Sightseeing in london

Rebob

Hi :hello:

We have decided to visit London in the summer holidays. I was thinking early August. :think: There will be 2 adults and 1 8year old child. We were going to stop 3 nights in a travelodge (have not a clue which would be best) on a cheap room deal. :question: What would be the cheapest way to get around sightseeing / visiting attractions such as the palace-london eye-etc? :question:

Thanks in advance for your time. Any help will be appreciated! :beer:

janeym8

we stayed in the premier inn "county hall" which is about a 30 sec walk from the eye and seemed very central buses and trains all under 5 mins walk away was fab

janey xxx

gooismeid

We're staying in the Travelodge in Battersea (well, it looks closer to Clapham to me...) on Wednesday for exactly the same thing so I'll report back when we've done our trip! I did some investigations and the 7 day travelcard (or 3 or 5 day ones), available to buy in advance or at most stations in London, seem to offer the most flexibility and at the cheapest cost because they cover rail, bus, tube and get you a discount on some river boats too. Unless any of you MSE'ers know different?

waster_2

What you need is a Travelodge near to a tube station. So check how close they are before you book. I know that the one in Park Royal is only a 5 minute walk to the Piccadilly line. A lot of others though can be a long way from the tube!!!

black-saturn

If you stay in one of those cheap Travelodge's you will spend so much money in travel around London that it won't really be making a saving. Better to choose a hotel fairly central. The Regent Palace hotel on Piccadilly Circus has rooms starting from £45 per night and you will be in walking distance of everything you want to see:

http://www.regentpalace.co.uk

When you ring the booking line dont press any options when asked. Stay on hold and you will be put through to the hotel reception who will book you the room cheaper than the booking agent will if you had pressed any options.

Rebob

Just been in town with parents and saw an ad for a trip to london.

4 star Tower hotel on the bank of the Thames.

Full english breakfast.

Adults £155 for 4 days including direct coach.

I am considering this one as I have been told "the hotel is in a good spot" and my parents have said that they will pay for ds.

Has anyone stayed here? Is it in a good spot or not?

isasmurf

black-saturn wrote:

If you stay in one of those cheap Travelodge's you will spend so much money in travel around London that it won't really be making a saving. Better to choose a hotel fairly central.

Travelodge have plenty of Central London hotels with rooms from £26 per night.

If you can get a Central London hotel, then I would suggest the best way to see London is to forget the tube and go by bus. Yes, it takes longer, but it's worth it. At least you get to see the sights and not a black tunnel wall!

If you only use the bus then it would cost you £3.50 per day(*) each for a one-day bus pass, and your 8 year old travels free. If you want to use the Tube or National rail then you'll need a one day travelcard, price varies depending on what zones you need, but if you buy a travelcard you can buy one for your child for £1.

Routes 11,15 and 23 go past most of the major sights.
Westminster - 11
Trafalgar Square - 11, 15, 23
St Pauls - 11, 15, 23
Tower of London/Tower Bridge - 15
Bank - 11, 23
Piccadilly Circus - 15, 23
Oxford Street, Marble Arch - 15, 23

London Eye is a short walk over the river from Westminster or Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace is also a walk from Westminster or Trafalgar Square but in the opposite direction!

Route 15 also operates a heritage route between Trafalgar Square and Tower of London. The heritage route is operated by the old style Routemaster london buses. They run approximately every 15 minutes (just let the modern buses pass you by). There are also heritage buses running between Aldwych and Royal Albert Hall (route 9), which could be handy for the Museums around Kensington.

If your staying in one of the Travelodges around the King's Cross area (looking at the website there seem to 3 virtually next door to each other!) then Route 205 will take you from outside Kings Cross station to Baker Street for Madame Tussauds, or you can alight earlier for Regents Park and London Zoo. Alternatively you can take Route 453 from Westminster, Trafalgar Sq, Piccadilly Circus or Oxford Circus.

You can take buses to Knightsbridge/Harrods from Piccadilly.

Here's a link to Bus 'spider' maps for Oxford Circus and Trafalgar Square which should give you an idea of what buses will take you where.

(*) If you use an Oyster Card on buses you will be 'capped' at £3 per day, saving 50p over a one day bus pass.

waster_2

isasmurf wrote:

.......
If you can get a Central London hotel, then I would suggest the best way to see London is to forget the tube and go by bus. Yes, it takes longer, but it's worth it. At least you get to see the sights and not a black tunnel wall!

If you only use the bus then it would cost you £3.50 per day(*) each for a one-day bus pass, and your 8 year old travels free. If you want to use the Tube or National rail then you'll need a one day travelcard, price varies depending on what zones you need, but if you buy a travelcard you can buy one for your child for £1.

...................

(*) If you use an Oyster Card on buses you will be 'capped' at £3 per day, saving 50p over a one day bus pass.

But remember, if you use a Pay as You Go Oyster Card you will need to pay a £3 “deposit”. So unless you are around for at least a week, or intend to visit often, it may not be worthwhile making the 50p saving!

Rebob

Where would I get the bus pass from as this looks the best option? (could not get my head around the oyster thing) Also, when I visited 12 years ago you could get a 3 day pass, do these still exist?

Generali

Personally, I would recommend the Travelodge Liverpool Street on the edge of the City as it's in a much nicer area than Kings Cross which can be a bit dodgy (although very handy if you want to pick up some drugs or a lady of the night).

There's also a really nice, cheap restaurant called Haz close by that serves excellent food with really good service. Very welcoming to kids to which is unusual in The City. You'll need to book if you want to eat there at lunch time. It's quiet at weekends though.

LB1985

black-saturn wrote:

If you stay in one of those cheap Travelodge's you will spend so much money in travel around London that it won't really be making a saving. Better to choose a hotel fairly central. The Regent Palace hotel on Piccadilly Circus has rooms starting from £45 per night and you will be in walking distance of everything you want to see:

http://www.regentpalace.co.uk

When you ring the booking line dont press any options when asked. Stay on hold and you will be put through to the hotel reception who will book you the room cheaper than the booking agent will if you had pressed any options.

You might want to have a look at this before booking the Regent Palace Hotel...