Help me plan my trip round London?

Question

While me and my Fiance are home at xmas he wants to go see London. I have been to London but not done the Tourist thing. What area of london is best to stay so we don't have to travel far to Trafalger Sq and London Bridge etc.... What attractions should i take him to see?

We will be visiting the weekend sfter new yr.

after* (typo)

Answer 1

If you're only around for the weekend, the museums may not be an option because they can take a few hours to go round (although the museums are free). Other touristy ideas include Buckingham Palace, Pall Mall, Changing of the Guards, Trafalgar Square (although this is only a square and very little else), Houses of Parliament (if in session, you can see the MP's in debate), Tower Bridge, Tower of London (although I can't remember whether they charge to get in), St Paul's Cathedral. These are pretty much free andno more than a 40 minute walk along the river (Buck Palace at one end and Tower Bridge at the other). For more ideas, visit http://www.visitlondon.co.uk/ and http://www.londonforfun.com/ (they can also help with a place to stay). Also try Smooth Hounds http://www.smoothhound.co.uk/ for guesthouses and B&B's. Also get an oyster card when you first arrive into London http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/ - speak to the first tube station you use (you may have to pay a £3 refundable deposit).

Answer 2

If you have one-day travelcards try the No. 11 bus. It runs from Fulham, up the Kings Road Chelsea, passed Sloane Square to Victoria, New Scotland Yard, Westminster Abbey, Parliament Square, Whitehall passed Downing St and Horse Guards, the site of King Charles' execution. Trafalgar Sq., National Gallery into The Strand, round Aldwich passed the Law Courts into Fleet St, then on to St. Pauls Cathedral. The bus terminates at Liverpool St Station and there's even stuff around there to explore and discover. You won't get a commentary but if you've already got your travelcards it's free and you get to see loads of the sites! I reckon it's the best bus route in London. Get the No.15 back from Liverpool St for Oxford Street, (If you must!) Whatever you do, have a great time in London, I hope you really enjoy it.

Answer 3

Stay in the Express Holiday Inn Hotel in Greenwich. It nice,but cheap (link below). It is situated right by the Millennium Dome (so there's one attraction already) as well as down the road from Greenwich Park (2nd attraction).
It is also 2 mins from Greenwich North TUBE station that will take you to Canary Walf (another attraction should you wish) AND into Central London, for all the other Touristy attractions (like the Houses of Parliament, London Eye, Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden, etc etc etc)

Being on the outskirts (15 mins tube journey time into central London), it is a lot quieter and not sooo polluted with traffic fumes (tooo much traffic 24/7 in central London) and also has a fab view of the Thames. If you are worried about eating out. It has on onsite Chinese Restaurant and also, Greenwich itself has many different fab restaurants and pubs.

Answer 4

Some good suggestions already but I think the Original London Sightseeing Tour may have better guides than the Big Bus Company.

http://www.theoriginaltour.com/

(But neither of them have especally good websites)

Alternatively, and for less money, buy a guide book and a pair of one-day travelcards and create your own tour by riding around on regular buses all day.

Btw, it's Tower Bridge you'll want to see, not London Bridge. And while you're there you can visit the Tower of London, although it's not cheap.

Where you should stay totally depends on whether you want to spend £50, £100 or £200 a night. But whatever your budget, shop around for the best prices, using a website like laterooms.com

Answer 5

The truth is that many of the touristy things are very worthwhile.

If I were you I´d stay in one of the hotels in Bloomsbury, as near to the British Museum as possible. You can walk to Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery, Downing St, Westminster Abbey and Buckingham PAlace from there quite easily.

London is a good city for walking. You can walk along the river towards Tower Bridge and back home past St PAuls and the city churches. Or get a bus if you feel tired.

Have a nice vac!

Answer 6

http://www.bigbus.co.uk/uk/html/uk_our_tours.html

Taking this hop on/hop off bus tour on your first day is fantastic!

It gives you a great overview of the high spots, yet is very manageable when you have a bit of jet lag. If you will be there for several days or even a week or two, you can then determine for yourselves where you would like to re-visit at greater length.

This way, your boyfriend can have some input as to what attractions he fancies the best!

As for accommodation, I don't know your budget, but the closer to the West End you are, the better and more centrally located you will be. Near a tube stop is a plus, of course. Think of your aching tootsies after a long day of toddling about town! A 20 minute walk at midnight with feet that hurt is unpleasant, to say the least!

Hope you enjoy your Christmas visit to London!

Answer 7

You should try some markets.
Saturday - Portobello Market in Notting Hill(go early!!) or Greenwich market on Sat and Sun.
Sunday - Spitalfields Market - Liverpool St. There's loads more markets like Camden but always go early!

Nicer areas - Hampstead, Richmond, Greenwich.

Walk from Golders Green park to Hamspead village stopping for a tea in the cafe in the park!

Try the cafe in the crypt under St Martin in the Fields Church in Trafalgar Sq.

P.S. You mean Tower Bridge not London Bridge!

Answer 8

There are hotels around all the main line stations. Go on an open air bus trip, visit the Tower of London, the eye, and walk along the Thames embankment and the South Bank. Remember most places will be closed at Xmas.

Answer 9

Hampstead is a lovely area and on the same tube line as TrfSq and LndBridge.

It also has some really nice pubs (the Holly Bush, The Flask) and there are a few hotels as well.

On the tourist thing....try to do the Duck Tour, it is awesome.

Enjoy!

Answer 10

best places to stay...any decent but well kept B&B or alternatively any 3 class holliday inn, travel lodge, premier loadge, thistle or easy hotel establishment

Stay well clear of the centre (the area marked as zone 1 on the tube map) unless you purposefully want/wish to get ripped of (speaking as someone who lives/resides in central london)

Unless you want to go to the musuems or go to the galleries, avoid central london at all costs, if you want to go shopping go to any of the 31 or 32 of the london boroughs main high street or shopping area and you can buy exactly the same brands and goods as you can buy in regent/oxford street but for less

there is a lot more london then just central london, as others have mentioned get yourself the full version of the A to Z (A-Z) and not just the condensed central london version (either nicholsons or geographers A-Z company, i used to be a pushbike courier so i should know)

In other words, get of the beaten track