alrvd83

Hello everyone,

I have our hotel and airfare booked to go to London...itll be my Mother and I traveling there. Dec 27th for 5 days 4 nights...

Staying here:
http://www.cplondoncityhotel.co.uk/

We mainly want to:
-see the main tourist "must see" attractions
-go on some tours of the city/surrounding areas of interest
-shopping
-good eating (we like all types of food)
-nightlife (bars/clubs for myself)

Any advice to help me get our planning underway would be awesome!

Thanks in advance!

gbearbuck

Get an Oyster Card for the tube, bring some comfy shoes, a camera, and enjoy

Seriously, All I'd suggest is figure out where you want to visit and knock out sites that are close to each other so you aren't zig-zagging all over the city. Your hotel has a tube station very close, so that will be your link to the rest of the city. The Oyster Card will save you roughly 40% off the cost of each and every tube ride, get one at the airport when you arrive (at the tube station). London has a ton of things to do/see so read up on where you want to visit. Also, don't plan on seeing a lot the first day as you will likely feel the effects of jet-lag. Take it easy the first day, then hit the ground running the second/third/fourth days... And of course enjoy (and "mind the gap" )

alrvd83

Excellent...thanks for the tips!

"mind the gap"...what is that you speak of? lol

Cavman

It's an announcement at tube stations, there often can be quite a gap between the platform edge & the train due to the configuration at some stations.

alrvd83

ahhhhh makes sense...thanks!

alanR

As there are two of you you really should look into the offers on www.daysoutguide.com

For a stay as short as yours you can use one day Travelcards that MUST be bought at a train station ticket office. You use them instead of your Oystercard for travel and present them when you visit an attraction in the offers. Fortunately you have Blackfriars virtually across the road from the hotel. Unfortunately I haven't been there since it's rebuild and National Rail haven't updated the station map so I can't tell you where the ticket office is. Don't go into the Tube station to buy them as the Travelcards bought there aren't valid for the offers.

louie-m

As you are so close, wander along Tudor Street to the Temple (most likely to be open on a weekday, so early in your trip), preferably at night. Although some of it has got scaffolding up at the moment (I think it's still there), I still find it incredibly pretty at night, particularly King's Bench Walk. Lovely buildings.

See if you can recognise the bits where the Da Vinci Code was filmed....

lhrsfo

In terms of eating, London is your oyster, so to speak. There's a huge variety ranging from some of the finest food in the world, through fantastic, inventive cuisine at reasonable prices to some of the most egregious tourist rip-offs. As a general rule, eat in side streets, not main streets where the tourist places will be, avoid eating in hotels and any chain restaurants etc. But how to find the good places that serve food you like. I would suggest getting a copy of the latest Zagat guide or Hardens guide and studying them. You are staying imbetween interesting areas, but head to Covent Garden, or Borough or Hoxton for some interesting places - the former very mainstream but still offering some really good places, the latter two being altogether more interesting.

HIDDY

Wrap up warm and enjoy your holiday. ^

We'll have 3 nights in London next spring so even though we've been to London before I'm enjoying reading this thread. The wife is nagging me that this time she definitely wants to go on the London Eye and won't take no for an answer. I haven't a clue how much it costs but I bet it isn't cheap.....I wonder if they do any discounts?

Flying Flis

There are various options available for the London Eye, but the standard ticket is only £17, well worth it in my opinion.

http://www.londoneye.com/TicketsAndP...s/Default.aspx

alrvd83

Excellent responses...thanks everyone. I will check into all these links and utilize everyones advice!

USA_flyer

There's always a high chance of rain this time of year so I would have waterproof shoes and umbrella and possibly clothing.

Swiss Tony

That hotel will lend you an umbrella, to save you lugging one with you. As noted above, Blackfriars tube station is close to the hotel so even if you take the tube from the airport to the hotel, you only have 20m of walking outside to do (assuming you use the underpass).

BigLar

Just a caution - we also did a "Christmas in London" thing a few years ago. Pretty much everything was closed on Christmas Day, and the day after (Boxing Day) was right at the weekend, so everybody closed that day, too.

Expect lots of things to be closed. Still many things open, but once you make your list of must-sees, try to google them to see if they will be open when you're there.

Edit - Ooops! Wrong date. By the 27th, pretty much everything should be open. Still, never hurts to check (admittedly lame comeback ).

Aviatrix

The OP is arriving on the 27th, which is a normal working day this year.

If Christmas Day or Boxing Day falls on a week-end the 27th is a Bank Holiday.

If both fall on a week-end the 28th is a Bank Holiday too.

This year they're both mid-week, so we don't get any extra holidays. London will be quiet (because a lot of people will take the whole week off), but shops, restaurants, tourist attractions etc should all be open.