carolbby

Thanks everyone! My H and I will have a layover in London , arriving late afternnoon and departing early the following day. Can anyone suggestion what area in London to stay so we can walk to most of the famous sites. Any hotel suggestions? We are thinking we would like to get a hotel that has a shuttle service.

carolbby

Bump

tod

Absolutely! You need to be in County Hall. That is the old name of course when civil servants worked in the Greater london Council but in 1986 was abolished! Now it is the Travel Lodge (behind, not facing the Thames) and the Marriott Hotel in front, facing the Thames and of coursse, Big Ben.
It's a wonderful place to be! You have the London Eye at your doorstep, and if you like Chinese food, one of the most lovely restaurants in their building.

jent103

Do you mean a shuttle service to/from the airport? I'm not sure many places do that. It's easy enough to get into central London from the airports, though, using either a car service or public transport. Which airport are you using?

The County Hall area would be great if it fits your budget; I'd also look at the Mayfair/Soho/Covent Garden area. If you specify your budget, people can be even more helpful - no use in recommending a very expensive hotel if your budget won't allow it.

carolbby

Thanks everyone. We are looking for a hotel for around 115 GBP or less. We really just want to sleep and see the main sites within walking distance i.e. The Tower, Buckingham Palace, etc.
You suggest the most bang for our short time there.
Thanks again.

jent103

Well, it would take you an hour to walk to the Tower from Buckingham Palace (and I don't think the Tower will be open during the hours you are in town anyway). I suggest using Google Maps to get an idea of walking distances. Also check out the Tube and bus system if you really want to see the Tower.

If you stay around County Hall, Mayfair or Soho and are up for an evening full of walking, you can walk to the London Eye, Big Ben/Parliament/Westminster Abbey, and Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus and Covent Garden. It would be a lot of walking, but doable.

Iowa_Redhead

Just a thought, but what time of year will this be? During the winter the sun goes down pretty early, so if you don't even arrive at the airport until late afternoon, you'll likely not have daylight to see anything. If your flight gets in at 4pm, it would possibly be 6pm before you got unloaded and to your hotel. Dinner would be a nice idea at some point as would sleep.

My suggestion would be to pick your absolute top place that you'd like to walk past, possibly in the dark, and stay in that area. If you want to see Westminster Abbey, Big Ben/Parliament and the Eye, they're all pretty close together and all would be great to see even at in the dark.

janisj

• Which airport? Makes a big difference.

• Also, even the hotels right AT heathrow don't have shuttles to/from the airport. There is a for-pay Hotel Hoppa bus.

• Also, also . . . The only 2 sites you mention all the way across London from each other. I'd probably skip both B'ham Palace and the Tower - though for different reasons. Buckingham Palace is only a 'walk by' -- but w/ your schedule, so is the Tower of London. I'd skip the Tower simply because you can't 'see' much of it when it is closed and it is a looooong way from most other sites. You can see the outside walls and the grass filled moat - but you can't see anything else.

So which airport and what times are your flights? -- Then we can give you ideas for the best travel options and what you can hope to see.