Travelling from Wales to London

[OneWittyGoose]

Any advice gratefully received!
I'm looking to take my daughter (13) to London in the summer for the weekend for a sightseeing trip. Will be travelling from Cardiff to London, just the 2 of us, and I'm looking for recommendations for trains/hotels etc. xx

Budget?

At the lowest end look at the direct national express bus and a travelodge or similar.

What do you like to do, is there anything you want to particularly see. What time would you like to arrive and leave.

The train goes into Paddington, the coach Hammersmith, Earls Court and Victoria.

Megabus also run coach services between Cardiff and London but depart from and arrive at a different stop in Cardiff and different gate at Victoria from National Express.

Both companies' journeys take about 4 hours or more depending on intermediate stops and traffic.

The direct train from Cardiff Central to Paddington and back takes 2 hours in theory, but often anywhere between 15 minutes and an hour more.

The train is more expensive than the coach - prices for both vary.

Book trains in advance, the savings can be substantial. Advance tickets go on sale 12 weeks before travel date. You have to book a specific train, and then travel on that train. You get reserved seats.

Use your local rail company website, or NationalRail, or the Trainline, or you can book in person at your local station.

There are many Premier Inn and Travelodge hotels in London. Peak summer they are likely to be more expensive. Look for places near Paddington, or near the main attractions you want to see.

UniversityRooms.com, or something like that, offer student accommodation to rent. Worth a look, but in London in peak summer also not likely to be cheap. (But good for trips elsewhere - you can stay in an Oxford college, for example.)

Hotels will normally store your luggage for free after you've checked out, if you're going to do something before getting your train.

Note that the Trainline charges you a fee for booking tickets.

You can book direct with GWR with no fee.

You can choose to reserve seats on some trains, there's no fee for that. If GWR run a train with fewer carriages than scheduled, you may not have a reserved seat, but it's always worth a shot.

What sights would you especially like to see? People might be able to suggest a hotel in a suitable part of London and a practical itinerary.

GWR have an excellent service and there is a restaurant car which is at the front of the train you can go in there and sit in first class seats and have a super lunch if you feel like splashing out.
The train comes into Paddington and from there you can go pretty much anywhere. Hotel wise I would go with a Travelodge or holiday inn or if you go on a weekend you can get some good deals around the City (bank tube )
If weather good then a walking tour is the way to go but there are always good deals on bus/boat tours
Really there is so so much to do, get on trip advisor and see what tours might be of interest

If weather good then a walking tour is the way to go but there are always good deals on bus/boat tours

I agree about walking, but I'd go with the ordinary red double decker, or the Thames Clipper (Uber boat) rather than tourist buses or boats.

After walking, top of a bus is the best way to see London.

Don't spend all your time rushing from one tourist spot to another, but take some time to actually see London.

On crime and safety, pocket picking and bag dipping are the most likely crimes in busy tourist spots. Carry a securely fastened cross body bag, keep valuables to a minimum and at the bottom of your bag, and keep bag on lap in a busy cafe.