Jeanette

My husband and I are thinking of going to London during Feb. break ( 8 days). I would apprecitate it if someone could tell us wheter to book a tour or just base ourselfs in London and just see the sites. I don't mind doing things on our own. Sometimes it cheaper than a tour.Also, if there are side tours we can take with out renting a car or do we need to rent one.<BR>Thanks <BR>Jeanette

Susie

Jeanette,<BR>If you are only going to London, there is no reason to book a tour. You will do just as well on your own. You won't need to rent a car. London has a subway, bus and taxi system. Check out some threads for great ideas where to go and what to do. Have a wonderful time. I love London!

jeanette

read your reply, What area do we stay in, where it is convient to see sights. I don't have to be in the center of things but I would like some info on hotels.<BR>thanks

Susie

Well, having only been there once, I am not expert, but you may want to stay in the theater district so you can walk around at night. All areas are easily accessible because of transportation, so do a search and find a hotel with a good rate, then decide. I stayed at the Dorchester which was out of the way during the evening and made waiting in the rain for a taxi no fun! The Dorch is really lovely, but quite exspensive, so if you are looking for a bargain, look elsewhere. I saw Thistle (sp?)hotels everywhere. I think that they are reasonanble. Dorchester was walking distance to Buckingham Palace and Harrod's and the like. Whatever you do, on your last night, have a taxi take you around and show you everything lit up at night. Ours even stopped on the tower bridge to take our picture with the tower of London in the background. He was the best tour guide ever and I think it was only 40 pounds, but worth every penny. Don't forget to have tea somewhere. This sight has lots of threads on tea. The theater is far less expensive in London than in New York, plus they have ice cream during intermission. Go see The Importance of Being Earnest while there. It is a hokey play, but will have you laughing out loud. I enjoyed it as much as the other big time shows we saw.

nancy

You do not need a tour for London. They have great hop on/off busses to give you an overview and everything is convenient by metro. You can take easy day trips if you have the time by train. If you'd like to see my trip report for a week in London, please e-mail me directly. You will be very busy just seeing London.

kelly

I used to live in London and can assure you that booking a formal tour is not necessary. There are a number of double-decker bus tours which you can catch throughout the city (best bet is Picadilly Circus) and which covers all the major tourist stops in London. If memory serves, the price is about GBP 12 per person and the ticket lasts all day.<BR><BR>There's also no need to rent a car if you don't want to go too far afield. Places like Bath, Stratford-on-Avon and Cambridge are a short train ride away (well, a few hours). If you can swing it, I would also recommend taking the Eurostar to Paris for a few days. Ooh la la!<BR><BR>I would recommend staying in the west end of London. I stayed at the Regent Palace Hotel when I first moved there, which is in Picadilly Circus and within walking distance of great places to eat, the theatre and shopping districts such as Oxford Circus and Covent Garden. It's fairly inexpensive by London standards and the rooms are decent and clean, but not luxurious by any means.<BR><BR>Hope this helps!

sue

Just do a search on London or London and hotels or London and any other word you choose and you will get more threads than you will have time to read. After reading some, you will notice some of the same hotels and neighborhoods being mentioned again and again. Reading the threads that already exist here is the best way to gather information and start making choices.

Meg

If you like museums then The Rembrandt Hotel on Cromwell Road, Kensington is very well situated, just across the road from the Science Museum, the Natural History Museum and the Victoria and Albert. Harrod's the famous department store is about 10 minutes walk away and you can hop on a bus to take you to the West End (theatres and shops)

Pittsburgher

The Washington Post travel section had a good article yesterday on budget hotels in London -- I posted something earlier with the link to the article. You might also want to check out these websites for info on restaurants, hotels, what to do in London:<BR>www.londonelite.com<BR>www.londontown.c om<BR>www.travelbritain.org<BR><BR>My husband and I also did a pub tour when we were there several years ago -- great fun, and a good way to pick up some local history with a congenial group!

RnR

just booked the Rubens at the Palace for GBP 99 plus VAT - near Victoria Station. Raved about by several on this site. If interested, simply access their website - go through Yahoo with their name. Good luck.