Honeymoon in London, questions.
 

Hello all,

My fiance and I will be celebrating half of our honeymoon in London starting on April 25th. We arrive at LHR at around 7AM, ---We will leave London to Paris on the following Sunday May 1st.

I have a few questions, please see below :)

1. From Heathrow to Hotel, is this the best route?

30 mins ---tube
Piccadilly line to Hammersmith Underground Station

12 mins ----tube
District line to Sloane Square Underground Station

10 mins ---bus
137 bus or 452 bus to Battersea Park / Chelsea Gate

4 mins
Walk to 1 Chelsea Bridgewharf, Vauxhall

2. It looks like it's raining quite a bit for awhile, guessing it will be quite messy while we are there? Not sure how the rain goes in London, here it's somewhat miserable when it goes for days of raining(North Carolina, USA)

3. Whats the best way to exchange dollars to pounds, here in the US? Or in London?

4. What time should we leave our hotel to be at the warner brothers harry potter tour at 11:30AM? The route from http://www.tfl.gov.uk/ mentions its around 2hr trip, although I read it's only like 20km from london??

5. Best Windsor castle day trip tour? Or how would I get there?Any advice on this?

6. I believe we will definitely be getting the oyster card, still not sure if we should do the travel card. 6 Full Days in London. I'm guessing we can get the oyster card at the picadilly station that's at LHR terminal 3?

A little regret that our hotel will always involve a bus route, but it seems like a very awesome hotel and it was a very good price so, perhaps we shall just see.

1) If you can cancel I would consider it. That is not going to be a very convenient area to stay for your time in London. But if it is paid and no-refundable -- then I would pre- book a car service like justairports.com

>>A little regret that our hotel will always involve a bus route, but it seems like a very awesome hotel and it was a very good price so, perhaps we shall just see.<<

That very good price may be a very false economy.

2) there is absolutely no way to know what the weather will be 3 weeks from now. and even IF it is rainy- it won't be 'messy', just rainy. And maybe rainy in only parts of the city -- yep, could be showers in Battersea and dry as a bone at the Tower.

3) DON'T exchange money anywhere. Just use you ATM card to get £ while you are in London.

4) >>mentions its around 2hr trip, although I read it's only like 20km from london??<< Could take even longer depending on if you make your connections. I would leave before 9AM.

5) Don't take a tour -- just tale a train to Windsor. But actually -- I might consider Hampton Court Palace instead.

6) Yes you can get Oysters at Heathrow. But I'd take a car service instead and then get a paper travel card at the Battersea Park station after you arrive. Then you can get 2for1 discounts at a lot of sites. https://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/2for1-london

(ACTUALLY -- I'd cancel that hotel and book elsewhere but assuming you keep you current booking)

Yes you will want a 7 day zone 1-2 travelcard (the break even for getting a 7 day card is about 4.5 days)

1. Take a car service instead of lugging your junk onto the bus. If you're dropping the scratch on a flat at Chelsea Bridge Wharf, you can handle 38 quid for Just Airports or similar.

2. London weather changes frequently. Don't try to predict it generally, definitely don't try to predict it 3 weeks in advance.

3. Your request makes no sense. Exchanging money is from the 1980s. Go to an ATM (Heathrow is full of them) and pull out cash. Use the ATM card that has the best foreign exchange rate and the lowest withdrawal charge. If you have a credit union account or Capital One or various other banks, that works. Alert your bank (and your credit card companies) that you'll be out of the country.

<b>THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO NEED FOR YOU TO TAKE A SINGLE DOLLAR TO THE UK AND NO NEED FOR YOU TO GET POUNDS IN THE US.</b>

4. <no clue>

5. Waterloo station - take the train to Windsor & Eton.

6. Your plan is conceptually incorrect. You should unquestionably obtain seven-day paper travelcards for zone 1-2 at the nearest national rail station (Victoria, Vauxhall, etc.). Bring passport photo sized headshots. Go to www.daysoutguide.co.uk to see the discounts you can receive - two admissions for the price of one at places like the Tower, Churchill War Rooms, St. Paul's, and more.

Im an idiot as well, forgot to mention hotel=Pestana Chelsea Bridge

Hi, I was just in London and the weather was gorgeous. It's anyones guess what it will be like the end of April.

Your route from LHR looks okay, but why not go for a car service? Try justairports or similar ones. It's you honeymoon after all.

Don't exchange dollars for pounds, but use an ATM card to withdraw cash in London. You can do this at the airport when you arrive.

The easiest thing is to get an Oyster Card and load some money onto that. There's a maximum of 6.50 per day for travel in zone 1 and 2.
If you want to take advantage of 2 for 1 offers at London attractions, you need a paper travel card from a train station. There are lots of threads on here regarding that.

I was posting at the same time as Janisj - much the same advice!

You're in a nice residential area, next to Battersea Park by the looks of it. Not so convenient for public transport.

rain; London is basically the driest place in the UK and there are hundreds of places to pop into to stay dry in. The weather changes daily. The BBC's supercomputers tell you what the weather will be like to the hour by the local zone, so you get all the info you need. (yes there is an APP for it), also buy a light weight umbrella and just stick it in your pocket.

The city was laid out for the horse and cart and continues to achieve that speed despite/because of the introduction of the automobile. (there are many university papers on the subject).

as janisj says

@JanisJ
First of all, thank you for helping me the last few months with the information. Unfortunately the Hotel is where we will just have to stay. Tried the hotwire name your price, the deal was extremely good, and hopefully the 7min daily bus ride to the next station isn't going to be too bad for us.

Duly noted on the weather. I just don't want to have to be stuck indoors all trip and it being miserable to get from A to B.

Thank you for the currency information, we have a 0% interest no Foreign fees card, so we would just primarily use that, but didn't know if we would ever need actual paper money.

Sounds good to me. Tours seem a bit pricey so this is better :)

I was looking into a few car services, but we have spent a great deal of money for a new house/wedding/honeymoon so in order for me to get my way and have a few elegant dinners on this trip and other such luxuries I was trying to save money as best as possible lol.

Is a travelcard only good if you do 2for1? We already booked the tickets for the London Eye damnit :/

@BigRuss
I'll look into this, any recommendations? I think black something or another was mentioned in another thread I read. ---Do you tip the drivers after?

Sounds good on the weather, hoping for some dry in there, still :)

I would burn all money to the ground if I could, I don't remember the last time I had any, I use my CC 99.9% of the time, but did not know if I needed cash for something or not.

Re the travelcard, my last update to JanisJ I'd like to direct at you as well :)

@Tulips

I was definitely going for the oyster card as the 6.50£ max sounded great, but then I saw a bunch of mentions for travelcards and what not for longer than 5 day stays.


Thank you all :)!

<<Is a travelcard only good if you do 2for1?>>

A paper travelcard is necessary for 2for1 offers.

You can load a "travelcard" onto the Oyster and use that - as Janis mentioned, the break-even point is 4.5 days. But the Oystercard is absolutely USELESS for the two-fers. And two-fers are necessary if you're really going to save money - use at the Tower and the War Rooms will offset the cost of your car service.

justairports will only cost about £25 or £30 for door-to-door from arrivals at LHR to the front door of the hotel. You will need cash for tgat because they charge less for cash payment. But you can get £100 or so from the ATM in the arrival hall at the airport while you wait for your bags to come off the carousel. That is £25 total -- not per person.

>> I just don't want to have to be stuck indoors all trip and it being miserable to get from A to B.<<

There is no reason on earth to stay indoors just because there is a little rain. Just carry very small collapsible umbrellas.

Since you did a blind bidding, full payment booking (you obviously selected inconvenient zones) you'll just have to make the best of things. Hotwire/Priceline are great but one does need to understand the zones and bidding rules.

But there is a train station walking distance from the hotel so you probably don't need to take buses (unless you just want to). It will take 15 mins from Battersea Park station to Victoria and then you can take the tube where ever you want.

@Bigruss
Sounds good. I will go with the travelcard then. Is this the one I need a passport photo for? I believe zone 1-2 will be best for me, and 7 days. I think it's around 32.50£ ---Do I get the oyster card, then tell them I want a travelcard at the same location, or?

@JanisJ

Thank you for the reference I'll look into setting something up with them.

I just think of rain here that it's basically pouring and cats and dogs are raining from the heavens, it's hard to want to go outside when you will be absolutely soaked.

I'm fine with the hotel, the zones mentioned were chelsea which I thought was a good zone. But unfortunately it did cover across the thames. We will know better for next time. Im thinking it wont spoil our trip :)

Is a train better/faster than a bus? Sorry not really sure which would be better for time and usability.

>>Do I get the oyster card, . . .<<

I would NOT get Oysters. Walk to the Battersea Park station and buy two seven-day zone 1-2 <u><B>paper travelcards</u></B>. The paper cards will get you in 2 for the price of 1 for some very expensive places like the Tower of London, St Paul's etc. It will save you a fortune. but you MUST HAVE PAPER TRAVELCARDS FROM A TRAIN STATION to get the discounts. That will more than save you enough to pay for justairports . . . ;)

>>Is a train better/faster than a bus? << The train is pretty quick to Victoria and then you can take the tube or buses everywhere. The bus takes a little longer.

Too bad you already purchased tix on the Eye - it is very weather dependent.

@JanisJ

Oh, so Paper Travelcard. Jeeze there is just so much it seems haha. So for this Paper TravelCard, where do I obtain this, do I need a passport photo? How do you use it, i know with oyster you tap it on some yellow box, how does this one get used?

Thank you for the train tip, much appreciated as I did not know this.

Rats :/ I figured it might book up quickly so we purchased them. I feel dumb now argh.

>>where do I obtain this<<

read my responses . . . it has been mentioned several times - <u>Battersea Park Station</u>

>>how does this one get used?<<

You insert it into a slot on the gate just above where you would tap the Oyster, and it pops out the top.

The paper ticket slots are on the front of turnstiles i.e. below the Oyster touch pads, which mostly sit on top of the turnstile.

I say mostly because some stations have Oyster touchpads on the walls instead.

For any journey planning always use the Tfl website (it looks like you did for the first part of your question), which will give you tube and bus options. Walkit.com will sort you for any part of any shorter journey you might want to do on foot.

Oh I thought there was a difference between paper travelcard and travelcard. Guessing then this is the one Ill need a passport photo for.

Thanks for the information

In the UK "rain" can mean anything from mist to drizzle to showers to downpours - and it can change by the hour and be different in places a couple of miles apart. And you may get an hour of rain out of 24 - or it may be the whole day. What you don;t get is the tropical thunderstorm downpours you get in some parts of the US in summer (when you can;t see the other side of the street).

I know the idea of just ignoring the rain may seem weird to people who drive everywhere rather than using feet as a major part of your transportation (as you do in large cities) but you can really just ignore it. You need to make sure you carry a small folding umbrella and that you are wearing well-broken in walking shoes that don't absorb water (fabric sneakers will not work). I always take a tissue weight rain jacket with hood which is plenty unless you have steady rain (it fits in a tiny pouch and weighs a couple of ounces).

AS for your location - definitely walk to a train/tube rather than waiting around for a bus and then sitting in traffic. In you post above you list the times for each mode of transit - but not the time you have to wait for each one to turn up. If it;s a busy tube line it may be 5 minutes. If it's a local bus you may wait 30 minutes for one (it's obvious you travel only by car - for public transit you always need to build in this waiting time). For us (NYC) anything less than a mile or 1.5 miles is always walking distance - since waiting for transit is not worth it.

And agree not to change any money - carrying a lot of cash is not sensible and the rte of exchange would be horrendous.. Pull money from your checking account at bank ATMs - safest and the best rates of exchange. And yes, you will need cash for quite a few small purchases.

AS for Windsor you can just hop a train and see it yourself. But agree that Hampton Court Palace is more interesting (esp if you have any interest in the Tudors - or for background watch the miniseries before you go) since there are a lot of costumed docents demonstrating how life was lived then as well as a maze and beautiful grounds. You can take train one way and boat the other if you want.

Looks like there's a Santander Bike station near your hotel. If you're comfortable cycling, use the bikes to get to Sloane Square.

@Tulips
Ugh I hate riding bikes, lol. I did that as a kid so much that I just can't stand the thought. Love to walk but hate bikes.

@nytraveler
Hello again! Thank you for your input :)

Ooh that's very good to know regarding the rain. Makes me feel a bit better, I have lots of storms where I can't see across the road, so I know what you mean :p

I saw that bus times are posted on the tfl site, so thats what I was going by. Didn't think I'd be sitting around waiting for long at all if we arrive on time or a few minutes early, but traffic is another thought I did not have, so I agree. Train it is, hopefully the one that's close to the hotel isn't too far away.

When you say at Bank ATMs, do you mean bank ATMs in London? I doubt my bank has an ATM over there as it's specific to North Carolina.

I've not looked into Hampton Court Palace at all, so I've no idea what it's about other than things in this thread. I'll have to look it over.

>>When you say at Bank ATMs, do you mean bank ATMs in London? <<

yes. In London - or in your case probably in the arrivals hall at Heathrow (as mentioned above) so you'll have cash for your Just Airports driver. You insert your card, key in your PIN and request x number of £ -- and just like magic -- our pop £ notes (they aren't called 'bills' like in the States).

UK banks have cash machines just like back home and you can use any of them. BTW -- some machines will ask if you want the amount calculated in US$ . . . no you don't. Just decline that <i>service</i> - it would cost you more.

Some more info on getting cash. Yes, use you ATM card in any ATM in/near London that has the same interbank symbol on it. If you put it in a "wrong" ATM, the ATM will simply reject your card - no harm done. Do you know what your bank will charge you for withdrawing money from a foreign ATM? There are two kinds of fees: exchange fees (large banks in the US will charge you 3%) and ATM fees (large banks in the US charge as much as $5 per use). There are banks that don't charge this much, but do ask your bank - and make sure they know that you will be using your card in the UK. You will need cash for some things, but it makes sense to use your credit card as much as possible, especially since it doesn't charge for foreign exchange.

<<BTW -- some machines will ask if you want the amount calculated in US$ . . . no you don't. Just decline that service - it would cost you more.>>

This goes for everything - restaurants and especially top tourist stores (F&M, Harrod's, Duty Free) will offer you the option to pay in dollars. Always say no.

<B>ALWAYS INSIST UPON BEING CHARGED IN POUNDS, NOT DOLLARS.</B>

The practice is called "Dynamic Currency Conversion" or DCC and it always hits you for 5-8% more than the actual exchange rate. Don't think these options come without cost.

Thank you everyone for the tips on currency Exchange/withdrawal. I really appreciate it. I'll be calling my bank today to check the status of everything =)

Question, is it a good idea to post itinerary, as we have went through 5/6 days of what we think we can do? To get critiques/feedback?

>>I'll be calling my bank today to check the status of everything <<

Don't expect your bank to know much -- or to give out accurate information. Just not in most US banks DNA. Do call them (and your credit card company(s) just before you leave so they don't put a fraud prevention block on the cards when you try to use them overseas.

>>is it a good idea to post itinerary, as we have went through 5/6 days of what we think we can do? To get critiques/feedback?<<

Might be - yes . . .

Why call the bank? You raise points as if you're in my parents' generation (exchanging $, calling the bank), and they know to use the ATM and work online even though they each became Social Security eligible in the '90s.

Banks don't need calls, they need notification. You give notification on their websites - for your money accounts, for your credit card issuers, for any other institution who holds funds that you may tap while in Europe. It's simple, just make sure you warn each one.

And yeah, post the itinerary. Janis will pick over the corpus of it and rearrange (or offer enhancements for) your whole trip for the better within about 20 minutes.

My bank is a futuristic bank with high tech, I don't know how to let them know much of this information online as there is nothing like this. Why not just call for information? I don't understand, does someone die from calling them?

>>Why not just call for information? I don't understand, does someone die from calling them?<<

(I bank w/ three banks and one credit union and have traveled to Europe at least 2 or 3 times a year for 3 decades) - The point is that 9 times out of 10 US-based bank customer service staff know nothing, or almost nothing, about foreign currency. Most of the time they will say things like "We can get you £ with no fees" -- not telling you that they'll use a really lousy exchange rate. Or "The banks in London will charge you high fees to get cash" when there are no fees to use ATMs in the UK. They just don't know.

No, you won't die. Just don't rely on anything they say >)

Just wait til the week before you leave and call you bank and credit card issuer to give them the dates you will be out of the country, and which countries you are visiting. That is all you need to do . . .

<<My bank is a futuristic bank with high tech, I don't know how to let them know much of this information online as there is nothing like this>>

If it's really high tech, it'll have a place for you to contact it: (1) email or message (my cap one online bank had this); (2) alert setting; (3) travel notification (2-3 of my accounts had this option in their drop down menus).

And I'm going to take my own advice right now for a future trip . . .

Congratulations on your marriage ~ all the best to you-

If you decide on Hampton Court, print out the 2FOR1 voucher:
https://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/hampton-court-palace

If your choice is Windsor, there is a "combined" train + castle ticket which
will save you a few GBP. Just ask at the train ticket window.
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/92346.aspx

BigRuss, I bank with one credit union and one bank, and can easily do almost all transactions online. But one thing I cannot do is a travel notification -
both institutions require a phone call for that.

My credit cards are CapitalOne, (who thankfully charge no foreign transaction fees), and they make it very simple to set up the travel notification on line.

Its a mistake to think one's own experience is universal.

And let's cut this OP some slack - they're in the middle of planning a wedding!

>>But one thing I cannot do is a travel notification - both institutions require a phone call for that.<<


same here -- 3 of my financial institutions definitely require personal contact -- not on-line. Either face to face w/ a teller or by phone.

Not 100% sure about the others (my other bank account and the three credit cards that aren't affiliated w/ my banks/credit union) -- I just always phone since I have to call the others anyway.

1. From Heathrow to Hotel, is this the best route?

My experience is the best choice is to see if the shuttle hits your hotel or a hotel within walking distance. But we've thankfully learned to pack lightly, so the walking is easy.

2. It looks like it's raining quite a bit for awhile, guessing it will be quite messy while we are there? Not sure how the rain goes in London, here it's somewhat miserable when it goes for days of raining(North Carolina, USA)

My experience of rain in London is weirdly minimal, though we've had some cold weather on some of our visits. I said weirdly minimal given the times we've visited. My experience is wear some all weather gear with a rain jacket and a flat fold umbrella in your pocket. In a lot of cases it is easier to just flip your hood up and skip the umbrella as you are up and down with it so much.

3. Whats the best way to exchange dollars to pounds, here in the US? Or in London?

Check your bank's website. Most major banks have partnerships with banks in other countries such that your fees will be minimal using the ATM there. I've tried getting cash in advance at my bank and not found it to be any cheaper. Usually it is more expensive than just using the ATMs at the partner in London.

4. What time should we leave our hotel to be at the warner brothers harry potter tour at 11:30AM? The route from http://www.tfl.gov.uk/ mentions its around 2hr trip, although I read it's only like 20km from london??

5. Best Windsor castle day trip tour? Or how would I get there?Any advice on this?

I would just ride the train out and do it as a diy tour. Google London to Windsor and you should find several websites with extensive details as to where to pick up the right train. When we did it, that's what I did. The blog we found had video showing how the signs look and everything. There's a lot to see at the castle + loads more to do in the area.

6. I believe we will definitely be getting the oyster card, still not sure if we should do the travel card. 6 Full Days in London. I'm guessing we can get the oyster card at the picadilly station that's at LHR terminal 3?

A little regret that our hotel will always involve a bus route, but it seems like a very awesome hotel and it was a very good price so, perhaps we shall just see.

A lot of people are probably going to naysay the bus thing but we absolutely LOVED riding the buses. Gave us a chance to eye up the locals and sometimes we were able to ride upstairs, too. I wouldn't bother for short hops during rush hour unless you must but otherwise riding at the top is great fun. Also, it will give you a bit of a feel for how the buses work. Once we figured out how to hop on and off the regular city buses we were able to hopscotch wherever we needed to go around town with ease. Much more convenient in many cases than the tube.

Congrats on your upcoming nuptials and have a great time!

You will have a great time! It is easy to feel intimidated by all the detail, but you will be fine. Your hotel will also be able to give advice and point you in the right direction.
The following had already been said by janis and others, but I want to make sure you know this is important:
Three or four days before you go, phone your bank/s. Tell them that you will use your cards in England and France. Give them exact dates. If you do not do this, they will block your card after the firrst international transaction, and you will not be able to withdraw money. This happened to me on my very first overseas trip. If at all possible, have more than one or two cards, so that you have a backup if the machine eats your card.

Take a car from Heathrow to the hotel. You may be tired and a bit disoriented after a long flight. I will rather save money in other ways, but struggling with luggage in the rain on an unfamiliar transport system, with the possibility of misunderstanding and getting lost ... NOT a good way to start your adventure.

You have made a good start on the tfl site. Use this to see how easy it is to get to Windsor on your own. Just go early, so that you are there before the tour buses.

You will be busy with your wedding and other things now, but do read a few trip reports. It helped me to visualise and plan.

Happy planning!

This is my TR of my first visit to London. Perhaps you will glean a few ideas that will help with your planning. You will see how incredibly generous and helpful Fodorites were.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-in-london.cfm

>>My experience is the best choice is to see if the shuttle hits your hotel or a hotel within walking distance.<<

Not applicable in this situation.

>>Most major banks have partnerships with banks in other countries such that your fees will be minimal using the ATM there.<<

The only US bank that applies to is BofA and Barclays.

Hello Kovsie,

I love trip reports. Thank you for sending me yours. I appreciate it. Excited to read it.

I'm confident with the answers to my questions and the help of the community that I'm in a great place now. I'll probably make a new thread regarding my itinerary, unless Janis you think I should place it here??

Hi,

Yes, maybe start a new thread w/ your daily plans . . . this one is getting long and we've pretty much kicked around the location/transport/$$/££/€€ issues :)

You could start either one or two new threads: Something like "London & Paris how does this look?" or two similar threads, one for London and a separate one for Paris.

Will do, Thanks Janis.

Oh yeah...Paris...we are going there too...oops (No itin yet)