London Travel Answers

Why not meet at the statue of Eros at Picadilly Circus where you can observe the daily life of Londoners

Hi Before recommending a specific location, it would be good to know whether you're travelling with heavy luggage or not and where you're intending to go on to thereafter. My experience is that you need to nominate a meeting spot where there is the minimum potential for confusion. Many of the larger tube stations have multiple entrances/exits which can create confusion, particularly for first time visitors, as do large crowds. For those reasons, I wouldn't be too keen on the most obvious options on the Piccadilly Line in Central London - Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square as they are very crowded, have multiple entrances and are served by more than one line, which means that they are bigger stations, and thus potentially more confusing. My feeling is that Covent Garden is a better option, and still very central and excellent for people watching and keeping yourself amused whilst you wait for your companions - but if you're there in peak hour, there can be quite a wait for the lift (there are no escalators at this station. Also consider Russell Square - particularly if you're staying in the Bloomsbury area close to the British Museum Be a little more specific and we'll be able to offer much better advice. Regards Cathy

yes good point to meet at Piccadilly circus by Eros.

Just curious: as you're coming in by plane, it would seem that you are staying at least one night in the city? My first thought would be to meet at your hotel so bags/excess can be unloaded right away if possible. Are you not all staying at the same accommodations, or even accommodations in the same general area? Meeting at Eros will be an issue if it's pouring rain, and to be honest, Picadilly is not my favorite place in London due to the crowds/busyness. Any more info you can give us to help narrow down to the optimal spot?

My prefered meeting place is always a pub so with that in mind I suggest you all meet up in The Glasshouse Store on Brewer Street.

Our final destination for the day is Oxford. So, we're going to leave our luggage at Heathrow (Left Luggage??) and take the tube into London. We'll spend a few hours in London before returning to Heathrow to collect our luggage. We've already arranged for transportation from Heathrow to Oxford. Thanks in advance for your suggestions!! By the way, the first group arrives at 6:30 in the morning and the last about 10:30.

Ah, that helps - and sadly it's too early for a session with a pint. (well, for MOST of us it's too early). What with getting through immigration, stowing luggage, and getting into the city (Heathrow Express is the fastest way in) I don't expect you'll see the 10:30 group until closer to noon. Yes, there is the Picadilly tube line but it takes longer and with the short amount of time you have, I think I'd go the fastest way possible? The express arrives at Paddington Station - just a bit north of Hyde Park. For those of you arriving early, the park would be a great place to stretch your legs after the flight (if it's a nice day). There looks to be a pub (The Swan) at Lancaster Gate (north edge of park) which might make a good meeting spot around the time your companions are expected but I'll admit to not having been there so our London experts may be more help here?

Oops - I meant that 6:00 AM is a bit too early to start hanging around the pubs. Meeting up around noon-ish is a different story. :O)

One more thought: with just part of a day, you might be scrambling to fit in everything you want to do so jumping the tube to get from place-to-place might be good. You might want to look into a one-day travel card (zone 1-2) so you can just plug the turnstyles whenever you need to? londontoolkit.com/briefing/t... They don't cover the Express but might still be worth the$ if needing to make tracks around the city - which is a bit spread-out.

Personally, I would not suggest meeting anywhere outdoors. With all the rain we get in and around London, it means people could be out in the wet for awhile. If you take the Strand exit from the Tube stop and walk west a block or so, there's a large bookshop where there's a cafe for coffee and snacks and at least it's not outdoors. :-) It's a Waterstone's.. and Fortnum & Mason is right there, too, for more browsing.

Hi My humble suggestion: if you are all going back to Heathrow anyway, why go all the way to the center? Hammersmith could be a nice compromise? I don't know the area well enough but maybe someone else could suggest a nice cafe, maybe with a terrace in case the weather is nice (yeah, right!) not far from the station? There is a decent indoors shopping center there too so if the early arrivals want some retail therapy, that's available too. A.