Review of our 3 Day stay in London

[itsanita]

We had a wonderful time in our 4 days in London, due mostly to all the help I received on these boards, so I just wanted to do a short review in case it might help anyone else trying to plan a short trip pre or post cruise.

 

We (my husband and I, both in our 60’s) first flew into Paris and then took the Eurostar to London. We had pre booked our tickets using the advice we found on these boards:

 

(SNCF.com Then go to the top right of the screen and use the small drop down box to change the language from "FR" to "EN." Then type in the date and to and from stations (when you type in Paris just accept the Paris all option). At the lower right you will see a box asking where you are from and you should use "France". Choose your class of travel (if you are 60 make sure you use that box since it gets you a nice discount). You can go through the steps to buy your ticket and have it delivered electronically (you just print it out). The key is how you pay for the ticket. SNCF will accept some US credit cards, but many get rejected. If none of your credit cards are acceptable there is another option to pay using PayPAL..)

 

We also bought a 2 Day London Pass online when they were offering a discount and free shipping.

 

When we arrived at the London Station, our original plan was to take the tube to our hotel. But after experiencing the Metro in Paris, and how difficult it is to drag all our luggage on the tube, we just followed the signs to get a cab.

The Hotel we stayed in was just a few minutes from the Victoria Train and Tube station and a 5 minute walk to Buckingham Palace. It was clean, but very small. Breakfast was available but for an additional 7#. The good part was we were close to the tube, the bad part we were close to the tube…LOL The train station/tube station was VERY busy all the time. The tube was crowded and we had to sometimes wait for another train…even during the off hours. It was a very busy place. Other than that the location was ideal.

 

Our rooms were ready, so after we dropped off our luggage we walked to the Victoria Tube Station and bought a Oyster Card. We found a ‘ticket booth’ at the station. You pay 5# for the card that gets refunded when you turn it in at the end of visit. We put 20# on each card. No photo id is required and they worked great! You just tap it on the turnstile when you enter the tube, and again when you exit. There is a limit as to how much you spend each day, when you reach that limit, the rest of the day is free. We turned our cards in at the station on the last day and got 4# each back in addition to our original 5 #

http://londontoolkit.com/briefing/travelcard_oyster.htm

 

Our first stop was St Paul’s. We took the Victoria line (Blue) towards Seven Sisters Underground Station, got off at Oxford Circus, switched to Central line (Red) towards Epping Underground Station, Hainault Underground Station or Loughton Underground Station and got off at St Paul stop. It was pretty easy, but very crowded. I had pre-purchased tickets on line for St. Pauls, so we walked right in. They have guided tours at certain times and these are well worth taking. After our tour, we had lunch at the Crypt in the basement of the Church.

 

Our next planned stop was the British Museum (free) via the tube (Central line red to Holborn station). Even if you are not interested in what it holds, the building itself is wonderful.

 

We then headed back to our hotel area via the tube and had dinner at a put called Bag O Nails (96 Buckingham Palace Road, Victoria). Very good and some great beer choices.

 

Next day we walked to the HOHO bus stop to purchase a Ticket.

 

There are two to choose from:

The Original https://www.theoriginaltour.com/p/tickets/the-original-tour/

The Big Bus https://www.theoriginaltour.com/p/tickets/the-original-tour/

 

We choose the Original, as they had a special going..buy one day and get the second day free. But as 2 days went by felt we had made a mistake. There were very long waits for these buses, many unhappy customers. Several BIG BUS HOHO would stop while we were waiting for the Original, and when our bus did come, many were full so we had to wait for the next bus. Some waits were more than 45 minutes. So next time we would go with the BIG BUS…just IMO.

 

So, we purchased the HOHO ticket at the stop near Victoria station, and waited for the first bus of the day. It came, but the FIRST BUS OF THE DAY was 45 minutes late!! Anyway, we rode the bus to the London Tower Stop. Our first stop of the day was the Tower of London (London Pass). We were there when it opened and walked right into the building that housed the Crowned Jewels. We then joined the first tour of the day by the Yeoman Warders (popularly known as ‘Beefeaters’). The tour is free and takes place every 30 mins. Tours last approximately 60 mins and start near the main entrance. I also suggest that you obtain one of the audio guides to take you through the tower and the grounds. We had a wonderful time, eating lunch at the cafe in the tower.

 

Exiting the Tower, we walked along the Thanes toward the Tower Bridge. We followed the signs to the Tower Bridge Exhibition (London Fast Pass) and toured the bridge, walking along the top over the River Thames. I highly recommend this, it took only an hour or so and was delightful.

 

The tour ends at the other side of the Bridge and we then waited for the HOHO to head towards Kensington Palace, enjoying the ride and the sites and history of London that the very knowledgeable tour guide shared with us. We got off at the Piccadilly Square area and just wandered around…we ended up in Trafalgar Square, visited St Martin-in-the-Fields Church, where they were rehearsing for a concert that night, had a beer at a pub called the Harp behind the church and ended up with a nice dinner at the Café in the Crypt next to the Church.

It was a beautiful evening, so we walked to the Golden Jubilee Bridge, crossed over and took the Queens walk to the London eye. We then went over the Westminster Bridge and got the Tube back to the Victoria area and our hotel.

 

Next day, our last full day in London, we took the HOHO (you would think we would have learned by now) to Westminster Abbey (London Pass). The HOHO did not stop at Westminster Abbey for some reason that day, but across the bridge. So we were laughing as we walked back across the bridge to the Abbey. We took the Verger Guided Tour (5 pounds #, 90 minutes 10 am, 10:30 am etc.) and thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

Back onto the HOHO bus, getting off at various stops including Kensington Palace (London Pass), Harrods, Fortnum and Mason. We had to change HOHO buses for different routes, the waits were long, the traffic bad, but we eventually got back to our hotel stop.

 

We regrouped and took the tube back to the Tower of London where we had tickets for the Ceremony of the Keys. I had bought these tickets several months ago and I really recommend trying to get these free tickets. The Ceremony of the Keys is the traditional locking up of the Tower of London and has taken place on each and every night, without fail, for at least 700 years. We had dinner at a local pub and then entered the tower. The Ceremony was wonderful, and a perfect way to end our stay in London.

 

We were off the next day to Southampton to board our cruise ship. We hired 24/7 airport transfer to pick us and 2 other couples up and take us to the ship terminal. They were professional and on time.

 

If you have any questions, feel free to ask as I would be happy to help if I can. Again…THANKS so much to all who helped me plan this wonderful trip.

[tncap]

Thank you for the review! I will be in the UK for four days prior to a transatlantic next year. I will check out some of your recommendations.

[peg013]

We were off the next day to Southampton to board our cruise ship. We hired 24/7 airport transfer to pick us and 2 other couples up and take us to the ship terminal. They were professional and on time.

 

If you have any questions, feel free to ask as I would be happy to help if I can. Again…THANKS so much to all who helped me plan this wonderful trip.

 

Thank you for taking the time to share all this valuable information. May I ask how much 24/7 Airport Transfer charged you to take the 6 of you to Southampton and how much luggage did you have?

[itsanita]

Thank you for taking the time to share all this valuable information. May I ask how much 24/7 Airport Transfer charged you to take the 6 of you to Southampton and how much luggage did you have?

 

It was 149#. They picked us up at 2 different London Hotels...very professional, on time. We also had a Quote from Smiths..170#. Both had good reps so we went with the cheaper one. We had originally planned on taking the train..but opted for the easier way!!

 

We had 7 large suitcases, 6 carry on's, and assorted bags, purses etc.

[orchestrapal]

Always find it hard to believe a review where people never once went to the London theaters.For all of you that are planning a trip to London don't miss a show in the west end or on the fringe.

It is the best theater in the world, yes NY, the best.

Edited July 19, 2015 by orchestrapal

[surebeatssailing]

Always find it hard to believe a review where people never once went to the London theaters.For all of you that are planning a trip to London don't miss a show in the west end or on the fringe.

It is the best theater in the world, yes NY, the best.

 

We are actually looking at doing this in August after a cruise. We will be there 3 days but day 1 is booked with a tour from Southampton with 3 stops . Day 2 is a Sunday & I don't think the theaters are open that day so it leaves us with Monday. Evening or afternoon...does it matter? Should we prebook tickets prior to our cruise or get them through the hotel concierge when we check in on Saturday evening post cruise ? We are looking @ Phantom of the Opera at this point.

 

Thanks

[itsanita]

Always find it hard to believe a review where people never once went to the London theaters.For all of you that are planning a trip to London don't miss a show in the west end or on the fringe.

It is the best theater in the world, yes NY, the best.

 

I agree it would be nice to see a show. We are season ticket holders for our theater in Fort Lauderdale, so we do love the theater. However, when you have such a short stay in London, you must prioritize.

[lamchops]

Always find it hard to believe a review where people never once went to the London theaters.For all of you that are planning a trip to London don't miss a show in the west end or on the fringe.

It is the best theater in the world, yes NY, the best.

 

We saw Billy Elliott and Wicked in 2012 but nothing in 2014. Theatre is a big part of the London or NYC experience.

[Pet Nit Noy]

Always find it hard to believe a review where people never once went to the London theaters.For all of you that are planning a trip to London don't miss a show in the west end or on the fringe.

It is the best theater in the world, yes NY, the best.

 

I ll add a recommendation for the revival of GYPSY. Who knew Imelda Staunton could sing at all, much less brilliantly handle all the great songs in the show. Clos Maggiore, is a wonderful restaurant close to the Savoy Theatre where GYPSY is playing.

 

Truly a memorable evening.

[Pet Nit Noy]

We are actually looking at doing this in August after a cruise. We will be there 3 days but day 1 is booked with a tour from Southampton with 3 stops . Day 2 is a Sunday & I don't think the theaters are open that day so it leaves us with Monday. Evening or afternoon...does it matter? Should we prebook tickets prior to our cruise or get them through the hotel concierge when we check in on Saturday evening post cruise ? We are looking @ Phantom of the Opera at this point.

 

Thanks

 

As long as you have a future reservation at a hotel, I wouldn't hesitate to contact the concierge as soon as your theater plans become clear. Based on our experience, the tickets were simply held until our arrival. That said, we find it very easy to use Ticket master UK, which is generally the agency that handles most of the West End shows, to do our own ticket purchases.You'll get a receipt which you present to the will call window when you attend the show.

[orchestrapal]

We are actually looking at doing this in August after a cruise. We will be there 3 days but day 1 is booked with a tour from Southampton with 3 stops . Day 2 is a Sunday & I don't think the theaters are open that day so it leaves us with Monday. Evening or afternoon...does it matter? Should we prebook tickets prior to our cruise or get them through the hotel concierge when we check in on Saturday evening post cruise ? We are looking @ Phantom of the Opera at this point.

 

Thanks

 

Phantom does not run on SUnday but does @7:30 Monday.Buy your tickets directly from the theatre group that produces it, Cameron Mackintosh.

Ticket Master gouges all London theatre ticket prices and the concierge will also take a cut.

After almost 40 London stays of two - six weeks we have booked directly for years. We go to the theatre almost every day while there and the savings all the years would probably pay for our upcoming stay.

Enjoy your visit.

PS,,http://WWW.LONDONTHEATRE.CO.UK is a great website for current and future information.

Edited July 19, 2015 by orchestrapal

[surebeatssailing]

Thanks to PetNitNoy & orchestrapal for your helpful responses.

 

Shirley

[Cotswold Eagle]

Buy your tickets directly from the theatre group that produces it, Cameron Mackintosh.

Ticket Master gouges all London theatre ticket prices and the concierge will also take a cut.

After almost 40 London stays of two - six weeks we have booked directly for years. We go to the theatre almost every day while there and the savings all the years would probably pay for our upcoming stay.

 

That seems a bit harsh - Ticketmaster is a primary agent for Cameron Mackintosh (one of two online agencies linked to from their site) and is also a member of STAR. Yes, they'll take a fee (and I'd be interested in your experience of the difference between that and buying direct, by which I presume you mean over the phone or at box office?), but compared to the many rip-off secondary agents acting in the West End, pretending to be "official", 'gouge' is a bit much :)

[Pet Nit Noy]

Ticket Master gouges all London theatre ticket prices and the concierge will also take a cut.

After almost 40 London stays of two - six weeks we have booked directly for years. We go to the theatre almost every day while there and the savings all the years would probably pay for our upcoming stay.

Enjoy your visit.

PS,,http://WWW.LONDONTHEATRE.CO.UK is a great website for current and future information.

 

I've never doubted that I'm paying a surcharge for my tickets using the conciergecorvTicjetnaster UK. That's a price I'm willing to pay for better seat selection booking as far in advance as possible.

[orchestrapal]

That seems a bit harsh - Ticketmaster is a primary agent for Cameron Mackintosh (one of two online agencies linked to from their site) and is also a member of STAR. Yes, they'll take a fee (and I'd be interested in your experience of the difference between that and buying direct, by which I presume you mean over the phone or at box office?), but compared to the many rip-off secondary agents acting in the West End, pretending to be "official", 'gouge' is a bit much?

 

Sorry you think so but it adds up on many bookings.

Currently we have 25 bookings for our fall visit.

I would rather make a yearly contribution to the National than pay any agents.

The Official 1/2 price booth is right outside our hotel door and would be a good place to get tickets for leftovers or slow selling shows. Many theaters also have "day of tickets" which are deeply discounted.

Edited July 21, 2015 by orchestrapal

[Keith1010]

Great review.

 

Thanks for taking the time to write and share it with everyone.

 

Keith

[oldplayer532]

Thank you Anita for you informative review! Was your 2 day Pass helpful?

[itsanita]

Thank you Anita for you informative review! Was your 2 day Pass helpful?

 

Did you meant the 2 day London Pass? If so, yes, it was helpful. You would need to decide how many of the places on the pass you would be visiting, check the prices for entrance, and then decide if it was worth the price. It does make entering easier.. and in some areas there was a 'fast pass' that allowed you to bypass the lines. In most place everyone had to go thru a metal detector, or at least have their bags/purses checked out...so always was a bit of a line. We were also in Paris, and bought the Paris Museum Pass, and found that worked really well for us.

[Iluvcruising2]

Thanks for the review!