A decision has been made to go to London for the first time, although it will not be a long trip. After allowing for traveling time, we will have about 3 full days for touring, and I have some questions: 1)which hotels would you recommend? I like something nice, and my husband would prefer something not to expensive - something to suit us both? 2) do yo recommend doing a 'package' or booking items separately? 3) with 3 full days for sightseeing, what would you recomend? 3) are guided tours worth it? 4) what, if any, day trips outside of London do you suggest, and how to travel/sightsee? 5) restaurant recommendations? 6) besides theater at night, what else is there to do? Thanks in advance for any help you can give!

I don't mean to sound rude, but your request almost sounds like you want respondents to plan your trip for you.
We'd be glad to help, but perhaps you should do a bit of research first!
(For a start, check out Fodor's destination guide to London on this website, which, I believe includes a three-day suggested itinerary.)

I prefer to use "London Bed & Breakfast" Service, and I always stay just out of London, in places like Islington, or Highgate, where there are oodles of restaurants/pubs, etc. for going out in the evening. I always use the tube to get into the city, and around it to visit various sights.
If your looking for a short excursion out of the London, for perhaps 3 days, I would suggest renting a hire car, and basing yourself in a Cotswolds village, this will allow you to drive & visit attractions, like Warwick Castle, Stratford-upon-Avon, other Cotswold attractions, and Bath, all easy drives to get to, provided you use the motorways or A roads to get there quickly.
Hope this helps. If you want further information, sing out, and I will elaborate more.

Perhaps you don't know how to get started. First, you must tell us what you consider "not too expensive" for a hotel. No one here can tell you whether a package is better or not. It depends on when you're going, how flexible you are on dates, where you're flying from etc., etc. I personally always feel there are compromises to be made with a package like hotels in out of the way areas or flights that are not at the best times. But I fly out of NY where there are plenty of non stop flights and plenty of competition. If you're flying out of someplace less convenient, sometimes pkgs work fine. I would have a look at pkg prices and compare them to what you'd pay on your own. (There's no easy shortcut to good old fashioned research). Here are some websites and suggestions that might be helpful.

There's a program you can download called <b>sidestep.com</b> It allows you to see lots of options for prices.

http://airtravelcenter.com/onetrav.htm is a consolidator airfare website. Ofcourse also check travelocity.

Londontown.com and londonnights.com are 2 popular websites for checking hotels. There's been a recent thread here about a special rate at the Holiday Inn Mayfair for 73 GBP/night that everybody seems to think is a great deal.

With only 3 days in London, it seems ridiculous to me to even consider day trips.

As to what to see, eat, etc., why not get your flights and hotel arranged first.

There's a decent (not perfect) search engine here if you type in the box above. For example, try Holiday Inn AND london to find that other thread.

You will not have any time for day trips!! With 3 days you will just barely scratch the surface of what London has to offer. Best to just concentrate on seeing the main sights there and save the day trips for another time. I guarantee you'll want to go back.

I have been to London many times and of course the standard 'must-see's' are always there: Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, Harrods, etc etc, and one of the most fun things I ever did was a walking night tour of London. You meet the guide outside a tube station, costs maybe 5 pounds per person and it's about a 2hour walking tour. The topics of the tour are all kinds of things and they have day tours as well. It could be 'Ancient east end pubs of London' OR &quot;Walk thru Westminster by gaslight' OR 'Secret Alleys of London' OR the one we took, 'Ghosts of the West End', we stopped halfway thru the tour in a pub and all had a pint of ale, while the guide talked about the haunted pub we were in. Our tour group of about 20 people prowled down darkened narrow alleyways while our guide told tales of ghosts that haunted the different buildings we walked by. It was a little foggy that October night, so it only enhanced the spooky vibe. I must say it was a lot of good safe spooky fun! A friend of ours also found a jack the Ripper tour, where you visitied the pubs where the victims had their last drinks, and where the bodies were found, etc etc, and he said it was very fascinating, like stepping back in time. The website for the walking tours is www.walks.com

http://www.ossianguesthouse.co.uk/

Look at the yellow room!!!

I went to England last year for 7 days and spent three in London. You could go to London for 2 weeks and not see everything - drop the day trips.
Hotels - I went on a deal offered by British Airways and stayed in the Jolly St. Ermins Westminster. The room was small, but the breakfast was fabulous and best of all, it was centrally located.
As for sightseeing highlights, it depends on what you like. I highly recommend the guided tour of the Tower of London. It is free with admission and when we went, we saw sections of the Tower closed to other visitors. I highly recommend taking a boat down the Thames from Westminster to the Tower - it is a fabulous way to view the city.
At night, keep in mind the first day you'll be jetlagged and wont want to do that much. I went on the London Eye - the city is beautiful at night and ate in fabulous restaurants and drank good beer in pubs.
Have a great time; London is a fabulous city that never disappoints.

If this is your first trip to London, you should consider the hop on hop off bus tour for your first day. The ticket is good for 24 hours and you can get a good idea of London on your first day and then return to the sights you want to see in more depth. I agree that 6 days in London is not enough time for day trips.

Make that: 3 days in London is not enough for day trips.

We spent 6 days in London a few years ago and have many things on our &quot;to do&quot; list for when we go back in December. However, 3 days is enough to scratch the surface, and if you plan your trip accordingly you should be able to see quite a bit.

You may want to pick up a good London guidebook that has suggested itineraries in it. It will give you advice on the best places to see and do while on your trip.

I would 2nd the suggestion about the &quot;hop on/hop off&quot; but. Its a double-decker bus and you pay a flat fee per day. The tour is narrated so as you are riding along you will learn about the different areas you are seeing. You can get off at any time, and there are so many places to get back on. A great introduction to the city. I would also recommend a cruise on the Thames. I believe ours was about an hour and the price was very reasonable. Not too long but long enough to get some great pictures and the narrator was a lot of fun.

I really have no suggestions on hotels (ours was fine but I don't think I would stay in it again) or restaurants, since we usually just walk around, browsing menus, until we see something that sounds good. As far as packages go, we got an excellent deal on air/hotel package at $299 for RT from St. Louis and 3 nights hotel (with the option of adding more nights, which we did). Unfortunately, this type of deal is almost unheard of from St. Louis so usually our packages are quite a bit more than this. If I were you, I would price both. Find a good airfare and then search for a few hotels you like. Price these against a package. The price may or may not be better.

I would definitely nix the daytrip. There is simply too much to do and see in London to include a daytrip. Enjoy exploring London with the mindset that you will return and that you can take a daytrip then.

Good luck!
Tracy

AlwysCndn,

Did British Airways provide transportation to your hotel from the airport? I'm flying into Heathrow and thought if I could find a hotel package, it would help me to avoid worry about getting into the city. I am planning to find a hotel near Victoria station (coach?) so we can pick up our cruise transportation to get to Dover. I figure if we stay near there, the taxi ride won't be too expensive. I'd rather not drag my luggage through the tube, especially my Mom - we'll have heavy bags (14-night cruise).


Dmocconor, my Mom and I will have three full days too next May (first time to London) and have already picked some places to visit. Don't even think about doing a day trip outside London. Purchase a guidebook today and start reading!

Monica

Monica, take the Airbus from the airport. It's got a far better view than the tube! I don't think it goes to Victoria station anymore, but you can Airbus part of the way, and then taxi to your hotel.
http://www.airbus.co.uk

Merseyheart,

Thanks! I'll check it out. I had read on another posting about some airbus transportation or something like that doesn't operate any longer.

Monica

Merseyheart, I just did a general search since it doesn't go beyond January's date right now. I plugged in heathrow airport, central bus station to London, Victoria coach station and got &pound;20.00. Looks like a reasonable price for two people. I hope that the taxi ride from the coach station to hotel is reasonable too.

Thanks again!

Monica

Wonica - there used to be 2 Airbus routes, 1 to Bloomsbury via Marble Arch area (A2) and one to Victoria via S. Kensington (A1).
The A1 route is no longer operating. You can still get a coach to Victoria but it's pretty pricey.
I wouldn't suggest the A2 airbus for you as it would involve getting off partway and then switching to a taxi. Too much fuss and it would end up costing more than its worth. The tube if you're going to Victoria is a bit of a hsssle too because you'd have to switch lines at Hammersmith, Earl's Court, Gloucester Rd or S. Kensington stations. Stairs!
Why not hire a car for the transfer?
Try justairports.com or swisscottagecars.com or Ray Skinner. Way cheaper than a cab, less than &pound;30 vs. &pound;50.
Here are some past threads on the topic:
http://www.fodors.com/forums_reg/threadselect.jsp?fid=2

http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...50&amp;start=0

http://www.fodors.com/forums_reg/threadselect.jsp?fid=2

http://www.fodors.com/forums_reg/threadselect.jsp?fid=2

http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...=5&amp;start=0

Just try a search in this forum on this topic (&quot;Heathrow transportation&quot; or something similar) - it's been discussed over and over.

Oops - sorry - Monica (not wonica).

I'd still suggest a car service. They'd take you right to your hotel, they'd be waiting for you (avoids the wait for the bus) and they'd assist with luggage. With the airbus you have to hoist it on board yourself.

Hi,

My recommendation is to go the B&amp;B route. I found them to be much more reasonably priced than hotels, with better breakfasts. I stayed in the Bloomsbury area, close to tube (Cartwright Gardens area). Two I stayed at:

http://www.s-h-systems.co.uk/hotels/crescenthotel.html

http://www.s-h-systems.co.uk/hotels/harling.html

I good day (two) would be to start at Covent Garden, wander around, walk to Trafalgar Square, do National Gallery, lunch in crypt at St Martin in the Fields maybe buy tickets for concert that night?,walk down to House of Parliament and Big Ben (have a look at 10 Downing on the way, maybe Cabinet War Rooms or Banqueting House),do verger tour of Westminster Abbey Walk back up to Mall, then up via St James Park to Buckingham Palace.

You could also spend another day doing Tower of London and St. Paul's. I also agree on the recommendation to do an open-air bus tour (when you first get there, maybe from Marble Arch) and try to add one or more of the walking tours, like London Walks:

http://www.walks.com/

Hope this helps!
Mike

I suggest you get a guide book and also look at suggested itineraries on fodors. Also buy a good city map. Make a list of things that interest you then plot them on the map. London is quite large so given 3 days, you may choose to concentrate on 3 general areas. The tube system is excellent and can get you around town quickly and inexpensively (probably the only reasonable priced thing there!).

We were there for 3.5 days with or kids. The afternoon we arrived we strolled aorund our hotel nieghborhood (so. kensington) and stopped in the V&amp;A museum (in the area). The first full day we did a hop on/off bus tour to get orientated and took advantage of the included fast track entry at the tower of london. ALso included in the bus tour was a river cruise which was very pleasant (we did this on a rainy damp day). The next 2 days we used the tube and visited areas of particular interest.

When choosing a hotel, you may want to narrow down neighborhoods and research from there. Our neighborhood was very nice, more residential than touristy but near a couple of tube stops and a few major sites. There are many other very nice neighborhoods as well.

Keep in mind that London is very pricey. You can compare air/land packages to doing it separately. There are many sources on the internet to check the various prince. I tend to prefer to book hotels directly with the hotel, but I also am booking for a family of 4 which is a bit more complicated than booking a double. There seems to be good hotel deals on Priceline, I've never used it for Europe but have had great luck in the states. You can check biddingfortravel.com for more info on that.

We used justairports.com for roundtrip transportation to and from the airport. It worked out perfectly. If you pay with cash instead of credit card, it's even cheaper. I strongly recommend this service.