Our Greater London Megathread

**Timbuk2**

Fratton Fred wrote: »

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!!

Thank you, I just wanted to be sure that I understood about the oyster card correctly. So when it says "Multiple journeys within the same zone(s) are capped at the equivalent Day Travelcard rate.", it doesn't mean separate individual zones - i.e. multiple journeys spread throughout zones 1-2 are capped at the travelcard rate, if so then that sounds ideal!

Also, all of us that are going are third level students here in Ireland. I assume that won't make any difference in London, though?

who the fug

**Timbuk2** wrote: »

Thank you, I just wanted to be sure that I understood about the oyster card correctly. So when it says "Multiple journeys within the same zone(s) are capped at the equivalent Day Travelcard rate.", it doesn't mean separate individual zones - i.e. multiple journeys spread throughout zones 1-2 are capped at the travelcard rate, if so then that sounds ideal!

Also, all of us that are going are third level students here in Ireland. I assume that won't make any difference in London, though?

Have a look at this which explains the fares.


If you think we get grumpy with people standing on the left, can you imagine what would happen if we found out, that overseas students got a cheaper rate

**Timbuk2**

who the fug wrote: »

Have a look at this which explains the fares.

Thank you

who the fug wrote: »

If you think we get grumpy with people standing on the left, can you imagine what would happen if we found out, that overseas students got a cheaper rate

Haha, fair enough
Actually if I hadn't been to London 9 years ago I'd probably assume that standing on the left is normal and people overtake on the right on the escalators (like on roads)

The transport seems so easy in London compared to the likes of Dublin as nearly everything is integrated (unlike Dublin where there's separate bus fares, Luas tickets, overground and DART tickets).

Fratton Fred

**Timbuk2** wrote: »

Thank you


Haha, fair enough
Actually if I hadn't been to London 9 years ago I'd probably assume that standing on the left is normal and people overtake on the right on the escalators (like on roads)

The transport seems so easy in London compared to the likes of Dublin as nearly everything is integrated (unlike Dublin where there's separate bus fares, Luas tickets, overground and DART tickets).

When it works, London transport is very good. I have worked in various places in London and the volume of people using public transport is amazing.

When it goes wrong, ie a jumper, a breakdown or the old favourite of over running engineering works, it is a complete nightmare, so make sure you have a tube map with you, preferably an A to Z, or at least get an app for your phone so if a station or line is closed you have a plan B.

Ferris_Bueller

OPENROAD wrote: »

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?

Thanks a million OPENROAD! I'd say if we could get a room for one night for about £60 we would be pretty happy! Just somewhere basic enough would do the job! Had a look for a travel lodge in south kensington but doesn't seem like there are any there, same for a holiday inn! But there is a Premier Inn in kensington, however it's £107 for the night:(

easychair

Ferris_Bueller wrote: »

Thanks a million OPENROAD! I'd say if we could get a room for one night for about £60 we would be pretty happy! Just somewhere basic enough would do the job! Had a look for a travel lodge in south kensington but doesn't seem like there are any there, same for a holiday inn! But there is a Premier Inn in kensington, however it's £107 for the night:(

Hotels in London are not cheap, and the sorts of deals you might expect in Dublin nowadays are not really available in London.

There is a scheme whereby you can stay in a room in someone's house, and some of the houses are very central and great value, especially as most tourists to London just use the room to sleep in!

OPENROAD

**Timbuk2** wrote: »

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!

Had a look for you focusing on Holiday Inns and Premier Inns, that would have twin rooms 2 people per room, to be honest for Central London i.e. in zones 1-2 close to the main attractions and for the dates in question it is going to be hard to get something for that price, even though it is somewhere just to spend the night, you want someplace that is reasonable and is safe. Cheapest I could find is £61 per person per night, Monday night you can get excellent rates, but the Tuesday and Wednesday night brings up the price.

If you were to stay at one of the above hotels but at say at Heathrow, it would be cheaper, the hotel would offer a free bus to Heathrow where you can connect with the tube into Central London ( 45-55 mins away) A travelcard woukd cost you approx £5 which would give you full travel for the day. Heathrow Ariel Hotel would work out at £40.25 per person per night

One place I did find which is in an excellent location, i.e South Kensington is Easy Hotels. Would be a cost of £25 per person per night, you would need to book two rooms, 2 people per room, now I have never stayed in one of these hotels before, and it looks very basic, i.e. no tv in room, no windows in room even, though you can upgrade to a different room which would have more facilities. One big drawback is that they do not appear to have twin beds, only double beds, but the location is excellent imo.

Sorry couldn't find anything more for you, it is quite a busy time of the year in London. If you need any help on any particular area, feel free to ask.

If you want to find out about a particular hotel, trip advisor is a good site to look at to get hotel reviews.

Have a look at the below websites

http://www.holidayinn.com/hotels/gb/en/london/lonht/hoteldetail

http://www.holidayinn.com/hotels/us/en/reservation?rooms=1#home

http://www.easyhotel.com/

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/

OPENROAD

Ferris_Bueller wrote: »

Thanks a million OPENROAD! I'd say if we could get a room for one night for about £60 we would be pretty happy! Just somewhere basic enough would do the job! Had a look for a travel lodge in south kensington but doesn't seem like there are any there, same for a holiday inn! But there is a Premier Inn in kensington, however it's £107 for the night:(

No worries, have a look at the websites I put up in the above post, you might find something for that price. You do have one Holiday Inn in Sout Ken, and a Holiday Inn Express in Earls Court which is kind of on the border of South Ken.

http://www.holidayinn.com/hotels/us/en/london/lonhi/hoteldetail?rooms=1

http://www.hiexpress.com/hotels/us/en/london/lonec/hoteldetail?destination=London%2C+United+Kingdom&numberOfRooms=1&numberOfAdults=1&numberOfChildren=0&ratePreference=6CBARC

**Timbuk2**

Thanks a million for the long reply, OPENROAD, it was very helpful!

I figured accommodation would be very expensive but it doesn't necessarily need to be a hotel, a hostel would be fine! I'm not sure if this site is much good, but looking at hostelbookers.com I can see a few cheap places!

http://www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/england/london/

There's one high up on that list called Palmers Lodge (Hillsbridge), which looks reasonable enough, although it's in Willesden Green (it's on the boundary between Tube Zones 2 and 3, on the Jubilee line) - but that is fine because I think it would only take about 20/25 minutes to get into central London.

The likes of Generator Hostel is very central (I think) and appears to be popular also!

mikedublin

Hi

Just wondering if anyone would recommend a hotel near to Euston Station ? Somewhere clean and safe, but pretty basic.
I'm planning on taking the train and boat back from London on a wednesday towards the end of July and would like to try and find a hotel for the night beforehand.
Thanks for any advice or suggestions, Mike

OPENROAD

**Timbuk2** wrote: »

Thanks a million for the long reply, OPENROAD, it was very helpful!

I figured accommodation would be very expensive but it doesn't necessarily need to be a hotel, a hostel would be fine! I'm not sure if this site is much good, but looking at hostelbookers.com I can see a few cheap places!

http://www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/england/london/

There's one high up on that list called Palmers Lodge (Hillsbridge), which looks reasonable enough, although it's in Willesden Green (it's on the boundary between Tube Zones 2 and 3, on the Jubilee line) - but that is fine because I think it would only take about 20/25 minutes to get into central London.

The likes of Generator Hostel is very central (I think) and appears to be popular also!

Don't know much about the area I'm afraid, have passed through it on the tube and yes very close to Central London, 15mins approx to Bond Street tube station which is Oxford Street

who the fug

mikedublin wrote: »

Hi

Just wondering if anyone would recommend a hotel near to Euston Station ? Somewhere clean and safe, but pretty basic.
I'm planning on taking the train and boat back from London on a wednesday towards the end of July and would like to try and find a hotel for the night beforehand.
Thanks for any advice or suggestions, Mike

There is a Jurys at the Angel, which is a 5 minute hop on a bus from Euston or a Premier Inn on Dukes road around the corner

**Timbuk2**

Sorry to be constantly asking questions!

I am a bit confused about Oyster cards - namely the difference between Oyster cards, Visitor Oyster cards and Travelcards (and it gets confusing when they say you can odd a Travelcard to an Oystercard but not to a visitor Oystercard).

This page is helpful but what I don't understand is..

Can I use the Oystercard as if it were a travelcard? We'll be travelling off-peak (after 9.30am but possibly travelling in the evening peak time of around 5pm) in Zones 1 and 2 so instead of buying 4 x 1 day Travelcards @ £6.60 each, can we load £26.40 on an Oyster Card? (because it is capped at the daily Travelcard rate), or do we have to load 'square' amounts e.g. £20, £25, £30.

Is there any need to buy an Oyster Card in advance or can we just walk into a tube station (e.g. Baker Street) and purchase an Oyster card? As I understand it, there's a £5 deposit but how do you actually get this back? Can you also get a refund on any remaining funds on the oyster card when we are leaving?

Fratton Fred

You have to load set amounts and you do this at station ticket machines. I think it is 5, 10 or 20.

You can get a normal oyster card from Newsagents and I am pretty sure there is one at the entrance to Baker Street tube station. When you buy the card though, you may be able to put a different amount on it.

Not sure about refunds, I keep hold of my card.

NOIMAGINATION

Fratton Fred wrote: »

You have to load set amounts and you do this at station ticket machines. I think it is 5, 10 or 20.

You can get a normal oyster card from Newsagents and I am pretty sure there is one at the entrance to Baker Street tube station. When you buy the card though, you may be able to put a different amount on it.

Not sure about refunds, I keep hold of my card.

On a regular Oyster Card you can put whatever amount you like on it..

**Timbuk2**

Sorry that's another thing that confuses me - aren't all Oyster cards normal Oyster cards? Can I get a 'normal' Oyster card, not being from London, or do I have to get a visitor Oyster card?

roundymac

You just get a regular oyster card. I think it cost me £17 to buy the card and then I just topped it up as needed.The credit remains valid, no time limit. What we do is put £20 credit on it when we are going home, so when you do a return visit, there is no messing, just straight off the plane and onto the tube.

NOIMAGINATION

roundymac wrote: »

You just get a regular oyster card. I think it cost me £17 to buy the card and then I just topped it up as needed.The credit remains valid, no time limit. What we do is put £20 credit on it when we are going home, so when you do a return visit, there is no messing, just straight off the plane and onto the tube.

I don't know if there is a difference between a visitor Oyster card and a regular one. I live in London - the oyster card they sell here only costs about £3 (definitely not anywhere near £17, if you spent that somebody ripped you off). My friends who visit me from Ireland all just got one of these from a shop and they use it everytime they visit.

roundymac

NOIMAGINATION wrote: »

I don't know if there is a difference between a visitor Oyster card and a regular one. I live in London - the oyster card they sell here only costs about £3 (definitely not anywhere near £17, if you spent that somebody ripped you off). My friends who visit me from Ireland all just got one of these from a shop and they use it everytime they visit.

I got it at ticket desk at The Angel tube station, it was a good few years ago,

who the fug

NOIMAGINATION wrote: »

I don't know if there is a difference between a visitor Oyster card and a regular one. I live in London - the oyster card they sell here only costs about £3 (definitely not anywhere near £17, if you spent that somebody ripped you off). My friends who visit me from Ireland all just got one of these from a shop and they use it everytime they visit.

bXXtarding London Underground stuck me for £5.00 when my last one packed up, on top my montly and to add insult to injury has a picture of Will and Kate on it :mad:

Fratton Fred

NOIMAGINATION wrote: »

On a regular Oyster Card you can put whatever amount you like on it..

In a shop or at a station? I've only ever used the machines for mine.

NOIMAGINATION

Fratton Fred wrote: »

In a shop or at a station? I've only ever used the machines for mine.

Anywhere... I top mine up at both machines and shops and I can put whatever I like on them... you just choose the option on the machine.. it think it says 'any other amount'. I even use all my 5ps, 10p coins and end up with random amounts

Fratton Fred

I never noticed the other amount button.

**Timbuk2**

Thank you for the answers. That's great, we'll get a 'regular' oyster card when we're over there!

I was trying to decide whether to get an Oyster card or a Travelcard, which is a tough decision (as it's hard to know what the difference is seeing as we will be making 'unlimited' journies every day and oyster cards get capped at £6.60 for off-peak travel in zones 1+2) but got a bit confused when I read that Oyster cards have the advantage of being able to hold Travelcards, but visitor oyster cards don't

Thanks again.

who the fug

Fratton Fred wrote: »

I never noticed the other amount button.

sack thine butler

Fratton Fred

who the fug wrote: »

sack thine butler

I used to top up at Paddington at 8am. Didn't. Wake up until a coffee and croissant at Prets in Broad St!!

who the fug

Fratton Fred wrote: »

I used to top up at Paddington at 8am. Didn't. Wake up until a coffee and croissant at Prets in Broad St!!

Easy way, is if you still have a UK bank account is to top on line


North of Watford :eek:

**Timbuk2**

So I can buy oyster cards in most newsagents, I top them up in the machines in the station, and I can refund them by bringing back to any tube station office? Or refund it where I bought it?

BullBauld

Hi all

Myself and my girlfirend looking to stay in London for 3 nights next month.

I have been looking at hotels and found a secret 4 * hotel on lastminute for £365 overlooking Tower Bridge, Prescot Street to be exact. Would this be a good area to stay. Is it within walking distance of all the major attractions, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Leicester Sq etc and areas like Soho & Oxford Street, West End?

I wouldn't be one for the underground so somewhere thats easy access and
then within walking distance of the major sights is what I'm looking for.

Thanks in advance
Bull

who the fug

Bus will take you to the West End if you don't want to use the tube.

Think you can take a River Cruise up to Windsor from there, or see the Tower of LOndon, HMS Belfast.

Walk down to Catherine docks for lunch


365 for 3 nights, snap it up