[darkcloud]

Hey guys,

I'll be traveling to London in November with my wife and cousin. I'm trying to find a good area to stay in for people under 30. We aren't trying to break the bank and want to stay in a room that sleeps 3.

So far I've been looking at Jury's Inn in Islington and or The Jenkins/Judd Hotel in St. Pancras. Any thoughts on those locations? Both are decently close to tube stops but are they in the area of anything else? Clubs, bars and good restaurants? Or does that not matter since you can fairly quickly and easily cab or tube through town?

Sorry, we have never been to London and we don't know where to start. It feels like NYC but way more spread out.

Thanks, Garrett

[darkcloud]

Well we booked the Judd Hotel. Hopefully it's nice. Now any suggestions as to what we should do see? Obviously we will hit all the main tourist traps but something that is a must do/see otherwise? Great restaurants, pubs, bars, clubs etc?

[Kerr]

Avoid the cabs(taxis) as they are very expensive.

I've never spent much time in London but I found the open air tourist buses a good day out. You get the chance to drive around many the landmarks and can jump off an on the buses all day long.

Make sure you get one with a guide though.

It is maybe worth adding when you are coming to the UK. People will assist with special events on those dates too.

[darkcloud]

Thanks! We will be arriving to London early morning on 11/20 from Paris and departing for home on 11/24. We are currently setting a day aside for that newish Harry Potter Studio tour, don't make fun Worth it?

[coopersim]

We recently ate at the Gilbert Scott at St P. The food was excellent, if a little pricey.
If you're up for something unusual, I'd quite fancy a walk to the top of the O2 - http://www.theo2.co.uk/upattheo2
Not far from there, the new cable car ride over the Thames looks fun, and it's not expensive at about £4 each way - http://www.tfl.gov.uk/modalpages/23828.aspx
The recently renovated Cutty Sark in Greenwich was a really enjoyable visit that I would recommend - http://www.rmg.co.uk/cuttysark/
One of our favourite places to eat is the Oxo Tower, with great views over London - http://www.harveynichols.com/oxo-tower-london, combined with a walk along the Embankment, and a visit to the Tate Modern (free entry for all)

I guess other items on your must see would be:

Buck Palace
The Tower of London
Westminster (Palaces, Bridge and Big Ben)
The London Eye (called something like EDF eye or similar if you Google)

My advice would be to plan all your days in advance, and don't try to cram too much in - it's surprising how much time it takes to travel from one place in the city to another!

I'm sure someone who lives locally will be along with more advice soon

Enjoy!

[Mud]

Jurys Inn in Islington is fine by the way for anyone in the future. In a decent area with lots of nice places to eat.

[fulcrum]

Don't forget the museums and take a river trip you can pick one up at Westminster, Tower or Cutty sark. Clubs everywhere. Use the Tube and get Oyster cards. a visit to a London theatre is a must do.

[darkcloud]

Originally Posted by Mud

Jurys Inn in Islington is fine by the way for anyone in the future. In a decent area with lots of nice places to eat.

Good to know. We intend to come back eventually and do more in depth traveling in UK and Ireland. This trip is just a sampling through Europe haha.

Any thoughts on the Judd hotel, we could always cancel. We were swayed by the fact that it seemed a little more central and was a few hundred cheaper.

[darkcloud]

Originally Posted by fulcrum

Don't forget the museums and take a river trip you can pick one up at Westminster, Tower or Cutty sark. Clubs everywhere. Use the Tube and get Oyster cards. a visit to a London theatre is a must do.

Thanks! Any must eat at places? Not just fine dining but like quick bites for lunch or after bar food. A particular bar or club?

[haribo]

+1 for Jury's Inn in Islington, its just around the corner from upper st which has a lot of nice bars and restaurants and is a bit more lively in the evenings than your other choice. But if you are saving money you can always travel up to angel on the tube.
I would also recommend heading up to camden lock, very popular place to visit with a market and small shops/stalls selling weird and wonderfull stuff

[willhollin]

Go and visit Tony at http://www.thepennyblack.com/

He's a moderator in the UK section and a BMW enthusiast, i'm sure you would get a warm welcome there.

[magic77]

Definetly worth going to Tonys as for tours the hop on /off bus tour is a good bet not done them in London but have other places and they are a good way to see lot in short time. Otherwise just get a day travelcards from any tube station

[briers]

For the balance of young, ok prices, nicer areas I was thinking shoreditch, Hoxton and farringdon. A lot of development going on there to make it into the Silicon Valley of the uk.

Lots of tech start ups, google investment in young tech professionals and an area to match. It's a good part of London with good transport links to east and west, although probably about 50mins on the overground but you get to look outside plus a route straight through the centre if you can bare the cramming in peak and cold days.

Definitely a younger area with the nightlife geared up. Perhaps a little pretentious but a lot of places are in London.

Take walking shoes, you can walk surprisingly far, some great buildings, download a tube app, bring a winter coat and try to walk off the main streets as there are plenty of hidden gems. Tell your wife not to leave her handbag on the floor in bars and restaurants in central London tourist spots, hook it onto the chair legs and keep it zipped there and on the underground.

If I need to stay over I usually book with an app called hotel tonight but it does limit your choice a little.

[darkcloud]

Originally Posted by haribo

+1 for Jury's Inn in Islington, its just around the corner from upper st which has a lot of nice bars and restaurants and is a bit more lively in the evenings than your other choice. But if you are saving money you can always travel up to angel on the tube.
I would also recommend heading up to camden lock, very popular place to visit with a market and small shops/stalls selling weird and wonderfull stuff

You guys are making me rethink my hotel choice We were kind of shooting with the fact that we won't even be in the room all that often to begin with.

Is London kind of like getting around NYC? I get around NYC fine. So if I can handle that I'm sure London wont be all that bad.

Are cabs really that expensive? I mean as long as you stay within the congestion zone or don't take a taxi within the zone from outside and don't have to pay any tolls right? Not that I'm lazy but looking at google maps things look close to tube stops but then you do a walking distance and it tells you 20-30 mins for nearly everything haha. To me the Judd hotel and Jury's look like a 10 min walk apart but google says its 30 minutes.

[darkcloud]

If you guys were me, would you change the hotel choice? Willing to spend about 700 pounds for the 4 nights. Must sleep 3. Anyone with hookups. I have no problems canceling and switching. London is the only stop on our tour that I'm asking any forum members.

[briers]

Just had a look at your hotel, looks good for the price, area is good and plenty to do, eat and drink near by.

I regularly walk from Euston to Tottenham court road in about 12 mins to give you a sense of distance and time.

On days out with the mrs we like to walk London. You do get lost from time to time but plenty of hidden gems. 1 day we will walk from primrose hill, through regents park, through the centre of London and down to Chinatown and eat. Then walk along the embankment after before heading home.

Next day we might walk from Kensington, through green park, st James park and wonder round Buckingham palace and take the back streets, Westminster and then catch the train to the Tate. Have a wonder around there, over to St. Paul's, get a pizza at pizza express. It's a nice few days wondering around London.

[ritjeff]

Just got back from London. Don't forget to look the opposite way for traffic when crossing the street. I saved a lady from getting hit by a double decker bus.

[m@rk]

Originally Posted by darkcloud

Is London kind of like getting around NYC? I get around NYC fine. So if I can handle that I'm sure London wont be all that bad.

I found NYC more confined and busier than London but the NY Subway was a lot quieter. But if you are used to a busy international capital city then you will be fine.

Are cabs really that expensive? I mean as long as you stay within the congestion zone or don't take a taxi within the zone from outside and don't have to pay any tolls right? Not that I'm lazy but looking at google maps things look close to tube stops but then you do a walking distance and it tells you 20-30 mins for nearly everything haha. To me the Judd hotel and Jury's look like a 10 min walk apart but google says its 30 minutes.

Cabs are not that expensive. In central London (unless the traffic is really busy) then most journeys will be less than £10 and never more than £20 on the worst days.

But most places are walkable from a tube stop.

For example, the Judd Hotel from St Pancras station is probably 5 minutes. Maybe 10 if you don't know where you are going.

Walking really is the best way to see London (and most cities for that matter) but I suppose it depends on if you are used to walking places back home.

I know when I was in LA a few years ago, I declared at breakfast that because it was a beautiful morning, I was going to walk to the convention centre (all of 3 blocks away) and people looked at me as if I had 2 heads.

Was a lovely 15 minute walk in the sunshine (helps with the jetlag) on nice empty sidewalks.

[AlanQS]

I visited London a year or so ago for the first time in 30 years (and it was in November) and seeing the major sights wasn't a real problem. First night was the Hilton, Park Lane which made it an easy trip for Buck House and the Mall plus some of the main shopping streets. The rest of the time we were based at the hotel at Victoria station which meant one hop on the tube took you to Westminster from where it was easy access for Parliament, the London Eye, Tower Bridge, the Tower, and the Tate Modern (also HMS Belfast moored on the Thames) and St. Paul's. Like New York, a lot of the must sees were relatively close together. I stayed in Clinton and I only made two sub-way journeys, one to Brooklyn and one to 81st street and walked to and from most other areas.

So, if you are O.K. with walking about NYC then London isn't a problem.

[Desmondo]

Don't forget the Science Museum and Natural History Museum. Right next door to each other and both are free

[buckethead]

For the same sort of money you could stay at the Thistle Kingsley Bloomsbury which is 5-10 min walk to Piccadilly Circus in a straight line..
Soho,Chinatown,leicester Sq,Trafalgar Sq etc
not may Black Taxi Fares in central London go over £15 with the advantage of getting dropped outside,its easy to get lost in London.
Enjoy your vist..