Family visiting from America, what to plan what to see

[rosydreams]

I have family who live near San Francisco my aunt and my cousins .My auntie messaged me the other day saying her daughter or my cousin would like to visit London next year . So December 2026

Apparently my auntie going to try visit too ,we live in Hertfordshire and have no room for them to stay .So i couldn't offer any place to stay which is a shame as we stayed with them in the states before .I mean if they really want to we have a pull out sofa bed but it would be terribly cramped and i don't think anyone wants to wake up to a cats zoomies .

So i suggested finding a nice airbnb but i have not visited London since before the pandemic .Not sure were to suggest a location for them to stay if i remember right London is very expensive and your better getting a train into central anyway .I know they will want to see all the touristy stuff and hit up the big shopping areas. I know of a family friend that runs a airbnb in maidenhead would that be a ok base ,i thought being near Windsor castle maybe a good idea.

But really i have not travelled to London in years and don't know what to expect or how i should help my relatives plan their visit .

I’d avoid Airbnb (Airbnb do not verify their listings) and look at hotels instead in Central London. I’d also give Maidenhead a miss because of how far out it is from the centre of London. Do you know what their ideal budget for hotel accommodation is?.

Per night rates in early December are going to cost less than those in the run up to Christmas and the New Year.

I agree Maidenhead is too far out. How about booking a Premier inn, somewhere out of the centre eg Wimbledon, with good connection into Waterloo or Victoria, would be cheaper tel than a central London . Or the youth hostel in the city https://www.yha.org.uk/hostel/yha-london-st-pauls?startDate=03%2F03%2F2026&endDate=08%2F03%2F2026&males=1&females=1
they have double rooms from £110 but best book well in advance. With both of those you have the option to cancel if you pay a bit extra/ lose a bit of the booking price.

I dont know what their budget is but i wanted to look into it for them .That way if they ask i have done some research. See whats the best value for money without going to cheap

Plus if i can suggest a place short train to central but not too central we can drive up to see them. Leave the car and go out for the day with them .But i will ask them if they rather stay more central

Has airbnb gone downhill i used it years ago i found as long as you did your research first it was fine

Do they have to come in December when it’s cold & dark? Personally I’d suggest they either come a little earlier or later - they’ll have a much nicer experience if the nights are lighter and it’s less rainy and miserable.

You don’t really want to drive into central London on weekdays as the traffic is both horrendous and slow. You would need to pay the Congestion charge online and in advance each visit and face where you’re going to park in London itself. That’s going to also be expensive.

You’d be far better off using the train which would take you into Moorgate, King’s Cross or Liverpool Street depending on where you start from in Herts.

Airbnb can be a minefield generally so would give it a wide berth. Again a hotel would give your relatives more comeback in the event anything went wrong.

Look at Premier Inns and the Hilton chain of hotels (as this would be better known to your relatives). Premier inns can be good value for money and there’s quite a number of them
in London these days.

Check train prices as well. I don't know how much it costs to get in from Maidenhead but I'm 45/50 min train ride from London and it would be about £60 for a day return peak hours, £35ish off peak with the tubes on top. Cheaper if you buy in advance of course but then you have to plan to get a specific train.

Which mainline station do the trains from your bit of Hertfordshire come into? I’d aim for a hotel near there or a few tube stops away for ease of visiting. Lots of Premier Inn type places near Kings Cross and Euston, for example.

Also, is this a sightseeing trip but they’d like to meet up at some point, or is it more a trip to see you as well as seeing the U.K.? If the latter, depending on length of stay, I’d consider an AirBnB somewhere near you, where you could get a recommendation from someone you know and even check it out. Or combine this with a hotel in London. But those are things I’d consider.

I champion an Airbnb. I’ve stayed in a fair few and never had any problems.
Benefits include having more space! Your own kitchen which keeps costs of eating out every day down, fridge to put in drinks etc! And no horrid hotel milk pots!
Also ideal if people of different ages are travelling so there’s a lounge to watch tv in if the other person wants to go to bed.
And cost wise it works out cheaper than a hotel per person usually.
Im currently staying in one! Cost was £110 per night - hotel down the road was £120 and like I say, that’s literally a bedroom and a bathroom with breakfast.

Yeah its funny you should say about the cold and dark. When my mother first came here she said it always rains hahaha. Now her niece wants to visit and potentially her sister .

I think they have a romanticised idea of what London is like at Christmas but i will weigh heavily on them to prepare the cold and bring your rain ponchos hahaha.

I really hope they are not to disappointed but hoping my research can help them have a nice visit

And yes i know about London traffic when my aunt first told me my cousin was planning a trip one of the things i mentioned is you cant drive in central London. Thus why i am weighing on what part of London they should stay you want it close enough that they can get to the capital with a reasonable train journey. But not to central so we can visit at their accommodation leave our car at that location then join them on the train to central. So we can either spend days out in London with them or just spend the day with them .This is why i first thought maidenhead as its easy for us to get to ,we could take them to stuff outside of London if they like ,like Windsor castle or Hampton court maybe but with options for all the stuff in London. But as you said maidenhead maybe to far out so finding a good location to look at accommodation .I have used airbnb before and i prefer it over hotels .Its much more relaxed for extended vacations but i am going to ask what they want. But personally i think a airbnb would suit their needs better. My cousin could stay and if my aunt wants to join her she could. So need to work out what part of London would make a good base for them to recommend

I mean we could just meet them in London if thats what they want but i wanted to research London what would be a good location for them to stay ,good train links and not to central.

I get the feeling they want to see all the festive stuff and shopping but i will see what my cousin says when she gets in touch

Maidenhead's on the Elizabeth Line, so it's a lot easier to get into the centre of London than it used to be. It's a fair distance from Hertfordshire AND Central London though...if they weren't going to stay in London surely it would make sense for them to stay somewhere near you?

Maidenhead is also not really known for its looks, other than Boulters Lock. Although they could get a train to Cookham for a bit of pretty.

I’m a fan of the County Hall Premier Inn on Southbank by London eye. Price varies. Southbank is a good location, feels like you are in the centre of things but safe walking around at night as busy. Easy for transport from Waterloo station/embankment/westminster and also for uberboats. Lots of closeby resturants and easily walkable to covent garden, trafalgar sq.

You live in Hertfordshire, all of which has easy train links into central London, so I don't understand why you are thinking of them staying in Maidenhead. That would be more difficult for you to get to, and Maidenhead isn't exactly that close to London anyway.

I used to go to London every day - 19 mins to St P. It’s well connected, you can get anywhere in London with a change either at Farringdon or West Hampstead, or indeed go straight to London Bridge. Easy to catch the boats, easy to go North too.

St Albans and also historic too

I agree, it’s a very strange plan!

Never had any issues with Airbnbs either - just make sure you book somewhere with plenty of reviews.

If you can afford a few nights in hotels, I’d go and stay in London proper vs getting the train in and out.

Do they definitely want to stay in London? A lot of Americans like to see the English countryside/villages.

Have you/they considered staying somewhere like Oxford and having just a day in London then days out at Blenheim palace/the Cotswolds? The idea of staying in London during December sounds hellish to me.

The reason i first thought maidenhead is because of the family friend i mentioned . She was my sisters godmother and a close friend of the family. Since her daughter and my sister died she's been so lonely ,she's like family .She loves spending time with our children and is a very lovely person .She runs a very clean and nice airbnb in maidenhead. If people thought maidenhead was a good base i would ask her about what rooms she has to rent .If my family members can stay with her it opens a lot of things. Like leaving our car at her place and taking them for days out were they want or leaving our car there for a day out in London . She lives about a hour from us so its easy to get to and as we have 3 kids it means we can see them more when they visit.Its easier to get to with 3 kids .

But i wouldn't just selfishly plan this for them i would weigh pros and cons and recommend what's best for them not me. Ask them what they want in a vacation and what they are most interested in seeing.

But yes staying in centre of London does not sound very appealing to me either i think they would be happier just going on day trips into London. But as i said i will do a lot of research and tell them what i have learnt.Thank you i will look into those locations

Maidenhead is lovely, but it’s not a great base for sightseeing in London. The train journey into central London adds up in both time and cost, and if they’re coming all the way from the US, they’ll probably want to be closer to the action.
For December, I’d recommend sticking to simple, reliable options with good transport links. Premier Inn, Travelodge or similar chain hotels are usually far better value than Airbnbs these days, and you know exactly what you’re getting.

Areas just outside the centre can save a lot of money while still being convenient. Places like Wimbledon, Hammersmith, Greenwich, King’s Cross, or even Stratford have easy tube or rail connections into the main tourist spots.
If they want something a bit more atmospheric, the YHA hostels in London are genuinely good now, and some have private rooms at very reasonable prices if you book early.

As for planning their visit, the usual classics are still great for first-timers: Westminster, Tower of London, Covent Garden, Camden, the museums, a Thames boat trip, and the big shopping areas around Oxford Street and Regent Street. Since they’re from the Bay Area, they’ll probably enjoy how easy it is to walk between sights here.

You don’t need to plan every detail for them, just give them a shortlist of areas to stay in and the top must-see spots. Once accommodation is sorted, everything else tends to fall into place.

Other sites are available besides airbnb like booking.com

Your relatives will be fine anywhere in London near a tube stop or railway station.

There are good Facebook groups for people visiting London and I suggest your relatives join up for ideas on accommodation and what to do.

London is lovely at Christmas. So many things to see and do.

Stratford near the O2 has lots of low cost hotels, easy for you to drive there round the M25 if you need to and easy links to central London including Uber Boat which is fun.

Frankly, I would opt for a couple of days in central London to make the best use of their time. St Giles Hotel,
Is super convenient and reasonably priced. No dates up for next December yet though. Can pack lots more in and even pop back to hotel to drop shopping off/quick recharge!

Have a look at hotels like the Dorset in Shepherds Bush. Only 10 mins from Oxford Circus but not too expensive. Or Premier Inn at Kings Cross. The brand is perfectly ok and you can get train to KX or Euston from Herts. Travelling in for sightseeing is hard work.

Maidenhead is a way out but has the Lizzy Line. Not much fun commuting in December though. I’d recommend they stay in London and you go and visit via the train.