Two weeks in London?
 

After much debating and going back and forth, I think I've pretty much decided to stay in London for 2 weeks and daytrip out for about half that. (It's myself and my 13 year old son) Am I totally crazy or will it be OK? I've decided on the Travel Inn County Hall for the entire stay. I'm plannng on alternating days in London with days out to get a good variety. Since it's our first time to the UK I just wanted to have the least amount of hassle with traveling all over the place a single mom with a teenager but I'm not sure it we will be totally "through" with London after two weeks.... any thoughts from you veteran travelers?!

Not crazy. Although you could easily spend the entire 2 weeks in London, day trips are a good way to do some exploring outside of London. And you won't be through with London after 2 weeks. I've been there 8 times and there are still plenty of things I've haven't done. Just one of the many great thngs about London.

Besides the usual places (Oxford, Cambridge and Stonehenge etc) I would recommend a visit to St.Albans. It is a very short train ride from London. It was the third largest Roman town in Britain around the third century. They have a nice Roman musuem, plus excavations of a theatre. And there is a medieval section of town including a cathedral that dates back around the 11th or 12th century. There is also a pub that claims to be the oldest pub in Britain (around 900).

You can do daytrips on your own or use a company such as Original London Walks with their Explorer Days. Website walks.com I've done daytrips both ways and had a lot of fun. When in London, their walks are nice introductions to different areas of the capital.

For future trips, London is a great jumping off point for using budget airlines to visit more of Europe.

Enjoy your trip.

I think that's a good idea. First, as rj007 said, you won't be bored in London. I'm going next week (yea!) for the 4th time in 4 years. When I started planning this trip I originally thought I'd go somewhere else for the first 3-4 days but when I got right down to it I knew I'd want more time in London.

Second, day trips are very easy from London. I suggest Cambridge, Oxford, Bath, Canterbury, Warwick, Windsor. Those are some of the major places to see in England and all are easy day trips. You can also do Stonehenge although it's a little more trouble unless you do a tour but still possible. So I think your idea to mix London with other places, and not to have to change hotels and lug luggage is a good one. Have a great time.

I'd spend $15 or so for a copy of DayTrips London by Earl Steinbicker which has 11 daytrips in London itself and, if my math is correct, 39 outside of London. Much of what you need to know is there: walking tour and map, descriptions of worthwhile sights, travel directions, restaurant suggestions, etc.

With this background you and your son can chose that which is the most interesting to you. Our edition was purchased in 1995 and we still make use of it after multiple trips, last time in November to go to Norwich and Winchester. BTW, Winchester is my favorite and by googling you can find their excellent website.

I'd also suggest you investigate the Day Out of London Train Pass after making a decision of where and how many places to visit. It is not avilable in the UK and MAY (emphasized) save some money depending on which trips you plan.

London has no central railway station, but a ring of termini. County Hall, for example, is near Waterloo, which has trains to Portsmouth, Southampton, and the south west, and to Waterloo East, with trains to Canterbury, Dover and Kent. Other terminal stations are Liverpool Street for East Anglia, Kings Cross for Cambridge, Yorkshire and the North East, St Pancras for Nottingham, Leicester and Sheffield, Euston for Stratford, Warwick, and the Midlands, and Paddington for the Thames valley, Oxford, south Wales, and the west country. So in County Hall you will be well placed for Kent and Hastings, and Exeter, but not for other places. Perhaps you should divide into two weeks, one of them in County Hall and the other in Bloomsbury, near Kings Cross, St Pancras and Euston stations, for much of the north of England. Or perhaps you should take a first week in London, but a second week in the west, somewhere like Swindon, in a bed and breakfast or small hotel near the station, with good train services to such attractions around there as Oxford, Bath Stratford and Warwick.

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London Marylebone would be better for Stratford and Warwick rather than Euston.

I think it's a great idea and one we do often. We've been to London many many times and never run out of things to do.

Travel Inn is right next door to Waterloo which gives you easy access to a major station. It is very easy to get to other stations via the tube so I would not worry about splitting my time in London and wasting a day changing hotels.

The only suggestion I would make is to rent an apartment rather then stay in a hotel for 2 weeks. You would have much more room, privacy and a kitchen to do up snacks and an occasional meal We have stayed at Scala House 4 times (and other apts as well) and find an apt. preferable to a hotel for longer periods. Scala apts all have 2 bedrooms and one full bath and one with just toilet/sink - this is a real plus !!! Full kitchens too including dishwasher, microwave, etc. It kind of gives you the sense of "living in London" too which is fun. I actually enjoy going to the grocery stores and picking up snacks/breakfast items.

I would recommend a day trip to Arundel Castle, it's lovely and a little less touristy then some of the others. It's 90 min. from Victoria Station. Warwick Castle is, of course, spectacular and well worth a visit too (90 min. from Marylebone Sta.) From Waterloo you can get to Hampton Court in 30 min. too. I highly recommend a trip out to Canterbury as well.

You also might consider Winchester for a day trip, or Salisbury. Both are great towns and well worth spending some time in, also both easy to get to.

What I would also recommend is not "overdoing" it, a little downtime now and then is a good thing :-) I read some trip plans and get exhausted just reading. Leave time for the unexpected and unplanned. You never know what will catch your eye and you will want to "wander off course". Having a plan is OK but don't over-plan.

I don't know much about 13 yr old boys but I would get him involved in the planning and be sure to incorporate many of his interests into the trip, otherwise you will have one unhappy and bored teenager on your hands I suspect. You both might very well enjoy Portabello Market and Camden Market.

I agree w/ a lot that has been said. Especially to rent an apartment instead of staying in a hotel if you are there more than a couple of days. For about the same money you could get a roomy studio or 1-bdrm flat w/ a full kitchen. I would not like stayint in a room essentially like a budget US motel room for 2 weeks. County Hall TravelInn is a good budget property in a good location but 2 weeks there would give me cabin fever for sure . . .

Now about the main issue - two weeks in London w/ lots of day trips. Sure this is doable. Is budget a concern? I ask because London has the most expensive hotel rooms in the country. Even Travel Inns cost almost twice what they cost outside of London.

London could certainly fill 2 weeks or 2 months or more. But if you essentially want to spend half your time outside of London -- consider staying 7 to 9 days in the city (preferably in an apartment) and 5 to 7 days out in the country.

You would save a lot on accomodations and have more time to see things w/o having to go back to London every night. I'm not talking about renting a car outside of London (which I would do personally, but from reading you post doesn't seem like somthing you'd like to bother with).

But taking the train up to York and staying a night or two. Then heading maybe to Warwick (a GREAT place for a 13 year old) or Oxford. To Bath for a another 1 1/2 days. To Salisbury - neat city and a 20 minute bus ride from Stonehenge. And then back to London for your last night in a hotel near the airport before heading home.

Just another way to think about your itinerary . . . . .

Beckb, here is the website for the Days out of London Pass:

http://www.britainontrack.com/passes...ndon_pass.html

Thank you all for your replies and suggestions! I had thought about an apartment and I am meeting with a travel agent on Friday (she's a certified BritAgent) and I'm hoping she can help me with that. I had weighed the option of staying outside of London somewhere for some of the time, but doing that with a teenager might be a challenge... but once again, I'm going to have the travel agent help with that option too.

Also, you all gave me some great ideas for daytrips that I had not even considered... thank you so much!

My teens and I did a 3-week home exchange with a London family. We spent hte middle week traveling, visiting Stratford/Wawick, Hay-on-Wye, and Bath. In your situation, I would definitely break up the 2 weeks with a night or two afield.

The one day trip that I would recommend for most 13-year-old boys is Warwick Castle, and then you're not far from Stratford.

If your 13-year-old likes video games, he'll love some time at Funland in the Trocadero. I didn't care much for it, and took a book because I didn't dare stray and always kept son in sight, but he loved it. He also loved the Complete Works of William Shakespeare by the Reduced Shakespeare Company. It was really very funny, and even a passing knowledge of a few plays makes it even more enjoyable. That play is performed just across the street from the Troc.

I'm with janis on this. The expense in London is a good reason not to spend every night there. The other is having to go back into London every night. The English countryside is wonderful, and I'd much rather stay there than have to go screaming back to London every night.

Your travel agent will certainly suggest staying in London as that will increase her commission. She won't get a dime if you stay at B&Bs unless she sells you some overpriced voucher packages. Any of a couple of B&B books in England are a better option and they will be cheaper.

By best deals and trips have always been planned without the help of a travel agent and with the help of the good people here. You will get advice from people who have actually traveled to these places as opposed to someone who has been trained to sell them.

Just an opinion.

Bill

Once again, thank you for the ideas and suggestions. For some reason I cannot make up my mind on how I want to schedule this trip!! Warwick castle is definitely on the must-see list. I am going to look into the possibility of staying in the country (possibly Peak District or Cotswolds) for a few nights... change of scenery and pace. You all have been a great source of information.

Some of the day trips I took from London were Stonehenge and Bath, Blenhiem Palace, and The Cotswolds (one of those lovely places had a Museum there that the boys seemed to enjoy while we women were at the perfumery) I wish that I had a chance to see Stradford Upon Avon. Definitely have your 13 year old pick out things that he thinks that he will enjoy. I could have easliy just stayed in London the whole two weeks of my trip. There was so much to see just in London alone. Never mind all the day trips that you can take.
;) Have a wonderful trip I wish I was going back.

stay at the Days Inn london waterloo, not the travel INN.

Its closer to a tube stop, cheaper, newer, bigger rooms. It is right next to the Imperial War museum which I would take anyday over the London Eye which is right next to the travel inn

One excursion I really enjoyed was to Greenwich, to see the town and the zero meridian line. the place is really geared toward kids, and my 15 year old niece was so jazzed about my going there. Lots to learn.

I have been to London many times. Be sure to visit the Royal Chelsea Hospital. Best place in London. For daytrips St. Albans, Windsor, Winchvombe. I am thinking of Rye. I have never been.
Any suggestions for apartments? I would like to stay for 3 weeks. Thank-you

misreadfan: I am confused - you start out giving advice re what to visit and then ask about an apartment for 3 weeks? I take it you are going to the UK - all three weeks in London, or somewhere else too?

Instead of tacking your question(s) onto a <b>2005</b> thread it would be better to start a new thread w/ more details about what you want to know . . . . . .

I was also going to suggest Greenwich. I think a 13 year old would enjoy the Naval museum there.