A Saturday in London
Jan 18th, 2018, 07:07 PM
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A Saturday in London
It was recommended that I repost this in the Europe Forum, so here goes.
My husband and I, and our 18 yr old grandson will have 24 hrs to spend in London, enroute to Paris, on Easter Saturday. Arriving Heathrow around 8 am and taking Eurostar from St Pancras around 10 am on Sunday.
We will be staying in Pimlico (St Georges Dr, Westminster Borough) area and our one "must" is a visit to Churchill War museum. We'd also like to see (not sure if there will be time to visit), Westminster Abbey, Tower bridge and Piccadilly circus. Any suggestions ?
Another must is finding a pub that serves fish and chips for lunch and/or dinner.
We are somewhat elderly and will have the usual baggage, so we are not anxious to try the tube, or any public transport from Heathrow to our hotel. It has been recommended that we NOT take a taxi, but has anyone used " justairports.com" ? I found a quote online for about 48-58 sterling, and that was with limited baggage. That sounds reasonable but I'd appreciate any feedback from previous users, as to dependability etc?
I'm thinking we should buy an Oyster ticket once we get our bearings, and use it to get from place to place. for the remainder of the day.
I would appreciate any tips or recommendations, as we are total newbies to London.
Thanks
Sarah
My husband and I, and our 18 yr old grandson will have 24 hrs to spend in London, enroute to Paris, on Easter Saturday. Arriving Heathrow around 8 am and taking Eurostar from St Pancras around 10 am on Sunday.
We will be staying in Pimlico (St Georges Dr, Westminster Borough) area and our one "must" is a visit to Churchill War museum. We'd also like to see (not sure if there will be time to visit), Westminster Abbey, Tower bridge and Piccadilly circus. Any suggestions ?
Another must is finding a pub that serves fish and chips for lunch and/or dinner.
We are somewhat elderly and will have the usual baggage, so we are not anxious to try the tube, or any public transport from Heathrow to our hotel. It has been recommended that we NOT take a taxi, but has anyone used " justairports.com" ? I found a quote online for about 48-58 sterling, and that was with limited baggage. That sounds reasonable but I'd appreciate any feedback from previous users, as to dependability etc?
I'm thinking we should buy an Oyster ticket once we get our bearings, and use it to get from place to place. for the remainder of the day.
I would appreciate any tips or recommendations, as we are total newbies to London.
Thanks
Sarah
Jan 18th, 2018, 07:52 PM
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People often neglect to mention the stairs in the underground so be prepared if you decide to use that mode of transport. I agree with your limited time, take a taxi. If you are running short of time and had to drop something then I'd drop Piccadilly Circus if something had to go.
Jan 18th, 2018, 11:41 PM
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JustAirports gets good feedback on travel websites and that sounds like a decent price.
Pubs aren’t usually the best place to eat fish & chips (fish & chips are best from a fish & chip shop) but since you only have one day, I’ll forgive you! Since pub fish & chips aren’t amazingly good, it’s not worth making a special journey so I’d suggest you just find a pub you like the look of, near wherever you happen to be.
Westminster Abbey is close to the Churchill War Rooms and you’ll be able to see the outside. Usually long queues so probably that’s all you’ll be able to do. Piccadilly Circus is a horrible busy grubby traffic junction - honestly not worth a visit; trust me. There really is nothing to see except tourist tat. Tower Bridge is some distance from your other sights, but you could jump on the tube at Embarkment & get off at Tower Hill for a quick look at the bridge and the Tower of London. Alternatively you could pick up a number 15 bus either from Victoria near your hotel or from Trafalgar Square and ride east past St Paul’s Cathedral towards the Tower.
Pubs aren’t usually the best place to eat fish & chips (fish & chips are best from a fish & chip shop) but since you only have one day, I’ll forgive you! Since pub fish & chips aren’t amazingly good, it’s not worth making a special journey so I’d suggest you just find a pub you like the look of, near wherever you happen to be.
Westminster Abbey is close to the Churchill War Rooms and you’ll be able to see the outside. Usually long queues so probably that’s all you’ll be able to do. Piccadilly Circus is a horrible busy grubby traffic junction - honestly not worth a visit; trust me. There really is nothing to see except tourist tat. Tower Bridge is some distance from your other sights, but you could jump on the tube at Embarkment & get off at Tower Hill for a quick look at the bridge and the Tower of London. Alternatively you could pick up a number 15 bus either from Victoria near your hotel or from Trafalgar Square and ride east past St Paul’s Cathedral towards the Tower.
Last edited by Gyhtson; Jan 18th, 2018 at 11:45 PM.
Jan 19th, 2018, 05:25 AM
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Do NOT plan on a taxi; use justairports.
I don't have any fish and chips suggestions.
You might be at your hotel by 10ish, maybe later; too early to check in but can leave your luggage. When you do that determines how much time you really have.
From there, it's a mile walk to Westminster Abbey, then just a little further to CWR. Can you fit both in? Maybe; both worth the effort. WA could be quickly done in 90 minutes probably once you got in. CWR could take 90 minutes or hours and hours if you lingered to read all the stuff in the Churchill Museum.
After CWR, walk up Whitehall to Trafalgar Square--much better/prettier/good for people watching than Piccadilly Circus.
MAYBE after dinner you could use public transport to get near the Tower Bridge and walk around the area
I don't have any fish and chips suggestions.
You might be at your hotel by 10ish, maybe later; too early to check in but can leave your luggage. When you do that determines how much time you really have.
From there, it's a mile walk to Westminster Abbey, then just a little further to CWR. Can you fit both in? Maybe; both worth the effort. WA could be quickly done in 90 minutes probably once you got in. CWR could take 90 minutes or hours and hours if you lingered to read all the stuff in the Churchill Museum.
After CWR, walk up Whitehall to Trafalgar Square--much better/prettier/good for people watching than Piccadilly Circus.
MAYBE after dinner you could use public transport to get near the Tower Bridge and walk around the area
Jan 19th, 2018, 01:49 PM
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Justairports is a good choice. Used by lots of people on this forum including me. And especially on a Saturday morning when traffic will be less than weekday it is a good balance of time and money.
During the day since you have so short a time and what you want to see isn't that far from your hotel I would take a black cab. It's a fun experience. Drivers are very well trained and you can see something on the way. And unless you already know how to use it you will lose (some) time and have (some) stress trying the tube and busses.
During the day since you have so short a time and what you want to see isn't that far from your hotel I would take a black cab. It's a fun experience. Drivers are very well trained and you can see something on the way. And unless you already know how to use it you will lose (some) time and have (some) stress trying the tube and busses.
