Hey everyone, so glad to see this board up and running!

I need your input.....

My partner and I are going to be in London for a week in September. This is the first time we have ever traveled internationally together. Are there any issues/concerns we need to be aware of? For the most part, is London gay friendly?

We will be staying at either the Hilton Kensington or the Paddington Hilton....which would be a better choice for a same-sex couple...does it matter. Any places that are 'must see' for a gay couple?

Any advise you can offer is greatly appreciated. I am aware that there are books and websites with this information, but I feel that this group is just a little better informed.

I am so glad we have this forum!

Cheers!

Lee & Pete

My boyfriend and I went there last August and had a great time.

We didn't really focus on having a "gay old time," http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/smile.gif but certainly didn't run into any trouble.

One experience that stands out is ogling all of the Prince William postcards at a streetside shop in the neighborhood where we were staying (South Kensington), and no one batted an eye.

As far as must-see things, they're probably the same must-see items as any straight-couple, although straight couples are probably more willing to skip Diana's last home at Kensington Palace or Harvey Nicks to catch a glimpse of Patsy and Edina shopping. http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/smile.gif

I wasn't all that impressed with Picadilly Circus, and we were there too short a time for a lot of nightlife.

You'll have a great time!

kcnwgold:
1)Hotels - not a problem. Things are a tad more switched on with regards to GLBT travellers over here. Remember, we brougt you QAF first!

2) Obviously the 'touristy' things. One thing I can recommend is a bit of a circuit I did with my folks and my partners:
-Do the BA London Eye. Stunning views if clear day and a good overview of the city www.londoneye.com (http://www.londoneye.com) and you can pre-book (very advisable at busy times).
-Walk along river to Tate Mondern (riverfront has been revived). Visit it - it's free as are nearly all London Museums now.
-Don't forget to go over the Wobbly Bridge! St Paul's is on the other side.
-Back over and get the tube from Southward to Canary Warf. Have a look around and then take the DLR to Island Gardens. From there take the tunnel under the Thames to Greenwhich.
-Have a nose around Greenwhich. Maybe go up the hill the they Royal Observatory and stradle the Zero Meridian.
-Walk back to the Thames and take a river boat back to Embankment Pier pier!
-Tube up to Leicester Sq or Picadilly and head over to Soho. The Yard, Comptons, Balans, etc. Spoilt for Queer choice!

There is loads more, so let us know if there are other questions. I recommned you do get a good book. I like the Timeout Guide to London and Eyewitness Guide to London (loads of piccies!). Get a copy of Gay Times if you can in advance, as that will have a current bar listing.

Hope this helps a bit.

There are, of course, lots of gay friendly boozers which aren't in the west end - the Gloucester in Greenwich is well placed for drinking in the park (weather permitting) - so get your guidebook (good old Spartacus) and then post a few specific questions about places they list - and we'll give you the honest feedback.

As for the hotels - no worries about two men checking in together - no need to be conservative about it at all !

With all the cheap airlines flying out of the London airports (except LHR of course!) you can easily fit in another UK or Irish city too.


Manchester is supposed to have the best guy life outside London but you'd have to take the train for that (flights are quite expensive).

Edinburgh is a beautiful, gay friendly city and you cna get there for £35 return on Easyjet or GO.

Amsterdam is only an hour away too and you can get cheap deals out of LGW or LTN on Easyjet.

You can tell I am not a fan of London.

Stephen

Thanks to you all for the great information!

Stephen - Actually, our agenda is a bit more than just London. We are travelling NW/KLM Business class to Glasgow through AMS....and the only way to get my partner a reward ticket was to include a 14 hour layover in AMS on the way to GLA. We plan on spending the day in AMS.

We will be staying in Glasgow for 6 days visiting family and site-seeing...then off to london for six days...then back to the states.

We were thinking about taking the train down from Glasgow to London to see the country. What is the state of rail travel these days?

We are also considering the Eurostar for a day trip to Paris....

We are still in the planning stage as you can tell.

Again, thanks for all the wonderful input all!

Lee

You'll love Glasgow - it isn't the prettiest city on the planet (but I live in Edinburgh so would say that although I was born in and attended University in Glasgow) but the people are as friendly as you'll ever meet and the gay scene is the best in Scotland.

For Scottish gay info go to

http://WWW.scotsgay.co.uk - this is our national gay mag and it has loads of listings.

The best gay pub in Glasgow is probably the Polo Lounge.

Have a great trip and enjoy our little country.

Stephen

Only a day in Paris?? I'm sure bvh and celbrian will be having words with you!

The rails are ok now, though it is a six hour journey.

Don't forget BA,BD, etc do offer apex fares which aren't too bad a times either. Do recall World offers for £69 return within the UK on BA.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Only a day in Paris?? I'm sure bvh and celbrian will be having words with you!</font>

Quite right, LHR Tim. One day in Paris, indeed! http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/smile.gif

Hello, Lee & Pete. You're going to have a great time in London. It is a very cosmopolitan, gay-friendly place - hotels are no problem whatsoever. For the most recent threads at FlyerTalk Miles on the Paddington and Kensington Hiltons, please see:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum57/HTML/003714.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum57/HTML/003810.html

I was just in London with Celbrian at the end of January for the FlyerTalk pub crawl. We stayed at the Green Park Hilton and check in was a breeze. We had asked for two beds (we are definitely not together!) but the woman checking us in told us that an upgraded room was available but it had only one bed, etc. She couldn't have been more pleasant or matter of fact about the whole thing, which is an attitude you will find prevalent in London. People just go on about their own business and leave you alone.

Of course, London is just like any other big city for gays and straights: your personal safety depends on your common sense.

Another good on-line source for London is Time Out London (http://www.timeout.com/london/). There is an entire section devoted to gay clubs, dining, accommodations, etc.

"Must sees" for a gay couple? I can't think of anything specific. London is so full of museums, restaurants, bars, shops, architecture, parks, etc. - there is really something for everyone, depending upon your interests.

As for Paris, yes a day trip is short, but it is better than nothing. I would suggest the Eurostar over plane travel: the Eurostar is city center to city center in three hours without the security/immigration hassles nor the chronic flight delays. For schedules and more information:

http://www.eurostar.com (http://www.eurostar.com/)

I hope you have a great trip.

(Edited for spelling)

[This message has been edited by blairvanhorn (edited 03-21-2002).]

Note that despite being very nice, Eurostar can be VERY pricey. We went for a meeting in Paris and it was £370 (about $500) and certainly more than the £280 business class return on BD (OK, our quirky travel policy does allow us to travel First for train journeys, but back of the bus for plane travel - go figure http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/rolleyes.gif )

Even though it is a train, Eurostar does think it is an airline at times. The cheapest fares require a two day or saturday night stay. That way they can extract the most money from the business travellers.

However if you are under 26, you can get a youth fare of $79 each way, provided you buy it outside the EU (see website). You don't have to specify a train at time of booking, just exchange up to 45 minutes before departure at Waterloo or Paris.

Otherwise, it is a wonderful way to get to Paris.

[This message has been edited by LHR Tim (edited 03-21-2002).]

True, the train can be more expensive and almost all the cheapest fares require a two night or a Saturday night stay.

However, there is a cheapie fare available on the UK Eurostar web site:

http://www3.eurostar.co.uk/index.html

This is the "Weekend Day Return" which currently sell at £70 round trip (travel must be completed on same day). You must purchase your ticket in the U.K. and at least 30 minutes before your trip. Travel good on Sat, Sun or bank holidays. See Conditions (http://www3.eurostar.co.uk/tfares/con/weekend_day.htm).

There are a couple of threads floating around FT about this type of fare (one in United, I believe). I'll try to dig them up.

Blair-

Thank you for all the info on the Eurostar....Since a lot of this trip is on reward travel, there is money in the budget for the Eurostar. AND! My other half hates to fly so I better take advantage of the opportunity while we are there. I am hoping that he loves Europe and want to go back time and time again....if so, then the next time we will do Paris.

I can't wait to get there!

Thanks again,

Lee

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by kcnwgold:
AND! My other half hates to fly
</font>

Surely that's grounds for divorce?

[QUOTE]Originally posted by kcnwgold:
[B] For the most part, is London gay friendly?

Friendly? I was under the impression that all English males were gay, some being slightly more discreet than others.