London trip - help

[TEARELBO]

HI, travelling to London in November with teens for a concert in AVO Wembley.
Flying into Luton.
3 nights, so there will be 1.5 days sightseeing hopefully,
Any recommendations for hotels and areas to stay in that would be accessible to Wembley, and maybe city centre.
Also is it handy enough and safe to get from city to luton airport for 7am. Are taxis expensive.
Would appreciate any advise please.

To a large extent, anywhere in zones 1-2 are accessible for Wembley and other places. Travelling from luton should be fine - you might need to change and Luton isn't the most convenient air port all round, but there will be trains and then you can take a tube once you arrive.

Luton is a pita tbh, you can get the train into St Pancras so if you're leaving that early I'd
Look to stay somewhere near there. The trains start early enough to get you there. It'll be circa £70 from central London to Luton in a cab.

Wembley is also a pita to get to from anywhere, particularly getting out.

If you want to sightsee I'd look at any of the premier inns / travel lodges in the City, on Southbank.

We could do stanstead airport too, but it would mean having to stay an extra night in London.

which airport would you recommend and I can check different airports a bit further from me here.

could do Gatwick is that handy

Where are you flying from

South of Ireland, so Shannon, Cork or Kerry are doable.

I would make the last nights stay in Luton itself that's the best option as you would need to be there early.

Wembley Park is on the jubilee line and although a journey not hard to get too. so it depends what your budget is. There are some premier inns near Euston / st pancreas that are ok.

@TEARELBO What I would do is fly to Luton. Do not go to Stansted (east) or Gatwick (south). Wembley is west London so Heathrow or Luton are better. I’m assuming you prefer Luton.

The Luton AirPort Express takes 32 minutes to get into London Kings Cross/St Pancras Station. Get a hotel in this area. There are some chain budget ones. All sightseeing is very easy from here. Great transport links.

For the concert, you could then go to Wembley Park on the Metropolitan Line directly from Kings Cross/St Pancras. It’s then a 10 minute walk. Or, go to Marylebone Station and get the Chiltern Line trains to Wembley Stadium and then you just walk through the shopping area to the arena. Both transport links (underground and Chiltern line) will run late. Queues for trains are well organised and a recent concert we went to at the stadium was a quick exit and short wait for the Chiltern Line. Both these stations are recommended on the OVO web site.

I would not stay at Wembley but there are hotels there. You will have no issues getting in and out of Kings Cross/St Pancras and getting back to Luton is no hassle. Just a pretty quick train. I haven’t looked at the timetable but it’s an airport train service!

@TEARELBO You should not need to stay in Luton, but check train times. What time is the first train.

Thank you @TizerorFizz that is fab advise. exactly what I needed. my teen asked some of his pals to go to complicate my life further, so just waiting back who is going

Gatwicks on the Thameslink line as well, probably slightly longer a journey into central London (15 mins?) but in the context of a 3 night stay not really material. The station is in one of the terminals at Gatwick, so you're either right there or a short mono-rail transfer, whereas for Luton you definitely have another leg in the journey, albeit a short one.

If the cost/timings of the flight work better for Gatwick I would choose that option. A 7am flight sounds brutal, you'll have to be there 2 hours in advance I'm assuming which means leaving your hotel at 4.

Gatwick Express goes into Victoria.It’s 30 minutes usually,

Getting to Wembley requires a change on the underground if starting in Victoria but is doable by getting to the Jubilee line from Green Park to Wembley Park. Staying in this area costs more! It’s where the Ritz is!

Maybe cost of flights will determine what you do but not much in it. Gatwick station might be more convenient. It’s a 5 minute shuttle up to the airport from Luton Airport station.

I don't know why anyone's said Luton airport is a pain. It's on the same train line as Gatwick, you just go on the other direction. And now that there's the Dart train from the station to the inside of the airport, it's no different from changing terminals at Gatwick.

So yep, get to St Pancras and you can get the Thameslink train to Luton Airport Parkway, or the Luton Airport Express. Both easy.

@TEARELBO

Stansted could work well, jump on the Stansted Express at the airport and you will be at Liverpool Street within the hour. Elizabeth Line, Central Line, District Line, Circle Line and Metropolitan are right there to take you to other parts of London.

https://www.stanstedexpress.com/

I'd take Stansted over Luton, to be honest.

@TEARELBO

Which concert are they going to see, OP and what else would they like to see in London while they are here?

Liverpool street isn’t great to Wembley. Takes much longer! You have the long schlep after the concert.

Sorry other posters but much nonsense being posted - like taking the Gatwick express - it's barely faster than the regular train and costs way more. live in Ireland and travel v regularly to London. Gatwick is the easiest and cheapest airport to travel from from - Ryan air flies into the South terminal which has a train station - but really just opt for the cheapest flight at the time that suits you best. At Luton you have to catch a bus from the airport to the station which is a faff and Stansted train fares are v expensive so factor that in to your booking. You are unlikely to get an AirBNB near Wembley so opt for the nicest one you can find at the best price and you'll be fine provided it's near a station - TFL website will help you plan your routes. I've stayed in Blackheath and Putney recently - both were lovely but ideally you'd be staying North of the river Thames. Clapham is great for travel to Gatwick.

Clapham to Wembley?

Gatwick express is shorthand! Get any train to Victoria! It doesn’t matter! DD gets Ubers to Gatwick (not far from Clapham) but she’s not going to Wembley, Therefore access to Wembley matters.

At Luton you have to catch a bus from the airport to the station which is a faff

No you don't @Grannyinnwaiting . Not any more. There is now the Dart train that takes you from Luton Airport Parkway station to inside the airport terminal. Much like the train between the two Gatwick terminals. It runs every few minutes and has transformed flying from Luton.

Yes. Luton is way better than it was!

Just check that everything is running with an early flight. That applies everywhere and Gatwick trains can be unreliable.

If you don't want the stress of getting to St pancras really early (and Luton's busiest time is early morning for some reason, so you need to be there in plenty of time to get through security) there's a Premier Inn just across the road from Parkway station. Various friends and family have stayed there before early flights, just had a five minute walk to the Dart, and then into the terminal. I was amazed how cheap the rooms were each time. Obviously they vary, but I think my friend paid £40 and my daughter £35. Well worth it for less stress and not having to be awake at the crack of dawn.

'At Luton you have to catch a bus from the airport to the station which is a faff

No you don't @Grannyinnwaiting . Not any more. There is now the Dart train that takes you from Luton Airport Parkway station to inside the airport terminal. Much like the train between the two Gatwick terminals. It runs every few minutes and has transformed flying from Luton.'

Oh, I stand corrected - thanks that's v useful to know.

OP is going to be in London for 3 days so it's not just about proximity to Wembley - that'll prob require travelling across London mid way through the stay so navigating the TFL system will be necessary. It would be easiest to stay somewhere near a station on a fairly direct route to whichever airport they elect to fly into

If Op arrives early morning it's £17.90 and 49 mins on the train from Luton to St Pancras, £23 and 54 mins from Stansted to Liverpool St and £14 and 40 mins to Victoria. I fly each month from Shannon and have usually found the Gatwick route the cheapest but it really depends on flight times and prices when you are travelling OP.