Going to Londong in 2 weeks! On buget; is this worth it?!
Sep 20th, 2004, 08:13 PM
#1
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Going to Londong in 2 weeks! On buget; is this worth it?!
59.50 GBP per person:
(I've condensed it)
Full Day tour of London starts with a guided tour of Westminster Abbey.
As the tour continues your guide will point out the famous icons of London, including Big Ben and the Parliament buildings, Whitehall, Downing Street, the London home of the Prime Minister, and Trafalgar Square before visiting Buckingham Palace for the colourful Changing of the Guard ceremony.
Back on our coach we see the exclusive district of Mayfair and Piccadilly Circus before reaching our traditional London Pub for your included lunch.
Your afternoon starts with a visit to the City of London dominated by the dome of St Paul?s Cathedral.
The Tower of London awaits. Here we meet the magnificent Beefeaters, dressed in their Tudor uniforms. A visit to the Jewel House, which displays the Crown Jewels, is a ?must?.
Our Full day finishes with a cruise on London?s famous River Thames, during which a Thames Waterman will point out places of interest along the way. Your cruise will end at Westminster Pier where you rejoin your coach.
(I've condensed it)
Full Day tour of London starts with a guided tour of Westminster Abbey.
As the tour continues your guide will point out the famous icons of London, including Big Ben and the Parliament buildings, Whitehall, Downing Street, the London home of the Prime Minister, and Trafalgar Square before visiting Buckingham Palace for the colourful Changing of the Guard ceremony.
Back on our coach we see the exclusive district of Mayfair and Piccadilly Circus before reaching our traditional London Pub for your included lunch.
Your afternoon starts with a visit to the City of London dominated by the dome of St Paul?s Cathedral.
The Tower of London awaits. Here we meet the magnificent Beefeaters, dressed in their Tudor uniforms. A visit to the Jewel House, which displays the Crown Jewels, is a ?must?.
Our Full day finishes with a cruise on London?s famous River Thames, during which a Thames Waterman will point out places of interest along the way. Your cruise will end at Westminster Pier where you rejoin your coach.
Sep 20th, 2004, 09:23 PM
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no, I don't think it is. Most of this is free, except for the price of a London bus ticket (I think the 11 takes you past most of these sights). So really, what you'd pay for if you did it yourself would be the visit to the Tower of London (and beefeater tour is part of the price of entry), the lunch, and the very short trip along the Thames from Tower Hill to Westminster.
Sep 20th, 2004, 10:26 PM
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Good grief, even if you were not on a budget I would avoid this!
I would check out the hop on/hop off bus tours-- much cheaper, and you can do things at your own pace. Then consider selecting an Original London Walks tour-- or two. You could take 10 of them for less than the cost of this! and the Walking Tours are really quite good-- every one I've been on has been enjoyable and a good value. (Also, you don't need to book in advance, just show up at the meeting place and pay there. so you can arrange when you arrive, although you might want to check out their website before departure (there are brochures for this at every hotel in London, I think.
I would check out the hop on/hop off bus tours-- much cheaper, and you can do things at your own pace. Then consider selecting an Original London Walks tour-- or two. You could take 10 of them for less than the cost of this! and the Walking Tours are really quite good-- every one I've been on has been enjoyable and a good value. (Also, you don't need to book in advance, just show up at the meeting place and pay there. so you can arrange when you arrive, although you might want to check out their website before departure (there are brochures for this at every hotel in London, I think.
Sep 20th, 2004, 11:07 PM
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I agree with the other posters. The hop on hop off bus covers most of the sites mentioned. All you will see of Downing Street is you stand at a large iron fence and look down the street. That is as close as you will get to Number 10. The walks with London Walks are well worth the price. A great introduction to the neighborhoods of London. Pub walks are fun. The tour of Greenwich includes a boat ride on the Thames. The walks are 5 GBP.
Sep 21st, 2004, 03:51 AM
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You've gotten good advice.
At the Tower of London, the tour with the Beefeaters is automatically included in the price of admission. At Westminster Abbey, we paid a little extra (£4?) for the special verger's tour and thought it well worthwhile.
At the Tower of London, the tour with the Beefeaters is automatically included in the price of admission. At Westminster Abbey, we paid a little extra (£4?) for the special verger's tour and thought it well worthwhile.
Sep 21st, 2004, 04:48 AM
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I would agree to forget this planned tour. The worst of all is that final "cruise" on the river which will take a lot of your precious time that could be better spent. I'm a fan of the hop on, hop off bus for a single day of sightseeing, because you do get the commentary and see most of the major sites, plus you can get off and explore on your own as well. If you don't want to spend an hour walking around Westminster Abbey, you don't have to. Only get off at those spots where you'd like to do a little more exploring.
Sep 21st, 2004, 05:02 AM
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I too recommend the hop on/hop off busses as opposed to this. You will cover all these places on the bus, and its much cheaper. Then you can get on/off the bus at your leisure, exploring the areas that interest you. The cruise down the Thames is very inexpensive and can be done yourself.
Sep 21st, 2004, 05:04 AM
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London is frightfully expensive. What we pay dollars for is priced in an equivalent number of pounds over there. So take if you figure £6.00 for a small pizza is about right, multiply it by 1.8 to convert it to the real cost in dollars.
Most of what you list is as others have stated quite findable and doable on your own.
I sure as (*)&%* would not spend $110 per person for what you describe. Good guide books will tell you how to find it all. You can do the same for $150 less -- at least
Most of what you list is as others have stated quite findable and doable on your own.
I sure as (*)&%* would not spend $110 per person for what you describe. Good guide books will tell you how to find it all. You can do the same for $150 less -- at least
Sep 21st, 2004, 06:54 AM
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The hop on and off bus tour we have taken twice includes a river cruise to/from the Tower and Westminster. I think it is called the "original" bus tour. I agree that instead of a guided tour you should take the hop on and off bus (ticket good for 24 hours) and just get on and off as you please, and pay only for the places you really want to visit, such as the Tower (discount tickets sold on the bus.
Sep 21st, 2004, 10:04 AM
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Depending on how long you will be in London, you wouldn't even have to take the hop on/off bus tours. Everything you mentioned is easy enough to do on your own - and all it will cost is admission to the sites and the cost of a daily or weekly tube/bus pass.
All the London sites have web pages that will tell you how to get there (nearest tube/bus stop), price of admission, opening hours and any special events going on. Just start googling.
All the London sites have web pages that will tell you how to get there (nearest tube/bus stop), price of admission, opening hours and any special events going on. Just start googling.
Sep 21st, 2004, 10:55 AM
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Hi there,
I just completed my first trip to London. While we stayed at a wonderful hotel, Parkes Hotel in Knightsbridge, we found getting around on the tube easy and fun. But we walked everywhere. We did take cab to Traflager Square on our first day, but once we saw how easy it was, we started taking the tube which is a loop route and just walked and walked, often taking one bridge across Thames and different bridge back across. I thought of the hop on-hop off buses but never found the need. London is way too expense for me! And I didn't find the food worth the price we paid nor the shopping good. But the weather was grand, in the low to mid 70s and no rain. We took a day trip to Bath and found that easy to do, too. Looking at the countryside from the train was so pleasant.
I just completed my first trip to London. While we stayed at a wonderful hotel, Parkes Hotel in Knightsbridge, we found getting around on the tube easy and fun. But we walked everywhere. We did take cab to Traflager Square on our first day, but once we saw how easy it was, we started taking the tube which is a loop route and just walked and walked, often taking one bridge across Thames and different bridge back across. I thought of the hop on-hop off buses but never found the need. London is way too expense for me! And I didn't find the food worth the price we paid nor the shopping good. But the weather was grand, in the low to mid 70s and no rain. We took a day trip to Bath and found that easy to do, too. Looking at the countryside from the train was so pleasant.
Sep 21st, 2004, 02:27 PM
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I agree with Kayb95 .
You just purchase an all day bus/tube pass and pick up a free bus/tube map and you have access to everything. Acquire a free map before you depart from home (British Tourism) and highlight all that you want to see. Then hop on the nearest bus. I like the old fashioned double deckers where I can sit up front.
You can purchase the bus/tube passes for 1,2 or 4 or whatever number of days you will be there and you can get to places the hop on /off bus doesn't reach and you can also take the tube if you like.
If you see the late evening Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London you can use your all day pass to take the bus or tube to get there and back .
You just purchase an all day bus/tube pass and pick up a free bus/tube map and you have access to everything. Acquire a free map before you depart from home (British Tourism) and highlight all that you want to see. Then hop on the nearest bus. I like the old fashioned double deckers where I can sit up front.
You can purchase the bus/tube passes for 1,2 or 4 or whatever number of days you will be there and you can get to places the hop on /off bus doesn't reach and you can also take the tube if you like.
If you see the late evening Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London you can use your all day pass to take the bus or tube to get there and back .
Sep 21st, 2004, 07:17 PM
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If you DO decide on the hop-on/hop-off bus, go to the website for Big Bus (bigbus.co.uk) and book your ticket in advance... you can save £2 off each ticket.
I would recommend it because you get commentary and can learn some little extra things, especially on the routes with a live guide.
I would recommend it because you get commentary and can learn some little extra things, especially on the routes with a live guide.
Sep 21st, 2004, 09:10 PM
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Definitely not worth it!
I just came back 2 weeks ago from my first trip (still wish I was there) I did the Big Bus with the commentary for 12 pounds, I believe Westminster Abbey was 5 pounds and you could get a guided tour while your're there, or just buy the guide book.
Like others have said, just about everything you mention is free and trust me London is EASY to get around. Within a day or so, I felt like I was at home, I had a small map with me to make sure I was going the right way, but honestly, I would have felt hindered with a guide for all of those. And having said that, I went to Italy on an organized tour last year, so I have nothing against tours, but this one would be a waste of your money, especially if you are going on a budget. Do it on your own!!!
Have fun, I LOVED London!
I just came back 2 weeks ago from my first trip (still wish I was there) I did the Big Bus with the commentary for 12 pounds, I believe Westminster Abbey was 5 pounds and you could get a guided tour while your're there, or just buy the guide book.
Like others have said, just about everything you mention is free and trust me London is EASY to get around. Within a day or so, I felt like I was at home, I had a small map with me to make sure I was going the right way, but honestly, I would have felt hindered with a guide for all of those. And having said that, I went to Italy on an organized tour last year, so I have nothing against tours, but this one would be a waste of your money, especially if you are going on a budget. Do it on your own!!!
Have fun, I LOVED London!
Sep 21st, 2004, 10:04 PM
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lyb
I am getting ready for my 8th trip to London and I'm just as excited about this visit as I was on my first. I will never get tired of this great city. Plus, it is a great jumping off point for the rest of Europe. The budget airlines have good deals. I flew to Rome last Feb for 38 GBP RT.
I am getting ready for my 8th trip to London and I'm just as excited about this visit as I was on my first. I will never get tired of this great city. Plus, it is a great jumping off point for the rest of Europe. The budget airlines have good deals. I flew to Rome last Feb for 38 GBP RT.
Sep 22nd, 2004, 01:19 AM
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Check this out: www.citiesforfree.com. I just found that last night. Someone has put together a London tour you can do yourself with a day pass for the regular city busses (₤2.50).
I haven't tested it out myself, but seems like a good way to go on the cheap!
I haven't tested it out myself, but seems like a good way to go on the cheap!
Sep 23rd, 2004, 07:34 AM
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London Transport has a free map of bus routes serving main tourist attractions, available in a single leaflet with the tube map. You should be able to get it at any tube station or online at
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/tourist_map.shtml
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/tourist_map.shtml
Sep 23rd, 2004, 07:55 AM
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If you buy a Travelcard, it covers all tubes, buses and trains, and also gives a one-third discount on most boat trips: a one-hour return boat trip from Westminster to the Tower will then cost you about £4 and a two-hour return boat trip to Greenwich is less than £6.
