OT- London advice wanted. Making first trip for Lions game!
I know the board has some UK posters and travelers so I'm curious where to go and potentially stay. Nearly everyone we've spoken to so far has said to stay near the Notting Hill train station. Is that a good area to stay, party, get to Wembley, etc. or are there better ideas/areas?
Any advice would be appreciated!
April 16th, 2015 at 11:10 PM ^
April 16th, 2015 at 11:17 PM ^
If it's history you want, there's always the Tower of London and the British Museum, but with just a weekend, I don't think I'd do either of those.
April 16th, 2015 at 11:20 PM ^
Found that flat rental in Southwark was a much better deal, maybe 40% cheaper. They had to move us to a different building due to renovations, so the walk from London Bridge station was longer than expected (~10 min vs 2 min) but it was fine. Still very close to central London.
The Natural History Museum in South Kensington is magnificent and admission is free (donations encouraged). Really wonderful museum.
Climb to the stone gallery at the top of the St. Paul's dome if you can handle it. Great views of the city.
London Eye is the mother of all ferris wheels.
April 16th, 2015 at 11:57 PM ^
Currently in Edinburgh, Scotland, but just spent 3 days in London. It is an amazing city! The advice given above is excellent. I wish I had known some of that myself. I would whole-heartedly agree with the commentors discussing cheap hotel rooms particularly due to jet lag. I thought I was clever enough to beat it. I was wrong!
The tube is quite busy but a great way to get around the city. Oyster cards are probably the way to go for that. My wife and I also utilized Uber while there. It is cheaper than the cabs and you can see the city above ground. If you want to/have the time, the hop on/hop off bus tours are also a nice way to familiarize yourself with the sights and history of the city and get around while not eating up your whole day. Pubs are fun - plenty of casked ales and lagers - Unfortunately rarely ever above 5% abv, so you'll have to work at it to get a buzz. Drinking in a pub that is older than the USA is kinda cool.
Parks are beautiful, people are great. You will really enjoy your time there and look forward to your next visit. I'm hoping to return again soon and stay for longer. Cheers!
April 17th, 2015 at 10:15 AM ^
My wife and I honeymooned in Europe almost 6 years ago. We spent a couple days in London, and the only thing I can think of as advice is to look into some sort of pass you can buy up front that allows you to ride all buses, subways, and trains for free. I remember it being quite a hassle to have to figure out how to buy subway tickets every time we used it. Then on our last train ride back to the airport we ran into a family from the US that told us about this pass they bought. It would've made things a whole lot less stressful.
Good luck and have fun. You should streak on the field (with a block M hat on your head).
April 17th, 2015 at 10:27 AM ^
works on the tube and on the busses.
Someone above mentioned Ye Ole Cheshire Cheese. It's a fun spot and allegedly the oldest still-standing pub in London.
I don't know that I'd make a point to hit this on a long weekend, but the Churchill War Rooms were really cool. They're right across from Westminster Abbey (which is also pretty cool). As for cuisine, you can find some of the best Indian and Chinese food in the world.
April 17th, 2015 at 10:19 AM ^
We are headed to London and Wales in June and this is all very helpful info!
April 17th, 2015 at 12:09 PM ^
I just got back from London and have a few suggestions. Some are obvious. 1) Heathrow Express is great, particularly if you're not going into Terminal 4; however, if you wind up staying some place like Hammersmith and there are two of you, you may just want to take a taxi (or arrange with a Limo service -- they are, like Uber, sometimes cheaper. 2) Have fish and chips at least once. If you wind up near Notting Hill, Geale's is a good choice; if you wind up near Covent Garden, try Rock, Sole & Plaice. Despite the name, it's quite good. 3) Get the Oyster Card -- and do it before you leave. If you know where you're staying, you can have it delivered there; however, you should have enough time to get it delivered at home. 4) Personally I like staying in the area between Hyde Park and Leicester Square (e.g., Green Park, Mayfair, Piccadilly), but I tend to shop and go to the theatre so that neighborhood works the best for me -- note that area can wind up a little more expensive than other areas. 5) If you're going to be there for a few days, think about a daytrip out -- Oxford, Cambridge, Bath can all be done in a day via fast trains. Hampton Court can actually be done in a half day. 6) Typically I'm not a fan of the giant Ferris wheels, but the London Eye is an exception. 7) Make sure you have a credit card that doesn't charge foreign currency transaction fees. The dollar is very strong, but you don't want to throw away money getting gouged by your bank. 8) Consider getting a token amount of pounds before leaving the US so you don't have to waste time looking for an ATM when you get off the plane. 9) If you do any shopping, remember VAT is included on everything, but you can get the VAT back at the airport before you board the plane. 10) Remember that most museums are free and are great places to sit out a shower. 11) Bring a brollie (aka umbrella) -- it rains a lot in London.
April 17th, 2015 at 12:23 PM ^
not much advice to give outside of you shouldn't feel jet lag until you return...and it sucks.
April 17th, 2015 at 12:39 PM ^
A Thing To Do:
Borough Market: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borough_Market
if you're any kind of enjoyer of foods
I wandered around there for a good long time and also found Neal's Yard Dairy (http://www.nealsyarddairy.co.uk/shops_borough.html) and happened upon the place where Zingerman's gets many of their UK cheeses. They even sell the Zingerman's books in the store and were happy to chat and rave about them for a good time and we ended up getting some nice deals on picnic food.
Given warm weather, that's probably not a bad way to spend part of the non-football trip.
I regret waiting to go to Borough Market until the last day of our trip. I easily could have eaten there two or three times.
don't miss out on camden town...it's like london's own special brooklyn more or less, if you'd be into that...lots of excellent street food there.
also, i probably don't need to tell you this, but, as goes for any amazing big city, I think you're best off skipping all the tourist traps...big ben, tower of london, etc..
if you are into modern art, check out the tate, very cool.
honestly i would just walk around the city, it's beautifully confusing.. built before cars were a thing, like paris, so driving through it can be a mess. so many roundabouts.