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Best way to navigate London and its sites???

Best way to navigate London and its sites???

Old Jul 28th, 2007, 04:13 AM
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Best way to navigate London and its sites???

Hi there,
we will be in London for 6 nights from the 25th of August. We are staying at the Hilton Paddington ( my husband got a good deal )
I am wondering what is the best way to get around?
Can you walk to Hyde park and surrounds from the hotel?
What are your must sees and dos?
How about day trips to places like Bath, Stonehenge, Oxford etc
Look forward to your replies
Donna
Aus
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Old Jul 28th, 2007, 04:35 AM
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OK - first click on DESTINATIONS above and follow the links to London. It will give you a good overview for a short London visit.

Then do a search on here - there are hundreds of threads about London sites/transport.

Paddington is walking distance to Hyde Park/Kensington Gardens - but not much else. but not to worry since the tube and buses will easily get you everywhere else.

Can't really give you advice about "must sees" w/o knowing what sorts of things you enjoy. 6 days is not very long for London so I'd only consider 1 day trip (or none since you won't get to a fraction of London's major sites in 6 days)

A list of the best/easiest day trips would include Hampton Court Palace, Windsor, Greenwich (all three are basically in Greater London and easy 1/2 day or 3/4 day trips allowing you to do something in the late afternoon/evening back in the city) Bath, Salisbury/Stonehenge, and Oxford. W/ 6 days you could choose any one of those.

So -- let us know what you enjoy and we can give more detailed advice. . . . . .
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Old Jul 28th, 2007, 04:52 AM
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Thanks for your suggestions.
We are not really museum or art people but like to enjoy looking at attractions, shopping, eating out, places with great views, learning about the history and culture of a place etc.
We will want to see all the major attractions London is famous for, but after that, what else would you recommend?
I would like to visit Bath and Stonehenge as part of this trip.
would it be best to do a tour, or hire a car for the day.
We are from Australia and have been to other parts in Europe but not to London. ( Had to cancel due to bombings in 2005 )
We are from Australia, so have a long flight to get there. We want to make the most of our time there.
Thanks for your help
Donna
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Old Jul 28th, 2007, 05:29 AM
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I would get unlimited travel passes and plan to use mostly buses. That way, when you are going from one area to another, you are seeing something.

Just very quickly, I would offer the following ideas, clustering things by geography:

Day 1 Buckingham Palace, Knightsbridge, Chelsea
Day 2 Westminster (Parliament, Westminster Abbey), Pall Mall, St James's, Picadilly, Regents Street
Day 3 Tower of London, St Paul's, City
of London, a bit of the East End if you like the program
Day 4 Excursion (I would book a coach tour to Stonehenge and somewhere near it like Salisbury or Winchester) to take you off your feet for a day
Day 5 South of the River -- Museum of Garden History, Lambeth Palace, the Eye, Bankside, Globe Theatre, Tate Modern (for the building even if you don't like museums).

Days 1 and 2 have lots of shopping opportunities as well as sights.

When you say you are not fond of museums, I assume that means art museums. If you hit a rainy day consider the London Museum in the Barbican, daily life for 12 centuries the Imperial War Museum (south of the river), the Victoria and Albert Museum, or the British Museum, not far from where you are staying. The most interesting small museum is Sir John Soane's house near the Temple.

It is ambitious, but so are the Aussie tourists I see in the UK!
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Old Jul 28th, 2007, 05:35 AM
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I'd suggest starting with a hop-on hop-off bus tour to get your bearings & get an overview of the major sites.
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Old Jul 28th, 2007, 05:48 AM
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I agree with Carrybean - hop on hop off is a great way to get a feel of the city.

Ackislander has given you a great breakdown of what to see. A couple of my favorites:
1. Kensington Palace (if only for the gardens and some tea at the Orangery is nice)
2. Notting Hill Area - very quaint (if you are there on a weekend, Saturday I believe, hit the Portobello Road Market)
3. Belgravia is a beautiful area to stroll through.
4. St. Paul's is unbelievably beautiful (there is also a little cafe next to it called "PAUL" - it is a chain cafe, but they have a raspberry tart that is fantastic - definitely worth a try)

I think part of the fun of London is that you can just wander and get lost on the streets and end up finding something beautiful along the way.

Enjoy your trip - safe travels!




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Old Jul 28th, 2007, 06:17 AM
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Since you're interested in history, check out the British Library for the Gutenberg Bible, the 1611 King James Bible, the Magna Carta, and other works of literature that have historical significance.

Here is a link to the Transport for London Fares Guide: http://tinyurl.com/37jfk6. Here is a link to two printable maps, a Tube map and a central London bus map that shows the location of major tourist attractions: http://tinyurl.com/25p633.
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Old Jul 28th, 2007, 06:27 AM
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Hop On Hop Off is great for first day "lay of the land." After that, my vote for best way to get around is plan your destinations so they are arranged in walking order.

London is one of the great walking places in the world. (Those who prefer rural strolls, please forgive me.) My cobbler complains everytime I return from London.

Although I walk a lot on my own, the London Walks tours have always been fantastic.

I have stayed near Hyde Park a number of times and walk to the West End and tons of other destinations.
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Old Jul 28th, 2007, 06:36 AM
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We used this "mini-coach" tour company (Astral) to see the Cotswolds and it turned out to be practically a private tour (only one other party of 3). See the link for one possibility covering Bath and Stonehenge. I should also note that you can go to Bath easily on the train on your own; that's how we did it and we were able to wander at will. Lots to see there...
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Old Jul 28th, 2007, 06:37 AM
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Sorry, here is the link for Astral:

http://www.astraltravels.co.uk/uk-lo...henge_tour.htm
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Old Jul 28th, 2007, 06:39 AM
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The best way is to buy a proper map of London so you can see where everything is in relation to everything else

Then you can start planning what to see on a particular day
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Old Jul 28th, 2007, 07:16 AM
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The best way to get around
The minute you hit town, buy a 7-day Travelcard for Zones 1 & 2. Ask for it to be loaded on an Oyster Card. If you will go outside those zones, load some cash on the Oyster for Pay-As-You-Go fares. Save your receipt.

Free map showing streets
The combo tube/bus map doesn't reflect the geography at all accurately. Here's one that does: www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/centlond.pdf - also available on paper at Tube stations.

Free map to sights
Besides the commercial bus tours, you can also use your Travelcard to design your own route with this map: www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/cen_bus.pdf

Two-for-one sightseeing
One of the greatest bargains in London is here: www.daysoutguide.co.uk
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Old Jul 28th, 2007, 10:12 PM
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Thank you all for your detailed and helpful information. I will check out all the web sites and start to plan a few things. Nothing will be set in concrete and we do like to go with the flow but needed some background on things to see and do.
We are looking forward to seeing all that London has to offer.
What are your recommendations for good food. We don't want to spend a fortune and enjoy good steaks, Italian and Chinese food. Pubs would also suit us.
What about a place for high tea?
Thanks again for your great suggestions.
Looking forward to what you suggestions for good food places.
Donna

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Old Jul 29th, 2007, 01:36 AM
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I wish you had more time for side trips... Cambridge, Oxford (and the Cotswolds in general), Bath and Stonehenge are all wonderful. Unfortunately janisj is right, you only really have time for one.

If it was my trip, I guess I would choose Bath & Stonehenge. I'm just not sure if you'd need to spend one night in Bath to see both... Stonehenge is a bit of a drive (or bus ride) from Bath.

Cambridge & Oxford are also wonderful, but it helps if you know people at the universities, as regular people can't access much of the grounds.
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Old Jul 29th, 2007, 01:44 AM
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If it helps at all with your planning, I did a Google map for a certain other site, with links to the various sights, attractions and services:

http://www.slowtrav.com/gmaps/viewmap.asp?map=49
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Old Jul 29th, 2007, 05:28 AM
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For Italian, Carluccio's is a good, fairly priced chain of restaurants. And for pizza, I love Pizza Express which are all over the place.

Pricier Italian would be Daphne's where you might like to have dinner if you visit Harrods. It's southwest of there but within walking distance.
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Old Jul 29th, 2007, 04:43 PM
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For inexpensive but very good Chinese food, try Jenny Lo's Teahouse near Victoria Station. It's a small, family-run business. Cash only.
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Old Jul 29th, 2007, 09:38 PM
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Thanks again everyone for your great suggestions for tours, places to visit and also recommendations for places to eat.
It is much appreciated.
I am enjoying working out a plan of attack and can't wait until we are there.
The worst thing is the long, long flight there!!!
Thanks again
Donna
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