kovsie

HINDSIGHT
Back home for a week! What do I wish I had known before I went to London? Firstly and importantly, things related to transport.
From Heathrow to the hotel: yes, you can do this with the tube, you can also take Heathrow express. If you are new to London, I believe the sane thing is to book a car. The tube system is complicated at first, and a bit bewildering for newbies. You are also tired after the flight. London Express takes you to Paddington for £20 per person. A car cost us £50 + £10 waiting time (plane had to wait 40minutes to find a parking space (!)).

If I have to do this again, I will book a car, but allow more time between landing and meeting the driver. Remember: from the airport to the hotel is still an hour's drive. It would have been nice to have a good coffee at Heathrow while waiting to meet the driver. The really nice thing about a car is that the driver meets you at the airport and delivers you to the front door of the hotel. No dragging lugguge up and down strange new streets looking for the right street / hotel / the entrance ...

London's public transport: this system is convenient, not expensive, easy to use once you understand it. My one piece of advice will be to take time during the first day and figure this out. London is a huge sprawling city, things are far apart. Take it as a given that you will spend time on trains and buses. The sooner you understand where to get on and off, the lower your stress levels will be. I found the tube relatively easy to navigate. This caused me not to use buses as often during the first days. When I do it again, I will focus more on the buses. Yes, the tube feels faster, buses get stuck in traffic. But I am not sure if you really win much time - tube stations are huge, there are stairs, escalators, lifts and long passages involved. When you use the bus, you just wait at the correct stop and step on. For me the greatest thing about the buses is sitting at a good window, seeing London go by. Using the tube is easy, but at some stations, you have to take a lift to street level. The lifts are huge, but take time. I remember a particular morning at Russell Square Station, waiting for the lift, realizing that I am 13 stories underground, pressed amongst many other bodies, the place smelling of wet people ...
for a moment I so wished that I was somewhere else! But don't worry - then you step out of the tube station and the magic of London is waiting for you.

When you ask about the buses, the important thing is to know what number bus will take you where you want to go (e.g. Trafalgar Square). The same number will bring you back but ask in the beginning WHERE TO GET OFF when you RETURN to the hotel. it is not the same stop where you started. Most bus drivers were informative and friendly, but they are busy and their job is not to be a tour guide.

To my DD disappointment, we have never used a cab, so cannot comment on that.

The 7-day Travel Pass (for the moment not sure if this is the correct name) gave us excellent value. When this expired, I bought a 1-day travel card. It was good not to worry about the cost of transport, to get on and off buses and trains as often as you like.

Two or three times I got lost, did not know what bus to take, did not know where the nearest underground station was. The easy thing is then to get on just any bus, and ask the driver to drop you at any underground station. From there it is easy to find the right train and get your bearings again. I found the people in blue uniform on the tube stations helpful and friendly, they always pointed me in the right direction. I must confess that DD sometimes made up questions to ask, just because she loved listening to the accent - and hoping to be called 'dear' or 'luv'.

OK, that's it on the transport issues. More to follow later about theatre, etc.

kovsie

Correction: the card we used is the '7-DAY TRAVEL CARD', with which you have unlimited travel on all buses and trains for one week. We bought the one for Zones 1 and 2, and it was more than sufficient. As far as I could deternmine, it is the same as an Oyster Card, but you ask for the '7-day travel card' or the '1day travel card'. Do not confuse this with the London Pass, which I will NOT buy. But that is another story ...

pdx

You make a convincing argument for the car/driver meeting the traveler at the airport. I'm a fairly budget-oriented traveler but I'm likely to figure this in to the budget this time. We all know that disoriented, fuzzy-headed, tired and overwhelmed feeling of trying to navigate the airport and the trains right after a long flight. Especially thinking of my husband, He Who Does Not Like to be Lost. And dragging suitcases up and down the street looking for addresses….shudder!
How long is the trip from Dubai?

kovsie

HINDSIGHT (CONT)
ADVANCE WARNING: this and the two previous posts are for those who go to London for the 1st time. Experienced travellers should go on to more advanced stuff.

GOING TO THE THEATRE: Both my DD and I discovered that we love theatre. This is new for us, we have not previously had the opportunity. What we learned was that tickets at less than half price can be bought from the box office at the theatre from 10am for that particular evening. This means that you have to trek to the theatre in the morning, but it is usually in Covent Garden, which is an interesting area, and is not far from other spots that you would like to visit. Yes, it is possible that your favourite show will be sold out for that evening. But there are many ohter theatres around with other excellent shows, that could also be tried.

You may also try the TKTS booth at Leicester Square. We never did, but other people seem to like it. For popular shows such as Mama Mia and Lion King, the TKTS price is exactly the same as the price you would pay if you pre-book at the theatre or through the web site.
Look here: http://www.tkts.co.uk/whats-on-sale-today/
In addition: you have to go personally to the TKTS booth to buy, and there is always a line of people waiting. For us it seemed better to go straight to the theatre at 10am, and buy a ticket.

If you have not been to theatre before, give it a go in London. You will have an amazing experience! Read the reviews before the time!

WHEN TO GO: If you are planning a London trip in autumn, good for you! I loved the weather, the soft rainy days. If I could change my time slot, I would go one week later. We were just too early for most of the christmas decorations. The Christmas lights are officially switched on on the 2nd Saturday in November. We left London that morning!

THE WEATHER: 'They' say that London is grey and dismal in autumn and winter. I do not agree with the 'dismal' part. Yes, it rained almost every day. You come to expect the rain, it just becomes part of the experience. Only once did it really pour, mostly it was either a soft drizzle or no rain for hours on end. The temperatures hovered around 10C. We had only one blue sky day, and that was the coldest of them all. I can honestly say that I absolutely loved the feeling of grey mornings and soft drizzle and autumn leaves!

kovsie

pdx - you made me smile. "He-Who-Does-Not-Like-To-Be-Lost" ... LOL. The trip from Dubai was just under the 8 hours, + 40 minutes waiting for parking for the plane. The last part was funny and very silly at the same time.

Cathinjoetown

Kovsie,

I'd appreciate a few comments on your hotel. Did you like it?

Thanks!

Cathinjoetown

oops, just saw you covered that in your first post.

skz5

Great trip report. Thanks for sharing.

pdx

It is a GREAT trip report, Kovsie. I have learned so much from you and I'm not new to reading trip reports and itineraries. You've managed to write in a very personal and personable manner and it's very reassuring. I'm intimidated by London and our trip is going to be a short 4 day drive-by affair but I'm going to tackle it with a much different frame of mind thanks to your trip report. Good karma coming your way ☮

latedaytraveler

Hi Kovsie,

Thank you for continuing with your practical advice. I agree that taking public transportation from Heathrow into London would be daunting and exhausting after a long flight although hardy souls do it all the time. You described the challenges and advantages of taking the Tube very well.

I have taken HOTEL BY BUS, a shared car service from Heathrow in the past. You just go to their booth in the arrivals hall, usually wait 10-15 minutes, then join 2-3 other parties going into central London. You are dropped at your hotel door. As a solo traveler these days, I believe that the cost of £22.50 is reasonable. Just another suggestion …

Mathieu

"Yes, it is possible that your favourite show will be sold out for that evening."

If you are really keen on seeing a particular show that's sold out, go back to the theatre's box office half an hour before curtain. Something common with London theatres but seldom seen in NA is ticket returns. Some London theatres sell returned tickets 30 minutes before curtain either at full or discounted prices. I have seen 4 London shows that I can think of this way and had really great seats each time.

kovsie

Cathinjoetown: We loved our hotel. The greatest assets are the location, the friendly and knowledgable staff, a nice vibe. To be honest: the carpets are a bit tired, the water pressure a bit low for taking a shower. But all in all, I would return there any time.

latedaytraveler: Seeing this just makes me wonder how Heathrow Express could ever compete with other options. If you are travelling solo, the shared car seems to be the way to go.

Mathieu: Thanks for telling us - I did not know about ticket returns. I think the secret is to be flexible - to be able to say: maybe I will see this show tonight!

kovsie

I am not sure what the correct way of doing this is, but I want to ask a favour. Mathieu (and anybody else) - will you please have a look at my other thread abouth the Czech Repbublic - I have to make an urgent decision concerning our Christmas trip. Thanks!

kovsie

HINDSIGHT
Just one more thing that I wish I knew: about the CHANGING OF THE GUARDS AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE.
You need to decide how serious you are about seeing this, because it can easily eat up a whole morning, and in the end you may not see much. It works like this: the guards change at 11.30. To have a good place to stand, you should be there before 10.30. I was there at 10.15 and claimed a space right next to the fence. There is a sign that says the ceremony may be cancelled in very wet weather. I was wondering: what is an Englishman's concept of 'very wet'? You thus stand waiting for at least an hour and 15 minutes. Yes, it was drizzling. The ceremony was cancelled. If you stand next to the fence, you cannot see the horses going by 20m behind you - too many people. If I try to do it again, I will aim for Queen Victoria's feet: the huge statue in front of the palace gives some elevation from which you may be able to see more. You will still wait more than an hour for a ceremony that may not take place on that particular day. Take a book and something to sit on. The charming Japanese man next to me was the envy of us all when he carefully spread his newspaper on the pavement before lowering his neatly pressed trousers unto the wet cement.

IN CONCLUSION

This report is starting to sound long-winded and bossy, so I will conclude by stating the last thing that I have learned as a novice traveller: KEEP A JOURNAL OR WRITE A TRIP REPORT!
The discipline to write every day really helps you to think through what you have experienced, it helps you to remember the highlights, it helps you to determine what is best for you. The feeling that there is an interested audience out there is great, but do it in the first place for yourself. I was very much aware of the fact that not everybody will applaude my wandering; that some will see it as wasting expensive travel time. For me it made sense. Today I have a clear memory of what it is like to be IN LONDON IN AUTUMN. I do not remember a succession of museums and sites and sights, but a very special city. There are too many things that I have not seen. That is OK ... there will be a next time.

VirginiaC

Kovsie:

Your last point may be your most important. "There will be a next time."

If anyone had told us that when we made our first trip in 1974, I don't know that I would have believed it. Today, just for the heck of it, I added up all the weeks we've spent in England -- a grand total of 56, much of it in London itself.

And when we left last time, with a few things undone, we reminded ourselves again, there will be a next time.

Loved your reporting.

europeannovice

Wonderful report. Each person has their own travel style--some more regimented and some more free flowing--no one way is better than the other. It is what ever works for you. Thanks for sharing how you traveled and the memories you made.

Regarding the changing of the guard--When we were in London we took a London walks tour that combined Westminster Abbey with time for changing of the guard. We were brought to a street where the guards marched right by us--great photos--no people in front of our view and we didn't even wait more than 10 or 15 minutes before the procession began. After that they took us through the cloister entrance of Westminster for a 45 minute tour of the inside. This particular walk was very memorable for us. Next time you are in London try to do one of those so you can then see the changing of the guard. Always reason to come back for a next time!

kovsie

This is important info for anybody wanting to see the guards being changed Europeanovice. Thanks. The way I tried to do it is certainly the least effective. And you are right about travel style as well!

latedaytraveler

Kovsie,

Agree with your observation: “I was very much aware of the fact that not everybody will applaude my wandering; that some will see it as wasting expensive travel time. For me it made sense.”

That is the beauty of the Fodors forums. You are sharing your experiences with travelers who are truly interested in your account – those who have been there before and those looking forward to enjoying the joys of London in the future.

Reality check – the more I travel, the less I say to others about it. A colleague asked me recently, “So how was your trip to London last summer?” I replied, “Luckily we landed safely.” We both chucked and that was it….

flanneruk

Kovsie:

Fascinating, diligent, very readable and excellent report. But it's left me puzzled about you.

You're clearly old enough to have a mature daughter, and able to hold down in a foreign country a job that gets you to present papers in a third country.

Yet your fascination with London implies it's the first time you've ever been to a "real" city. Most of what you rave over applies to Paris, and New York. Comparing Regents St to a shopping mall sounds odd to British ears (if I remember rightly one or two posts around that bit of your report have been edited out) - but it would sound just as odd to anyone in Berlin or Vienna, Chicago or Glasgow. Or Melbourne, or Buenos Aires. Till very recently, big-city shopping (even, before Communism, in Shanghai) meant streets of big shops with windows fronting onto the street. I can see how malls have become the norm in very hot, very cold or just very unbearable cities (like LA) - but in South Africa?

I've never walked round Cape Town or Jo'burg, though their city centres looked walkable enough on my one flying visit, and I've always assumed consisted (at least 20 years ago) of much the same mix of streets and shops as all the other more or less temperate ex-colonial metropolises.

Obviously, cities in the Gulf are planned differently. But in apartheid-era South Africa, did people not go into central Cape Town or Jo'burg for their clothes and department store shopping?

kovsie

Hi Flanner! You misread - I really did not say that Regent Street is a Shopping Mall. But I did write out of context – sorry about that.

This is the context: in a previous thread I asked for "Your favorite places in London?" There were more than 100 posts, all positive, such as MaisonPlague who wrote:
˂˂ I love walking up Regent Street from Piccadilly Circus..˃˃

A guy (I just know it’s a guy!) called Povlov felt called to state:
˂˂This is an utter waste of time. All you see is the same crappy stores selling the same crappy goods˃˃

Later on (I do wish Fodor's posts were numbered) somebody else replied to Povlov, expressing the well-considered opinion that he (Povlov) was a "real old prig" ... or something in that direction. Povlov then implied that Regent Street is a shopping mall, and that only superficial people would go there (or something like that).

This conversation was in my mind when I walked down Regent Street. I wrote:
˂˂Not in my most cynical moments would I dream of calling this a 'shopping mall'. I … think it stylish, interesting, the architecture even beautiful… ˃˃

Yes, I have previously seen, in your words:
˂˂streets of big shops with windows fronting onto the street˃˃
But these buildings, all uniform in height and building style, are in a different class.

Yes, you are right, I was fascinated by London. Looking back, I see that I did rave a bit. What can I say? I am guilty as charged