Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Queen's Birthday

Fodor's Travel Talk Forums (https://www.fodors.com/community/)

- Europe (https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/)

- - Queen's Birthday (https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/queens-birthday-308038/)

Queen's Birthday

We will be in London starting on June 13th and we are trying to decide if we should stay for the Queen's b'day celebration which I think I was told would be on the 16th or 17th. Anyway, will it just be a madhouse or will it be something to be seen? Also, anybody have suggestions for a place to stay between $100 - $200 USD, that would be convenient, comfortable and (my romantic daughter's desire) Very British. Also, we only have 9 days in England, butwe want to get a taste of both London and countryside. We know where London is, but which country excursions would be suggested?

The Queen's Official Birthday is on 16th June, but unlike last year when it was her Golden Jubilee, most people probably won't even notice it. They will have an official 41-gun salute going on somewhere, but I don't think there are any major celebrations or parades. I haven't stayed in a London hotel for many years, so can't help you with that, but for suggested excursions, if you do a search here using "London AND daytrips", that should bring up lots of useful suggestions.

In terms of day trips, there are many choices: 1. Oxford or Cambridge 2. Bath 3. Brighton (the beach, also the Brighton Pavilion, a royal residence now open to the public.) 4. Stonehenge (and Winchester & Salisbury?) 5. Hampton Court Palace (and Kew Gardens?) I'm sure there are other possibilities. Of the one above, Oxford or Cambridge are self-explanatory and are train trips out of London (n.b. London has several different train stations, so be sure you're headed to the right one for this or any trip you're making out of London.) 2. A lot of people like Bath, in part for it's Austen/Bronte period references and a quaint downtown with the old baths that drew visitors for their health. I found it a bit of a disappointment -- the quaint old storefront were there but they was Gaps, and McDonalds, etc. It wasn't a bad day, but not one I'd race to repeat. But many people like it. 3. I found Brighton to be a bit more fun to wander around in. But remember the British concept of a "beach" is often a rather thin line of large stones lying next to the water. And don't expect a lot of lying around in the sun. It's still England. 4. The first time I was in London, I took one of (what I think of as) those tacky bus tours, which went to Winchester, Stonehenge and Salisbury in one day. I had a good time (partly by wandering away from the tour group at times) - the 2 cities and the cathedrals are interesting and charming and Stonehenge .... well, it's Stonehenge and kind of cool to see in person. 5. I did a trip out to Hampton Court the last time I was in London. It's not too far out of London. About 40 minutes by train I think. You can also go by boat one or both ways. I understand that the normal recommendation is that you take the train up to Hampton Court (which is upriver and a longer journey by boat) and then return by boat. A lot of boat stop both ways at Kew Gardens, where I haven't been, but it's supposed to be nice. Be ready for a lot of tramping around at Hampton Court, it's a very large property with lots of different gardens.

Oh, I forgot. As to hotels there are a lot of bed & breakfast hotels that are in your price range in the Earl's Court area, the Bayswater Area and the Bloomsbury/Russell Square area. These hotels are pretty basic and can be oddly cramped, without elevators and "charming" (in the not so good way) sometimes, mostly because they were built as individual houses - but you're not spending most of your time in the hotel room. Also there are some more traditional hotels in these areas (look for "Thistle" hotels for instance, which are a chain that I would compare to Holiday Inn or maybe a little better here) which may not cost too much. Earl's Court is not far (a tube stop or two, or a good walk) from Kensington/Harrods/Buckingham Palace, the Victoria & Albert Museum. Bayswater is north of Hyde Park. Near Paddington Station which can be convenient but a few tube stops from the normal tourist areas. Bloomsbury/Russell Square is my favorite choice of these areas. It is near the British Museum and a reasonable (20-30 minute) walking distance (and a nice, British-y walk it is) from Soho (the theatre district), Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden, etc. It may not really be closer than Bayswater and Earl's Court, but to me it feels more like I'm in the center of London.

Perhaps I am biased, living near Cambridge as I do, but I would choose it over Oxford for a day trip. Cambridge is much more compact, with most of the colleges next to each other along the River Cam in the city center. Take the train from Kings Cross in London.

To add a bit to Xenos's comment - the official celebration is the Trooping the Colour parade at Horse Guards on the Saturday, which is ticket only, BUT you would be able to see the gun salute in Green Park and watch the parades going to Horse Guards (around 11), and back to Buckingham Palace (around 12) down the Mall, with a balcony appearance around 12.30 - 1pm. Or you might see rehearsal parades, but I don't know when they take place. There won't be anything like the Jubilee events for --- ooh probably another ten years. Though I suspect many would quite like HMQ to have some more concerts in the Palace gardens.

The rehearsals for the Trooping of the Colour are the 31st of May and the 7th of June. It is fairly easy to view these, or the actual Trooping the Colour on June 14th, from streetside or from areas in St. James's Park. Not a "madhouse" but expect street closures, higher security, and some crowds in the area around Buckingham Palace, The Mall, and Whitehall. David White www.KidsToLondon.com