Titus

<BR>Have any of you ever stayed in or around an area in London called Swiss Cottage? I’ve seen it on the Tube map and it always seems like such a quaint name for a neighborhood. Is there anything there of particular interest to a traveler? I’ve been to London a few times and have never had the time (or remembered to go there) until my itinerary was up. I can find precious little information via the www. If you have info, please be so kind as to pass it along to me.<BR>

kate

Swiss Cottage is named after a particularly unattractive pub that's built to look like a, yep, Swiss Cottage.<BR><BR>It's residential area with very little interest to tourists (I live tjust up the road, and think it's fine, but wouldn't choose it has a holiday destination). It's not far from Hampstead and Maida Vale, which are both much more interesting.

Yo, Mann

Dear Kate: Maida Vale is a new one on me. Can you enlighten me as to why it is "more interesting?" I've never heard of the place and now I'm curious...

Arnie

What/where is Maida Vale and which tube stop do I take to find it? What will I find there, pray tell?

andrew

Kate is spot on over the naming of the station - The immediate area displays some of the mistakes of 1960s architecture but it is thankfully not too far away from Regents Park and Primrose Hill. <BR><BR>Also don't be fooled by the names of tube stops - sometimes they are very deceiving. Wood Green, Willesden Green, Stepney Green, Bethnal Green and Royal Oak sound far more rural than the reality. <BR><BR>Manor House and Park Royal sound very grand - they're not!<BR><BR>If any tourists are brave enough to make it to the end of a tube line (other than Heathrow) try Cockfosters for Trent Park and the feeling of real open space

BTilke

Swiss Cottage is a rather bland (but still expensive) London neighborhood. I stayed in the Marriott there a few months ago because the rooms were &pound;99 a night. The hotel is a typical Marriott (whether that's a good thing depends on your taste) and the hotel did have a excellent fitness center on site. For dinner, we either went closer in or took cabs over to Hampstead.

Gareth

Maida Vale is a very expensive up market residential area of London. This is where Little Venice is located; this also might be why Kate says its more interesting the house prices certainly are!