jbeary130

hi- my sister and i are going to london this november around thanksgiving time. it is both our first trip over there and i am kind of at a loss about what to do/not to do. we are both college students so we plan on staying in hostels, i think the picadilly backpackers one seems nice, any thoughts? should we stay in the same one all week? i wanted to visit a friend in amsterdam, but is it just a hassle to get over there since we will only be staying a week? also how difficult is it to go to paris for a day or two, or should i save that for another trip? i want to go to stratford upon avon, and possibly bath and stonehenge. we really want to see all england/london has to offer. what would be the best way to get to these places?

how do you guys suggest getting around? we want to visit all the main sites to see and museuems, but also possibly something off the beaten trail, real historic london. should we buy a pass or not?

what are some things that are not a main attraction, but should not be missed? also, what are your reccomondations on good dance clubs? thanks for all the help in advance!

jan

Surfergirl

If you only have a week, stay in England, by all means. You'll lose two days traveling to Amsterdam or Paris (unless you take the Eurostar to Paris and back).

For hostels, I'd just stay in one place in London that is centrally located, unless you really hate it, in which case, find another location. In London, get a travel pass so you can use the public transportation (tubes and the bus), which is all you'll need.

Stratford-upon-Avon is pretty close -- you can either take a train (2 hours) from Paddington Station, or go by bus -- National Express) -- just under three hours from Euston.

Other options are Bath (about 1 1/2 hrs. by train from Paddington), Brighton (about an hour from Victoria Stn), Cambridge (about an hour from King's Cross), Canterbury (about 1 1/2 hrs. from Victoria), Oxford (about an hour from Paddington), or Windsor (about 45 min. from Paddington with a change in Slough).

Nicky_P

I don't know much about hostels in London but I will try and help with your other queries. London can be very expensive so I'm not sure what your budget is. A good way to get to see everything is to do a bus tour, although in November you could be quite cold on one of the open top buses! Try www.bigbus.co.uk for more info. The South Bank is quite a nice walk and will take you past The Globe (Shakespearean theatre), quite a few art galleries, the London Eye and the London Aquarium. You could also catch a train or a Thames cruise to Greenwich which has quite alot to see and a great market at the weekend and has a beautiful park with the Greenwich timeline and observatory. If you like shopping check out Camden (clothes) and Covent Garden. If you are to pick one tourist destination I would always go for the London Dungeons at London Bridge. It will give you an entertaining history tour of London. For nighttime entertainment the Comedy Store at Picadilly always promises a good night out. For club listings check out www.e-dance.co.uk.

Outside of London I recommend Bath as a day visit. It will take you about an hour and a half by train from London Paddington and is a lovely place to visit.

A flight to Amsterdam is do-able but it depends on how much time you want to spend travelling. Check with Easyjet and Ryanair for cheap flights.

jlm_mi

It's not difficult to go to any of the places you've mentioned, but it does take time. Since you will already be in London, I'd highly recommend that you get a good guidebook, peruse the London postings here and look at fodors online London miniguide. Both you and your sister should list the things that are the top of your to-do lists.

Then, try to determine a realistic time frame that each will take. Assume that a day trip to anywhere such as Stratford Upon Avon, Bath, etc. will take the entire day, leaving you no time in London that day.

A week is not much time to see even London, and you definitely cannot see all that London and England have to offer in a lifetime. You'll have to focus on the things that are most important to you, taking into consideration the time required for travel, and save the rest for another trip, of which there are sure to be many.

m_kingdom2

Piccadilly is an excellent location. Amsterdam you could do there and back in a day, but I'd stay there one night, but bear in mind you will be losing at least two of your days in London - why not get your friend from Amsterdam to come to London?


You will probably use the tubes/buses, I have no idea of the fares, so other posters will have to help you in that area.

As for "dance clubs" I'm assuming that you meant to say "nightclubs" - in which case please advise your budget and preferred styles, I won't waste time directing you to the top ones if that isn't what you are after.

flanneruk

You'll get far better advice about cheap hostels on the Thorn Tree site than you will here.

You might also get good advice there about how to organise your time. But you'll get best advice there if you invest some energy in reading former questions and answers.

Respondents there can be savage (and more importantly, unhelpful) with questioners they perceive to be lazy. If you find their tone difficult to cope with, be aware that it mirrors precisely how many Brits speak to each other. It's a perfect introduction to how life actually is here - even for casual visitors.

crefloors

My niece stayed in a hostel in London for a few weeks until she and her friend found a flat and flat mates. She was on a 6 month work visa. Anyway, the hostel they stayed in was very close to St. Pauls. She said it was pretty decent. I will say from her experience: ask to see the rooms etc BEFORE you pay any money. My niece and her friend checked into one, paid the weeks rent and upon further examination of the people lurking about, and the rooms, they decided not to stay. They could NOT get their money back. They finally did get some of their money back by having my nieces friend call her mother who is married to a UK citizen and lives in Essex. The husband got on the phone with the guy in the hostel and finally convinced him to return most of their money. So, as I say, check the place out before you pay and keep your valuables with you at all times, NEVER let them out of your site. Some of the places DO have lockers. Anyway, the place they finally settled on seemed pretty nice, and safe. And of course they had an opportunity to meet young people from many parts of the world, so in all, a great experience, but DO use caution. Have a great time and you are so lucky to be able to have this kind of experience at a young age.

WillTravel

Also check out these forums and sites:
http://www.eurotrip.com/forum
http://www.bugeurope.com (particularly the hostel reviews)
http://www.guideforeurope.com (particularly the link to the discussion forum)

paula1470

I was going to mention check bugeurope.com for hostel reviews but WillTravel beat me to it. It will help you avoid the really bad hostels. Most of the time in the reviews there is also mention of the location and how convenient it is too the city. Many hostels are out of the city area so keep this in mind when you choose one.