Where in London-20 hours
Mar 21st, 2005, 07:44 AM
#2
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Most any of hundreds of central hotels will fit your needs. BUT to make a reasonable suggestion we need to know which airport(s) you are arriving/departing and also what time of day you arrive. This makes a difference because some areas are much more convenient for LGW and other areas are more convenient for LHR.
Mar 21st, 2005, 08:15 AM
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The fastest way to get back and forth to London is the Heathrow Express to Paddington Station.
Staying at one of the numerous hotels in the station area (<i>e.g.</i> Sussex Gardens is a 5-minute walk) would simplify getting checked in and out with minimum time enroute.
You can start right from Paddington on a self-guided bus tour. Buy a one-day bus pass at the Tube station for each day and print out the map at
<b>http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/pdfdocs/cen_bus.pdf</b>
You can ride the #15 all the way from Paddington to Tower Hill, stopping along the way. Then the RV1 will take you down the south bank and into Covent Garden. From Leicester Square, the #24 to Victoria takes you past many sights, followed by a #73 to Marble Arch and back to Paddington.
Staying at one of the numerous hotels in the station area (<i>e.g.</i> Sussex Gardens is a 5-minute walk) would simplify getting checked in and out with minimum time enroute.
You can start right from Paddington on a self-guided bus tour. Buy a one-day bus pass at the Tube station for each day and print out the map at
<b>http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/pdfdocs/cen_bus.pdf</b>
You can ride the #15 all the way from Paddington to Tower Hill, stopping along the way. Then the RV1 will take you down the south bank and into Covent Garden. From Leicester Square, the #24 to Victoria takes you past many sights, followed by a #73 to Marble Arch and back to Paddington.
Mar 21st, 2005, 10:08 AM
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Or, since your time is so limited, you may want to consider one of the hop on/off bus tours.
www.bigbus.co.uk
www.theoriginaltour.com
www.bigbus.co.uk
www.theoriginaltour.com
Mar 22nd, 2005, 01:16 AM
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Very good advice to do the bus tour - you can see a lot without having to walk, and you can hop on and off as you please.
Don't try to pack too much in because London is exhausting. Best to pick a few must sees, and you will pass a few other landmarks getting to them anyway.
Good places to see at night are Westminster (Big Ben), possibly go on the London Eye which gives you great views of the city (you can book before you get here http://www.londoneye.com/). Maybe take in a show?
I always go to London just for a day (i'm based in the UK and only ever manage to get there now and then) and I usually start in Covent Garden (lovely shops and street entertainers), walk from there to Leicester Square and on to Piccadilly Circus. Many of the landmarks are surprisingly close together and you can see a lot just by walking (ie. Westminster, Trafalgar Square, Downing Street, Piccadilly Circus). Then take the tube on to somewhere else - ie. Tower Hill for the Tower of London which is very entertaining, and you can also see Tower Bridge from here. The tube is great for getting around the city, but you do have to be a little aggressive to get around - prepare to nudge your way on and be nudged, and avoid rush hour if you can.
Enjoy your visit! By the way http://www.visitlondon.com is a good source of info.
Don't try to pack too much in because London is exhausting. Best to pick a few must sees, and you will pass a few other landmarks getting to them anyway.
Good places to see at night are Westminster (Big Ben), possibly go on the London Eye which gives you great views of the city (you can book before you get here http://www.londoneye.com/). Maybe take in a show?
I always go to London just for a day (i'm based in the UK and only ever manage to get there now and then) and I usually start in Covent Garden (lovely shops and street entertainers), walk from there to Leicester Square and on to Piccadilly Circus. Many of the landmarks are surprisingly close together and you can see a lot just by walking (ie. Westminster, Trafalgar Square, Downing Street, Piccadilly Circus). Then take the tube on to somewhere else - ie. Tower Hill for the Tower of London which is very entertaining, and you can also see Tower Bridge from here. The tube is great for getting around the city, but you do have to be a little aggressive to get around - prepare to nudge your way on and be nudged, and avoid rush hour if you can.
Enjoy your visit! By the way http://www.visitlondon.com is a good source of info.
Mar 22nd, 2005, 05:44 AM
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If your flight lands at Heathrow at 4pm, it could be 6 by the time you're ready to hit the streets. The commercial tours are mostly over by then, so if you don't want to try the city bus, you might want to just hire a cab to drive you around for a few hours.
Getting out on a noon flight will pretty well chew up the morning, so it appears that the evening is all the time you'll have to look around.
And plan your <u>next</u> trip, with two weeks in London Town!
Getting out on a noon flight will pretty well chew up the morning, so it appears that the evening is all the time you'll have to look around.
And plan your <u>next</u> trip, with two weeks in London Town!
Mar 22nd, 2005, 06:59 AM
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Good point - or better still get out of London as quickly as possible and see what else the UK has to offer for a couple of weeks.
London is a great city but it is also a huge tourist trap, and I think it's sad that this all most people see of the UK.
London is a great city but it is also a huge tourist trap, and I think it's sad that this all most people see of the UK.
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