I am getting very confused by all the information I'm finding. Here is what we want to do. Can someone help me figure out what is the best way and cheapest way to do it? I am traveling with my husband and 15 year old son.<BR><BR>June 4-Wednesday Arrive London at 6:45 at Gatwick<BR>Question: what is the best way to get to our hotel at 1 Queens Gardens?<BR><BR>We would like to go to Tower of London, Westminster Abbey and toward the end of the day ride London Eye.<BR><BR>Question: The travel cards sound good but which one do I buy and do I buy it hear or there?<BR><BR>June 5-Thursday<BR>St Paul's Cathedral<BR>British Museum<BR>Chislehurst Caves<BR><BR>June 6--Friday<BR>Alton Towers<BR>Question: We don't want to rent a car. What is the best way to get there?<BR><BR>June 7--Saturday<BR>National Gallery<BR>Maybe hit the Half Price Ticket Booth for theater tickets.<BR><BR>June8--Sunday<BR>Dublin, Ireland<BR>Question: We want to go to Dublin for a day. I know about EasyJet.com is flying the easiest and cheapest way or is the rail and the ferry best?<BR><BR>June 9--Monday<BR>Return late to London<BR><BR>June 10--Tuesday<BR><BR>Return home<BR><BR>June 6

First buy a map of London and the UK if you haven't already done so to orient yourself. Then look a www.thetube.com and print a map of the underground. Tubeplanner to get routes. WWW.gatwickexpress.com for the train from the airport. www.thetrainline.com for trains to other places. <BR> You may want to ride the BIG BUS the first day to get idea of where everything is. <BR> The travelcard can be bought on line without a photo . Just follow the links for non uk visitors. Your schedule has you crossing paths many times . Suggest you look at the map a bit closer and compare it with tube routes. Enjoy your trip! www.ryanair.com for plane tickets from Stansted also. Plan on doing alot of walking up narrow winding staircases at many attractions. Maybe Ben Haines could send you some of his information, HE IS The Expert, Enjoy

My initial reaction is to your two day-trips you have planned. Please don't think I am trying to criticise your plans, but your time in London is not a lot and there is so much to do there I would stay local and do a day trip that is nearer to London (Cambridge, Brighton,...) if you fancy escaping London for a day.<BR><BR>You can't really do Dublin in a day from London, it's not worth it in my opinion. I know the plane only takes an hour or so from London but by the time you've added getting to the airports, check-in times etc you won't have long in Dublin.<BR><BR>I grew up going to Alton Towers lots and thought it was great. However, assuming you are from the US, I have since been to one of your Six Flags theme parks and they seem much better for thrill rides (is this what you're going for?). I have only been to Magic Mountain near LA though. It would take about three hours to get to Alton Towers from London. I would check out their website (www.altontowers.com) which gives details of an all-inclusive package offered by Virgin Trains from London.<BR><BR>Alternative theme parks closer to London (but not as good in my opinion) are Chessington World of Adventures and Thorpe Park.

Nothing comes to mind that would meet ALL your requirements of being the&quot; easiest way, and &quot; the best way &quot; and &quot; the cheapest way&quot; to do the itinerary you are proposing.<BR><BR>The &quot;easiest &quot; way to get from Gatwick to your hotel is by a pre-booked car service, a driver would meet you at the airport and take you directly to your hotel. <BR><BR>You can buy daily travel cards at any Underground Station , the travelcard that allows travel only after 09:30 is a bit cheaper than the travelcard that allows travel earlier in the day,<BR><BR> On your Thursday itinerary, the British Museum alone can take up half a day there is so much to see . <BR> The Chistlehurst caves close at 4 PM (and the tours are 45 minutes long )so you would need to plan accordingly.<BR><BR>Take a look at http://www.alton-towers.co.uk/parksite.htm , that has information to get there via rail. <BR><BR>Traveling to Dublin for a day ( when you have allotted only 6 days for your entire trip ) doesn't seem practical. But if you still want to go there, know that the rail-ferry option would eat up a big chunk of your day, just the London - Holyhead train trip will take about 5 hours. and then you would still have to take a ferry. <BR><BR><BR><BR><BR> <BR><BR><BR>

Thanks, I have bought a map and your right, I was crossing back and forth. I think I have fixed that. <BR><BR>We are American and we have been to several Six Flag Parks and Cedar Point. We know Alton Tower will be different but my son and husband really want to ride the rollercoasters. We want to see the difference in the parks from a culture stand point.<BR><BR>As far as Dublin is concerned, my son and I are Irish. We just want to step foot on Irish land. I am a teacher and have been saving for the trip for two years. I wanted to stay longer but the time is good for all of us to go. <BR><BR>If anyone else has help on the Travel passes and the attraction passes please let me know.

Very ambitious. Keep in mind that when you arrive at 6:45 you'll be tired. Don't bite off more than you can chew. <BR><BR>I recommend The Complete Works of Shakespeare with your son. Lots of fun and you can surly get half price tickets at the theater in the afternoon (or around noon I think). Be sure your son brings his student ID.

Hi,<BR><BR>Have to echo other posters here...Dublin is a pretty-distant &quot;field trip&quot; on a 5 day trip. London deserves more time and Ireland deserves a separate trip (personal opinion, of course).<BR><BR>Regards your other questions: <BR><BR>Gatwick is 28 miles south of central London and any road-based transportation during morning rush hours can be frustrating. I recommend the Gatwick Express direct from the airport to Victoria Station and then a taxi to your hotel. Non-express trains also run from the airport, for less money.<BR><BR>You will be jet-lagged on your arrival day. It may be hard to stay awake and appreciate all the history in dark, quiet Westminster Abbey. The Tower is somewhat more active, outdoors, etc. But you'll want to devote several hours to visiting the Tower. Riding the London Eye at sunset is wonderful and definately NOT sleep-inducing.<BR><BR>The London VISITOR Travelcard can be purchased online and does not require an ID photo (other Travelcards, purchased in London DO require the photo). For all the info on the cards, check the Transport For London website at<BR> <BR> http://www.londontransport.co.uk<BR><BR>Alternative is to buy daily family passes in London, for travel after 9.30 a.m. every day. This is the least expensive pass (details on the website).<BR><BR>Just out of curiousity: why Chislehurst Caves and Alton Towers? Have never heard of those sights being on a &quot;must-see&quot; list for a short trip to London. But if you wish to go, Chislehurst is about 30 minutes by train from London. For rail schedules:<BR><BR> http://www.rail.co.uk<BR><BR>There are also train/bus packages for Alton Towers. Their website is:<BR> http://www.altontowers.com/parksite.htm<BR><BR>Hope this helps.<BR><BR>David White<BR>http://www.KidsToLondon.com<BR><BR>

i second taking the train to london as the cheapest and quickest method and then a taxi to your hotel....if you haven't crossed the pond before you will be exhausted and excited and that first morning is a killer and probably your hotel won't be ready for you so you will have to wait until 2pm or so to get into your room---ask them if something is available for you just to wash you face in to refresh...<BR><BR>an alternative plan might be to jump right back on a plane at gatwick and go on to dublin for 24 hours....and then return to london and begin with your other plans....this might be attractive as you seem not to have real plans for dublin, just the visit so who cares if you are tired while there and it will save you the time back and forth to the airport for a later flight---which can take a half day....<BR><BR>personally i would scap ireland and save it for another trip...you can do it very cheaply in the winter (school vacation---i went $99 each way this winter from boston)<BR><BR>i have been to one amusement park in england on the south shore and i found it to be depressing and ugly, nothing like the exciting places we have in usa....sort of like going to atlantic city 20 years ago....<BR><BR>let you 15 year old have a pint of english ale and he will be very happy to stay in london

1 Skip Ireland. Too much to do in such a short space of time. <BR>2 Get your Travelcards here. Bring photos of all the family and go to a Tube station (pref. not at rush hour!) and inquire about a family travelcard. (Don't buy them ahead of time online, as you will pay dear.) Or you could wait to travel till after 0930 each day and buy individual ones. Zone 1 is usually fine. If you go further, just ask at the ticket desk for an extension. When you return from a further zone back into Zone 1, you do likewise.<BR>3 I see adverts in the Tube about special day trips to Alton Towers for &pound;29, train ticket and entry thrown in. Go to www.midlandmainline.com, Midland Mainline being the train company that is offering the deal. <BR>4 Slow down! Things will prob. take longer than you think. If you rush around you run the risk of being disappointed. <BR>5 It might be better value to get a car to pick you up at the airport. Try Ray Skinner or Swiss Cottage Cars (do a search on this site. They are mentioned hundreds of times.) Taxis will be v expensive. Train tickets from the airport to Victoria are about &pound;10 single (one way) and then you will need a cab to get you to your hotel, so a car door-door might be better value. (Tho' not necessarly cheaper.)

Nigel, family travelcards don't require a photo, they are available only on a daily basis from 9:30 onwards (unless the policy has changed since I was in London two years ago). They are definitely a &quot;best buy&quot; for any family with kids age 15 or under since kids go for 80p and adults are heavily discounted as well. The only catch is, even though each amily member gets their own daily pass, you are all supposed to travel together.<BR><BR>One things that HAS changed recently is that one no longer &quot;pays dear&quot; for visitors travelcards, the prices for 7-day cards are now about the same as for weekly travelcards bought in London.

Just checked. A seven day travel card bought in the USA is #19.50 tube zones 1&amp;2 &amp; all bus zones. No photo required. Buy from London Transport at www.ticket-on-line.com

Thanks for the help. I have convinced my husband not to go to Alton Towers which gives us an extra day in London. I gave up the Caves so that should help. Someone suggested we go to Ireland the same day we come into London and I'm looking into that possiblity. I know Ireland deserves its own trip but a teachers salary only goes so far. Thanks for the suggestions on the travel cards.

I have gone to Dublin for the day, it is do-able. The key is to be very clear about what you want to do and to limit what you're going to do to only one or two things. (You may have time for more, but then that's just a nice surprise.)<BR><BR>I do have to say that I love Ireland (and I am also Irish) but I think that Dublin isn't the most interesting place to visit. If you feel comfortable doing so, I would rent a car at the Dublin airport and drive into the countryside for a while. Look at a tourbook and find some site not too far out of Dublin that gives you a destination and then just enjoy the drive, stop and have lunch someplace that looks interesting. Maybe then spend the evening in Dublin.<BR><BR>I also agree strongly with the idea of going directly to Ireland when you arrive. You are already at the airport (and therefore don't lose the time going to and fro that you would if you did it later) and you are arriving so early in London that you may have hours before you could get into your room anyway. So fly onto Dublin. Spend the afternoon and evening and back to London the next am. <BR><BR>I also think that if you're planning to go to Ireland later in the week, you'll enjoy yourself less in London, what with the vague tension about the quick trip to Ireland you'll probably carry around. (Of course, this may just be my problem.)<BR><BR>Be warned, the number of times that I have been in London when the London Eye wasn't working far outnumber the times it was. Be sure to call and check before heading over there.<BR>

It may be a little late....but you could go directly to Ireland,stay 1 1/2-2 days....catch an evening flt to London.<BR><BR>Hey....it's your vacation..do the rollercoasters etc...sounds like fun....<BR><BR>Four days in London, planned well can be fun....like they have said, you can't do everything, but TRY!!!!<BR><BR>Sleep on the plane(arrvial))....you are on vacation....you can rest when you get back home...hit the streets &quot;runnin'&quot;<BR><BR>London is wonderful!!!<BR>enjoy <BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><B R><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR >

Just a gloss on an earlier reply - getting your 15 year old a pint of ale might land you in trouble. The legal minimum age in the UK is 18. You might get away with it if you buy a bottle to drink somewhere else, or he shares your drink with a meal in a restaurant.

Dear njl,

I am sorry to have let you down. I was touring in the Balkans until yesterday.

For Dublin a no-frills flight is now the best buy. Prices rise as the flight date approaches, so you should book on-line now. Ryanair, http://www.ryanair.ie, ++44 870 156 9569, leave Gatwick at 1000, 1325, 1730, and 2055 and leave Dublin at 0815, 1140, 1545, and 1910: flights take 75 minutes. You should book in two hours before you fly, but in fact you may get away with an hour before. I like the idea of going straight to a Dublin plane, as that gives you more snoozing time, and you will not need to be wide awake to tread the green, green, grass.

With bags from Gatwick to Queens Gardens just north of Hyde Park I should take a Thameslink train to Farringdon, cross the footbridge, and take the Circle Line northwest to Bayswater. Gatwick Express brings you to the wrong side of the park. The best card for you is a one-week London travel card, bought on-line. I think your son buys a child s card. Like others, I doubt you will be awake enough on your first day to pack in all you plan.

At a newspaper shop in the Gatwick arrival concourse you can buy for three pounds the weekly listings magazine Time Out, and on the train into town consider all the plays, not just those on offer at the ticket booth. Then you can book by phone with a credit card direct with the theatre. Please read through the Fringe listings, as much of the best work is on the fringe, and it is cheap.

Welcome to Europe

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Thank you Ben for all your advice. I just looked at our tickets and we fly into Heathrow. Ryan air doesn't fly out of Heathrow but British Air does. I think I will try it. We are getting very excited about the trip. Thanks everyone.