London, guided tours vs "do it oursleves"
 

I will be in London for 3 full days the first part of Sept. with 2 friends. I haven't been to London for 30 years, and my friends never have. We probably only have time for the highlights. When I was in England with my mother, 25 years ago, we took some guided tours. In a couple of these the guides were so wonderful, they really added to our trip. I was just wondering what some people who have self-guided and/or also taken guided tours think (any specific recommedations also helpful) We are interested in: Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, the Churchill War Rooms and St. Paul's Cathedral.
Once again, any input is very much appreciated.

I think a combo would be good. You certainly don't need a guide for the war rooms... I like to be independent but if there is something you are particularly interested in and want the inside scoop then a guided tour could work for you

Half the fun is just discovering for yourself rather than being herded along...IMO.

HAVE FUN

With 3 days, you can do a whole lot more than that. For starters get a hotel on the hop off and on bus route, include Tower of London Tower and London Eye stops, look up the walking tour schedules and prepare yourselves with plenty of restaurant locations. I would consider an entire day for somewhere near London if your find something interesting

I consider the Hop on Hop off bus a total waste of time. You will spend your time on a bus stuck in traffic.

Choose carefully what you want to see/do. We are all different. I consider the Tower of London a "don't miss" but I consider the London Eye a tourist trap.

You can certainly empty a guide if you'd like, but I've never found a need for one in my visits to London.

You can certainly see the things on your list without a guide. A lot depends on how you like to travel. Some people love having a guide, others, not so much. I prefer to go on my own, as I do a lot of reading before I go places.

I consider the Hop on Hop off bus a total waste of time. You will spend your time on a bus stuck in traffic.
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I guess you can spend a September afternoon enjoying the weather while stuck in traffic on the upper level of a double decker admiring the city, or with the meter running in a cab.

You can decide on the day if you want a guided tour using London Walks:
http://www.walks.com

I've done a number of them, and like them a lot.

We used London Walks and they are exceptional. You can do a combo of guided walks and then seeing sites on your own.

The alternative to the ridiculously expensive HOHO bus is not a taxi. It is a regular London Transport bus, or, if you are in a hurry, the tube.

As a solo traveler I use an Oyster card, with a daily cap for zones 1 and 2. With three of you, two of you might want to buy one day paper travel cards (from a National Rail station, not a London Transport station) to take advantage of the two-for-one offers. (Do a search here, lots of threads on it.)

See: https://tfl.gov.uk/plan-a-journey/
and: http://content.tfl.gov.uk/bus-route-...ral-london.pdf
and: https://tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/

Also, if you have a smart phone, the maps app will be invaluable for using public transport.

Ridiculously overpriced? Are you kidding? For 30USD you can get unlimited travel for two days, a river tour and choice of walking tours. It's worth $30 not be with troglodyte Londoners in the tube instead spending the time with a lemonade atop a double decker.

Best bargain in London next to my favorite underpriced French restaurant. But that I will keep as a secret

I am seeing 25.50 GBP for two days, which even at today's lower exchange rate is $34.

Unlimited travel in zones 1 and 2 is $17 (stupid site won't let me put that in UK currency!) for two days, and you aren't stuck with the HOHO route. And you can spend time on top of a double decker without getting rained on.

I keep hearing about American tourists wanting to "live like a local". That means the tube, not an overcrowded HOHO with a bunch of other tourists.

Live like a local? Oh vey, Americans would perish in an afternoon without locals bending to our every trivial need

On my home computer I do have a bookmark where I buy my Hoho tix, and it was 30ish with a discount at the old exchange rates, probably 25 now. Done it lots of times, so it's real, buses are rarely crowded

Once during a metro strike we we the only ones on top looking at the masses trying to squeeze a hundred into a regular bus that might hold 80. Living like a local isn't what we want. Sorry

Provide the link.

I'm the road, won't be home till next weekend so I don't have the link at my fingertips. If you are desperate for a ticket this moment Google discounts for those tix. I'm pretty sure I got the link from one of the London tourist websites

>>Done it lots of times, so it's real, buses are rarely crowded<<

That is totally false -- and you must be a slow learner if you've had to do them 'lots of times'. The top deck on most H-o-H-o buses (which is the only place one ca see anything) are often totally full . . . Unless it is pouring w/ rain. And the advance fare is £26 which today is $35 at the 'official' exchange rate - and most people pay a little over the official.

Someone w/ only 3 days you actually advise they spend 1/3 o their time sitting on a bus stuck in traffic?


(I do wish they'd let you back in the Lounge to keep you occupied >) )


crennaker: There is no advantage/need for a 'city-type' tour, but individual guided tours such as London Walks, or a Verger's tour of Westminster Abbey, or a highlights tour of the V&A or British Museum -- that sort of thing


thursdaysd: >>$17 (stupid site won't let me put that in UK currency!)<<

Why not? How are you trying? £12.10

Many people think I'm a slow learner, truth is I have an expense account. HR doesn't hassle me with $30 expenses, so I routinely take the double decker. In the end I spend less than cabs, buses are rarely crowded, and I'm not a sardine in the tube with the proletariat

It's great to be an Amerucan

London is a huge city and the center is mobbed with traffic I can't imagine seeing everything from the top of a bus is going to be very quick or much fun at all. IMHO much better to go to the places you really want to see and then get a guided tour where the guide can really provide a lot of info - such as the Verger at Westminster Abby or the Beefeater at the Tower of London.

My first visit to London I was given a package including London, Amsterdam and Paris - not a tour - just hotels and planes and a half day city tour in each city. On the bus in London I demanded off after about a half hour. What finally set me off was the "guide" at the front doing a flight assistant wave and saying "look to the right for Buckingham Palace - this is where the Queen lives".

It was either get off the bus right then or strangle her.

For those living outside the U.S., strangulation is not a first choice for upset American tourists. But in nationstates with tough gun laws, it's a reasonable option when confronted with obnoxious guides

>> In the end I spend less than cabs, <<

But a cab actually GOES someplace -- not around in circles. Somehow I think FrankS is delusional . . . no one takes the H-o-H-o over and over and over again - and they aren't a substitute for public transport - and I doubt anyone pays him to go to London.

It appears an endless circle to those poor creatures on the outside, on the inside its a great way to travel from one arc of the circle to the other

In the summer time I intentionally forget to get off at my hotel stop just for a free ride to my fav beef ale pie place....yum

thursdaysd: >>$17 (stupid site won't let me put that in UK currency!)<<

Why not? How are you trying? £12.10

No, GBP.