B & B tube ride to London
 

My wife and I will be flying into Heathrow and we want to see the art and Egyptian museums downtown. We're staying 4 nights and then taking a train to Edinburgh. Any suggestions for B&Bs, easy access to the subway, 20 minutes or so on the subway from the museums, to avoid the high hotels rates near the museums?

How much do you want to pay for your accommodation? If it's the Petrie Museum you refer to it's actually in an area with some affordable options and walking distance to the stations, one of which you'll use for your train to Edinburgh. But first, budget?

I'm hoping for about $100 US per nite for two, and thinking of the National Gallery.

At todays rate that's £62 and, yes, will be tough to find in town. I'm going to defer to others here who are more familiar with the suburbs or other options. I have used http://www.athomeinlondon.co.uk/ with good results. You might have a look.

I meant which museum is the "Egyptian museum". I didn't know and the Petrie came up with a quick search.

It's the Underground or the Tube. In London, a subway is a pedestrian tunnel for crossing busy intersections.

There is no "downtown" - it's the largest city in western Europe and it has a theatre district, shopping districts, financial district, seat of government, and innumerable neighborhoods, but no single "downtown."

WTH is "the Egyptian museum"? Do you mean the British Museum the Petrie or somewhere else? The National Gallery is basically paintings, paintings, paintings.

You're going to need a budget hotel or stay out in the boonies for 65 GBP per. A $100/night hotel is low.

isusie..there's some important orientation info by Big Russ above.

We were quite satisfied with The George Hotel lodgings in Bloomsbury, on Cartwright Circle, just a short walk to King's Cross/St. Pancras one way, or just three short blocks south to Russell Square tube. The British Museum is around the corner from Russell Square (mainly residential streets). We enjoyed Bloomsbury for the few time we "resided" therein...quite a number of decent pubs with reasonable dinner menus in the vicinity...and the Brunswick shopping mall with a variety of eateries including the gourmet burger joint GBK.

A cross town ten minute bus ride from Russell Square takes you to Oxford Street and its department stores. The new Tate is a tube ride as is the old Tate.

I think you'll find the rates just slightly above your $100, but the location should be ideal for you. Ample and good breakfasts. and what seems like a nice clientele.

http://www.georgehotel.com/english/index.html

You might be able to find a room on airbnb, although for your price range we were in the Limehouse Wharf area.

Tower, those were some of the hotels to which I was referring, on Cartwright Gardens. I'm surprised there's anything decent at the equivalent of $100 or near it. Good to know. I've stayed at 2 of them, liked the Harlingford which seems to be next door to the George and paid over that for a single. But the location is perfect for the trains and is still walking distance to the British Museum.

Tower must have stayed at the George quite some time ago. Their basic doubles (shared bath) are £90 a night, and ensuite twins are £115 a night.

(You can book a single there for £65 -- but two can't sleep in it)

Isusie55: I'd like to stay in London for $100 a night (and in Manhattan and in San Francisco for that matter) But picking an arbitrary number out of the air doesn't make it doable.

Now, there ARE places w/i that budget -- but they are few and far between and book up far ahead. Staying in the outskirts you could find a place w/i your budget. But then you spend much more money and time on transport.

So my advice is to raise your budget for London and economize somewhere else.

When are you going? If you pick a time when the students are on vacation you could stay at one of the LSE halls of residence, most of which are very conveniently located - http://www.lsevacations.co.uk/Home.aspx. Although even there you may have to share a bathroom to meet your price limit. You could also try http://easyhotel.com