Looks like i might be taking my first trip to London by myself in September!
Questions:
hotel w/good location? An area with shops and people, what's a good area to be in? Any hotel recommendations? Websites to visit?

Second, going alone - is this a safe thing to do? (female mid-40s). Anything besides the ordinary to be wary of?

And - How's London in early Sept?
thanks!!

I spent a semester in London in college and walked around alone all the time during the day (woman, age 19 at the time). Only once do I remember feeling unsafe, and looking back, that incident was not a big deal. Just take the usual precautions - be aware of your bag and surroundings, etc. I'd avoid taking the tube or walking alone after 9 or so, but that's more my brain than any real danger. The parts of London where you'll be are quite safe, especially for a large city.

There are many others more familiar with hotels than I, but we stayed in a hostel in the Victoria area last fall and felt very safe. There were several hotels/b&bs in the area (we were on Belgrave). The Bloomsbury area (near the British Museum) is also convenient.

I was there in the fall semester and the weather was fine, especially in September. Just take a jacket and umbrella. You'll have a great time!

I've gone alone to London for years & prefer to. I like Knightsbridge so you might look into that. I don't know what your budget is but the Rembrandt is very comfortable, across the street from the Victoria & Albert museum, lots of restaurants in the area, it's a few blocks from Harrods, with bus stops right outside the door & and is between the S. Kensington tube stop and the Knightsbridge stop.

Several people have good luck with Priceline bidding for London but you bid by zones instead of specific hotels.

The Rembrandt sometimes has special offers so check it out. There are lots of good hotels to pick from. I don't travel on the tube at night because I seem to be a drunk magnet.

Here's a link for the Rembrandt.

http://tinyurl.com/z8rbu

I've traveled to London several times over the years by myself, the first time when I was just out of college, and have always felt perfectly safe.

I've bid on Priceline for the last 6 or 7 visits, you'll save a lot of money, get a much nicer hotel and it doesn't matter what kind of room you get when you are alone. Check out biddingfortravel.com or betterbidding.com before bidding. For a 1st timer I think I the Mayfair/Soho area is ideal, right in the thick of things and good hotels.

I'm 42 and female, and I love to be in London by myself! It is not a difficult city to get around, and I have never felt in any danger there. Just use common sense, as you would in any large city.

Give us more details, and we'll be able to help you more with hotels, etc. Personally, I liked Luna and Simone in Pimlico when I was there in February, but your budget may be higher.

Meanwhile, here are some websites to get you started:

For general info:
http://www.londontown.com/

For transportation:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/

For walking distances and maps:
http://www.walkit.com/

London Walks - great!
http://www.walks.com/

Enjoy your planning; London is a great place, and September is a good time of the year!!

Tania

thanks everyone! i have been told that Bloomsbury is a great area for both access to the Tube and walking, so i may try there. My budget is $150 - $220 per night, any recommendations? I am not a priceline person, it just doesnt make me comfortable.

Also, is it known to be very warm at the end of August/first week sept? is air conditioning going to be an issue in a hotel?

thanks!

I much pefer Knightsbridge or South Kensington to Bloomsbury..it always seems a bit tacky to me..maybe just a wrong preception on my part. It is convenient but not nearly as much so as other areas. I don't find the tube that accessible there.

Vast --

Try the Morgan Hotel in Bloomsbury: www.morganhotel.co.uk. They get good reviews on Tripadvisor and I've stayed there twice.

There, you've got an excellent bus line at your doorstep, plus several Tube stops a few blocks away. It's next door to the British Museum, near the University, has relatively inexpensive restaurants and pubs nearby, and is a block away from a Sainsbury's grocery store. And you can walk to the West End, Trafalgar Square and Leicester Square in 15 minutes. The neighborhood is very safe and most of it is very quiet at night, but not too quiet that it's desolate. I really think it's a perfect neighborhood for a first time visitor.

September will be quite nice, I'm sure. Like Jent said, wear layers and GoreTex or carry an umbrella. Have a wonderful trip.

You'd be fine either in Bloomsbury or in the South Kensington area. My preference is Bloomsbury, but that's largely because I'm more familiar with it. If you don't mind walking (and lots of times it's faster than the tube), you're within easy walking distance of the British Museum and within 15 minutes or so of Covent Garden, theatre, and lots of shopping. I actually walked down to Trafalgar Square a few times. The tube may not be across the street from your hotel, but won't be a bad walk (5, maybe 10 minutes at the most). Kensington/Knightsbridge is closer to Harrod's, higher-end stores, Hyde Park, several museums. Remember, London has a good bus system, so you're not just limited to the tube.

I never found Bloomsbury tacky (jody, I'm curious - what makes you think so?). You'll be fine with in either place - just depends on what holds your interest more. Maybe try hotels in both and see what you can get.

Bloomsbury is tacky? Wow, that's the first time I've heard that. I guess we should notify Russell Square and the British Museum to get their act together. And not convenient to transport? It's a straight shot from Heathrow and walkable to Leicester Sq, Covent Garden, theaters, Oxford Street and Chinatown, etc. Confused poster gave wildly incorrect info.

Either Bloomsbury of S. Kens would be fine. Both are close to lots of attractions and sites. Parts of Bloomsbury are walking distance to more sites. The Br Museum, Soho, Leicester Square, Covent Garden, Oxford Street, Trafalgar SQ, etc. Most of Bloomsbury definitely isn't tacky (but at the northern fringes it is close to Kings Cross/Euston which isn't that great)

South Kensington is walking distance to the V&A/Nat History/Science museums, Hyde Park/Kens Gardens/Kens Palace, Harrdos etc.

Both areas would be totally fine/safe for a solo woman traveler.

You should be fine solo! I did it a few years ago and found the people very friendly and the tube stations had tons of working just walking around to help you. The tube system is so easy to use, but that first day you may want to buy an all day ticket in your zone, so f you get off at the wrong stop, you can catch the next one. My first night, I bought a night ticket for a hop-on bus (it has no hop-off). A good way to get oriented - plus you have daylight longer into the eve. We had a great driver/guide, and a group of us - all strangers- ended going out to a pub dinner together afterwards.

I wouldn't suggest avoiding the tube just because it's past early evening. Given the central locations you'll be in, it's busy enough through to closing that there's no cause for concern at all.

Hi there! Rcon here! Why not try K-West Hotel in Shepherd's Bush London. The rates are not too costly and you'll definitely love its facilities and room amenities.

Outdoor temperatures in September should be pleasant but not super-hot, maybe in the range of 16-22C. You can get by without air conditioning in your hotel. But you might find the Tube, some restaurants and theatres rather stuffy.

I used to live in Bloomsbury (near Tavistock Sq) and then later in the year, near Harley St (north of Oxford Street). I certainly didn't find Bloomsbury "tacky", but there are some rather grim, large hotels in the area. The area is full of university students, and so I felt quite comfortable walking around the area at all hours, because there were always other people around.

I did prefer being located a little to the West in the area just north of Oxford Street, though. Oxford Street itself is a zoo but there are some good value hotels north of it. On return visits, I stayed at the Holiday Inn on Welbeck Street (nothing fancy, but a good price and a great location). I almost stayed at the Jurys Inn Clifton Ford (but had to cancel the trip) - it also looked like a good value. The Thistle Selfridge is right on Oxford Street and attached to the posh department store of the same name. Rather run down, but if you can get a really good price for a single room (I think I paid about 70 pounds), then it's worth it.

Except when I lived near Clapham North (toward the Brixton end), I didn't feel unsafe in London during the year I lived there. I did have and continue to have some concerns about credit card fraud, bank card fraud, etc though. For example, once, during a one-night stopover in London, I used my credit card 2 or 3 times in a few shops and a restaurant. An employee must have grabbed my credit card number and then charged over $4000 worth of plane tickets to it. Most ATM machines are outside, on the street, and there is usually someone sitting beside or underneath them. Be very careful when using ATMs to make sure they haven't been tampered with and that no one is watching you key in PIN numbers. I'm also very careful about credit card receipts (keep them with me and tear them up later) and make sure that I never give my bank card or credit card to an employee who walks away with it to ring up a sale. I tend to use cash in London more than cards.

Back to hotels. I understand that Priceline might not be your thing. Make a cancellable reservation now, so that you have a back-up. However, once you get closer to your date of travel and know for sure that you're going, you might investigate some of the discount websites that enable you to book cheap, nonrefundable hotel stays in circumstances where you know the name of the hotel you're booking. I've got some great deals with the UK website superbreak.co.uk and also with cheaprooms.

Things to do. If you like classical music, there's always a concert somewhere. I liked Wigmore Hall and sometimes went to Sunday morning concerts - relatively short (about 90 minutes), relatively cheap - and you got coffee at the end as a reward.

You might try London Town for hotel discounts if Priceline isn't your thing

http://www.londontown.com/

I was in London once the last week of August and it was dreadfully hot, we had a room with no a/c on a major road, couldn't keep the windows open because of the noise, actually left a day early because we couldn't take it. It's not always that hot but there is the potential for it.

A friend of mine stayed in Bloomsbury at the Montague and loved the area (don't think you'll get that hotel for your price range though). We stayed there at the Royal National, a big tour group hotel and while I found the area to be fine, I wouldn't recommend that hotel.

What I found most important when I was traveling solo was that the tube was a short distance from my hotel since I was going to the theater and coming back late, even better if it was served by several tube lines.

i just have to say you guys are great - this is wonderful information! i just discovered that I have two people in my office who are avid London fans, (one is a bargain-hunter, the other taxi-and-big-hotel) so between them and you, i should have a fabulous trip! I'll let you know what i end up booking and of course, a million other questions will pop up too!! thanks!