London Travel Forum

I am looking at an apartment for a week in mid December for a family with young adult children.Is this a good area for night life and public transport?
Or would the city be better?
Thank you

Canada Water is in the Docklands business district - although there are transport links (Jubilee line tube), it's not really a very convenient base for tourists.

Note: in London, the 'City' refers to the central financial district.

Thank you for that.That might not be the best area.
Re the tube- are any of the lines better in terms of frequency etc?

You will find all the information you need about London pulic transport here:

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/

Tube timings vary according to time of day rather than just by route. Have a look at the maps and timetables here:

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/default.aspx

The nearer you stay to the centre of London the better (imo, and from a tourist point of view)...especially in December, when daylight is short and weather is usually horrible.

The official London tourist information website accommodation search engine lists all accommodation and allows you to search by landmark or location (as well as other criteria). Once you have explored the options you can, of course, easily book through another website if you wish.

http://www.visitlondon.com/accommodation/

Pulic transport = public transport.

There is a good journeyplanner here:

http://journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk

which will allow you to explore potential journeys and their timings from accommodation which appeals to you.

Tube map here as well:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/travel/downloads/tube_map.html

I agree Canada Water is a crappy place to base yourself to see London. At the weekend its even crappier.

Staying in the very centre of London is horribly expensive, far better to stay a few miles out and pay a train fare.

I'm not sure about Canada Water as a place to stay as it's a while since I have been there, but it is only 10 minutes from Westminster and 20 minutes from the West End and London's sights generally.

I'd certainly 'rough it' if I had a cheap place to stay as, after all, it is only really a place to sleep!

Having tried (in various places) both staying further out and commuting in, and staying in the centre (even if accommodation is not such a good grade), I would now always aim for the more central option.

The journey may not sound too far or too long, but it is a real pain if (say) you want to nip back for a shower before going out for the evening, or to leave your shopping. I went to a convention based at a hotel at Canada Water and it really seemed far out. The hotel was actually ten minutes by bus from the station, which didn't help.

Try looking in the Bloomsbury area, which is much more convenient for the main attractions and nightlife, but does have some reasonably-priced (for London) accommodation.