Resurfacing this thread for some tips for a first time visitor to London.. my wife and I are going to London for four days.. We don't plan to venture too far from the major attractions right in London and we are staying at the Marriot Grovesnor Square in Mayfair. To be exact I arrive Friday at 6am and leave on Tuesday at noon.

Now it seems the best bet is to get the TravelCard... it seems that there are several options, what do people suggest for the lenght of my stay and where I plan to go? Should I go for the Gatwick Express separately to Victoria and then transfer to the underground? Or get some sort of combo ticket?

Any reputable places I can buy advance tickets for transportation now either online or over the phone?

One of those double decker hop on hop off sounds like a good idea -- any way I can buy the ticket in advance?

BTW I did a search for London in this forum and got too MUCH information. so I'd appreciate anyone who can distill it down for me.

THANKS

The TravelCard is definitely the way to go. You'll need one that covers four days: Fri.-Sat.-Sun.-Mon. I don't think there's a 4-day pass, so your choices are a 3-day or 7-day.


Didn't know there was a combo ticket for the Gatwick Express and underground. If there's a good deal on one grab it.

Probably. Why not just buy when you get there? You can get your TravelCard and probably the double-decker tickets at Victoria Station when you get it. No need for local currency. Put it on your VISA for the best rate.

sxj -- Thanks for the information. I thought you had to buy the Travelcards outside of Britain to prove you are a visitor... So can you stay and eat in London without a lot of cash?

The Marriott isn't "near" any underground station. Nearest one would be Marble Arch with Bond Street, Green Park and Hyde Park Corner further away in order. About a 10-20 minute walk from those four.

Buy the tickets when you get there. It was always cheaper too even when the GBP was much stronger against the USD. No combo ticket fo rail from LGW and Londn transportation as far as I know.

It might be worth just getting to your hotel on the Friday AM and walk around instead of taking any public transport (expensive and no transfers). There's lots to see around your hotel especially if you like shopping (well within walking distance of Oxford, Bond and Regents Street and Picadilly). If you want to get around on the weekend, you can get a two day travel card which covers bus and underground (zone 1-2 should be enough). If you decide to buy a week travel pass, you need 2 passport photos.

No, you can buy the "tour" bus tickets at the stops. They're hawking the services as there are at least 2 companies competing for the same business.

Check out www.thisislondon.co.uk It's the site for the evening paper and has various info for tourists as well as locals.

Cash, what's that? I used less than US$100. in equivalent GBP, in the 8 days I was there earlier this year. ATM's and credit cards with the latter being my primary mode of payment, are the way to go.

Thanks. So if instead of taking the underground to the hotel, any guesses on how much it would cost to take a taxi from Victoria Station (I assume it's easy to get one here) to the Marriott in Grovesnor Square?

I'd say GBP 6-10 (USD 19-15) that time of the morning. If you can use the arrivals lounge at LGW, do so, freshen up and avoid the London rush hour. That way, you can take a cheaper commuter train into London instead of the Gatwick Express (saves a few bucks each).

About two years ago, I was able to find a web site that had prices for a Visitors Travelcard, and if I recall correctly, it was actually MORE EXPENSIVE than the price for a "normal" travelcard quoted on www.londontransport.co.uk. Since then the Pound has depreciated a bit against the dollar so it�s probably even less of a good idea. But, if you have the chance, you may still want to get a quote for a visitor�s travelcard before you go to the UK - then compare it to the local prices on the London Transport website for a Zone 1 travelcard (I think a visitors card only covers zone 1, where most of the sights are located - regardless, I remember it cost more than the one sold locally for the equivilant number of zones).
Yonatan

I just arrived at LGW - go to the train area and at the ticket windo ask for a combo train to victoria and an all day travel card. Mine cost 10 GBP for both. The train alone is 8.80 at the cheapest so it is the best deal.

Cheers,

DR

I just arrived at LGW - go to the train area and at the ticket windo ask for a combo train to victoria and an all day travel card. Mine cost 10 GBP for both. The train alone is 8.80 at the cheapest so it is the best deal.

Cheers,

DR

A goood place to find cheap accomodation is the UK hotel database. I believe the url is: http://www.smoothhound.co.uk
but if not...
Then type "smooth hound" into a search engine.
I stayed at the St. Andrews hotel in Hyde Park with my boyfriend last year. It was 45 pounds per night for an en suite room. The hotel was older and dingy and kind of humorous, but the location was FABULOUS for that kind of money!
Good Luck

I would be hesitant about taking a taxi from Victoria to your hotel. Traffic in central london could be HORRENDOUS and you may end up spending quite a bit of time and money.

As a side note, IMHO the london taxi has got to be the BEST taxi service of any city, clean, very courteous and the most knowledgeable about directions and addresses.

Taking the underground to your hotel is relatively easy. I have stayed at the Marriot Grosvenor Square and from the nearest underground station (Bond Street?) to your hotel is really only about a 5-10 minute walk. You come out of the station, turn left heading towards Marble Arch about 3-4 short blocks, and then you turn left onto the street of the hotel. The hotel is one block from the corner.

Since I will be able to freshen up a bit at LGW I think I'll get the combo ticket as mentioned (for a pound more can't be beat) and walk from Bond St. Can you get a combo ticket with more than a 1 day travelcard?

Thanks for all this great information!

The timing for this topic is great since I'm going to London on Saturday. One question, I'm going to Scotland for 3 nights, what is the cheapest way to purchase a round-trip ticket from Paddington to Edinburgh.

I've got another question. Whenever I go overseas (not like I go a lot) I wish I had brought something that is difficult to find or expensive in the place I traveled to. Can anyone remind me what NOT to forget on my trip to the UK!?!?!?!

Mac

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Via con Dios!

A little bit late now but try www.thetrain.com (or .co.uk) It's something to do with Richard Branson and Virgin Trains. You should be able to get some fares there (cheapest for advance purchase).

Might be worth checking out www.easyjet.com and the Go site for flights to Scotland (might save some time and might be cheaper than the train).

Since you're staying on the weekend, take a peek into www.travelweb.com for the weekend specials. There are many rates for London and Scotland this weekend,