Our Greater London Megathread

54and56

shrapnel222 wrote: »

you'd be surprised. there are boris bikes everywhere, so for zone 1 or just for the mall, hyde park, it's a great way to have a wander. I wouldn't recommend it everywhere, but around there, if it's a nice day, it's an easy way to rest those tired legs and enjoy the parks and big avenues.

I'm being lazy now but is it easy to rent a Boris bike as a once off? Can you check your email and give me a call? Can one debit/credit card be used to rent four bikes at the same time? I'd hate to have to set up accounts for all four of us!!

shrapnel222

Je_suis_Jean wrote: »

I'm being lazy now but is it easy to rent a Boris bike as a once off? Can you check your email and give me a call? Can one debit/credit card be used to rent four bikes at the same time? I'd hate to have to set up accounts for all four of us!!

unfortunately you're right. just checked there and you can't book multiple bikes off one card and even then, is only for over 14s anyway.

checked my PMs and no messages there though.

54and56

shrapnel222 wrote: »

checked my PMs and no messages there though.

Hi Shrapnel,

My apologies the statement "Can you check your email and give me a call?" was a text I sent a couple of family members earlier. I must have somehow pasted that into the thread by accident as I posted from my phone. I'm not that weird, I promise!!!

shrapnel222

Je_suis_Jean wrote: »

Hi Shrapnel,

My apologies the statement "Can you check your email and give me a call?" was a text I sent a couple of family members earlier. I must have somehow pasted that into the thread by accident as I posted from my phone. I'm not that weird, I promise!!!

lol, definitely looked a suspect statement in the sentence, made me wonder if i was supposed to know you already irl

runningbuddy

Hey folks...which Travellodge would ye recommend??? Am travelling with a teenager who will no doubt refuse to walk too far so somewhere v.central. I was looking at Farringdon but seems to get pretty poor reviews.

LXFlyer

runningbuddy wrote: »

Hey folks...which Travellodge would ye recommend??? Am travelling with a teenager who will no doubt refuse to walk too far so somewhere v.central. I was looking at Farringdon but seems to get pretty poor reviews.

I'd recommend Premier Inn over Travelodge any day.

Stojkovic

runningbuddy wrote: »

Hey folks...which Travellodge would ye recommend??? Am travelling with a teenager who will no doubt refuse to walk too far so somewhere v.central. I was looking at Farringdon but seems to get pretty poor reviews.

Travelodge Covent Garden ?

goochy

I stayed in travel lodge holborn.at w end . 105 pounds sterling for night . Very happy. Buffett brekkie 7.95.was decent too.

jasonb

Hi there,

I've an Irish PTSB Contactless Visa Debit card. Has anyone used the contactless feature successfully in London? And has anyone used it on the Tube?

I contacted PTSB and all they could tell me is that the contactless feature *should* work in London in general, but they didn't know about the Tube/Trains.

Thanks...

J.

goingnowhere

It does work anywhere Oyster is supported.

Note you will pay charges on use since its not a eurozone transaction

runningbuddy

Great folks..thanks. Is Gatwick handy enough?? Sorry, you'd swear I never left the country :pac:....have only flown to Stanstead and found it a hassle!!

Strumms

runningbuddy wrote: »

Great folks..thanks. Is Gatwick handy enough?? Sorry, you'd swear I never left the country :pac:....have only flown to Stanstead and found it a hassle!!

Gatwick is grand. You can take the non express train which will have you into Victoria station which is very central and with good connections in around 32 minutes or so.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

LXFlyer

Far better off to get a standard Oyster card due to transaction charges every time you use an Irish contactless card in the UK.

toadfly

It does work but better off with an Oyster card.

jasonb

Great, thanks for your replies!

J.

shrapnel222

definitely get an oyster. it costs £5. Either keep it if you intend to come back to London or give it back to a cashier on your last trip who will refund you the £5

runningbuddy

Great thanks folks. :pac:

Neptune1

I will be in London on St Patrick's Day. Has anyone any suggestions on things to do or a good area to be in. I understand they will have a big celebration on the Sunday before it but I won't be there then. I will of course try a one or two pubs but I don't want to be just doing the pub thing as I will be with other people who don't drink much. So if anybody has suggestions please on non pub stuff to do but also can someone recommend a couple of good Irish pubs?

Asaiah

To be honest you will find it hard to get into a pub in the city centre/West End, it's jammers - like Temple bar at it's worst. It's going to be mental with the Spanish tourists too, just like Dublin. They have a few free open air concerts in the City and people calmly and openly drinking cans walking around the main squares so you could go to one of them. That's what I would do if the weather was nice.

Neptune1

Asaiah wrote:

To be honest you will find it hard to get into a pub in the city centre/West End, it's jammers - like Temple bar at it's worst. It's going to be mental with the Spanish tourists too, just like Dublin. They have a few free open air concerts in the City and people calmly and openly drinking cans walking around the main squares so you could go to one of them. That's what I would do if the weather was nice.

Aww no!! Didn't think it would be that bad. Suppose there's nothing much else then besides the pubs. Don't think it would be outside tinny weather!

Asaiah

Neptune1 wrote: »

Aww no!! Didn't think it would be that bad. Suppose there's nothing much else then besides the pubs. Don't think it would be outside tinny weather!

Hey Neptune sorry if I put a downer on your plans. London really is an amazing city to visit, but if you head straight for the tourist traps on St. Patricks day it's just like Dublin. However that doesn't mean that you won't have a good time, I wandered around the city last year on St. Patricks day and really enjoyed it. Plenty to take in and a lot more law and order than in Dublin (Strong police presence). However they turn a blind eye to most of the drinking and are just there to make sure no one gets out of hand. I felt safer there than in Dublin on St Particks day. So you will enjoy it but be prepared for the crowds!

54and56

shrapnel222 wrote: »

have a look again next week. it's possible it only looks 3 or 4 weeks ahead, so the rest of march aren't bookable yet. worth a try anyway.

Shrapnel, I took your advice ref the Sky Garden, checked again just now and was able to book the 4 of us in for 18:30 Friday the 25th which should be a nice way to end a busy day tripping around before we head out for a bite of food. https://skygardentickets.com/SkyGardenPublic_UI/events/Default.aspx

Thanks a lot, this will be a real highlight of the trip.

shrapnel222

Je_suis_Jean wrote: »

Shrapnel, I took your advice ref the Sky Garden, checked again just now and was able to book the 4 of us in for 18:30 Friday the 25th which should be a nice way to end a busy day tripping around before we head out for a bite of food. https://skygardentickets.com/SkyGardenPublic_UI/events/Default.aspx

Thanks a lot, this will be a real highlight of the trip.

delighted for you! that'll roughly be sunset time so you might get some amazing views from up there.

London is such a great city, i really hope you all have a great time!

54and56

shrapnel222 wrote: »

delighted for you! that'll roughly be sunset time so you might get some amazing views from up there.

Yes, that's what crossed my mind when booking it. With a bit of luck it could be a very nice chill out hour after a busy day.

Thanks again, great suggestion.

nc6000

Je_suis_Jean wrote: »

Shrapnel, I took your advice ref the Sky Garden, checked again just now and was able to book the 4 of us in for 18:30 Friday the 25th which should be a nice way to end a busy day tripping around before we head out for a bite of food. https://skygardentickets.com/SkyGardenPublic_UI/events/Default.aspx

Thanks a lot, this will be a real highlight of the trip.

I've also booked a Sky Garden visit for when we're visiting London as we're staying nearby.

Is it really this good? I'm tempted now to book a second visit.

54and56

nc6000 wrote: »

I've also booked a Sky Garden visit for when we're visiting London as we're staying nearby.

Is it really this good? I'm tempted now to book a second visit.

Don't know but if it's 155m up and has good views over London then I think it's going to be pretty good. There's a couple of bars/restaurants there but they're pretty expensive. We're travelling with kids so expensive restaurants are not on our agenda. If it was just the two of us the idea of spending €50 on a couple of cocktails whilst the sun sets on the horizon wouldn't be a problem but with two kids in tow that just doesn't work!!

demello

Does anyone know - is it advisable to simply show up and purchase a ticket or should one be advised to book a ticket in advance? How busy would it be over Easter?

shrapnel222

demello wrote: »

Does anyone know - is it advisable to simply show up and purchase a ticket or should one be advised to book a ticket in advance? How busy would it be over Easter?

Unless you're unfortunate to arrive there just at the same time as a big group, you really don't need to book in advance (unless it's cheaper obviously).

TheFitz13

Can a 17 year old fly to London and back alone? My 17 year old wants to go to London with his friends for the day, he is just 3 weeks short of being 18. The airline they are booking with is Ryanair.