Nancy45

I have been planning this trip to London and several other countries for over 6 months. After the first terrorist attack we decided to continue our plans. Now, I'm not so sure about London as I want my kids to experience London at its best and they are concerned about other attacks. I know it is the world we live in and I don't want to give into the terrorists, but I need some Londoners opinions on family travel at this time.

I am considering flying into London as planned but possibly renting a car and enjoying the countryside of England rather than London itself. I am scrambling for info here as I had so thoroughly researched London and it tooks months, and now I'm switching gears and know nothing!

We arrive early the first day in London and then will have 2 full days to travel before we leave the next day for Paris. Please help with some itinerary ideas and interesting things to do with 4 teenagers.

Thank you all so much for all the advice you have given me as we plan our holiday. Please don't blast me because we are considering altering our itinerary!!

kenderina

Are you going to Paris by plane ? I mean, if you have to go to Waterloo Station for the train..then it has no sense to be out of London before.
If you are flying, then you can change London for a visit to a lots of places that also deserve the visit : Cambridge, Oxford, Strattford-upon-Avon, Windsor..

Nancy45

Actually we have tickets on Eurostar to Paris -- so, maybe going to the countryside will not work. I was hoping there would be places to visit outside of London and then we would come back into the city for our Eurostar train.

At this point I'm just not sure what to do. There are no posts like there were in the attacks in early July so I don't know what Londoners are actually thinking.

kenderina

Here you have some posts :
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34651710

Well..out of London there's mostly countryside

PalQ

Well i'd say the High Street bookies would place much greater odds on you and your family being killed or maimed in a car crash outside of London than in any terrorist attack in London - so if that is your criteria i wouldn't leave home. Yes avoid the tube maybe and bite the bullet for taxis and most of London is very walkable. I don't mean to be flippant but the odds of being involved in a London terrorist attrack are miniscule - i'm sure there are many more pedestrians killed in London than by terrorist attacks - actually a big problem in London, especially for foreigners who aren't used to traffic on the 'wrong' side of the road.

PalQ

If you want to avoid London as much as possible you could return your car in say Salisbury and take a direct train to Waterloo for Eurostar. So far overground trains have not been targeted.

Robespierre

There's a lot to do around London without setting foot in the city.

To kenderina's list, I would add (west to east and round to London): Cardiff, Bristol, Bath, Salisbury/Avebury, Winchester, Portsmouth, Brighton, Hastings, Dover, Canterbury. Pick two days worth and knock yourself out. You may find a BritRail London Plus Pass economical if you move around a lot.

From there, you can either go back to Waterloo or down to Ashford to catch the Eurostar.

jules4je7

I'd have to agree with PalQ-- your chances of getting in a car wreck is still better driving in the countryside than staying put in London.

You're not the first person who after an attack has said you'd like to "experience London at its best" with your kids. I would think that a trip to London at this time WOULD show London at its best -- moving on and refusing to be swayed by terrorists' stupidity is certainly one of the Brits' finer traits, and your kids could learn by being part of it for a few days.

I hope you re-think your plans and stay in London, a wonderful, very walkable city.

Just look to the right first before you cross the street.

Jules

P_M

I hope this won't scare you even more, but how do you know where the next attack will be? It might happen in another city on your itenerary. I certainly hope not, but I cannot guarantee that.

Please do not alter your plans in any way. There is so much to see in London, I would hate for you and your family to miss it for this reason. I personally have no fear of using the tube or bus system, but if it gives you any comfort, then stay in a central location and either walk or take cabs to get around.

julia_t

I sympathise with your dilemma. Living in the UK I have grown up with bomb scares, and not just in London. So I would still go to London, but if I was planning a trip abroad and this sort of situation was going on there I think I might reconsider too.

You could possibly hire a car at the airport - I'm assuming Heathrow here?, drive around via Stonehenge, Bath, Cotswolds, Stratford, Oxford - all on a nice easy driving route, then back to the airport, take the National Express bus or the tube or even a taxi into London, get to Waterloo using tube or taxi.

Teenagers find Stonehenge and Avebury stone circles awe-inspiring. Bath is interesting, Cotswolds are beautiful and Stratford is quaint and picturesque . There's good shopping to be had in Oxford and Bath, and not far from Oxford is an outlet village at Bicester with all sorts of bargains if it's shopping they want.

Plenty of stately homes (eg Blenheim Palace), castles (Berkeley and Sudeley in Gloucestershire) and glorious gardens en route to visit as well. You'd have trouble fitting it all into 2 days!

If you type "tourist information centre" followed by the name of the town you want to know about, into the google search box, you get all the local tourist information details, with places to see, eat and stay.

I hope you all have a wonderful time wherever you decide to go.

PalQ

Funny - London (and Paris) had a spate of terrorist attacks during the 70s and 80s and early 90s and this didn't dent travel to those two cities. I wonder why? Several were killed in a metro bombing in Paris and lots of bombs went off around London - including one in the Sussex pub in the theatre district that also hurt many. Unless the attacks become much more prevalent - a possibility i guess - it's a non-factor to me - though i try to avoid the tube after i nearly got caught in a power failure two years ago.

kenderina

PalQ, maybe that's why I'm going next Thursday..the first ETA killing was the day I was born (37 years ago) and from there till now the menace still exists. There's no difference for me, even their "methods" are quite different, to be here or in London or in NYC or anywhere else.
But the first commandment for a vacation is "have fun !! " and if someone thinks that won't be possible right now..I think it's better for them to avoid it.

sheila

Nancy, you must do what's right for you, of course; but I hope you don't change your plans.

If you do, come to Scotland!!

KidsToLondon

Nancy

I completely understand your concerns. You must make your decision based on your comfort level.

Someone else mentioned catching the Eurostar at Ashford, which is southeast of London. Assuming that ticket change is possible (and that is worth a phone call or email to Eurostar) some places your could tour nearby include Cantebury, Rye, Dover, Hastings, and the wonderful countryside of Kent and East Sussex.

It would simplify navigation a bit if you are arriving at Gatwick Airport--the drive from Heathrow means taking the M25, which is a beltway, counter-clockwise around the south of London proper.

If I can help, email [email protected]

Dave White

walkinaround

>>>>>
I need some Londoners opinions on family travel at this time.
>>>>>>

No you don't. we live here and have a completely different perspective from someone who has a choice whether or not to visit. I don't know what you want to hear. anyone telling you it is ok does not know this for sure and anyone telling you that you are right for wanting to change your plans also does not know if this is right for you.

i see why you are concerned, but i doubt opinions of londoners and others will be of much help to you.

maybe many people at home are telling you that you would be stupid to go to london and londoners here will just tell you that you would be stupid to change your plans. no one knows... everyone has a strong opinion and meaning no disrespect, you need to be an adult and make your own decision for your own family. --one londoner's opinion.

kswl

"But the first commandment for a vacation is "have fun !! " and if someone thinks that won't be possible right now..I think it's better for them to avoid it."

This is one of the few sensible opinions I have read on this subject.

BTilke

Nancy45, it's your vacation, therefore you should do whatever makes you feel most comfortable. Period.
I was in London riding the Tube today when the first incident occurred. It is an unnerving experience.
If you are apprehensive about riding mass transit in London, perhaps you should book a hotel that is within walking distance of several sights and restaurants and stick to that area (example, the Rembrandt Hotel halfway between Harrods and the Victoria & Albert museum). Of course, if you get here and decide you do feel comfortable after all taking the Tube, go for it!
We have been in and out of London several times lately (we live in the outer burbs, about a 30 minutes train ride from London's Paddington Station) and have decided to put a hold on our London visits. The Tube incidents are one factor; the other is we prefer to wait until the summer crowds have thinned out. (We were in Harrods last Saturday and it was a ZOO. Mobbed, wall to wall tourists, a foretaste of what things will be like during the 2012 Olympics).

Chicago_Heather

Spygirl, where do you live? Not to react to your comments (which normally I don't do), but to assert that these attacks couldn't happen in the U.S. is, well, asinine. I've lived in downtown Chicago for 16 years and use public transportation all of the time. There is virtually no security anywhere on the city's train or bus lines - and I won't even go into Amtrak or Greyhound.

Nancy, only you can decide this question. It's your vacation and you shouldn't go anywhere that would cause you grave concern. When is your trip? Do you have leeway in your planning to wait a bit to decide? Best wishes on your travels whatever you decide.

Joanne28

Nancy, since you only have 2 days in London, I think the suggestion of getting a central hotel & then walking a lot is really good. I personally think walking is the best way to get to know a place. Also there are the "Hop On Hop Off" tourist buses which will take you all around to major sights. Although I think they are ridiculously over-priced, it could work well in this situation.

Seeing the British cope with adversity with their usual unflappability and sangfroid is definitely seeing London at its best.

MaureenGP

I believe it is your vacation, your time, and your money, and you should do what you think is best for you and your family.
That said, my daughter and I are leaving for London next Wednesday and have no intention of changing our plans, despite dire warnings from everybody we talk to about it. I have been warned before every trip I have ever made--watch out for the Basque terrorists in Spain, or some bombing years ago in Rome, and the mad cow disease in Britain. I've even had some near brushes with disaster--visiting Centennial Plaza in Atlanta just a day before the bombing there; taking a helicopter tour in Kauai two days before one crashed into the side of a mountain. But, as my grandmother used to say: If you're born to hang, you won't drown.
As to making other plans, there are tons of things to see outside of London--we particularly liked Bath, Salisbury, Stonehenge, Stratford, and Canterbury. Haven't been there, but both Oxford and Cambridge sound great, as does York.
Whatever you decide, have fun and make lots of family memories...