London advice needed…from soup to nuts!

[kadey]

We are flying into London ( Heathrow) in early October and will spend two nights before flying to Rome to meet our cruise. The flights from LOndon to Rome are cheaper leaving from Gatwick Airport so I was thinking we 'd fly from there. There will be two full days available for sightseeing Buckingham Palace,Tower of London,Big Ben ect. We also enjoy shopping and eating! I'd like to walk out of our hotel and be in the thick of things.

 

I have read a lot of info here and over web sites and I'm so confused. It seems some areas are good for use of one airport and another if using the other airport! I'd like to use both airports!! Location and close proximity to public transportation are important since it seems that is the best way to travel to all the scattered tourist spots. I'm happy with a hotel or BandB,spending $200 or under a night.

 

I need advice please on which area of London to stay considering I'd like to use both airports. We are taking a red eye to London and will arrive pretty tired,but will head to Rome late afternoon and each of us will be rolling a big suitcase and a carry on! Any advice,insight or alternate ideas (except staying by either airport!) would be greatly appreciated!!

[lamchops]

We are flying into London ( Heathrow) in early October and will spend two nights before flying to Rome to meet our cruise. The flights from LOndon to Rome are cheaper leaving from Gatwick Airport so I was thinking we 'd fly from there. There will be two full days available for sightseeing Buckingham Palace,Tower of London,Big Ben ect. We also enjoy shopping and eating! I'd like to walk out of our hotel and be in the thick of things.

 

I have read a lot of info here and over web sites and I'm so confused. It seems some areas are good for use of one airport and another if using the other airport! I'd like to use both airports!! Location and close proximity to public transportation are important since it seems that is the best way to travel to all the scattered tourist spots. I'm happy with a hotel or BandB,spending $200 or under a night.

 

I need advice please on which area of London to stay considering I'd like to use both airports. We are taking a red eye to London and will arrive pretty tired,but will head to Rome late afternoon and each of us will be rolling a big suitcase and a carry on! Any advice,insight or alternate ideas (except staying by either airport!) would be greatly appreciated!!

 

I have flown in and out of Gatwick a couple of times and we found hotels near Victoria Station the most convieniant. All transit will have a link to Victoria Station and you will be within walking distance of Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Westmister Abby, and the Churchill war rooms. Chain hotels in the area are Doubletree, Premier Inn, and Best Western. We've always taken the red eye from Vancouver and we check our luggage and then walk to BP for the changing of the guard and then heading back for a short nap before dinner. We call it an early evening and we're out by 9am the next morning for a full day.

[Bob++]

Heathrow to Victoria is easy by coach or you can book a private taxi. There are four trains an hour from Victoria to Gatwick by Southern Rail - http://www.southernrailway.com/ - There is a faster non-stop train (Gatwick Express) but it costs more for no great advantage.

 

The big stores - Selfridges, Liberty, Harrods etc are a short tube ride away but The markets - Spitalfields, Camden, Portobello etc are more fun.

[kadey]

Thank you both for the information and advice! I have booked the Lord Milner Hotel near Victoria Station. I will also look at the suggested hotels and see if I can save a few $$!It seems Heathrow is the further airport . That makes it a little harder to do public transportation after being up all night (I'm not good at sleeping on planes).My understanding is there is no direct train or tube to Victoria Station. I think after being on a red eye,DH and I may be a little crabby hauling our luggage and having to switch trains or tubes! I found a website called Minicabs. They found us a rate of 29 GBP from Heathrow to our hotel. It seemed a fair price. It seems leaving for Gatwick ,rested and in the middle of the day will be a much easier trip.

Bob++- Are the markets that you mentioned look fantastic! We'd love to get to a few of these!

Again, thank you booth for your help! I'd welcome any other advice!

[Baseball fan]

There is a bus from Heathrow to the Victoria Coach Station (a couple blocks from the tube) which I think is £6 per person. I am doing that in the fall.

[Bob++]

If you are into antiques, Alfies Market is really good. http://www.alfiesantiques.com/

 

Spitalfields is great with an eclectic mix of fashion and food in a fascinating building. http://www.oldspitalfieldsmarket.com/

 

Camden Lock. A mishmash of antiques, junk, fashion, food and tourist tat. Very busy and popular with pickpockets. http://www.camdenlockmarket.com/

 

I had a look at the website for your B&B. It looks really nice. I like to try and imagine what it must have been like when it was a luxurious private house with the family upstairs and the staff downstairs.

Edited June 9, 2015 by Bob++

[kadey]

There is a bus from Heathrow to the Victoria Coach Station (a couple blocks from the tube) which I think is £6 per person. I am doing that in the fall.

That sounds great! Do they have a website you can pass along so that I can try to do this also?

[kadey]

If you are into antiques, Alfies Market is really good. http://www.alfiesantiques.com/

 

Spitalfields is great with an eclectic mix of fashion and food in a fascinating building. http://www.oldspitalfieldsmarket.com/

 

Camden Lock. A mishmash of antiques, junk, fashion, food and tourist tat. Very busy and popular with pickpockets. http://www.camdenlockmarket.com/

 

I had a look at the website for your B&B. It looks really nice. I like to try and imagine what it must have been like when it was a luxurious private house with the family upstairs and the staff downstairs.

Wish we had the time to hit all the markets! They sound pretty fun! Thank you for the heads up with the pickpockets.

 

I had to smile when you mentioned thinking about the B&B and its past. I love history and do the same thing! This is one of the reasons we enjoy staying in a B&B since they often come with a story!!

[Bob++]

I tried to find some history of the house but nothing special seems to have happened there. Locally however there have been some famous residents:

 

Mozart lived at 180 Ebury Street then known as ‘Five Fields Row’ when Ebury was a village separate from London. He wrote his first symphony there in 1764.

 

Ian Fleming, who wrote the original James Bond stories using his experience working for Britain's Naval Intelligence Division during the Second World War, lived at 22b Ebury Street from 1934 to 1945.

 

While looking around I noticed a three bed apartment (requiring modernisation) in a house on Ebury street for sale at a cool 2.3 million GBPs

 

If you look, you will see blue plaques on the houses where anyone notable once lived.

Edited June 10, 2015 by Bob++

[Baseball fan]

That sounds great! Do they have a website you can pass along so that I can try to do this also?

 

 

The website is nationalexpress.com. Really easy website....

[SteveH2508]

I tried to find some history of the house but nothing special seems to have happened there. Locally however there have been some famous residents:

 

Mozart lived at 180 Ebury Street then known as ‘Five Fields Row’ when Ebury was a village separate from London. He wrote his first symphony there in 1764.

 

Ian Fleming, who wrote the original James Bond stories using his experience working for Britain's Naval Intelligence Division during the Second World War, lived at 22b Ebury Street from 1934 to 1945.

 

While looking around I noticed a three bed apartment (requiring modernisation) in a house on Ebury street for sale at a cool 2.3 million GBPs

 

If you look, you will see blue plaques on the houses where anyone notable once lived.

 

There is a plaque on the house were Mozart lived. Every Saturday there is a farmers market on Mozart Square (also a statue of Mozart there) - we are there most Saturdays:D.

 

Superb French restaurant there as well - La Poule au Pot.

 

There are loads of blue plaques around the Chelsea area - Bram Stoker and Mark Twain are two who immediately spring to mind.

[kadey]

I tried to find some history of the house but nothing special seems to have happened there. Locally however there have been some famous residents:

 

Mozart lived at 180 Ebury Street then known as ‘Five Fields Row’ when Ebury was a village separate from London. He wrote his first symphony there in 1764.

 

Ian Fleming, who wrote the original James Bond stories using his experience working for Britain's Naval Intelligence Division during the Second World War, lived at 22b Ebury Street from 1934 to 1945.

 

While looking around I noticed a three bed apartment (requiring modernisation) in a house on Ebury street for sale at a cool 2.3 million GBPs

 

If you look, you will see blue plaques on the houses where anyone notable once lived.

It sounds like I fell into an interesting area! We live right outside of Philadelphia. I love living so close to the historical sights where our "new" country began. The town that we live in, and all the towns around us were settled @1609 by the Welsh. Often people from outside our"y" be the only vowel in the name really throws people off!!

[kadey]

The website is nationalexpress.com. Really easy website....

 

Thank you!

[kadey]

There is a plaque on the house were Mozart lived. Every Saturday there is a farmers market on Mozart Square (also a statue of Mozart there) - we are there most Saturdays:D.

 

Superb French restaurant there as well - La Poule au Pot.

 

There are loads of blue plaques around the Chelsea area - Bram Stoker and Mark Twain are two who immediately spring to mind.

We happen to be there on a Saturday! Which stand is yours. We will try to come by to say hello!

[Bob++]

You have a kind of London connection then. William Penn was a neighbour of Samuel Pepys and gets mentioned a few times - "At night home and up to the leads [roof], were contrary to expectation driven down again with a stinke by Sir W. Pen's shying of a ****ten pot in their house of office"

 

They also climbed the steeple of a church together to watch the Great Fire of London.

[SteveH2508]

We happen to be there on a Saturday! Which stand is yours. We will try to come by to say hello!

 

We do not have a stall - we are townies through and through!:D

 

We use it to buy proper food - organic meat (lamb, venison, guinea fowl); proper fresh fruit and veg.; lovely pies; great cheese (Lincolnshire Poacher). The people who produce the food sell it so they know their product and take a pride in it.

 

http://www.lfm.org.uk/markets/pimlico-road/

 

There is another market just up the road near Sloane Square on the Kings Road which has produce and a lot more pre-cooked food stalls.

 

http://www.partridges.co.uk/foodmarket

[Iluvcruising2]

We go to London pretty often these days. There is just so many things to see and do.

 

I am gradually putting more and more videos of our trips in this playlist on youtube. Check it out, if you are interested.

[Iluvcruising2]

All that glitters is not Gold

From young, this I have been told

But what is this in my hand?

Just a yellow piece of hardened sand?

 

No, no, this is Gold

7kg or 16lbs, my hand can hold

Bank of England, yeah Angle Land

Oh what a treat, this is grand!

 

[YOUTUBE]NZmcVB7zN7A[/YOUTUBE]

[Iluvcruising2]

Wagamama Wagamama

Lunch was calling; I asked for pasta

Your menu had saba and grilled tuna

And Pad Thai, crunchy and fantastica

 

Wagamama Wagamama

Something Asian, try your soba

Chicken Ramen, topped with Menma

Best of all, kase-oma.

 

Wagamama Wagamama

A naughty incarnation but good to eat lah!

 

[YOUTUBE]BNercTQKYFY[/YOUTUBE]