First timers in London next June !
Sep 4th, 2004, 08:35 PM
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First timers in London next June !
We are planning a trip to London next June. We will fly from California to Raleigh, leave kids with grandma, then fly to London for a week - our first vacation without kids ! So of course I want to start planning early...
1. I would appreciate suggestions on which neighbourhoods to stay in. We will want to do a lot of sightseing and some theater, as well as take day trips to Stonehenge & to Stratford & Bath - but not interested in nightclubs/bars. And we are not "foodies". Also, we will be flying in/out of Gatwick, not Heathrow (direct flight from Raleigh to Gatwick). What neighbourhoods would you recommend ? Any specific hotel or b&b you would recommend ?
2. The flight from Raleigh to London arrives at 7am (so I am guessing I will be in the city around 9am ?). Any suggestion for hotels which will allow early check-in ? Or some place we can shower & change in the morning, leave bags for a few hours, and wander around ? Any recommendations for something to do on that first day ? (active enough so we can fight jet-lag, but not too hectic since we will be tired...).
3. We plan to be there from June 25 thru July 3 - Wimbledon time !! Is it possible to get a day ticket to Wimbledon ? How expensive would this be ?
4. Given that this will be peak time, how early do I need to book hotels (now or wait till Jan-Feb ?)
5. Interesting & strange factoid : I can buy a combo ticket on AA (San Jose to Raleigh, Raleigh to London, London to Raleigh, Raleigh to San Jose) for $990. Just a round-trip from Raleigh to London is $1150. Crazy air prices.. But does the $990 fare sound reasonable to you frequent travellers or should I wait a little and hope for better prices ?
Suni
1. I would appreciate suggestions on which neighbourhoods to stay in. We will want to do a lot of sightseing and some theater, as well as take day trips to Stonehenge & to Stratford & Bath - but not interested in nightclubs/bars. And we are not "foodies". Also, we will be flying in/out of Gatwick, not Heathrow (direct flight from Raleigh to Gatwick). What neighbourhoods would you recommend ? Any specific hotel or b&b you would recommend ?
2. The flight from Raleigh to London arrives at 7am (so I am guessing I will be in the city around 9am ?). Any suggestion for hotels which will allow early check-in ? Or some place we can shower & change in the morning, leave bags for a few hours, and wander around ? Any recommendations for something to do on that first day ? (active enough so we can fight jet-lag, but not too hectic since we will be tired...).
3. We plan to be there from June 25 thru July 3 - Wimbledon time !! Is it possible to get a day ticket to Wimbledon ? How expensive would this be ?
4. Given that this will be peak time, how early do I need to book hotels (now or wait till Jan-Feb ?)
5. Interesting & strange factoid : I can buy a combo ticket on AA (San Jose to Raleigh, Raleigh to London, London to Raleigh, Raleigh to San Jose) for $990. Just a round-trip from Raleigh to London is $1150. Crazy air prices.. But does the $990 fare sound reasonable to you frequent travellers or should I wait a little and hope for better prices ?
Suni
Sep 4th, 2004, 11:36 PM
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Hotels in walking distance of some sightseeing and of some main West End theatres are in Charing Cross and the Strand. I have on disc comments upon those otels by Fodors forum readers, abd shall gladly e mail it to you if you ask. Starting with the cheapest, they are
The Royal Adlephi
Thistle Charing Cross
Thistle Trafalgar Square
Strand Palace
Then luxury hotels, the Waldorf and the Savoy.
I recommend the first two, but think you should ask for the list, with comments, and choose for yourself.
Stonehenge can be seen by train and bus from Waterloo (over the river from Charing Cross), or by tourist coach from most big hotels. For Stratford and Bath you leave by rail from Paddington, two miles from Charing Cross. From Gatwick Thameslink trains run to Londdon Bridge station, where you stay on the same platform and carry on to Charing Cross.
I am afraid I no know hotels that guarantee early check-in. If they have a rfoom empty, yes, but thety vannot afford to keep a room for you empty and unpaid for. Nor do I know of shower facilities. A good starting activity is to drop your bags, then take a hop-on hop-off bus tour.
I am sorry I cannot help on your other questions. Welcome to London.
[email protected]
The Royal Adlephi
Thistle Charing Cross
Thistle Trafalgar Square
Strand Palace
Then luxury hotels, the Waldorf and the Savoy.
I recommend the first two, but think you should ask for the list, with comments, and choose for yourself.
Stonehenge can be seen by train and bus from Waterloo (over the river from Charing Cross), or by tourist coach from most big hotels. For Stratford and Bath you leave by rail from Paddington, two miles from Charing Cross. From Gatwick Thameslink trains run to Londdon Bridge station, where you stay on the same platform and carry on to Charing Cross.
I am afraid I no know hotels that guarantee early check-in. If they have a rfoom empty, yes, but thety vannot afford to keep a room for you empty and unpaid for. Nor do I know of shower facilities. A good starting activity is to drop your bags, then take a hop-on hop-off bus tour.
I am sorry I cannot help on your other questions. Welcome to London.
[email protected]
Sep 5th, 2004, 02:09 AM
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Some public loos have shower facilities.
If you look up London at http://www.thebathroomdiaries.com/
you should find some.
If you look up London at http://www.thebathroomdiaries.com/
you should find some.
Sep 5th, 2004, 02:22 AM
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The hop on tour is really a good start to London.
I think that an early check-in is not something that is normal. But I think the airports have shower facilities. I would suggest to check the web site of Gatwick-you could shower there and take the train to London. If check-in is possible-fine, if not you have at least a fresh start in the day.
I think the Victoria area would be practical as the train from Gatwick is going to Victoria station.
I could recommend the Ramada Jarvis Hyde Park on Bayswater Road, I made very good experiences with it on my last trip.
Queensway station is 3 minutes away and the bus stop is 1 minute away. Also is Queensway a good area to shop for not so special things (the street itself has many shops and Whitleys shopping center even has some branches of nice shops)and eat something that is not too expensive, and the shops are relatively long open in the evening.
The park is opposite the hotel and you can skip the bus and walk through the park if you want to go to Harrods, Marble Arch, Kensington Palace...
A friend told me that it was easy to get tickets for Wiombledon this year, if you want to go to the finals I would book early in advance.
I think that an early check-in is not something that is normal. But I think the airports have shower facilities. I would suggest to check the web site of Gatwick-you could shower there and take the train to London. If check-in is possible-fine, if not you have at least a fresh start in the day.
I think the Victoria area would be practical as the train from Gatwick is going to Victoria station.
I could recommend the Ramada Jarvis Hyde Park on Bayswater Road, I made very good experiences with it on my last trip.
Queensway station is 3 minutes away and the bus stop is 1 minute away. Also is Queensway a good area to shop for not so special things (the street itself has many shops and Whitleys shopping center even has some branches of nice shops)and eat something that is not too expensive, and the shops are relatively long open in the evening.
The park is opposite the hotel and you can skip the bus and walk through the park if you want to go to Harrods, Marble Arch, Kensington Palace...
A friend told me that it was easy to get tickets for Wiombledon this year, if you want to go to the finals I would book early in advance.
Sep 5th, 2004, 04:02 AM
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You might want to work on your itinerary before booking. Day trips to Stonehenge and Bath will eat up a lot of time, whereas you could head out to Bath for a night or two, see a lot in the area, and stop by Stonehenge on the way out or back.
Likewise, the Royal Shakespeare Theatre performance in Stratford was one of the highlights of our 3-week trip, but we stayed overnight, so we could visit properties in Stratford, Warwick, etc.
Likewise, the Royal Shakespeare Theatre performance in Stratford was one of the highlights of our 3-week trip, but we stayed overnight, so we could visit properties in Stratford, Warwick, etc.
Sep 5th, 2004, 04:04 AM
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Er, I'm not recommending TWO field trips in your one week, just trying to point out that if you're traveling a couple of hours to get to bath or Stratford, you'll get a lot more out of your visit if you stay overnight.
Sep 5th, 2004, 04:46 AM
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Hi sunil, On our first trip to London we stayed in Mayfair around Marble Arch and thought it was very central but on later trips we preferred being on a more convenient tube line. Any hotel that is on the Circle, District line would be very convenient to most tourist attractions.
We also went to Stonehenge, Bath and Stratford through Golden Tours. However, we wish we would have gone to Stratford on our own as we loved the town and had not much more than an hour there. But the tour was good for a first time visit. Their site is www.goldentours.co.uk
You've got time to plan so check prices often. www.londontown.com is a good start and a lot of people like Priceline. Have a great time!
We also went to Stonehenge, Bath and Stratford through Golden Tours. However, we wish we would have gone to Stratford on our own as we loved the town and had not much more than an hour there. But the tour was good for a first time visit. Their site is www.goldentours.co.uk
You've got time to plan so check prices often. www.londontown.com is a good start and a lot of people like Priceline. Have a great time!
Sep 5th, 2004, 04:52 AM
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HI I can answer a few of your questions as I work at Gatwick !! If your flight arrives at 0700 you will NOT be in London by 0900- it will take you about 90 mins to get through passport control/ collect your baggage etc. There are shower facilities at Gatwick ( check out their website - baa.co.uk - click on Gatwick)
The best way to get from Gatwick to Victoria is by Gatwick express - they go every few mins from the airport - the journey takes about 30 mins. I would think that your best bet would be to check with whichever hotel you book about showering facilities - I reckon by the time you get up to the City it will be about 12'ish and you should be able to check in straight away.
I would suggest you do orgnaised trips to Stonehenge and Stratford - although it will be a very long day ! Or have u thought about hiring a car and doing it yourself ?? A for wimbledon tickets - good luck - check out their website ( wimbledon.org) for more info - have a ggod time !!
The best way to get from Gatwick to Victoria is by Gatwick express - they go every few mins from the airport - the journey takes about 30 mins. I would think that your best bet would be to check with whichever hotel you book about showering facilities - I reckon by the time you get up to the City it will be about 12'ish and you should be able to check in straight away.
I would suggest you do orgnaised trips to Stonehenge and Stratford - although it will be a very long day ! Or have u thought about hiring a car and doing it yourself ?? A for wimbledon tickets - good luck - check out their website ( wimbledon.org) for more info - have a ggod time !!
Sep 5th, 2004, 05:15 AM
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Sunil - we arrived at Gatwick from DFW at 7:45 AM, made it thru passport control, picked up baggage and took Gatwick Express into Victoria. Even after the 15 minute walk to our hotel (because we were lost), we were in our hotel room by 9:45 AM. We did this last November so maybe because it's not peak season is why we were able to do it faster than Chrissie suggests?
I had notified our hotel that we had an early flight in case the room might be ready. They didn't promise anything, but it was.
A word of warning....we thought we could do an overnight flight and just be ready to hit the streets, but jetlag got the best of us. After arriving in the room and seeing how grumpy my husband and 2 teenagers were, it was decided that we needed a 2 hr nap. After that and a shower, away we went!
I had notified our hotel that we had an early flight in case the room might be ready. They didn't promise anything, but it was.
A word of warning....we thought we could do an overnight flight and just be ready to hit the streets, but jetlag got the best of us. After arriving in the room and seeing how grumpy my husband and 2 teenagers were, it was decided that we needed a 2 hr nap. After that and a shower, away we went!
Sep 5th, 2004, 06:15 AM
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We are going to see our daughter in a few weeks. We are going to stay at the ruebens. It got great reviews. The hotel is 5 minutes from Victoria station which is where the Gatwick train arrives. As far as trains to see the sights I can't help you. We have always rented a car and left London.
Sep 5th, 2004, 06:34 AM
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I have no idea what <b>Chrissie_Novelle</b> is talking about.
You are correct to guess your arrival time at Victoria station in central London. Maybe an hour later at worst.
Your Raleigh-London Gatwick flight will be on time unless it's a mechanical. This one flight is one of the most profitable for AA. The ONLY reason they have this flight is because of a HUGE pharmaceutical corp., headquartered in UK with a research lab and a major plant in Raleigh area. You will experience one of the best AA crews on this flight. The majority of the crew are based out of Raleigh and they are very happy to have this route. The passengers experience the result of a very happy crew working a very profitable route for AA.
Your combined fare is a good one, but I would gamble and wait. Sometime in early spring one of the majors blinks and announces an early summer sale to Europe. Usually you only have couple of weeks to ticket, but if you catch it, you should be able to do this for between $600-700.
You are correct to guess your arrival time at Victoria station in central London. Maybe an hour later at worst.
Your Raleigh-London Gatwick flight will be on time unless it's a mechanical. This one flight is one of the most profitable for AA. The ONLY reason they have this flight is because of a HUGE pharmaceutical corp., headquartered in UK with a research lab and a major plant in Raleigh area. You will experience one of the best AA crews on this flight. The majority of the crew are based out of Raleigh and they are very happy to have this route. The passengers experience the result of a very happy crew working a very profitable route for AA.
Your combined fare is a good one, but I would gamble and wait. Sometime in early spring one of the majors blinks and announces an early summer sale to Europe. Usually you only have couple of weeks to ticket, but if you catch it, you should be able to do this for between $600-700.
Sep 5th, 2004, 08:05 AM
#13
Which neighborhood to stay in is a popular topic here and I see you've already received lots of suggestions. Regarding your other questions:
2. Most London hotels don't have early check in but many will allow you to check in if the room is ready when you arrive. Never hurts to ask. As a minimum you should be able to park your bags with the concierge until check in. Plan a leisurely morning and afternoon spending as much time outdoors as you can. St. James or Hyde Park. A walk along the Thames. Sunlight seems to alleviate some of the fatigue of jetlag. Maybe a museum exhibit that's not too intellectually taxing. I like the National Portrait Gallery for this.
3. Regarding Wimbledon, the easiest way to get tickets is to send for an application for the 2005 Public Ballot. It's essentially a lottery and if you get picked you are randomly assigned a date and a court (Center or Court 1). Details are at the wimbledon.com website. The alternative is to line up for the daily tickets which will be a substantial wait, I'd say minimum 4-5 hours. Some even queue overnight, tho not many, but it gives you an indication of how popular an event the games are. My (dim) recollection is that the public ballot tickets are in the range of $75-$100. $30 or so for the daily grounds tickets.
4. No need to book a hotel now. Continue doing research on where you might like to stay and then keep a lookout for good deals. I'd start looking after the holidays but you could wait until spring. People here report good success in getting deals on London hotels with Priceline. Also consider an apartment rental for the week. You could do a studio flat since it's just the two of you. That would give you a little more space than the average London hotel room as well as a kitchen which might save some you some $.
5. I agree with AAFF that you should be able to get tickets in the $600-$700 range if you spot a deal and jump on it. Have you considered flying out of DC for a better price? You can get a crack of dawn flight from Raleigh to Dulles on United and catch a morning flight to London arriving 9-10 in the evening. R/T is about $860 and a day flight is a great way to diminish jetlag if you can afford (timewise) to spend an entire day of your vacation flying. Maybe grandma would take the kids a day early. Regardless, it says there are alternatives out there for getting the ticket price under $1000 and not having to fly through San Jose!
Happy planning!
2. Most London hotels don't have early check in but many will allow you to check in if the room is ready when you arrive. Never hurts to ask. As a minimum you should be able to park your bags with the concierge until check in. Plan a leisurely morning and afternoon spending as much time outdoors as you can. St. James or Hyde Park. A walk along the Thames. Sunlight seems to alleviate some of the fatigue of jetlag. Maybe a museum exhibit that's not too intellectually taxing. I like the National Portrait Gallery for this.
3. Regarding Wimbledon, the easiest way to get tickets is to send for an application for the 2005 Public Ballot. It's essentially a lottery and if you get picked you are randomly assigned a date and a court (Center or Court 1). Details are at the wimbledon.com website. The alternative is to line up for the daily tickets which will be a substantial wait, I'd say minimum 4-5 hours. Some even queue overnight, tho not many, but it gives you an indication of how popular an event the games are. My (dim) recollection is that the public ballot tickets are in the range of $75-$100. $30 or so for the daily grounds tickets.
4. No need to book a hotel now. Continue doing research on where you might like to stay and then keep a lookout for good deals. I'd start looking after the holidays but you could wait until spring. People here report good success in getting deals on London hotels with Priceline. Also consider an apartment rental for the week. You could do a studio flat since it's just the two of you. That would give you a little more space than the average London hotel room as well as a kitchen which might save some you some $.
5. I agree with AAFF that you should be able to get tickets in the $600-$700 range if you spot a deal and jump on it. Have you considered flying out of DC for a better price? You can get a crack of dawn flight from Raleigh to Dulles on United and catch a morning flight to London arriving 9-10 in the evening. R/T is about $860 and a day flight is a great way to diminish jetlag if you can afford (timewise) to spend an entire day of your vacation flying. Maybe grandma would take the kids a day early. Regardless, it says there are alternatives out there for getting the ticket price under $1000 and not having to fly through San Jose!
Happy planning!
Sep 5th, 2004, 10:35 AM
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Thanks for all the great tips ! Obviously I have plenty of time to plan, but now I know where to get started.
I will wait till early spring to gamble on air ticket prices (thanks for that tip AAFrequentFlyer !). A shower at Gatwick, a hotel near Victoria, and the hop-on/off bus sounds right for the first day. After that I might take off to Bath for an overnighter, then come back to a different area of London for the rest of my stay. Without kids, I am not concerned about the overhead of checking in/out. I will try the public lottery for Wimbledon - thanks for that tip as well. I found a web-site which claims to sell guaranteed Center Cuurt tickets for $1795 for one day (that means $3600 for the two of us !!!, and my wife isn't even a tennis nut so that's out). Thanks again for all the tips !
Sunil
I will wait till early spring to gamble on air ticket prices (thanks for that tip AAFrequentFlyer !). A shower at Gatwick, a hotel near Victoria, and the hop-on/off bus sounds right for the first day. After that I might take off to Bath for an overnighter, then come back to a different area of London for the rest of my stay. Without kids, I am not concerned about the overhead of checking in/out. I will try the public lottery for Wimbledon - thanks for that tip as well. I found a web-site which claims to sell guaranteed Center Cuurt tickets for $1795 for one day (that means $3600 for the two of us !!!, and my wife isn't even a tennis nut so that's out). Thanks again for all the tips !
Sunil
Sep 7th, 2004, 12:32 PM
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We went to Wimbledon this summer. We got 2 tickets through the public ballot process as a previous poster mentioned. We were notified in January that we had tickets. So, I'd check that out early enough to make sure you get the ballot and return it on time. If you don't get tickets that way, we were able to get a ticket through a sports touring company based in California. We had to take the hotel for 2 nights as part of the package but it was worth doing so to have my daughter come. It was unbelievable sitting at Centre Court!! susan
Sep 7th, 2004, 12:36 PM
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Oh, I forgot to warn you about Wimbledon centre court tickets. If you buy from an outside source, you must make sure they are what they call debenture tickets. These are basically subscription tickets that are legally transferrable. The agency we used only sold debentures (Steve Furgal's International Tennis Tours). I just saw his booth at the US Open as well. We live in NJ so the Open is easy for us. The Wimbledon experience was incredible. We switched hotels during out stay since it was expensive. I justified it by using AMEX points to get 4 out of the 6 nights in hotels for free!! Susan
Sep 7th, 2004, 01:30 PM
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If you are going to be in London for a week including the day you arrive and not including the day you leave, may I suggest the following:
4 days (including arrival day) - London
1 day - Oxford/Cambridge
1 day - Windsor
1 day - Wimbledon/Stonehenge/Bath/Stratford
Good luck and have fun!
4 days (including arrival day) - London
1 day - Oxford/Cambridge
1 day - Windsor
1 day - Wimbledon/Stonehenge/Bath/Stratford
Good luck and have fun!
Sep 7th, 2004, 01:39 PM
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i have never done this but i have a very good friend who frequents london and england with small groups and he swears by going DIRECTLY to bath from arriving airport to start out.. spend night(s) there and THEN on to the rest.
syas he loses less time and nicer beginning environment for group because of size, manageability, etc.
i think i'll try it next time.
any opinions?
syas he loses less time and nicer beginning environment for group because of size, manageability, etc.
i think i'll try it next time.
any opinions?
