Visiting London, England

[Wayne Maybury]

Originally Posted by UKjohnnycobra

I recommend you stay away from the lager and stick with the good London brews such as Fullers London Pride or Young's Special.

Oh and by the way its traditional for first time visitors to go up to the first policeman they see and steal their helmet while shouting "all coppers are b@stards!". Extra points if you actually do this at the airport. Its OK, they are all in on the joke.

I will definitely try the Fullers and Young's.

Now as far as trying to grab a policeman's helmet, I am not so sure that this trick wouldn't see me end up in the slammer. I may pass on this.

Wayne

[Sizzler]

I thought London was doing away with the double-decker buses, at least as part of their public transit system. Should be able to ride one as part of a tour group.

No tipping in London. You get your bill, you pay that amount, nothing more.

Canal zone is a nice walk in a nice residential neighborhood.

I didn't look up which tube station you're closest to, but some are better than others...some seem to always require a transfer to another line. I remember the Kensington stop near the V&A museum was one of the good stops to stay near, plus it was close to a very nice part of town (Lambo dealer right around the block, Morgan dealer tucked away down a nearby alley, pristine XKE's parked on the street...).

We took a train out to Bath, that was interesting. Don't really know you or what interests you. Personally, I skipped the tube and taxis and just walked around London, from Harrods to Selfridges. Your wife might like the Liberty store. Kew Gardens was nice, took a train out and a boat on the Thames back. Hampton Court was another nice tour, took a surprising amount of time to see, and again, was able to come back on the river...river travel really depends on the time of the year and/or weather. There is an incredible amount of new building/architecture along the river.

Greenwich was an interesting time, but again, it depends on the season since a lot of that was just being outside, though the clock museum was cool...

Eat Pasties in Windsor (downtown). Explore. Have fun.

[Wayne Maybury]

Sizzler

Is the gratuity already added to the bill or do the waiters just not expect any tips in the UK? We were in Miami Beach a few weeks ago and all the bar and restaurant bills have 15% added. Some waiters mention that, some do not hoping that you will give them an extra 15%.

My wife and I tend to walk a lot wherever we go so we certainly will be doing the same in London. It is beginning to sound like we should have booked for two weeks, not just one.

Wayne

[OneDs]

From a local:-

First post so Hi to all!

Generally if your in a classy (snobbish) enough of a place they will automatically add service charge to your bill, check when the bill comes normally 10%-15%.

Pubs and a like, tend to have an order and pay upfront at the till process to avoid any issues re tipping.

If you get great service outside of these types establishments and would like to tip I'm sure your waiter/ess would apprieciate it 10% would be fine.

However don't feel obliged to be taken for a ride just because your a tourist, if it doesn't measure up then have no qualms about not tipping. Taxi drivers no way, they charge the earth anyway. Hotel staff don't expect it from brits so why should you.

Stuff you have to see that hasn't been mentioned yet.
Natural History Museum, Even if you just check out the architecture (just across the street from the V&A museum)
The Science Museum is just round the corner also and has a great display of some old aircraft.
If your going to do St Pauls, then you might want to compare the Oratory which is just down the road from the V&A also, it's a smaller version of St Peter's Rome. Harrod's (think Bloomingdales) is just up from these places as well.

Camden Town Market is a bit ecelectic and a bit tatty & cheap now a days but still worth a visit and can be combined with a canal walk and a trip to London Zoo / Hyde Park.

With regard to the tube, unless the weather is poor and you don't mind doing it, then I would walk mostly. You'd be surpised the amount people who use the tube when walking can be just as quick or a little bit slower and you get to see so much more. The are so many stations so closely packed together in the "West End" (down town) and the city centre that getting down too and up from the platform then waiting for the next train that can sometimes be a bit of squash to get in, is an experience on it's own.

That said if you've got tired legs it's chucking it down and a reasonable distance to go it is great.

All the best any other q's I'll chip in.

[Tom Wells]

Wayne,

Dunno if you have any Cobra stuff in mind, but here's a UK web site for you: http://www.cobraclub.com/

They may also have some local advice for you.

We visited with one of their members in Florida when he came over and ended up with a photo of my Cobra in their very nice magazine Snake Torque.

Enjoy,

Tom

[Wayne Maybury]

OneD Thank for the info. I have a ton of Holiday Inn points so used some to book this stay. We are staying at the London Park Lane Inter Continental, One Hamilton Place. I hear that it is a pretty "classy joint". I get the feeling that we will not be eating in the hotel too often.

I have been told that it will be best to buy a 1 week pass for the tube right at Heathrow. We will probably walk until we drop most days then take the tube back to the hotel in the evenings.

By the way, welcome to Club Cobra.


Tom, I hadn't really thought much about Cobras and London. There is still some snow here so I really haven't thought much about the Cobra at all lately.

Wayne

[OneDs]

Hi Wayne,

Travelcard/Oyster card

You can pre-order your travelcard and have it delivered to you in Canada, it is a smart card called an Oyster card that you swipe on the barriers at the tube stations and you can get it from here.

http://visitorshop.tfl.gov.uk/

You may only need zones 1&2(£25.80) if you stay pretty central and don't use the tube from Heathrow.

Travelcard prices are here
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/faresa...kets/4805.aspx

Check the map here to see what zones you'll need.
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloa...t-tube-map.pdf


Getting from Heathrow to your VERY NICE hotel in the "West End" (Down Town)

The least stressful way would be to get a taxi direct from Heathrow; costs somewhere between £40-£75 to get to the West End and could take over an hour dependant the time you land.

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/...axis/1140.aspx

The fastest, reasonably priced (£18) (and in my view the best) way to do it would be the Heathrow Express rail service to Paddington 15mins from Terminals 1-4 or 21 from T5, then a Taxi from Paddington station to your Hotel (£10, 10mins)

http://www.heathrowexpress.com/Home

As the nearest tube station to your hotel is on the Piccadilly line (Hyde Park Corner) you can go direct from Heathrow on the Tube although you'll need a zones 1-6 travelcard (£47.60) to cover the whole journey.

I assume your coming on a red eye so will run in to the morning rush hour when you arrive. The Tube would be a bit of a squash at that time especially with your luggage. Plus you'll have to manage your luggage up and down the escalators

Anyway dependant on how tired you are, much money you want to spend and how quickly you want to get to your hotel these are your best options.

If you got the Heathrow Express to Paddington, you could get the tube from Paddington to Hyde Park Corner, but that is two short tube journeys (Bakerloo & Piccadilly lines) and then you have the transfer between the two lines and getting down and up from street level and then the short walk to your hotel which would in my view be pointless, you might as well get the tube from Heathrow direct.

Travelling on the Thames

If you want to visit Kew Gardens or Hampton Court then you could get the River Bus from Westminster Pier, the service to Kew & Hampton Court is very limited so you might end up getting a train (Hampton)/tube (Kew) back. Richmond is a nice town to stop in too.

River Bus service details here
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloa...tt-leisure.pdf
You get a very good discount with an Oyster Card here
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/oysteronline/13411.aspx

The other river activity you must do, is to go on the "Duck tour", it's an amphibious bus used for the D-day landings in 1944 that gives a good (but short) road & river tour around the Westminster area

http://www.londonducktours.co.uk/

You join the Tour right next to the London Eye so you can combine that with the tour which is right next to the London Aquarium & I'm not sure if they still have the Salvador Dali exhibition on near there as well.

A word on mini-cabs

These are basically pre-ordered chauffeurs in normal cars, they are about 50%-75% of the cost of Black Cabs (Taxis) are licensed and cannot pick up passing trade. The tube stops at midnight generally so if your out and about late at night then you might want to pre-order a "mini-cab" from your Hotel before you go out; if you know where you'll be and what time you want to be picked up. Alternatively you can call from where you are or ask the staff to get you a mini-cab. The later you leave your booking the longer you'll wait and more it will cost. They are very much preferable to using the late night Bus services which are an experience all on their own.

See here for more details and some good advice.

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/gettingaro...e/default.aspx

[OneDs]

Hi Wayne,

I posted yesterday with regard to your travel options in London, the post said it needed to be checked by mods, so I pm'd you today with the same info, it is not showing in my sent box, so not sure you got that either. Let me know if you got my pm. Failing that I've just sent the info via the email link on your profile.

Rgds

Peter(OneDs)

[computerworks]

...posts have been approved.

[OneDs]

Cheers Ron.

[Wayne Maybury]

Peter

Got it and I have replied to you.
Thanks for all of the info.

Wayne

[Wayne Maybury]

Well our much anticipated trip to London went in the toilet today when the airline cancelled our flight. I watched as this volcano created lots of problems but I never thought that it would disrupt my vacation. With all of the backlog, it is all but impossible to book anything using points, for months.

Wayne

[Jamo]

Might I suggest Key West...sidewalk bar, warm day, a dozen pina colada thingies, conch fritters by the bowl and you'll feel all better.

Sorta like saying phukit to the volcano.

[bdeutsch]

Wayne, sorry to hear about the trip. My oldest son was scheduled to begin his European holiday last Thursday evening (Virgin Airlines). His flight too was cancelled and the earliest they could rebook him was the 23rd. Good news is that he got all of his money back, including Eurostar, but it took more calls than you might imagine given circumstance.

What might make you feel a bit better though (with the idea that you will not have to deal with it), is that Europe is a mess. No train seats available, roads are clogged (if you can even find a rental car), with people trying to make their way to Calais to get back to the U.K. via Ferry. Eurostar has no seats.

At last count, my company had 100's of folks caught either trying to return to the U.S. or back to Europe via Heathrow, Frankfurt or Charles DeGaulle. At least as of this AM, all are still waiting for a flight.

[Jamo]

We should invade...right now.

[OneDs]

Iceland.

Hi Wayne sorry to hear that especially as the airspace reopened last night.

Any chance they will redschedule the flight or are all seats taken up with the repatriation exercise. Funnily enough we've had the most beautiful weather for the last week whilst this has been on and the sheer lack of vapour trails in the sky has been a strange sight.

Woke up to so many trails this morning it was like a noughts & crosses game in the sky.

[Wayne Maybury]

Jamo, a beer or two on the deck while I was grilling some pork chops last night helped. It has been a few years since we visited Key West but I do like your idea. Right now I am too bummed out to even think about an alternative trip. At least I still have my new Nikon that I purchased in anticipation of going to London.

We missed the re-opening of Heathrow by less than a day. As it turns out we could have taken off as schduled since Heathrow was operating before our scheduled arrival. Of course that is easy to say now but the airlines could not get the OK in time to operate yesterday's flights.

I had booked our tickets on points so it is impossible to re-book now. I had the agent look at departures on any day of the week for either London or Paris and there was nothing available in business class until April 2011.

Wayne

[Ron61]

Wayne,

Sorry to hear about your vacation but according to this you may have been there for quite a while if it happens.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/eu_volcano_science

Ron

[vegasmike]

I have a ticket for this Saturday to fly to the UK and then back to the US on Wednesday, nervous, to say the least.

[Jamo]

No, I meant invade Europe...too late (at least for now).

Wayne...we need pics of you folks looking depressed. Put the camera to work.