There are several good riverside pubs and cafes in the area all along the front. Me, if it were a Friday or Saturday, I'd head to Borough Market !

jody

I just remembered when Janis mentioned The Cut. One of the best gastro-pubs in London is located there. It's The Anchor and Hope at #36 The Cut.

schoj

Taz [smart modern turkish restaurant] is very nice in the Cut if you want a full meal. If you want somehwere cheaper go to Lower Marsh [road directly down the back of Waterloo station]where there are lots of cheap and cheerful places including some good thai cafes. Also nice and mid priced is Arches wine bar and restaurant which is between Waterloo station and the Festival hall. From Waterloo you are within a few easy minutes walk of Thames, London eye etc so a stroll along the embankment would be possible.

rkkwan

Please budget enough for the checked bags. It's generally £6/bag even for just a few hours. That's $12 each.

Ackislander

The Thai restaurant in Lower Marsh is good value, but you will be arriving late for breakfast and early for lunch. At 66 The Cut, there is a branch of Konditor and Cook in the same building as the Young Vic Theatre. They have pastries and light meals and might be a good bet. There is an excellent fish restaurant, Live Bait,across the street from K&C, but I don't know when they open for lunch.

harvey

I may have a similar situation arriving in London by train St Pancras of Kings Cross and taxi to Waterloo. When we get there we may have some time to kill. Is there anywhere decent and really near to have lunch? We won't want to bother checking our bags--one carryon each.

janisj

harvey: all of the places mentioned above would also work for you . . . .

Bree

Another restaurant recommendation:

Waterloo Bar + Kitchen
131 Waterloo Road (around the corner from the Old Vic - about a 5-minute walk from Waterloo Station, if you go out the end of the station that's closest to the Jubilee Line)

They serve lunch from 12 noon to 3.

http://www.barandkitchen.co.uk/

sandi_travelnut

I also was about to mention how expensive it is to store bags. Be aware.

Mimar

To harvey, you may have less time to kill than you think. When we arrived at King's Cross in June, we stood in line for an hour to get a taxi, the line behind us getting ever longer. This was around noon on a Friday. Then the trip across town was slow due to construction at St. Pancras and just traffic. (Congestion!)