United Kingdom Travel Forum

Hello everyone,

My sister and I are going to Kenya in early December. We will have stop over in London on our way to Kenya and back. We will arrive at Heathrow airport on Friday at noon and leave on Sat at 11:00am. On our way back we will arrive at Heathrow at 3pm on Sat and leave at 9am on Sun. We're planning to leave our luggage at the airport. We're mainly interested in historical sights, maybe some shopping. We also enjoy walking around.

I have several questions.

1. Should we sleep at yothel at the airport or should we get a room at the hostel? We just need a room to sleep. The price for 8 hours of yothel room was 58 pounds.

2. We want to see Westminster abbey, Parliament, Bucchingham Palace. So what I was thinking about doing free new-london tour. It starts at 4pm and is 2.5-3 hours. It says that they meet by Wellington arch. How do we get there and how early before the tour should we come. I was thinking about going from Heathrow to the Wellington arch. Eating lunch in that area, doing the tour. Also I wanted to go inside either Westminster abbey or Cathedral. Is it doable? After the tour take tube to Tower of London. (we just want to see it from outside) and walk the bridge of Towers.

3. I'm not sure what we should do for the evening. We're not into bars or clubbing. Maybe eating dinner after we walk the bridge of Towers?

4. On our way back I want to go shopping and just walk around in the area that we shop. Given that we arrive at 3pm on Saturday, will the shops be still open when we arrive in London?

Thank you

Can someone tell me,is it easy to find Terravision bus to Victoria station from Stansted?We will fly with Ryanair,and arrive very late,so we´d love to catch first bus possible.We used train last time,so I don´t know where the buses are.
Terravison tickets are sold here in Finland,at the airport,so we will buy them,even if I know it´s not the only bus-company.But at the middle of the night we want to be quick,so we can get some sleep at first night also ;)

Am planning a trip to London in April 2010. (never too early to plan). I am a smoker and since I haven't been to your lovely city in 20 years I am wondering what the policy is in smoking in London hotels currently. Can anyone shed some light on 1) policies and 2) does anyone know of hotels which do permit smoking in rooms. Thanks for any information you can offer.

I am posting this for my sister who is travelling for the first time to Europe in May. She and a friend (seniors) are looking for cheap but clean accommodation in Glasgow and Loch Lomond. Any suggestions would be appreciated and I will pass them on. Thanks.

Hi all,

I am going to spend a couple of weeks in the Hull area (I have work nearby). Should I stay in Hull? If so, where?

Someone mentioned that Beverley was nice - any recommendations?

Is there another town I should consider? Leeds and York seem a bit far but I could ride the train I suppose.

Thanks,

Mark

Could someone tell me of a cheap but clean hotel in London. Thanks.

Arriving 11.8.2010,09:00AM on a cruise at Southferry.We are 14 people.Which is the best way to get to the old city of Edinburgh as to join a walking tour on High Street.
Regards
David Katz

I haven't made it to Scotland yet, but I am planning to rectify that. I could fly from Shannon, Ireland or fly or take the train from London. Assuming I have 3-4 days/nights, what should I try to see? I don't mind renting a car, and I have a bum knee with recent surgery, so walking up and down hills might limit rambles up mountains.
Possible time frames: April, May, October or November of 2010
Interested in museums, how regular folks live, beautiful scenery, local events,unique happenings.
Thanks so much (in advance) for your help.

Hi

i'll be travelling to London for 4 days next week and am interested doing some shopping for my wedding ... flowergirl dress, bridesmaid dress, mother of the bride dress, souvenirs, etc ..

ill be staying in a hotel very close to Marble Arch ... very central ...

Any names of shops I can visit around this area please?

Thanks

Rgds
Elaine

I will be in London for 1 week and would require to purchase a temporary SIM for my mobile phone.

What are the cheapest options available? Where can I get the connection (I will stay in Docklands near Excel)? Also, pls. let me know average rates for calls within UK and the average cost for the SIM. Thanks!

I found this:
http://www.stpauls.co.uk/Visits-Events/Events/Advent-Procession
Looks like it´s free,can someone tell is it?I´m a fanatic about everything about christmas..And my husband loves light-shows,there seems to be some kind of light-show.
I allready asked this at my another question,but maybe no-one noticed it inside so much other text.

I'M FRENCH AND I DISCOVERED THIS TOWN CLAPHAM COMMON 2 WEEKS AGO DURING A WEEKEND AND I LOVED IT. I WOULD WANT TO ENJOY THIS TOWN WHILE 1 WEEK IN A FLAT WITH MY HUSBAND,MY MOTHER AND MY BABY. Could you give me some adresses where i could rent 2 bedrooms from 6th february to 13th for max 700£.
thanks a lot.
Sandra

Thank you for taking the trouble to reply. I really would like some info on the ghost walking tours please, if anyone has had any experience of which is the best day time ones.

which ghosttour would you freccommend for 13 and 14 year old. scary (not too much I dont want to traumatise them) and funny and interesting. There are so many choices and varying reviews I am totally confused.
Thank you all once more

Hi everyone,
I will be in Edinburgh nedxt Sat for the day with my tgwo teenagers. I want to take them to Edinburgh Castle, Camera Obscura, and a daytime ghost tour. I also would like to know where is best place to eat, (one of them very fussy eater) doesnt like anything fancy. Will I have time to do all this between 9am and 5pm. Has anyone got any information on THE DUNGEON DROP. Could I fit this in too and where is it?
Please help. Thank you so much in advance.

Hi all,

My family (2 adults, 2 teens of 12 and 14)is planning our first trip to London-Paris.

Have the impression many spots will be closed during winter but we believe there should still be enough to see.

Any recommendations for apartments, historical site, countryside, scenic route and nice local market?

Thanks!

Regards,
Singa89
Singapore

I'm off to Stirling for a couple of days in December and I'll be checking out Stirling castle, the Wallace monument and going up to Callander.
What else should I not miss. I've looked at a lot of internet sites so don't need pointing in that direction.
I'd like someone from the region or who knows the region well to make some suggestions. There seems so much and I have so little time.
Thanks

I have been trying to find somewhere a bit unusual or upmarket for a family holiday this Christmas / New Year. I’ve looked at Sawday’s but they’re mainly B&B. When I do a normal google I get the usual last minute sites and 100’s of irrelevant / too expensive / fully booked stuff.
Anyone know of one stop site where I can find something unusual and book online?

We need to get from Inverness to Carliff in July, we want to go the most convenience and not too expensive.
Thanks

Is Cologne christmas-market and German christmas-market different markets at London?I had thought they are the same,but now they were mentioned seperetly at some tourist-pages.
I didn´t understand does the other christmas-markest open later?There was no date for that.We will be at London from 27th November to 30th.
Is the chrismas-lights on then?I first red somewhere,that they are,but now I found something about light-switching-seremony at 3rd December :(
Is there anything else "christmassy"we might like to see?
And one other thing.When we were little,we both have loved stories of "Bear-gentlemen Paddington",I don´t know the real English name.But if you know it,is it a English story?If so,could we find those"bear-gentlemens" sold somewhere?We are now god-parents of 1,5years old boy,and it just came to our mind :) We might try to do some christmas-shopping there.We will take one empty bag with us ;) Also we will go to Camden,even if it wouldn´t yet be a christmas-market there,but we love those gothic-clothes,and pound is now cheaper than 4 years ago,at our last visit.

I will be going to london during the last week of January will there still be good sales please ?? . . thanks :)

My wife and I are experienced travelers throughout North and Central America, the Caribbean and Asia, but have never be to the U.K. or Europe. We are in the early stages in planning a trip to London, Scotland and Wales in the autumn of 2010. We're in our 50s and healthy -- up for some walking and hiking, but we like to travel at a leisurely pace and comfortably. At this point we're planning on traveling with a small tour company in Scotland before or after visiting Wales. We also plan on spending a few days in London on either side of our visit.

I've posted elsewhere about possibly barging the canals in Wales for a week, but thought we'd start over and consider all the options. We don't want to do the typical bus tour in which we're herded like, well, sheep (I understand Wales already has enough of those), but I don't necessarily want to spend my days meandering back roads in a tiny car.

So, what are we looking for?

1. I'm an amateur landscape photographer and would like to visit places like Snowdonia and other pretty places -- villages, castles, waterways, etc.
2. We enjoy spending a few days in one place, eating pub food and drinking local beer, listening to local music and talking to local people.
3. We prefer clean, comfortable accommodations -- B&Bs, inns, etc., avoiding the chains. If you're familiar with Rick Steves, we're not using his services because he tends to use lodging a tad below our standards.
4. We'd consider a small tour group if the pace is leisurely and the guides are knowledgeable. I'm not crazy about doing my own driving but I'll do it under the right conditions. If I can drive in Boston and the mountain roads of Idaho I can drive anywhere.

So, we'd appreciate wide-ranging advice on everything from things to see to places to stay to tour options to transportation options if we strike out on our own. How about renting a cottage in a central location as a home base from which to make day trips? If it's doable, here's the perfect week in Wales for us -- we arrive by train in a centrally located town and take a cab or public transportation or our awaiting rental car to a nearby cottage. We unpack and walk five blocks to a pub, where we have a great dinner, too much beer, and listen to some live music. Over the next week we get up in the morning and strike out to a destination, where we spend the day walking, taking pictures, shopping and talking to people. We return home each late afternoon or early evening where we enjoy yet another evening at the pub or, if we're particularly exhausted, we take some wine and cheese to the cottage for a quiet evening at home.

Or something like that.

Thoughts? Other ideas? Fantasy that doesn't happen in real life? Sounds like we want to hang with Gandalf and the hobbits? Any and all advice, suggestions and input are welcome.

Roger Plothow
Idaho Falls, Idaho USA

How far is teletext holiday turned to be a Great Holiday to the England citizens without any hazzel?

Are these holidays are with a good deals ?

Please advise.

i will be in london dec 10-14 and will be staying at the kensington and was looking for information on pub crawls in that area and that our handy cap freindly.i get around pretty good but use a cane after major operations last year! looking to hook up wit some fellow vt'er"s any help and information will be helpful!

Hey,

I'll be in London on November 21st and 22nd - anyone want to meet up? I used to be fairly active on here but not as much for the past little while. It would be cool to meet some VTers again, whether it be just for a coffee/meal/drinks or wander around.

I'll be arriving in the afternoon on the Saturday and leaving on Monday morning.

Let me know if you are interested!

Cheers, Brandon

Any recommendations of out of the way restaurants, or "inner suburb" areas which are "real neighborhoods," as opposed to tourist eye candy? How about East London? thanks for your help!

I have never been to London or England so I am unsure about many things. The first questions I have are this:

1) The cheap ticket I found would be from December 20-December 26. Is it snowing in London at this time?

2) If it is snowing do the trains still operate smoothly?

3) Are the museums open around Christmas time?

4) Would it be easy to get a tain ticket to Windsor and tour Windsor Castle?

Have friends arriving into Heathrow from South africa,intending to travel on to Edinburgh.Any member kindly advise on what this will entail, time to Edinburgh, departure terminal.Mode of transport required,if any,, thank you.

What are the cheapest transport methods (public/private) from Heathrow Airport to London Docklands. How much will they cost? Also I would like the transport to be convenient as well. Thanks!

How long does it take to walk from the Hotel at 1 West Quay Road to the Royal Caribbean Cruise ship berth?