Babs

I think I can get Very inexpensive airfare: for 3 days/where to stay close in/what to see/mid-February 2000, never having been across the pond...will we enjoy/exhaust ourselves coming back Monday morning??? Hopefully this will be a surprise for my husband, who says to quit planning these trips and get a job! But the airfare is terrific!! I can read up on sightseeing, but where to stay and in mid-Feb, is it worth it? Thank you in advance. (PS, I am a little white-knuckle flyer, but not as bad as 10 yrs ago...)We/me has passports and ready to go!! <BR>

julie

I wonder are you young enough to do this. It takes me an entire day to readjust timewise, especially if I cannot sleep on the plane, and they are so crowded in coach. Still, my suggestion is stay at the Tavistock, a clean reasonable hotel, in the center of town, and within tube or walking to everywhere, (covent garden, Picidilly, westminster, etc). Take good walking shoes, buy a "jump on, jump off" ticket and you can ride around London all day, and see what you want to see. Try not to miss Westminster, St. Pauls, War museum, Covent Garden, St. Martin in the field, the British Museum (a full day's effort to doit justice). etc. Have a Pub lunch, a walk in Hyde Park and believe me, if you do all this, you will return exhausted. I assure you, you will fall in love with London and start planning when you can come again. Someone said, "he who is tired of London is tired of life". Truer words were never spoken.

elvira

We make this trip just about every year (last year it was Milan for 5 days, but this year I'm going from Fri-Mon) and it IS worth it, if you are a travel junkie. Just getting away for those few days is wonderful. <BR>Day one: take the big red bus (hopoff/hopon) and get a view of the city. If you want to get off to see something, you can; otherwise, just ride around the city. Have an early dinner and go to bed at a reasonable hour (there's the Thames River Cruise you can do at night that's very relaxing). <BR>Day two: try to stay in one area to eliminate travel time and wear and tear. Get a map of London and mark the sights/sites that interest you; you'll probably find a concentration in one area - go with that one.

MarkJ

GO!! It is certainly worth it. You'll have a wonderful time. Elvira's plan is excellent. <BR> <BR>Have a great trip!! <BR> <BR>MarkJ

wes fowler

Babs, <BR>Go for it! A cautionary note however. You'll probably arrive early in the morning and be through customs and immigration by 10AM and on your way to check into a hotel - which probably won't have your room ready until early afternoon. What to do? <BR> <BR>Rather than attempting to orient yourself to London by taking "the big red bus tour" with a bunch of other tourists from Idaho, Hong Kong and Sydney, first pick up a copy of the A-Z Visitors' London Atlas and Guide at a news kiosk or tourist information booth at the airport. It's about the size of a postcard and less than half an inch thick, but it lists every major attraction in London, opening and closing hours and nearest underground station. It also has a superbly detailed set of maps that identify every street, attraction on it, underground stations and bus routes identified by street. Now, purchase a London transport ticket for Zone 1 and 2 (where almost all of the attractions are located). Costs will range from 3.80 pounds for a daily pass to 5.70 pounds for a week end pass. With A-Z Guide in hand, you have a couple of inexpensive sightseeing options. At Victoria Station, board one of the red double decker London Transport buses marked "11 Liverpool Street Station". Sit up top up front. You'll drive past Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament, up Whitehall past 10 Downing Street, Horse Guards and Banqueting Hall to Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery, then on to the Strand past the Courtauld Institute, to Fleet Street and the Royal Courts of Justice, and on to St. Paul's Cathedral. As an alternate, at Paddington Station or Marble Arch, board the city bus marked "15 Canningtown" and ride down Oxford Street past Selfridge's department store to Oxford Circus then down Regent Street past Liberty's and Josiah Wedgewood to Piccadilly Circus and on to Trafalgar Square, St. Paul's and the Tower of London. Get on and off as frequently as you please, your ticket (which may cost less than 10% of the one for "the big red bus") is good all day. By combining both bus rides you will end up seeing every one of London's major attractions except Buckingham Palace and Harrod's. <BR> <BR>Why this suggestion rather than the hop-on hop-off bus? Two reasons: it's a lot cheaper taking one of the city buses and there's a good probability one or both of you will fall asleep mid-ride. Why pay a tour bus company for a nap? <BR> <BR>