Advice for two days in London..?

[AquaDame]

Hi there! My husband and I are popping over to London for a weekend in September (then we head off to other places in Europe) and I'm starting to figure out where we should go. We're getting into Heathrow at 5:40pm Thursday night and are staying at the Days Inn Waterloo. We then have until noon on Sunday and the only thing set in stone is seeing a play at the Globe on Saturday night (we already have tickets).

Should we plan on having dinner that first night in/around Heathrow or will it not take very long to get to the hotel? Do you have any recommendations for dinner for two adults? My husband really wants to go to a geat pub (probably several) but I know we will be starving! After that first night my brother and his girlfriend are meeting up with us for the rest of the time. The three of us have all been in London a few times but this is my husband's first trip to London so I'm stuck in that place of not wanting him to miss seeing some of the biggies and yet not wanting the rest of us to get too bored.

Would doing a hop on/off bus tour be an effective way to hit touristy spots on that first full day? Is there an operator that is better than others? Or is it better to just get an oyster card and figure it out as we go?

Is there a place for Afternoon Tea for four adult tourists near some of the big sights you would recommend? We won't have the time to get all dolled up - a nice cafe with great quality tea would be the ticket. I've enjoyed having it at Murchies & the Empress in Victoria BC and liked both very much!

Any great food around the Globe, or places to make sure we avoid?

And finally, how much time do we need to allow to get from Waterloo to King's Cross if we need to catch a noon train?

Thanks for any suggestions! If you need any for Portland Oregon, I am your girl!

 

[BagOLaughs]

I'm afraid I don't have any direct answers to your questions but I would say go to Harrods in Knightsbridge! A lovely British classy department store, it's fun to look around and see the decorations and building especially the food hall. And as a plus they actually have a really sweet Disney store department.

I'd say a jump on jump off bus is great if u only want to do tourist places. The underground will be faster but is expensive.

 

[iona]

I can help with some but not all...

I like The Swan at The Globe (which is next door to the theatre). It's a little expensive but nice. A good option might also be to have a drink in that area (Southbank) either before or after your show rather than hunting out a pub on your first night.

It'll take you about 30 minutes to get from Waterloo Station to Kings Cross (although I'd probably allow an hour).

 

[BadPinkTink]

Hi there! My husband and I are popping over to London for a weekend in September (then we head off to other places in Europe) and I'm starting to figure out where we should go. We're getting into Heathrow at 5:40pm Thursday night and are staying at the Days Inn Waterloo. We then have until noon on Sunday and the only thing set in stone is seeing a play at the Globe on Saturday night (we already have tickets).

I used to live in London so I have some suggestions for you

Should we plan on having dinner that first night in/around Heathrow or will it not take very long to get to the hotel?

I would go straight to the hotel. Your hotel is about 5 mins walk from Lambeth North tube station, which is on the Bakerloo line. https://www.google.ie/maps/place/Da...1s0x487604be877b562f:0x84dff84a7cd0b6c7?hl=en To get from Heathrow, take the Picadilly line to Picadilly Circus (approx 40 minutes) then change to Bakerloo Line in the direction of Elephant and Castle (10 minutes to switch platforms, 10 minutes to Lambeth North Station. Exit the station and walk down Kennington Road to your hotel.

Your hotel is on the 159 bus route https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/route/159/ , I used to pass it regularly as the 159 was the main bus I used to take to work. The 159 will bring you straight to the heart of the tourist area, Westminster, Big Ben, up Horse Guards Parade to Trafalgar Square, Picidilly Circus, Regent Street and Oxford Circus to Marble Arch / Hyde Park/ Park Lane. The 159 is also a 24 hour service, the bues are about every 30 minutes after midnight compared with every 10 minutes in daytime.

Do you have any recommendations for dinner for two adults? My husband really wants to go to a geat pub (probably several) but I know we will be starving!

Once you are checked in I would just jump on the bus and head into the West End. Central London shops close at 8pm, Leicester Square is one of the main tourist areas with lots of bars and restaurants. If you just want reasonable food in a pub , you could try Weatherpersons in Leicester Square, or O'Neill's Wardour Street, which is near Shaftesbury Avenue, there are numerous steak restaurants, as well as places like Bella Pasta and TGI Fridays. Basically the area from Leicester Square to Picadilly Circus , Shaftesbury Avenue and Covent Garden are the heart of London Theatre-land and there are a huge number of all sorts of bars and restaurants.

Would doing a hop on/off bus tour be an effective way to hit touristy spots on that first full day? Is there an operator that is better than others? Or is it better to just get an oyster card and figure it out as we go?

I would defiantly recommend getting an Oyster card anyway. You can load it up as pay as you go, I would recommend about £25 , which will get you from Heathrow to your hotel and out and about on your first night, as well as any other travel you want to do, Its by far the easiest way to navigate the buses and tubes, you just tag on and off on the tubes and tag on, on the bus. FYI London bus drivers don't accept cash, so you need to pre purchase a ticket before you board. Having an Oyster card gives you huge freedom.

and yes definitely do a hop on hop off bus tour. I did the Big Red Bus Tour with my parents, http://eng.bigbustours.com/london/home.html This also includes a boat ride on the Thames, which my parents enjoyed.

You can just hop on , hop off regular buses with an Oyster card, but you don't get the commentary which gives a better insight to the places and building you pass. If you just want to use the regular buses, then the ones I would recommend are the number 159 https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/route/159/ , the number 9 https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/route/9/ the number 10 https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/route/10/ and the number 33 https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/route/33/ By checking out the route maps, you can basically do a complete circuit, getting off one and getting on another at many times the same stops, as alot of them share parts of the same route.

Is there a place for Afternoon Tea for four adult tourists near some of the big sights you would recommend? We won't have the time to get all dolled up - a nice cafe with great quality tea would be the ticket. I've enjoyed having it at Murchies & the Empress in Victoria BC and liked both very much!

The more fancy hotels do afternoon tea, places like the Dorchester etc but if you just want some nice cakes there are some places I would recommend
Harrods in Knightsbridge http://www.harrods.com/content/the-store/restaurants full restaurant guide
The Tearooms http://www.harrods.com/content/the-store/restaurants/the-tea-room
Cafe Godiva http://www.harrods.com/content/the-store/restaurants/cafe-godiva (used to go here with friends alot)

Patisserie Valerie
Covent Garden https://www.patisserie-valerie.co.uk/covent-garden.aspx
Piccadilly https://www.patisserie-valerie.co.uk/cafe-piccadilly.aspx

And finally, how much time do we need to allow to get from Waterloo to King's Cross if we need to catch a noon train?

Walk up from your hotel to Lambeth North Tube Station, take Bakerloo Line to Oxford Circus (approx 15 minutes) change to Victoria Line to Kings Cross (aprox 15 minutes) I would allow 1 hour for total travel, and aim to arrive at Kings Cross at latest 11.30am. Therefore I would aim to leave your hotel approx 10.15am

 

[Melawen]

We've not long been to London with the children so although slightly different category of visitor still new to them. Yes do the bus trip, and if you can a boat trip in the evening (or first thing in the morning). Would also recommend the London Eye although I know it's not everyone's cup of tea. From Waterloo you can walk past the Houses of Parliament etc and wander over to Buckingham Palace - it's such a surprise to me everytime how many people are there and how much grass there is in the middle of the city! If you're into museums it would be the Natural history one for me. Free so even better!

 

[AquaDame]

I'm afraid I don't have any direct answers to your questions but I would say go to Harrods in Knightsbridge! A lovely British classy department store, it's fun to look around and see the decorations and building especially the food hall. And as a plus they actually have a really sweet Disney store department.

I'd say a jump on jump off bus is great if u only want to do tourist places. The underground will be faster but is expensive.

Oh, Harrods sounds like my checking account is not going to like it... At least part of the time I think I will have to do the tourist bit.. he does want to see Big Ben, and the Tower Bridge and such, so I know at least some of the time will be sightseeing.

I can help with some but not all...

I like The Swan at The Globe (which is next door to the theatre). It's a little expensive but nice. A good option might also be to have a drink in that area (Southbank) either before or after your show rather than hunting out a pub on your first night.

It'll take you about 30 minutes to get from Waterloo Station to Kings Cross (although I'd probably allow an hour).

Am I crazy or is the Globe really right there in the middle of London?! I had assumed it was out a bit but it seems very doable!

I used to live in London so I have some suggestions for you


I would go straight to the hotel. Your hotel is about 5 mins walk from Lambeth North tube station, which is on the Bakerloo line. https://www.google.ie/maps/place/Da...1s0x487604be877b562f:0x84dff84a7cd0b6c7?hl=en To get from Heathrow, take the Picadilly line to Picadilly Circus (approx 40 minutes) then change to Bakerloo Line in the direction of Elephant and Castle (10 minutes to switch platforms, 10 minutes to Lambeth North Station. Exit the station and walk down Kennington Road to your hotel.

I think you are right - we spent a little time looking up some pubs around where we will be, and I think we will definitely wait as there are a few my husband was enamored with, starting with Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese and then Ye Old Mitre.... I am going to have to save up more pounds than I thought for all these pints! ^^;

Your hotel is on the 159 bus route https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/route/159/ , I used to pass it regularly as the 159 was the main bus I used to take to work. The 159 will bring you straight to the heart of the tourist area, Westminster, Big Ben, up Horse Guards Parade to Trafalgar Square, Picidilly Circus, Regent Street and Oxford Circus to Marble Arch / Hyde Park/ Park Lane. The 159 is also a 24 hour service, the bues are about every 30 minutes after midnight compared with every 10 minutes in daytime.

Wow thank you so much! That is so great to know - 24 hours even! I will never forget being stuck by the colosseum way too early in the evening while in Rome years ago due to scheduling oddities. We had to spend a pretty penny on a cab that night...


Once you are checked in I would just jump on the bus and head into the West End. Central London shops close at 8pm, Leicester Square is one of the main tourist areas with lots of bars and restaurants. If you just want reasonable food in a pub , you could try Weatherpersons in Leicester Square, or O'Neill's Wardour Street, which is near Shaftesbury Avenue, there are numerous steak restaurants, as well as places like Bella Pasta and TGI Fridays. Basically the area from Leicester Square to Picadilly Circus , Shaftesbury Avenue and Covent Garden are the heart of London Theatre-land and there are a huge number of all sorts of bars and restaurants.

Sounds like we will not be going hungry...! My coworker (from London as well) also recommended going to The Anchor for fish and chips saying it was some of the best. Does that sound about right to you also? We were looking at the menu there last night as well and my husband was swayed over by the look of their pies too...!

I would defiantly recommend getting an Oyster card anyway. You can load it up as pay as you go, I would recommend about £25 , which will get you from Heathrow to your hotel and out and about on your first night, as well as any other travel you want to do, Its by far the easiest way to navigate the buses and tubes, you just tag on and off on the tubes and tag on, on the bus. FYI London bus drivers don't accept cash, so you need to pre purchase a ticket before you board. Having an Oyster card gives you huge freedom.

I love it - does it have a read out telling you how much is left by chance?

and yes definitely do a hop on hop off bus tour. I did the Big Red Bus Tour with my parents, http://eng.bigbustours.com/london/home.html This also includes a boat ride on the Thames, which my parents enjoyed.

I saw there was a boat tour that did tea as well that I need to look into. Having a local praise that one though is worth its weight in gold!

You can just hop on , hop off regular buses with an Oyster card, but you don't get the commentary which gives a better insight to the places and building you pass. If you just want to use the regular buses, then the ones I would recommend are the number 159 https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/route/159/ , the number 9 https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/route/9/ the number 10 https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/route/10/ and the number 33 https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/route/33/ By checking out the route maps, you can basically do a complete circuit, getting off one and getting on another at many times the same stops, as alot of them share parts of the same route.

I do love good commentary, but I am concerned my husband may not catch most of it anyway. For some reason he has a hard time with accents and I've had to turn on subtitles for more than a few shows. Oddly enough he doesn't seem to have the same problem when watching Top Gear as he does Downtown Abbey and Outlander but what can you do? I would prefer it so maybe I just need to flutter my eyelashes about it!

The more fancy hotels do afternoon tea, places like the Dorchester etc but if you just want some nice cakes there are some places I would recommend
Harrods in Knightsbridge http://www.harrods.com/content/the-store/restaurants full restaurant guide
The Tearooms http://www.harrods.com/content/the-store/restaurants/the-tea-room
Cafe Godiva http://www.harrods.com/content/the-store/restaurants/cafe-godiva (used to go here with friends alot)

Patisserie Valerie
Covent Garden https://www.patisserie-valerie.co.uk/covent-garden.aspx
Piccadilly https://www.patisserie-valerie.co.uk/cafe-piccadilly.aspx

Sandwiches, scones (with Devonshire cream! <3) and the tea itself are my favorite parts! Harrods has been recommended twice, so I am going to look that up as soon as I am done typing here!

Walk up from your hotel to Lambeth North Tube Station, take Bakerloo Line to Oxford Circus (approx 15 minutes) change to Victoria Line to Kings Cross (aprox 15 minutes) I would allow 1 hour for total travel, and aim to arrive at Kings Cross at latest 11.30am. Therefore I would aim to leave your hotel approx 10.15am

Wonderful, thank you so much! So much easier than flights! I am going to have to make sure there is an empty memory card for our camera for that trip..! It should be gorgeous!

We've not long been to London with the children so although slightly different category of visitor still new to them. Yes do the bus trip, and if you can a boat trip in the evening (or first thing in the morning). Would also recommend the London Eye although I know it's not everyone's cup of tea. From Waterloo you can walk past the Houses of Parliament etc and wander over to Buckingham Palace - it's such a surprise to me everytime how many people are there and how much grass there is in the middle of the city! If you're into museums it would be the Natural history one for me. Free so even better!

Oh, I do want to do the Eye, for sure. It didn't exist the last time I was in town, and my coworker has raved enough about all the good stuff around The Shard that I know we will be in the area anyway! I at least want to get my husband to go to the Sherlock museum... my brother and his girlfriend are game too, but I will mention the national history one as well. Starting to regret spending time on the play when there is so much else to do as well, but then I know we will be back!

Thank you all!

 

[Dimplenose]

Am I crazy or is the Globe really right there in the middle of London?! I had assumed it was out a bit but it seems very doable!


Yes, it is very easy to get to. Maybe a 25 minute walk from your hotel or 15 mins by bus (344?)

Oh, I do want to do the Eye, for sure. It didn't exist the last time I was in town, and my coworker has raved enough about all the good stuff around The Shard that I know we will be in the area anyway! I at least want to get my husband to go to the Sherlock museum... my brother and his girlfriend are game too, but I will mention the national history one as well. Starting to regret spending time on the play when there is so much else to do as well, but then I know we will be back!

Thank you all!

It's the Natural History museum (not national history). So it is full of dinosaur bones, stuffed animals etc. It is just across the road from the Victoria and Albert Museum which is worth popping into even if you are only going to use the café.
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit/whats-on/day.html?gclid=CICs3KWr4cYCFa-WtAodYHIERg
http://www.vam.ac.uk/visiting/visitor-information/#eating-drinking


Your hotel is very near the Imperial War Museum. I took my kids when they were studying WW2 and it was very interesting, if a little chilling. It's just had a major refurbishment and is getting good reviews.
http://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/iwm-london

 

[Jon84]

Personally I love the Science Museum (behind Natural History, also free entry).

I've read the most popular museum in London is the British Museum (not sure if thats true) but its a great place for seeing Egyptian artefacts http://www.britishmuseum.org/

There is SO much on the South Bank (literally 500m from the Globe) you'll never have time to do it all, some evenings there are free music performances in the Royal Festival Hall.

If the weather is good, then deffo do they Eye, I would give it a miss if it's not clear, you're not able to see as much, and all your photos become over exposed due to the cloud lol

 

[BagOLaughs]

Am I crazy or is the Globe really right there in the middle of London?! I had assumed it was out a bit but it seems very doable!

Yup its really just in the middle. Its where the original Globe theater used to be so they just rebuilt it from the same materials that were used in those days and stuck it right where the old one used to be. Its a fun visit.

Your hotel is very near the Imperial War Museum. I took my kids when they were studying WW2 and it was very interesting, if a little chilling. It's just had a major refurbishment and is getting good reviews.

Imperial war museum is fantastic. It really good at displaying and teaching its subject matter. Its a real eye opener and really makes you appreciate what you've got now.

It's the Natural History museum (not national history). So it is full of dinosaur bones, stuffed animals etc. It is just across the road from the Victoria and Albert Museum which is worth popping into even if you are only going to use the café.

The natural history museum is my favorite museum in the UK, mostly because of the building. It such an amazing, beautiful building its worth going just to see it.

Just remember that there can be large queues to get into the building during the summer holidays July - 5th Sept

 

[MarkE83]

Byron Hamburgers ,or MeatLiquor - delicious! Seek them out (theres actually Byron's everywhere).
If you're near covent garden, Primrose Bakery is heavenly!

 

[GAN]

If you plan on using public transportation while there, consider downloading the CityMapper app(not sure if avail for android). I used it last fall and I can't tell you how it simplified the massive London system. Best app I've used in a long time!

 

[LiquidSunshine]

If you plan on using public transportation while there, consider downloading the CityMapper app(not sure if avail for android). I used it last fall and I can't tell you how it simplified the massive London system. Best app I've used in a long time!

Agreed. I recommend the CityMapper app to everyone travelling. It is brilliant & makes using public transport much easier.

 

[Jon84]

Public Transport in London is easy!

 

[Dimplenose]

I did a hop on hop off bus tour this week. I went with "The Original London Tour" and to be honest was a bit disappointed. I don't know how good "The Big Bus Tours" are but we were passed by lots of their buses while waiting (35 minutes) for a change on the Original Tour.

 

[Jon84]

I did a hop on hop off bus tour this week. I went with "The Original London Tour" and to be honest was a bit disappointed. I don't know how good "The Big Bus Tours" are but we were passed by lots of their buses while waiting (35 minutes) for a change on the Original Tour.

When I am out on my lunch break walk (Tower Hill, Tower Bridge, London Bridge), all the people on the buses look bored stiff!

I don't know if they use pre-recorded stuff now like those I've been on in Paris, Prague and Amsterdam? If you can get a voucher its only benefit is that its a nicer way of hop on and off than the tube between tourist hotspots!

 

[AquaDame]

I thought that might be enough benefit, but the idea was nixed by my brother in the end... he really wants to take the Tube everywhere... which means far more planning for me to figure out the routes to take. Ugh... :/

 

[Jon84]

The tube is easy, but it will be hot and crammed. It's worth looking on Google maps to see if it's actually quicker to walk because it really often isn't as far as you'd think in central London. And you get to see stuff on your walk

 

[tennisfan]

I thought that might be enough benefit, but the idea was nixed by my brother in the end... he really wants to take the Tube everywhere... which means far more planning for me to figure out the routes to take. Ugh... :/

When do you plan on being in London? as they have announced the next 2 tube strikes so buses etc will be crowded. They are planned for 25th & 27th Aug starting at 1830hrs for 24hrs each

 

[Jon84]

When do you plan on being in London? as they have announced the next 2 tube strikes so buses etc will be crowded. They are planned for 25th & 27th Aug starting at 1830hrs for 24hrs each

September. It's in OP

 

[Dimplenose]

I think a lot of my problems with the hop on/off bus were caused by me knowing London rather well and certainly a lot better than the guides did. One route had human guides who changed shift part way around (one guide was bored, one spoke very quickly with a very strong accent and one was a young over opinionated lad who kept making "humorous" comments that I totally disagreed with (politics shouldn't be discussed on these boards nor on open topped buses!))

The other route we went on had recorded commentaries with rather a lot of incidental music.

That day (even though we had rearranged our outing for a non-tube strike day) the traffic was very heavy and slowed us down a lot. For some reason that bus company routes kept crisscrossing Piccadilly Circus which was a major bottle neck.

I was tied to using the Original London Tour because I had Tesco vouchers to use. If I had paid in the region of £30 per person I would have been much crosser. As it was I did have a nice day out it was just frustrating to see so many more of the other company's buses pass us whilst we wasted time waiting for our bus.

I think bus tours can allow you to see a lot in a short time. If there are any non-hop on /off tours you will get better use of your time as waiting at the stops for passengers to get off and on wasted time. (This one looks nice http://www.goldentours.com/london-by-night-open-top-bus-tour (I'm not sure if the link takes you to the correct page - it's the "London by Night Tour" that I was looking at) - but I can't say how good they are as I have never used them.)

If hop on/off is your only option then it's probably best to stay on one and do a complete loop rather than using it to hop on/off. They are no substitute for public transport as they generally only run in one direction therefore you have to "complete the loop" to get back to where you started.

If you are feeling brave and have a travel or Oyster card this self guided tour looks good. http://www.londonforfree.net/bus-tour/ I intend to give it a try sometime. The same site has some walking tours too. http://www.londonforfree.net/walks/

You won't see anything from the tube have a look at the tfl website https://tfl.gov.uk/ and see if you can use a bus instead.

Good luck with your planning.