london questions: food and itinerary help
 

I am arriving in London on Saturday with my 13 year old daughter for a week and I have a couple of questions I hope someone can help with. First, we are staying at the Chesterfield Mayfair and our hotel rate does not include breakfast. Can anyone recommend someplace nearby for breakfast and/or a casual dinner? Seond, does anyone have any suggestions for something we could do on our arrival day? We are arriving early afternoon and I would like to take my daughter somewhere to get a feeling for London in the afternooon and then have an early dinner. I do not think we will be up to a museum but maybe a walking tour or a boat ride if the weather is good? Last, after reading many posts about the travel card/oyster card, I think we will be best off with the paper travel card that offers the 2 for 1 deal. Am I correct that I have to buy this at a train station? Where would be the closest place for me to get it?
Thaks in advance for any advice.

perhaps the London Eye in the afternoon?
to get an overview? nice way to start the trip...
yk recommended me to do that on my 1st day too

and i will also be staying at chesterfield in june! ;)

Thanks. The London Eye is a good idea and looking at the map, maybe we could go to the Dali museum as well if we are up to it. Have you been to the Chesterfield before?

Look into talking a tour with "London Walks" (www.walks.com). There are some great walks, including a Harry Potter walk.

If you're going to the London Eye, your nearest train station for the paper travelcard would be Waterloo (there's also a pier there if you fancy a boatride, or you could walk across Westminster Bridge for a different range of boat options). Mayfair is quite a way from most national rail stations, but if you're coming in from Heathrow on the Heathrow Express, you could buy one at Paddington.

From your hotel, you could take a long-ish stroll to the London Eye, through Green Park, over the Mall past Buckingham Palace, and through St James's Park to Horse Guards Parade, Whitehall and Parliament Square, and then over Westminster Bridge. That'll take you past some famous landmarks and photo opportunities, for free.

Thanks for this. The London Eye and either a walk like this or the Dali museum depending on the weather sounds like a great first afternoon. Any thoughts for we could have a casual dinner near our hotel?
It seems like we will have to pay for the tube to get to the train station to buy the travel card.

>>It seems like we will have to pay for the tube to get to the train station to buy the travel card.<<

Where are you coming from?

You could consider strolling around Covent Garden. There are usually some good performers (and some awful ones) and lots of little shops to buy some original presents. It is also car free so you don't have to worry about which way to look when you cross roads. (In London, look both ways about 6 times and then get across sharpish).

http://www.jeremytaylor.eu/England_1.htm

We are planning to take a car service (justairports) from Heathrow so I think we either have to walk to a train station or take the tube, to get the travel card, right?

Thanks for the idea of walking around Covent Garden. If we don't do it Saturday, maybe we will do that on Sunday if we don't go to the Brick Lane/Spitalfields markets.

Ask the driver, maybe he'd be willing to stop at the train station for you to pick up the travel card on the way to your hotel.

Otherwise, the closest rail station from your hotel is Victoria, about a 15-min walk.

Another option is to take the bus to a rail station. The bus cash fare is only 2 pounds; vs the tube cash fare which is 4 pounds.

Plenty of bus lines via Hyde Park corner to take you to Victoria, or Marylebone, or near Waterloo:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/gettingaro...npark-2140.pdf

Both of these are good ideas. If the driver won't stop, the bus seems like a good option. I'm sure it will work out one way or the other.

alicefe: what's this paper travel card you mentioned that offers 2 for 1? I was planning on getting an Oyster Card but I haven't come across this other option. Can you tell me about it or provide a link to details? Thanks!

nicbur, type "travel card" in the search box above, and prepare to be overwhelmed with information!

Im a first timer to Chesterfield, June will be my very first Europe trip!

What I intend to do on my first day would probably be to arrive at the hotel (intending to brave the tube, we land at 0620 after a 7 hr flight, or do u think an arranged shuttle like yours would be better?) and have some breakfast. Rest a while and walk over to catch the Changing of Guard at Buckingham Palace.
After that, either the London Eye (or leave that for the next day when we go to Westminster Abbey) OR King's Cross to find Platform 9 3/4.
Also thinking about the British Musuem for a couple of hours. After which, shopping at Oxford Street.

Oh dear after writing this down, it seems iike an awful lot?
Especially when everything seems to close at 6 or 7.... 8-)
Trying to fit in whatever we can since I only have 3 days and Saturday till noon.

After a trip in which we visited the Musee d'Orsay on our arrival day, and I ended up taking a nap in a corner, I DON'T visit museums on my arrival day. Also, anything that involves sitting still for a while is a bad idea with jetlag - you're too apt to fall asleep.

On our arrival day in London several years ago, we visited the Tower of London - mostly outdoors, and a lot of walking; that worked very well. After that, we were awake enough to do half of an on-and-off bus tours. When we started getting sleepy, we got off the bus and started walking again.

nicbur, as others have said, the 2 for 1 offer is through the days out guide and you need to get a travel card from a rail station to use it. I was able to print out 2 for 1 vouchers from the website which I expect to be able to use once I get the travel card.

3scia, we don't arrive until midday so I am going to be much less ambitions than you. If we find any good/interesting restaurants near the hotel, I will post when we get back.

yk, I just noticed in one of your earlier posts that you thought Spitalfield's market was a waste of time. I am going to take your advice and skip it. What would your advice be as to what to do instead on Sunday?

Hi alicefe - different strokes for different folks. There are definitely people here who did enjoy Spitalfields/Brick Lane on Sunday (I think sf7307 was one of them). To me, the modern part of Spitalfields is all boutiques and restaurants; while the older part are stalls selling clothes (think upscale flea market). Those are just not things I am interested in. By the same token, I have no desire to visit Camden Market but certainly many people enjoy going there.

I'd rather spend my time visiting another museum or a gallery.

But since you have a 13 year old daughter, I think she'll enjoy those?

If you do go to Spitalfields, I would suggest you head south before/after to visit Leadenhall market. It is a Victorian-era market with beautiful architecture. It also served as the filming location for Diagon Alley in the first Harry Potter; if you/your daughter are into that.

Dennis Severs House is right next to Spitalfields Market. It's a fun place to visit for an hour or so; but I'm pretty sure the Monday night candlelight tour is much better.

The only other Sunday-only activity I enjoy is the Spencer House. It belonged to the Spencer (ie, Diana) family, but the Rothchilds have poured in millions of pounds to restore it.

You can read about my Sunday in London last May:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...omment-2006659