Our Greater London Megathread

Raoul

undo wrote: »

It is valid on Docklands Light Railway and London Overground as well.



Other benefit are much lower fares and a daily cap. When using public transport in London, the Oyster really is a must.

So would this be cheaper than getting say a weekend pass or whatever?

Also, do you need two separate oyster cards for two people or do you get actual tickets after from the ticket machine using the card?

roundymac

Oh god yes, you can access all zones with an oyster card, just check your credit every now and then. Yes you do need an oyster card per person, but the good thing is at the end of your stay you keep your card for your next trip, and if there is any credit left that is still valid. You can also give them to someone else if you want to.

tommy21

Just about to head to London - just wondering if anyone knows the rough cost of withdrawing money from a laser card (I'm with AIB) in London (I know to avoid ones in stores/train stations that add an extra premium) - I have budgeted about 550 pounds (excluding accomodation) for 5 days and while I will bring about 300 pounds in cash, I am reluctant to bring whole amount in cash. I also know that I can only take out about 80 euro/60 pounds per day (ridiculous I know), but just wondering re the oversees charges etc. Thanks

roundymac

Quick phone call to your local AIB should help.

Heuston14

Has anyone ever used visitlondonoffers.com to book a hotel? Any idea is it safe, secure etc? Thanks in advance

roundymac

You won't go far wrong with Ryanair hotels or aer lingus hotels. Need a hotel.com is another good one.

roundymac

tommy21 wrote: »

Just about to head to London - just wondering if anyone knows the rough cost of withdrawing money from a laser card (I'm with AIB) in London (I know to avoid ones in stores/train stations that add an extra premium) - I have budgeted about 550 pounds (excluding accomodation) for 5 days and while I will bring about 300 pounds in cash, I am reluctant to bring whole amount in cash. I also know that I can only take out about 80 euro/60 pounds per day (ridiculous I know), but just wondering re the oversees charges etc. Thanks

Why are you saying you are limited to €€80 a day, thats not right.

Heuston14

Thanks, I'm sick looking at booking sites at this stage:D. The reason I ask about visitlondonoffers.com is because there is a particular hotel I'd like to stay in and it's a very good price on it. Anyone used it?

Raoul

Heuston14 wrote: »

Thanks, I'm sick looking at booking sites at this stage:D. The reason I ask about visitlondonoffers.com is because there is a particular hotel I'd like to stay in and it's a very good price on it. Anyone used it?

Haven't used that site. But look and see if the hotel on hotels.com because they have 10% off vouchers, then use lastminute.com to get a further 12 percent off. Big savings to be had

premiergal

Hello,
Heading to London for a couple days with the boyf.
Were on a budget and planning in staying travel lodge at tower of london.
Were flying into stansted is the hotel easy to access from this airport.
Was planning on getting bus from airport to Liverpool/Victoria station which of these would be most convenient?is this hotel convenient for all usual tourist things?is area ok?

tommy21

@Premiergal - have you booked hotel yet? I suggest not -

I just passed this Travel Lodge on my way to Premier Inn next door. Area itself is nice enough, there is a tesco express nearby, Waitrose (cheap restuarant/pub) and other restaurants including a nice Wagamammas, and of course you have Tower of London on our doorstep. I got here Sunday however and discovered that Tower Hill tube stop (which is served by circle lines and district) was closed for planned works and will be next weekend also (though district is limited service next week so check it out for yourself if it suits), and major upheavals every weekend into future. So its a bit of a hike if you don't know where your going to get from nearest tube that's running, which for me was Holborn or Bank I think as that was as far as I could get by tube. Check out here http://www.tfl.gov.uk/livetravelnews/planned-works/calendar/default.aspx and plan your accomodation around lines that are not planned to be closed I would say. If you have booked already, the number 15 bus serves regularly near your travel lodge, which will take you to liverpool st. But bring a good map! Distances are really quite short on foot if you know the streets to take but if you don't you will wonder for hours. If you want a recommendation on Premier Inn let me know.

In terms of Stanstead I am not so sure. You will have to get a bus in but they are a little less regular on a weekend (unless you fork out for Stanstead Express).

tommy21

roundymac wrote: »

Why are you saying you are limited to €€80 a day, thats not right.

That's what bank told me (college road branch AIB Cork). Maybe I misunderstood, can anyone confirm?

premiergal

Planning on going monday-Wednesday so probably wouldn't be affected by works.
Haven't booked it there will have another look around so thanks for your reply.
What premier inn would you recommend?
Just looking for good base for all tourist stuff.

OPENROAD

premiergal wrote: »

Planning on going monday-Wednesday so probably wouldn't be affected by works.
Haven't booked it there will have another look around so thanks for your reply.
What premier inn would you recommend?
Just looking for good base for all tourist stuff.

Can't specifically comment on the Premier Inn per se, but if you want to stay in the Premier Inn but are interested in other locations, I can say you won't go wrong with the Premier Inn Kensington.

Location is perfect, I normally stay around the corner in the Holiday Inn, tube station(Gloucester Rd) is about 5 min walk to the Premier Inn Kensington along Cromwell Road.

Harrods is two tube stops from Gloucester Road, the Natural History Muuseum is one tube stop(South Kensington) or about a 12 min walk from the Premier Inn Kensington.

Kensington Gardens and Kensington Palace is about a 10 min walk from the Hotel.

Oxford Street is about a 20 min tube trip from Gloucester Road(one change)

London Eye (Westminster tube station)is a direct tube trip from Gloucester Rd Circle or District Line( about 12 mins)


Tower of London (Tower Hill Tube station) is a direct tube from Gloucester Rd(Circle or District Line) approx 20 mins or you can jump off at Westminster and take the boat along the Thames to the Tower.

Some nice coffee shops restaurants in the general Gloucester Rd area.

From Stanstead, you can take the Stanstead Express to Liverpool st and the circle line direct to Glouester Rd. Premier Inn Tower Of London would be nearer to Stanstead, again take the Stanstead Express and then the circle line to the Tower Hill, but as said Gloucester Rd is just a bit further along the line (approx 14 stops but the stops are quite close to each other).

Any other specific questions feel free to ask.



http://www.premierinn.com/en/hotel/LONKEN/london-kensington-earls-court

roundymac

tommy21 wrote: »

That's what bank told me (college road branch AIB Cork). Maybe I misunderstood, can anyone confirm?

I never had any problems withdrawing money with a laser card, maybe it was €800 in a day.

undo

Some silly limit was recently introduced for AIB Laser cards when used abroad. I am not sure whether it is as low as €88 but it is in that ballpark. Stupid and inconvenient, without a doubt.

roundymac

That's just great, first they bankrupt the country and try to stop us having fun.

DM92

Hi, just wondering if anyone would be able to recommend any good hotels in London? Preferably low cost, clean and also in a good location. Anything modern would be a bonus!
Thanks

fergalfriel

have a look at hoxton hotel - reasonably priced for london, good location, trendy place

karltimber

Hi

hotel again ?

but for 2 adults & 3 kids. the smallest can go on a camper bed.
Am I better off searching for 2 + 2 and then asking for an extra bed - as a 2+3 search really limits the results.

anyone done a family of 5 trip to london - any rec's

thx

K

Hrududu

Any recomendations for a nice lunch in the Covent Garden area?

Pierce_1991

Hey, sorry if this has been asked on here before. I heard there was some way of getting from Stansted to the center of London for only around 5 pounds. Anytime I've gone through stansted, I've had to get the Stansted express which costs a lot more. Any help would be appreciated.

who the fug

Pierce_1991 wrote: »

Hey, sorry if this has been asked on here before. I heard there was some way of getting from Stansted to the center of London for only around 5 pounds. Anytime I've gone through stansted, I've had to get the Stansted express which costs a lot more. Any help would be appreciated.

Sounds like the coach , better off aiming for gatwick or ****erow

Pierce_1991

who the fug wrote: »

Sounds like the coach , better off aiming for gatwick or ****erow

Cheers, an hour and 40 minutes might be a bit long but sure we'll see. Thanks for the link

**Timbuk2**

There'll be 4 of us going to London in August for 3 days (possibly 4). What is the best transport option for around the city?

I was looking at a 3-day Travelcard (buses, tubes, DLR and even overground rail) but it's within zones 1-6 which is a very wide area - zones 1-2 would be plenty for us - does such a thing exist?

Would Oyster cards be a better solution? According to the information (http://visitorshop.tfl.gov.uk/english/ticket-types.htm) about Visitor Oytser cards "Multiple journeys within the same zone(s) are capped at the equivalent Day Travelcard rate." - so surely this is a better option, as if I make a lot of journies I won't be charged more than the Travelcard rate, but if I make less, I will be charged less than the travelcard rate (or have I misunderstood?)

Could anybody recommend any hostels / cheap accomodation? What are the likes of Clink78, Generator and YHA London Central like? HostelBookers gives them good ratings, and the prices don't seem too bad considering location! In fact, anywhere within Zones 1-2 (or somewhere that is covered by a travel/oyster card) would be ok!

OPENROAD

**Timbuk2** wrote: »

There'll be 4 of us going to London in August for 3 days (possibly 4). What is the best transport option for around the city?

I was looking at a 3-day Travelcard (buses, tubes, DLR and even overground rail) but it's within zones 1-6 which is a very wide area - zones 1-2 would be plenty for us - does such a thing exist?

Would Oyster cards be a better solution? According to the information (http://visitorshop.tfl.gov.uk/english/ticket-types.htm) about Visitor Oytser cards "Multiple journeys within the same zone(s) are capped at the equivalent Day Travelcard rate." - so surely this is a better option, as if I make a lot of journies I won't be charged more than the Travelcard rate, but if I make less, I will be charged less than the travelcard rate (or have I misunderstood?)

Could anybody recommend any hostels / cheap accomodation? What are the likes of Clink78, Generator and YHA London Central like? HostelBookers gives them good ratings, and the prices don't seem too bad considering location! In fact, anywhere within Zones 1-2 (or somewhere that is covered by a travel/oyster card) would be ok!

How much do you want to spend on accommodation per person per night in £ Sterling ?

Ferris_Bueller

Hey guys, thinking about going over to London with the girlfriend at the end of August sometime as flights into Stansted are very cheap atm, never been to London though so would appreciate any help! Firstly if we were to only go for one night (2 days essentially), would that be enough time for two 19 year olds who have never been to London? Is the journey from Stansted to the city a long/difficult one? And how expensive of a city is London? We wouldn't be on a big budget at all unfortunately, so would anyone know how much money you would want to bring just for 2 days?

Oh and most importantly, where would be a good place to stay? Most importantly in a safe location, ideally not far from the city center I suppose! Was thinking a travel lodge?

Very much just still in the idea phase, but any advice would be fantastic!

**Timbuk2**

OPENROAD wrote: »

How much do you want to spend on accommodation per person per night in £ Sterling ?

Ideally £20-£35 per person per night if that's not an unrealistic target! Not looking for anything fancy just somewhere to spend the night!

Ferris_Bueller, we are also 19 going over to London this summer. There's a Stansted Express train between the airport and Liverpool Street Station but you can get it for cheaper if you book a place on EasyBus (it'll take longer, as it's by bus, but it's considerably cheaper) - I haven't used them but plan to and they look ok, fairly frequent! Leave a lot of time to get back to the airport just in case there's bad traffic - the journey can take anywhere from 45 minutes to up to 2 hours depending (so I read!)

OPENROAD

Ferris_Bueller wrote: »

Hey guys, thinking about going over to London with the girlfriend at the end of August sometime as flights into Stansted are very cheap atm, never been to London though so would appreciate any help! Firstly if we were to only go for one night (2 days essentially), would that be enough time for two 19 year olds who have never been to London? Is the journey from Stansted to the city a long/difficult one? And how expensive of a city is London? We wouldn't be on a big budget at all unfortunately, so would anyone know how much money you would want to bring just for 2 days?

Oh and most importantly, where would be a good place to stay? Most importantly in a safe location, ideally not far from the city center I suppose! Was thinking a travel lodge?

Very much just still in the idea phase, but any advice would be fantastic!

London is like a second home to me and I have still so much to see and do , having said that, if you can make it two full days, you can get quite a lot covered in terms of the main tourist attractions, what makes London so special is the non tourist stuff though

The journey from Stansted to Central London is an easy one, depending on your budget the Stansted express is the best option imo

https://www.stanstedexpress.com/index.asp?SID={BC3DFC9C-19A9-44E0-8A6D-EEA91C21908B}

Price wise, kind of a tricky one that, I personally feel London is cheaper for every day goods, for instance my local coffee shop charges almost 3 euro for a latte here in Dublin, I can get a latte in a beautiful Kensington coffee shop for £1.90 with a free croissant in the mornings. I would say budget as if you are in Dublin

Location wise, if you look at my previous post, I would always go for the South Kensington area of London, like any city though you have to be careful and street wise. South Kensington is a very nice area though and very close to everything. What budget did you have in mind for your hotel per night in £ sterling?

Fratton Fred

Timbuk2,

I would go for an oyster card. Mainly because it is incredibly flexible and you only pay for what you use and as you say, it is capped at the equivalent travel card day rate. you should be able to pick one up at Liverpool street and if you put £20 on it will more than cover you for three days. Anything you don't use will stay on your card for the next time you visit London.

It also makes you look less like a tourist, providing you don't try and stand on the left side of the escalator, that is a sure sign of a tourist and a guaranteed way to piss off the locals!!