London Travel Forum

Thanks ...we are staying in Chigwell, zone 4...it is a bit if a trip in to the center but this is where we have exchanged houses with another family.
I'll check the transport site but as we are not native Londoners I don't always understand everything. Would it pay to buy from there? We will have a car after the 7 days as we are doing some touring and return to the airport by car.
Is Heathrow in zone 4? The transport authority gave us two routes to get the Heathrow to Chigwell. They did not answer about the coinnection of buying a ticket for the tube at a railway station as we have been advised by VT members.

is there a railway station at Heathrow?

I am taking my 2 13-year old grandchildren on a "Capital European Capitals" tour in two weeks. We start in London, and I have a question about Speaker's Corner and about the London Eye.
Does anyone know how early in the morning the "speakers" gather in Hyde Park? I read somewhere in the afternoon, most sites say in the morning, but they don't say how early. 10:00? 9:00? Earlier?
Also I wonder how dependable the "flight times" are for the London Eye. If we book a flight for 2:00, how good are our chances of boarding anywhere near that time? I'm sure this attraction is mobbed, but I don't know whether they really stay on schedule. Anybody who's experienced this adventure?
Thanks,
Pat

Hi !

I´m going to London on SaturdaY and I´m staying there for about three weeks.Can you please advise and recommend me any cheap car rentals or any web page that is good to rent cars? Thanks

Could anyone tell me the approx fare from the Holiday Inn Heathrow to Heathrow Airport please.
Thanks

Hello Everyone!

We will fly into Heathrow T1 on Cyprus Airways and out of T5 on BA in Sept with about a 10-hour delay in between. And then on the way back from Canada vice versa. Into T5 and out of T1 again with a long delay.

Does anyone know about luggage storage at either Heathrow or Paddington Station? We would likely use the time to take the Paddington Express into London, and more than likely it would be too early to check-in directly ahead of time. Or would it be?

Thank you for your advice. Cheers. MrBill.

As it is almost July, am wondering if anyone knows of additional deals or discounts available from July 13th to 23rd for tourist sites? Have seen the national rail ones. (anything else?)
Someone said if you buy a 7 day paper ticket for metro
at a railway station this is good enough. Is this true? What if we
buy it at Heathrow? Can we use this 7 day ticket (we'll need a 4 zone) as we are with friends in Chigwell, from the airport? Also is it good on buses and trams?
Lastly is thereanything near Chigwell worth doing? Our friends are new to the area.

Hi

When is the best time to visit the Houses of Parliament? As a UK resident, I applied to my MP last year for a free visit, but the waiting list is that long that their office said it will be this winter at the earliest before I get a visit.

I've seen that in the parliamentary summer recess you can pay to book tickets for around £12.

I wonder if anyone has visited Parliament or has any knowledge of it and could advise me as to whether I should take a summer paid-for visit, or wait until winter for my freebie. At £12 , the cost isn't that much of an issue, but I wondered about the atmosphere of Parliament in the summer recess as Parliament won't be sitting and that means also that there will be no MP's milling about which I would imagine adds to the sense of occasion for want of a better phrase.

Any suggestions gratefully received.

Maria

Hi,
Another question sorry,
How does the mobile phone system work in europe? Can we buy a phone card to cover the whole of western europe,and does this give us a new number?
Thanks again

Hi,
we will be arriving in london late afternoon, and staying close by victoria station. Is this a good and safe area to stay? Also,we wont be arriving to our hotel until maybe 5pm, are all the sunday markets closed by then?
Thank you

Hello everyone,

First of all thank you to all that post extremely helpful info for advice seekers such as myself. I came across this website and have been reading a lot but, also am lost at the same time. I figured the best thing to do will be to ask direct qtns, maybe get specific help.

So as title says, my fiancee and I getting married in july and will begin our honeymoon in london where we will spend 5 days and 5 nights in august. We are still students and are on a modest budget. Hence, need to find possibly best deals on hotels for our accomodation and do as much research as possible to avoid paying for tour guides etc so we can do most of the touring ourselves.

Qtn # 1. I wanted to treat my wife to a very special day on our first day in london. I thought I would pick one of the better quality hotels out there where we can spend the day (spa service, flowers etc...). Are there any recommendations??? The budget would be say 150-300 U.S. dollars for that day and night???

Qtn # 2. Following this first day, I wanted to move into a more average hotel where the price would be substantially lower but, still worthy of a honeymoon stay. Any recommendations for this??? I have seen so many several hotels that I am truly lost as to which one is better over the other.

Qtn # 3. Where can I get an online train map as well as a city map of london? Does anybody know of a resourceful site where I can obtain this so I can map out my visit prior to arriving there?

Qtn # 4. Will it be wise within this 4 days to visit Dover (I heard it is really beautiful there). Maybe spend the night there. Also, are there any cruises that we can go out on for 1 day or so? I think it would be really romantic to spend some time on the water.

Lots of material. I hope ppl still read these posts. Any answers to qtns will be much much much appreciated by both of us!!!!!!!!!!! It would mean a lot. God Bless, I hope to hear from all of you.

does anybody know if heathrow terminal 1 has free wifi access?

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

Hi guys,

I am cathing a international flight out from Gatwick Airport (North Terminal)at 6.30am and thus need to get to the airport around 4.30am. What is the best way to get to the airport?

So far the best way I found was to catch a National Express Coach bus from London Victoria but the bus only gets to Gatwick Airport and not the Gatwick Airport (North Terminal). Is it easy to get to the North Terminal from where the bus stop? Has anyone taken this route and are able to share some info?

Thanks

Is the battle a worthwhile day trip? Would you be able to add a stop in Rye all in one day?

I will be going to learn English in that area in July...but if I get strapped for cash,would I be able to find any descent food in the area...

I've heard that buying train tickets online is more expensive because they are usually hidden fees and additional broker costs. Myself and a friend are planning to take the train one way from London to Paris on July 27th in the morning. We are both students (under 25). How much would this train ticket cost? (I would like a general figure from which I can assess online ticket prices) Will I have a problem buying a ticket for the train if I wait until a week before, and buy it in London (which is my preferred strategy), rather than online?
Thanks for your help.

After purchasing my Senior Rate for Eurostar London to Paris trip, I noticed I bought a round trip instead of the "One Way" that I wanted. Be careful on line.

Iam visit ing Egypt next month for 10 days then fly to london for 1 week
its my first time
I found hotel called royal national london

any recommendation?
is it indown town?
its my firts visit to london
JACKY

We are going to be in Ireland in the next few weeks, and are planning a 2-3 daytrip to London. However we do not know when we will go to London. Any ideas on where to stay on short notice? We are planning to take RyanAir from Cork. We have never been to London and would like to see the main places, most likely using a hop on/hop off tour. Thank you so much for your help!

I'll be staying in Earls Court for a couple of nights. What's the best restaurant? I like all sorts of food, looking for value for money and a good atmosphere. If service and food are good am prepared to pay a little more. Thanks for any suggestions!

hi!
has anyone used this site to buy cheap flights?
www.mobissimo.com
is it reliable?

Looking for comments on this company.

My questions are pretty basic...(my 1st trip overseas)....
I'll be bringing a computer and small radio. Will they plug
in to any wall outlet such as in a hotel? And, how do food prices compare in
grocery stores?..(a loaf of bread, for example),..could be up to 2.50
or $3.50 in California. Or a bottle of wine? A 16 ounce bottle
of red wine might cost between 8.00 and $15.00.. ..how would
London compare? Are there neighborhood stores such as "QuickStop"
stores here?
Is it possible to take a day trip only to Stratford? What
transportation would you suggest?

Thanks , as always
Ruthanna

Hello all, could anyone recommend a sim card to use in London while on vacation? I have an unlocked quad band phone.
Thanks

Hello,

My brother and his family will be driving from Brighton to London, and he wants to leave his car at a rail station outside the city and take a train into central London. Does anyone have any station suggestions that would be easy to get to on the trip up from Brighton? Also, as he has small children he was hoping for a station that would provide direct transport into the city (to avoid transferring trains mid-trip). Thanks for your help.

Dave

What are the must-sees in London? The list on VT is big and I will have only 3 days.
Thanks everybody!

Hi
im flying from Madrid and transfer in Gatwick to Dubai
Do i have to clear inmigration and customs or can i stay in the "sterile" area?
how long would it take me to transfer if i have to change terminals?

Flying from Germany to Stansted by Ryan air.

I am going to book my stansted express tickets online from stansted airport but was wondering whether its better to get off at Tottenham Hale or Liverpool street...I plan to go straight to Southfields to catch wimbledon. I was wondering which has better connections, Tottenham or Liverpool?

Looks like I can only buy the discounted Ryan air tickets to Liverpool street but I can always get off at Tottenham Hale, since its still cheaper than buying a return ticket for Tottenham on the official website.

Also, I am a little confused about the oyster card v. travel card...I plan on purchasing an oyster card at Stansted airport or one of the tube stations mentioned above since I think I only will be using the tube for two trips on Friday and Sunday. I may be using the tube a lot on Saturday but then again as I understand it will cap off at the daily limit, which is 50p less than the 1 day travelcard fare. So I don't really see the point of gettig a travelcard, unless I am missing something here.. I also really don't understand why you need a travelcard put on a oystercard.

I plan on visiting london again so the oyster card sounds the best way to go...
thanks,

im planning on making a 3 day driving tour to the cotswolds from london, im going to be in london, regents park area, for 4 days and after the cotswolds 3 days more in the same area, i was thinking of going to heathrow by tube, renting the car there, drive for 3 day in the cotswolds and returning the car again in heathrow, taking the tube to london to regents park,

in th cotswolds my plan is staying at a nice old hotel for three nights and exploring by car bath, avon, etc,

this is my first time in london and a lifelong dream of tourin the coutryside, is my plan logical, would be open to other suggestions.

one last question, are ther nice town by the water worth visiting in the cotswolds?

thanks again from mexico