Advice on our whirlwind week in England!
Jun 28th, 2013, 03:02 PM
#62
Join Date: Jan 2007
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Jun 29th, 2013, 01:40 AM
#63
1) Will it really be that hard to manage getting from the Kennington B&B to the sights?
What if we took a taxi each morning to a major sight? >>
even worse. At rush hour it could take you much longer than the Northern Line.
Louistraveler - may I tactfully ask where you live? I see that your fodors profile says Austen, Texas and I have absolutely no idea what Austen is like but I doubt that it's much like London in the rush hour. and I'd also be willing to bet that where you live is nothing like Kennington. Trust us, if we thought that it was a great area to stay, we'd tell you. Why wouldn't we?
and i think that the advice that you are too early for most B&Bs is spot on. wait 6 months and you'll probably find that there is a lot more choice.
What if we took a taxi each morning to a major sight? >>
even worse. At rush hour it could take you much longer than the Northern Line.
Louistraveler - may I tactfully ask where you live? I see that your fodors profile says Austen, Texas and I have absolutely no idea what Austen is like but I doubt that it's much like London in the rush hour. and I'd also be willing to bet that where you live is nothing like Kennington. Trust us, if we thought that it was a great area to stay, we'd tell you. Why wouldn't we?
and i think that the advice that you are too early for most B&Bs is spot on. wait 6 months and you'll probably find that there is a lot more choice.
Jul 1st, 2013, 02:04 PM
#64
Join Date: Jul 2004
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I did mean the Winchester PALACE ruins behind Southwark Cathedral (which you can only see from the sidewalk, but still pretty cool) and Winchester CATHEDRAL (which is still standing, and also pretty cool!) Sorry for that confusion!
We were able to see both Windsor Castle and Hampton Court Palace in one day. We purchased our tickets online and printed them out at our hotel, then left early for Windsor -- after seeing the castle, we went back to the train station and asked about going to Hampton Court Palace. The helpful clerk put us on the train to Stains (or something like that) and we spent a long afternoon at Hampton Court Palace.
Many people told us we could not do both WC and HCP in one day, but we were able to do it and we did not feel rushed. (Well, I take that back -- we took our time at Windsor Castle, then we RUSHED to the train station instead of lingering in town, but we were able to take our time again at HCP.)
We stayed in London for several days and used public transportation the entire time. When we were ready for the "road trip" part of our stay, Enterprise brought the car to our hotel. I ABSOLUTELY advise renting an optional Garmin or other GPS to help you get around!
Our hotel was one that caters exclusively to military service members, but I'm sure you can Google "hotels near Waterloo station" and find lots of options. Waterloo is VERY convenient to both tubes and trains. I agree with others that you can probably wait on "nailing down" your hotel reservations for a while -- or at least until you firm up your itinerary, LOL! I think I made our final lodging reservation about three months before our trip.
We were able to see both Windsor Castle and Hampton Court Palace in one day. We purchased our tickets online and printed them out at our hotel, then left early for Windsor -- after seeing the castle, we went back to the train station and asked about going to Hampton Court Palace. The helpful clerk put us on the train to Stains (or something like that) and we spent a long afternoon at Hampton Court Palace.
Many people told us we could not do both WC and HCP in one day, but we were able to do it and we did not feel rushed. (Well, I take that back -- we took our time at Windsor Castle, then we RUSHED to the train station instead of lingering in town, but we were able to take our time again at HCP.)
We stayed in London for several days and used public transportation the entire time. When we were ready for the "road trip" part of our stay, Enterprise brought the car to our hotel. I ABSOLUTELY advise renting an optional Garmin or other GPS to help you get around!
Our hotel was one that caters exclusively to military service members, but I'm sure you can Google "hotels near Waterloo station" and find lots of options. Waterloo is VERY convenient to both tubes and trains. I agree with others that you can probably wait on "nailing down" your hotel reservations for a while -- or at least until you firm up your itinerary, LOL! I think I made our final lodging reservation about three months before our trip.
