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London Hotels - Cheap!
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Before I attempt to search through the 1 million websites that pop up when I type that into google I thought I'd ask around here!
I'm looking for somewhere around �100 a night or less. Near to Oxford Street and easy to get to all the touristy places - Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park etc.
Any recommendations are very, very much appreciated.
I'm looking for somewhere around �100 a night or less. Near to Oxford Street and easy to get to all the touristy places - Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park etc.
Any recommendations are very, very much appreciated.
Answers
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For cheap hotels in London, simply go here:
http://www.hostelworld.com/
Use the 'Additional search options' and place ticks alongside 'Budget hotels' and 'Guesthouses'. (Remove any other ticks).
There are loads of places listed as 'close to Victoria Station'. Any of those are just down the road from Buckingham Palace and with easy access, by bus or tube, to all of the other places you want to get to. You should be able to find some decent accommodation for under �50 per night.
Chris
http://www.hostelworld.com/
Use the 'Additional search options' and place ticks alongside 'Budget hotels' and 'Guesthouses'. (Remove any other ticks).
There are loads of places listed as 'close to Victoria Station'. Any of those are just down the road from Buckingham Palace and with easy access, by bus or tube, to all of the other places you want to get to. You should be able to find some decent accommodation for under �50 per night.
Chris
Here is a useful little map with the main tourist sites on it.
http://www.great-britain.co.uk/towns/london/lo ndon-tourist.jpg
You can see Hyde Park on the left.
Marble Arch top right of Hyde Park.
Oxford St and Regent St are where the "shopping" sign is on the map.
Big Ben and Buckingham Palace are both shown on the map.
You can see that St Pauls and Tower of London are slightly to the right, out of the main central area.
http://www.great-britain.co.uk/towns/london/lo ndon-tourist.jpg
You can see Hyde Park on the left.
Marble Arch top right of Hyde Park.
Oxford St and Regent St are where the "shopping" sign is on the map.
Big Ben and Buckingham Palace are both shown on the map.
You can see that St Pauls and Tower of London are slightly to the right, out of the main central area.
If you are new to London, and you sound as though you are, then this book will help you a lot:
London Eyewitness Guide by Dorling Kindersley.
It is a wonderful book, very easy to ready and follow, with a lot of information about London, including reviews of the different areas of London.
It will cost you about �10, but could be the best value of the whole trip.
More here:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/London-DK-Eyewitness-T ravel-Guides/dp/0756615461/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/202 -6693450-2886253?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=118951388 3&sr=8-1
London Eyewitness Guide by Dorling Kindersley.
It is a wonderful book, very easy to ready and follow, with a lot of information about London, including reviews of the different areas of London.
It will cost you about �10, but could be the best value of the whole trip.
More here:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/London-DK-Eyewitness-T ravel-Guides/dp/0756615461/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/202 -6693450-2886253?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=118951388 3&sr=8-1
There a few free published London walks on the net, here for example:
http://www.londonforfree.net/walks/index.shtml
If I was taking someone to London for the first time I would do a walk similar to the "Royal and Political walk"
Start by Westminter station and you are next to Houses of Parliament (Big Ben) and Westminster Abbey.
Walk up Parliament St and Whitehall and you go past Downing st and the Cenotaph.
At the top of Whitehall you get to Trafalger Square.
You go along the Mall (where the marathon finishes) or through St Jame's park (see the pelicans) and you get to Buckingham Palace.
From Buckingham Palace you could go to Pall Mall, Picadilly or Piccadily Circus.
There are all sorts of things to see on the way and it could take you a good half day (maybe a day) if you went into Westminster abbey and so on.
Funny, after talking about central London for a while it begins to sound like a game of Monopoly.
http://www.londonforfree.net/walks/index.shtml
If I was taking someone to London for the first time I would do a walk similar to the "Royal and Political walk"
Start by Westminter station and you are next to Houses of Parliament (Big Ben) and Westminster Abbey.
Walk up Parliament St and Whitehall and you go past Downing st and the Cenotaph.
At the top of Whitehall you get to Trafalger Square.
You go along the Mall (where the marathon finishes) or through St Jame's park (see the pelicans) and you get to Buckingham Palace.
From Buckingham Palace you could go to Pall Mall, Picadilly or Piccadily Circus.
There are all sorts of things to see on the way and it could take you a good half day (maybe a day) if you went into Westminster abbey and so on.
Funny, after talking about central London for a while it begins to sound like a game of Monopoly.
I have just noticed you said earlier
>I'm only staying for 2 days and want to take my boyfriend >to all the touristy places, he probably wont even be >bothered about shopping.
London has LOADS of Touristy places and you are unlikely to see them all in 2 days.
If you TRY to see them all then you will just be charging around London and finish up exhausted.
There are these "tourist" buses that take you round all the main sites, they tend to park around Park Lane very near Marble Arch (see Marble Arch has come up again).
If you dont want to do the bus I would not try to see all the touristy things but settle on 2 areas and try to see main things in those areas.
I have already mentioned one area in my previous append. If you did that you would see Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, 10 Downing st, Trafalger Square and Buckingham Palace.
If you wanted to combine looking at shops with some sightseeing then the area around Oxford st and Regent St is interesting.
In Oxford St the Selfridges food hall is amazing.
You can go down Bond St and see all the millionaires in their Rolls Royces buying jewellrey, go to the wonderful Fortnum and Mason shop in Picadilly (where the Queen shops) and the lovely Wren church next door.
In the same area is Picadilly Circus and then Soho with its theatres, bars and restaurants and sex shops.
Some of this is covered in the Shopping walk here:
http://www.londonforfree.net/walks/shopping/sh ops.shtml
>I'm only staying for 2 days and want to take my boyfriend >to all the touristy places, he probably wont even be >bothered about shopping.
London has LOADS of Touristy places and you are unlikely to see them all in 2 days.
If you TRY to see them all then you will just be charging around London and finish up exhausted.
There are these "tourist" buses that take you round all the main sites, they tend to park around Park Lane very near Marble Arch (see Marble Arch has come up again).
If you dont want to do the bus I would not try to see all the touristy things but settle on 2 areas and try to see main things in those areas.
I have already mentioned one area in my previous append. If you did that you would see Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, 10 Downing st, Trafalger Square and Buckingham Palace.
If you wanted to combine looking at shops with some sightseeing then the area around Oxford st and Regent St is interesting.
In Oxford St the Selfridges food hall is amazing.
You can go down Bond St and see all the millionaires in their Rolls Royces buying jewellrey, go to the wonderful Fortnum and Mason shop in Picadilly (where the Queen shops) and the lovely Wren church next door.
In the same area is Picadilly Circus and then Soho with its theatres, bars and restaurants and sex shops.
Some of this is covered in the Shopping walk here:
http://www.londonforfree.net/walks/shopping/sh ops.shtml
Here is one of the London bus companies (I have not used them so have no idea if they are any good).
http://www.theoriginaltour.com/
One of their main start points is Marble Arch (as well as Baker St, Trafalger Sq etc)
http://www.theoriginaltour.com/
One of their main start points is Marble Arch (as well as Baker St, Trafalger Sq etc)
With regard to your question about keeping travel costs down:
You definitely need to buy either a Travelcard or an Oystercard. (If you don't, you'll end up paying �4 for each tube journey, even if you only go one stop).
People who live and work in London, use Oystercards. These are like debit cards which you use to pay your fares. You pay �3 (refundable) to buy one and then you pay to put some credit on it. When you use a bus or tube, credit is deducted from the card. The amount deducted is much less than the cost of a cash ticket. Additionally, the amount deducted each day is capped at 50p less than the price of a Travelcard which would have covered the same journeys. If you're only going to be in London a couple of days, it might be simpler to use Travelcards but, if you decide to stay longer (or if you're going to make further visits), an Oystercard might be your best option.
A One Day Travelcard (for Zones 1 & 2, which covers all of the main tourist areas) will cost you �6.60 if you need to travel before 0930 on Mondays to Fridays. If you don't need to travel until later (or if you're travelling at any time over weekends), the price is �5.10.
A Travelcard gives you unlimited bus and tube travel (within the relevant zones). It will also get you one third off the price of any scheduled river service. (I strongly recommend taking a trip on the river. It's a great way to see many of the sites. It doesn't need to take up much of your day; you get to see a lot on the short trip between Tower Pier and Westminster, which takes about 40 minutes).
Chris
You definitely need to buy either a Travelcard or an Oystercard. (If you don't, you'll end up paying �4 for each tube journey, even if you only go one stop).
People who live and work in London, use Oystercards. These are like debit cards which you use to pay your fares. You pay �3 (refundable) to buy one and then you pay to put some credit on it. When you use a bus or tube, credit is deducted from the card. The amount deducted is much less than the cost of a cash ticket. Additionally, the amount deducted each day is capped at 50p less than the price of a Travelcard which would have covered the same journeys. If you're only going to be in London a couple of days, it might be simpler to use Travelcards but, if you decide to stay longer (or if you're going to make further visits), an Oystercard might be your best option.
A One Day Travelcard (for Zones 1 & 2, which covers all of the main tourist areas) will cost you �6.60 if you need to travel before 0930 on Mondays to Fridays. If you don't need to travel until later (or if you're travelling at any time over weekends), the price is �5.10.
A Travelcard gives you unlimited bus and tube travel (within the relevant zones). It will also get you one third off the price of any scheduled river service. (I strongly recommend taking a trip on the river. It's a great way to see many of the sites. It doesn't need to take up much of your day; you get to see a lot on the short trip between Tower Pier and Westminster, which takes about 40 minutes).
Chris
Thanks for those links to the walks, looks great. When I say all the touristy stuff I mean the obvious things like Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, London Eye, Oxford Street.
I still haven't found the right hotel :( Have found a lovely one near Hyde Park but it seems a bit silly to stay away from the centre where all the bars and restaurants are?
It's doin my head in.
I still haven't found the right hotel :( Have found a lovely one near Hyde Park but it seems a bit silly to stay away from the centre where all the bars and restaurants are?
It's doin my head in.
>Have found a lovely one near Hyde Park but it seems a bit silly to stay away from the centre where all the bars and restaurants are?
Many people would consider the Eastern end of Hyde Park central, or at least central enough not to be a problem.
In that area I always feel that central London "starts" at Marble Arch, because it is one end of Oxford St I suppose.
In some ways the most important thing is to be near a tube station, like say Marble Arch or Oxford St. If you are near a tube station you can get anywhere fairly quickly.
The tube (undergound) runs till very late, past midnight.
There are also loads of black cabs everywhere and you can easily flag one down and get them to take you to your hotel.
What hotel is it, and where is it ?
Many people would consider the Eastern end of Hyde Park central, or at least central enough not to be a problem.
In that area I always feel that central London "starts" at Marble Arch, because it is one end of Oxford St I suppose.
In some ways the most important thing is to be near a tube station, like say Marble Arch or Oxford St. If you are near a tube station you can get anywhere fairly quickly.
The tube (undergound) runs till very late, past midnight.
There are also loads of black cabs everywhere and you can easily flag one down and get them to take you to your hotel.
What hotel is it, and where is it ?
Holiday Inn Express have some offers on at the moment, if you go on their site www.hiexpress.co.uk/mail you will be able to view interior, exterior and location of all their London hotels.They only have continental breakfast but the choice is very good and you can have as much as you want. I have never stayed at a London location but the Holiday Inn Express I have stayed at have all been very clean and the staff pleasant and helpful.Prices per room vary from �39 to �89 on the offer, per room.If you are doubtful of any hotel try going on www.Trip Advisor.com put the hotel in and you will get an unbiased view from people who have stayed there,good and bad.By the way don't get The Holiday Inn mixed up with The Holiday Inn Express as it is a lot more expensive.
Honestly, the West End isn'tthat big. If 25 mins walk is too far then, yes Hyde Park maybe better. But to be honest for a Londoner like me, 25-30 min walk is not that bad.
If you are with a male (and I don't wish to be sexist) the walk back to Victoria is very nice if you go via the great parks (Hyde, St James and Green etc) plus Constitution Hill and Pall Mail (where Diana's hearse went down leading to Buck House, is all on the way back to Victoria.
(Don't live in London anymore, however)
If you are with a male (and I don't wish to be sexist) the walk back to Victoria is very nice if you go via the great parks (Hyde, St James and Green etc) plus Constitution Hill and Pall Mail (where Diana's hearse went down leading to Buck House, is all on the way back to Victoria.
(Don't live in London anymore, however)
If you look at the map I added to the web site the other day.
http://www.great-britain.co.uk/towns/london/lo ndon-tourist.jpg
You can see Hyde Park on the left.
At the bottom of Hyde Park is Knightsbridge.
This is a VERY up market part of London and it is where Harrods is.
It is not hard to get to, but it depends where the hotel you are staying at is.
Hyde Park is rather large, so if your hotel is NORTH of the park you have a long walk across Hyde Park.
If your hotel is SOUTH of Hyde Park then it is already very near Knightsbridge.
WHAT HOTEL HAVE YOU CHOSEN IN THE END ?
http://www.great-britain.co.uk/towns/london/lo ndon-tourist.jpg
You can see Hyde Park on the left.
At the bottom of Hyde Park is Knightsbridge.
This is a VERY up market part of London and it is where Harrods is.
It is not hard to get to, but it depends where the hotel you are staying at is.
Hyde Park is rather large, so if your hotel is NORTH of the park you have a long walk across Hyde Park.
If your hotel is SOUTH of Hyde Park then it is already very near Knightsbridge.
WHAT HOTEL HAVE YOU CHOSEN IN THE END ?