London Help Please
 

I have a number of questions. What is the BEST way to get from Gatewick to an apartment near Trafalgar Square, does anyone know of the transportation option called Hotelink(I have a family of four). Also, has anyone stayed at the Citadine property near Trafalgar Square(apartment)? Last,with 9 days in London, is there anybody or any office I can call to get advanced reservations/tickets to Parliment,Buckingham Palace, or any of the other major sites? Does the US Embassey have any service that they provide. THANKS for any and all comments.

The best way to get into central London from Gatwick is via train. The Gatwick Express leaves every half hour from the South Terminal at Gatwick. It is a non-stop train to Victoria Station. If you arrrive at the North Terminal as many international flights do, there is a quick monorail connection to South Terminal. One nice thing about the Victoria Express is that you can purchase tickets on the train, they even take charges. From Victoria you can take a cab to your hotel (there is a cab queue that moves pretty fast). If you are flying British Air you can check your luggage straight through to your destination from Victoria Station. It was quite nice to get that out of the way and not have to schlep luggage onto the train and around the terminal. Have a nice trip.

We used the train from Gatwick to london's Victoria (train & transportation) station it was a bit difficult with luggage but we managed. With four persons you may find it possible to take the taxi from Gatwick to Trafalgar Square if not take the train (Gatwick Express) to Victoria station 1/2 hour then take a taxi to the apartment. We enjoyed eating in the cafe in the basement (crypt) at the St.Martin's in the Field Church at Trafalgar Square very resonable and large portions. We enjoyed the all day walking tour of all the major sights then went back to see more the following days. Make sure to allow time for the National Portrait Gallery at Trafalgar Square, CD tour guides at your own pace allow 3 or 4 hours, also noon time concerts at St.Martin's church across the street.

John, <BR>The State Rooms in Buckingham Palace are open to the public in August and September only. The ticket booth for admissions is on the edge of Green Park just to the right of the palace. It's amply staffed and I've never seen long lines there. The U.S. Embassy can provide admission to the Houses of Parliament when it is in session as can the Parliament's Public Information Office. Both require significant advance notice in writing. Parliament is not in session from approximately mid-July to mid-October. When not in session, admission to the two Houses' Visitor's Galleries is from 2:30 to 10PM Monday to Thursday, Commons Galeries from 9:30 to 3 on Friday. St. Stephen's Entrance is the public entrance to the galleries. The British Travel Authority can provide information on passes, such as the Heritage Pass, that might expedite admission to various sites where tickets are required. Remeber though that most museums in London are free as is Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's though contributions are encouraged.

Sorry to say but St. Pauls is no longer free! You can go in a get a little peek but won't see much before you hit the barrier where you have to pay to go further. Still I think it's worth every penny. <BR>Have a great trip : )

John, A great way to see a lot of sights in a couple of hours is by catching a boat from Embankment (about a 5 min walk from Trafalgar). The boats take about an hour to Greenwich. Along the way you will have a birds eye view of all the bridges, towers and famous buildings - with local commentary. On a Sunday Greenwich has a great market to roam around and you may like to go see the Milennium Dome - brilliant for kids. The boats go about every hour, are cheap and you don't need to book in advance.

tofollow up on wes's suggestions <BR>The American Embassy has only 4 tickets to distribute per day, according to my guidebook. <BR>To try to arrange a tour, usually on Fridays, the address for the House of Commons Information Office is 1 Derby Gate, Westminster, London, SW1A 2DG. <BR> <BR>My guidebook also advises that if you wait in the public line outside the <BR>St Stephen's entrance, it is usually easier to get in after 5:30 pm; debates often continue into the night.

Fodors London Help Please <BR> <BR>You can get a good deal nearer to Trafalgar Square than Victoria. The trick is to take a Thameslink train from Gatwick, leave it at London Bridge, stand on the same platform, and talke the next train to Charing Cross. Charing Cross station has luggage trolleys, and you can wheel one out to a taxi for the 200 yards to Trafalgar Square. Or if you'll kindly give me your apartment address I'll find you a suitable bus from in front of Charing Cross station. <BR> <BR>With a family of four you should have ready at Gatwick a spare passport photo. With this, twenty pounds, and a short form you can buy a family railcard which take adults at a third off standard fares, and children at two pounds a head. You buy this card at Gatwick airport railway station (where staff take credit cards). To avoid family boredom while you're form filling, you might buy at a newsagents on the arrival concourse a copy of "Kid's Out in London", "What's On in London", or both. <BR> <BR>Please write if I can help further. For example, I have on disc a note on London for children aged 5 to 10. Welcome. <BR> <BR>Ben Haines <BR> <BR>

When we were in England two years ago, Westminster Abbey wasn't free. i believe it was about 10 pounds for our family of four, plus the audiosets were a couple of pounds, also. But, it was well worth the expense. We used the Great Britain Heritage Pass on our trip, and found it helpful in bypassing lines, as well as stopping in on sites we might have bypasses. But, it was a bit more useful at sites outside the city limits.