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London help!

29 replies

TigerCameForTea · 03/07/2019 17:14

Posting here for traffic... Hope that's ok!
I want to take DD14 to London for two days / one night during the summer holidays to do all the tourist stuff but am on a small budget. I've found some reasonable hotels online but getting there is looking really expensive! We're coming from near Bristol and I was hoping to do train. Does anyone have any recommendations for part driving / part train or best sites to book train tickets on? Also thinking of things to do and places to stay once we're there? I want us to do the London Eye and Oxford Street. Thank you!

OP posts:
AlpenCrazy · 03/07/2019 17:16

London Eye is a rip off

See if you can book the Skygarden - it's free and a great view

Or get the boat to Greenwich and see the view from the top of the park in Blackheath

South Bank is fun for watching street artists free

Revamped Carnaby St area nice for a mooch

Decent priced food in Chinatown

zeddybrek · 03/07/2019 17:18

Definitely sky garden. So beautiful and free!

AlpenCrazy · 03/07/2019 17:20

Re train - as long as you travel after 9.30am on a weekday or any time at weekend you can get decent fares from most Home Counties stations. Check out how much station car park is and factor that in.

SouthEastern have a kids for a Quid up to age 15.

www.southeasternrailway.co.uk/kid

LoafofSellotape · 03/07/2019 17:20

Have you got tesco vouchers,they can be used on the Eye iirc.

windmill121 · 03/07/2019 17:24

Have you looked at friends and family rail cars?
I bought it with club card vouchers but it's about £30 for a year. Then I ordered London day return tickets from Bristol for £21 adult and £6.10 child. We were going to drive but for this price we decided we could just arrange another trip. Worth looking into

HundredMilesAnHour · 03/07/2019 17:25

Why don't you look at getting the Megabus? I just checked a random weekend in July and for 2 people a Bristol - London return is under £26 (so £13 each!). Bargain! And free wifi onboard. Smile And very convenient arriving into London Victoria as that puts you right into the centre of London.

cestlavielife · 03/07/2019 17:25

Get a coach from Bristol it s not far and better deals

Or try with friends and.family rail card
Look at the youth hostels

windmill121 · 03/07/2019 17:27

Also emirates air line is quite cheap ( cable car) which the kids usually like.
We also normally get a boat trip to see lots of London, we get some sandwiches to get on the boat
Going to Harrods is quite fun and free

BettysLeftTentacle · 03/07/2019 17:30

You need to go on the train really unless you find a hotel with a car park but if you’re staying centrally you’ll need to take the congestion charge into consideration. An alternative might be to find a tube station in the suburbs with a car park and drive there and then catch the tube, sometimes it works out cheaper.

As PP said the London Eye is extortionate and a complete rip off. There’s loads of better things you can do for free such as:

All the museums except a couple, are free of charge and brilliant. As are the galleries (National Gallery, Portrait Gallery, Tate and Tate Modern)
Walk to see the sites; Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace (look up changing of the guard).
Get a Thames Clipper down to Greenwich (not free but you can use your Oyster) the Maritime Museum is there.
South Bank - street entertainers and sometimes there’s different events on.
Covent Garden - street entertainers/music etc.
Trafalgar Square - see above with fountains.
Choose Kensington High Street/Carnaby Street/Regent Street/Covent Garden over Oxford Street, which is busy and boring.
All the markets; Borough Market for food, Portobello Road for antiques, Camden for clothes, Covent Garden for London tat.
Go to the ticket booth in Leicester Square to get cheap last minute theatre tickets.
Use Clubcard/Reward cards for chain restaurants. Chinatown is cheap and great food mostly. The markets will do good cheap street food.
Walk everywhere, you’ll walk miles but it’s the best way to see everything.

LordProfFekkoThePenguinPhD · 03/07/2019 17:32

Have you got a friends and family railcard? If not have a google to see if there are any special deals on them.

ImpossibleGirl · 03/07/2019 17:41

If you book your tickets as far in advance and specify a specific train to be on, they are often cheaper. Also try to arrive after 9.30 / 10.00 am as they are more likely not to be the higher price commuter trains.

Also look into split ticketing (where you but two separate tickets for your journey, but stay on the same train). I can be considerably cheaper.

Nation rail have a days out guide where you get discounts on sights by having your train tickets on you, so make sure you don't lose or chuck them! www.daysoutguide.co.uk/

HappyHammy · 03/07/2019 17:45

I'd get megabus or national Express to Victoria and look for a premier inn or travelodge.

jackparlabane · 03/07/2019 17:53

Weekday leaving after 10am, tickets for a set train, singles both there and back, are usually best. A Two Together or Young Persons Railcard should pay for itself on the single trip.
Or the coach. They usually call at an outer London tube station, probably Hammersmith in z2, so if you get off there you'll save a good 40 min on the drive to Victoria which is about 15 min by Tube. Hammersmith is practically the start of the M4 so it's a fast journey from there.

If money is critical I'd find a deal on a Premier Inn or similar near a Tube station,
get the coach and pack light, then can do stuff in the day before going to your hotel. Loads of free museums, galleries, music - look at the Time Out website for ideas, also can get cheap theatre tickets on the day.

viques · 03/07/2019 17:54

Londoner here! I hate Oxford street with a passion, to be honest it is mostly the same chain stores which most high streets have and is ram packed full of tourists and sadly pick pockets.. I would take your DD down Bond Street for a gawp at the posh shops, then go and have fun at Camden, Carnaby Street or Covent Garden. I like Marylebone High Street too. If the weather turns then go to Stratford to the Westfield Mall , seems to entertain most of East Londons teens!

For a quick look at the sights since you haven't got much time then either take one of the hop on hop off buses or there is a normal bus which covers a lot of the same ground.

I like the London Eye and on a good day gives you a unique view, but Sky Garden is free (you MUST book and bring ID) and gives you the best view of the shard.

You won't get to see everything in two days, so do your research about what she really wants to see, eg some places like Madame Tussaud's are very busy,and have long queues so you could waste most of a morning, though I think you can pay for pricey priority tickets.

On my to do list I would want

A boat trip. You will see lots of famous buildings / sights from the river.

A walk along southbank (preferably at the weekend)

A visit to one of Londons fabulous open spaces, maybe combined with a visit to say Kensington Palace or the Serpentine Gallery.

A shopping /window shopping excursion.

Since your daughter is 14 you would be well advised to apply now for a zip card (see the Transport for London site) to deal with transport costs.

Worth downloading TFL onto your phone for what's on ,travel advice and updates.

TigerCameForTea · 03/07/2019 18:07

Ooh you lot are great! Thank you so much!! Lots to look at tonight! :)

OP posts:
BlueSkiesLies · 03/07/2019 18:33

Bristol train is £££ - coach is a lot cheaper

HundredMilesAnHour · 03/07/2019 19:00

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned visiting Spitalfields & Brick Lane (on a Sunday lunchtime/afternoon). LOTS going on to keep you both entertained and some amazing (and cheap) food options.

LordProfFekkoThePenguinPhD · 03/07/2019 19:03

Spitalfiess is terrible but a mooch around the surrounding streets and the hawksmoore church is a nice walk.

HundredMilesAnHour · 03/07/2019 19:16

Spitalfiess is terrible

What's terrible about it? Is it the one million visitors so far that puts you off? The 60 market traders? Or the 24 shops, restaurants and cafes? Of course that's just the market itself and doesn't include the surrounding area which is equally unpopular with visitors. Wink

FlorencesHunger · 03/07/2019 19:21

Shameless placemark, I've been thinking of going to London solo this weekend but planning how to get there is putting me off booking anything. Placemark for tourist ideas though Grin

theneverendinglaundry · 03/07/2019 19:27

Get yourself a 2 for 1 voucher, I think it can be used on the London eye? You just have to fill out a form and show it with your train tickets.

SmiledWithTheRisingSun · 03/07/2019 19:28

Megabus?

anon812 · 03/07/2019 19:28

Mega bus is good and cheap but long. If she has a railcard you can get a discount off her ticket (not sure how old she is).

Agree with general tourist attractions above e.g. London eye
You could do a bit of a walk if it's a nice day from Houses of Parliament/Westminster/Big Ben and parliament square up past the FCO to Trafalgar Square with the lions (quite iconic!) then up haymarket to picadilly with the big TV screens then up regents street to oxford street. Hopefully you see some red buses along the way!

A lot of uni halls of residence have deals on renting out the rooms as obviously it's summer holidays, this should be pretty cheap. I remember staying in imperial college ones near south ken a while ago.

MrsBertBibby · 03/07/2019 19:29

Greenwich is great, get the Thames clipper from various piers. Lovely shops, beautiful buildings, Observatory (free) and the Maritime Museum (free). Cutty Sark (not been since the fire Sad )

For views, the viewing platform at Tate Modern's new extension is great (and free). Get a cup of tea / G&T while you're up there. Great art all over the place. From there you can wander past the Globe, past the Golden Hind, into Borough Market for food. Get to TM over the Milennium Brisge from St Paul's. Fab walk, fab views.

V & A museum in Kensington is great if she likes bling/clothes/design. Much quieter than the NHM and Science museums next door! Great picnic space by the central pond. Bring food with you, buy a cuppa, they don't care. All museums free.

British museum! If she likes Manga the exhibition (not free) is also great.

MrsBertBibby · 03/07/2019 19:31

Oh and give Oxford Street a miss. Much much nicer shopping areas. OS is a real dump in comparison.

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