london itinery and accommodation south bank
Sep 6th, 2014 | 12:21 AM
#1
Original Poster
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 86
Likes: 0
london itinery and accommodation south bank
Hello
We are a family from Australia of 4 (2 children aged 11 and 8) who will be visiting London for the first time in mid to late June next year. We are looking at accommodation options and considering which area of London to stay in. After looking at several places, we were considering staying on South Bank at possibly Holiday Inn Express Southwark or Novotel London Blackfriars based on good reviews and cost for the 4 of us. We are planning on doing the following:
Day 1: Arrive by Eurostar from Paris lunch time. Perhaps explore SouthBank, walk along Queens walk, London Eye
Day 2: 10:30am London Walks tour (this is london tour). Visit Westminster Abbey, possibly visit Hyde Park, kensington gardens. See a show - kids would like to see billy elliott in evening.
Day 3: Visit Tower of London, St Paul's Cathedral. ?Thames river cruise
Day 4: Warner Brothers Studio Harry Potter tour. In late afternoon/evening take Waterloo line to Woking Station to meet and stay with family.
Day 5: Staying with family who will drive us to Hampton Court and possibly Windsor Castle if there is time
Day 6: Go to airport for flight to Malta to see family.
I realise that we don't have a lot of time but unfortunately we don't have much control over this. Is Day 1 to 4 doable from South Bank - I assume it is easy to get everywhere with the tube? If you have any other advice/ideas or accommodation ideas similar in cost to those i mentioned, that would be great.
Thanks
We are a family from Australia of 4 (2 children aged 11 and 8) who will be visiting London for the first time in mid to late June next year. We are looking at accommodation options and considering which area of London to stay in. After looking at several places, we were considering staying on South Bank at possibly Holiday Inn Express Southwark or Novotel London Blackfriars based on good reviews and cost for the 4 of us. We are planning on doing the following:
Day 1: Arrive by Eurostar from Paris lunch time. Perhaps explore SouthBank, walk along Queens walk, London Eye
Day 2: 10:30am London Walks tour (this is london tour). Visit Westminster Abbey, possibly visit Hyde Park, kensington gardens. See a show - kids would like to see billy elliott in evening.
Day 3: Visit Tower of London, St Paul's Cathedral. ?Thames river cruise
Day 4: Warner Brothers Studio Harry Potter tour. In late afternoon/evening take Waterloo line to Woking Station to meet and stay with family.
Day 5: Staying with family who will drive us to Hampton Court and possibly Windsor Castle if there is time
Day 6: Go to airport for flight to Malta to see family.
I realise that we don't have a lot of time but unfortunately we don't have much control over this. Is Day 1 to 4 doable from South Bank - I assume it is easy to get everywhere with the tube? If you have any other advice/ideas or accommodation ideas similar in cost to those i mentioned, that would be great.
Thanks
Sep 6th, 2014 | 01:06 AM
#2
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,664
Likes: 0
>>I assume it is easy to get everywhere with the tube? <<
IN London, yes, but the Harry Potter Studio is over 20 miles out of the city, near Watford so the tube's not applicable. You'll have to take a 20-minute train from Euston to Watford Jn, then get the 15 minute shuttle bus out to the studios.
IN London, yes, but the Harry Potter Studio is over 20 miles out of the city, near Watford so the tube's not applicable. You'll have to take a 20-minute train from Euston to Watford Jn, then get the 15 minute shuttle bus out to the studios.
Sep 6th, 2014 | 03:06 AM
#4
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 7,067
Likes: 0
I've stayed on the south bank my last several trips to London - at the Travelodge Waterloo - and like it.
I was just there in June for only a few days (have been to London multiple times) and my first day there was gorgeous weather so I walked from the hotel to the river, then all along it to Tower Bridge (stopped at Bouroughs Market and Southwark Cathedral and Hays Galleria), across it to the Tower (did not go in). Then took the tube to Trafalgar Square and walked from there through St James Park to Big Ben, across Westminster Bridge and back to the hotel. That's a lot of walking for some people (left the hotel before 3, was back by 10 pm) but totally doable and you see lots of main London sights. Obviously to visit any of these sites would take a lot longer. I stopped a couple of times for coffee and a quick bite to eat.
I was just there in June for only a few days (have been to London multiple times) and my first day there was gorgeous weather so I walked from the hotel to the river, then all along it to Tower Bridge (stopped at Bouroughs Market and Southwark Cathedral and Hays Galleria), across it to the Tower (did not go in). Then took the tube to Trafalgar Square and walked from there through St James Park to Big Ben, across Westminster Bridge and back to the hotel. That's a lot of walking for some people (left the hotel before 3, was back by 10 pm) but totally doable and you see lots of main London sights. Obviously to visit any of these sites would take a lot longer. I stopped a couple of times for coffee and a quick bite to eat.
Sep 6th, 2014 | 08:27 AM
#5
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,269
Likes: 0
You'll be fine. Your plan doesn't look like you're overloading yourselves, though whether jetlag will allow you to get the best out of walking along the South Bank may be another matter.
Use the maps in the Transport for London visitors' guide to see how things relate to where you will be. You will be practically within walking distance of St Paul's and the Tower, for example, or you could use river services from London Bridge City Pier to get over to the Tower and/or Westminster, as well as take the Circular Cruise (which is, I suspect, probably what you have in mind). Both of those hotels would also place you near bus RV1, which you may prefer to the tube.
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/maps/visitors-and-tourists
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/maps/river
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms.../southwark.pdf
Use the maps in the Transport for London visitors' guide to see how things relate to where you will be. You will be practically within walking distance of St Paul's and the Tower, for example, or you could use river services from London Bridge City Pier to get over to the Tower and/or Westminster, as well as take the Circular Cruise (which is, I suspect, probably what you have in mind). Both of those hotels would also place you near bus RV1, which you may prefer to the tube.
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/maps/visitors-and-tourists
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/maps/river
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms.../southwark.pdf
Sep 6th, 2014 | 10:41 AM
#6
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 192
Likes: 0
You may also want to consider Premier Inn London Southwark for accommodations. Close to the London Bridge tube station, quite a few places to eat nearby, and lots to explore nearby (Tate Modern, Golden Hind, Southwark Cathedral, Borough Market).
Sep 6th, 2014 | 03:10 PM
#7
Original Poster
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 86
Likes: 0
Hello thanks to you all for your input. PatrickLondon we will be flying into Paris from Australia and staying there for 4 full days before getting the Eurostar to London so hopefully should be over the jet lag. Thanks very much for your maps - i will have a look at them now. Next we will need to think about accommodation in Paris - thought we might stay close to Eiffel Tower/ Champ de Mars
