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Walking Around London

Keuka Lake Sailor

By Keuka Lake Sailor,
in Cunard Line

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Keuka Lake Sailor

Keuka Lake Sailor

Posted
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I am booked on the QM2 on the November 19th sailing from Southampton to NY.   At the time, Cunard was offering a 3 day stay in London at the St Ermins hotel before the voyage at a pretty good price, so I booked it.  I just bought a  ticket to "Mary Poppins" playing at the Prince Edward theater.  My question:  Is it feasible to walk to the theater and back to the hotel as it is less than 2 miles?   I know I could get a taxi  from the hotel to the theater easily  but how to get a taxi after the theater?   Somewhat of a nervous nelly here and would appreciate any advice...……….

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Stella1250

Stella1250

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I have walked around London many times. It is a great city, but can be a bit rainy. Usually I take the double decker bus to get around as I can then enjoy the view of the city. The tube is also a great alternative, but can be very expensive. There are numerous taxi stands around the city, so don't worry too much about getting around. Ask the hotel for a transport map, which will show all the tube and bus lines. It really is pretty easy as everything is color coded and in English!  Enjoy.

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3rdGenCunarder "Live from...." Rare

3rdGenCunarder

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Posted (edited)

I just looked at your hotel and the theater. Tube requires changes, but there's a bus stop with several lines on Victoria Street near your hotel. One of those bus lines might work.

 

Check out the website for Transport for London. (And check out their headquarters building, next to your hotel. It's London's first "skyscraper.")

Edited by 3rdGenCunarder
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BklynBoy8

BklynBoy8

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Staying in London we use to enjoy walking after the theater to our hotel along the Strand.

 

Wonderful way to see London on Foot.

 

London has a different character during the different times of the day.

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AspirationalFlyer

AspirationalFlyer

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Hello 

 

I'd thought I'd wade in as I've lived in London since 2008 and also stayed at St. Ermin's Hotel. 

 

In response to some of the above: 

 

Can you walk? 100%. Not a problem. However, make sure you bring an umbrella, a waterproof jacket and comfortable walking shoes. Rain is possible and it is also likely to be cold! 

 

Can you take the tube? Of course. Again, not a problem. St. James Tube Station is right around the corner. The Transport for London website has a really helpful journey planner so you can plan your route and confirm ticket prices beforehand. See https://tfl.gov.uk/ 

 

Is it safe? In my view, yes. You are staying in one of the nicest and most upscale parts of London. 

 

Is the tube expense? Yes - it can be (although that partially depends on what you are comparing it to). The smart person will use contactless payment (most tourists use an oyster card) or some form of travelcard which you can you buy from a ticket machine or over the counter. The hotel might even be able to help. 

 

Is a taxi or Uber the best option? Probably not in my view for that journey. It is more expensive and traffic can be heavy both in the area where you are staying and where you are visiting. That said, Uber is a very helpful option in London overall.

 

I did not need to speak to the Conceirge team, but I'm sure they can help too. 

 

AF

 

p.s. I'm also booked on that cruise so maybe see you onboard! If you need anything else, post on this thread and I will try and help. 

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3rdGenCunarder "Live from...." Rare

3rdGenCunarder

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Posted
1 hour ago, AspirationalFlyer said:

Hello 

 

I'd thought I'd wade in as I've lived in London since 2008 and also stayed at St. Ermin's Hotel. 

 

In response to some of the above: 

 

Can you walk? 100%. Not a problem. However, make sure you bring an umbrella, a waterproof jacket and comfortable walking shoes. Rain is possible and it is also likely to be cold! 

 

Can you take the tube? Of course. Again, not a problem. St. James Tube Station is right around the corner. The Transport for London website has a really helpful journey planner so you can plan your route and confirm ticket prices beforehand. See https://tfl.gov.uk/

 

Is it safe? In my view, yes. You are staying in one of the nicest and most upscale parts of London. 

 

Is the tube expense? Yes - it can be (although that partially depends on what you are comparing it to). The smart person will use contactless payment (most tourists use an oyster card) or some form of travelcard which you can you buy from a ticket machine or over the counter. The hotel might even be able to help. 

 

Is a taxi or Uber the best option? Probably not in my view for that journey. It is more expensive and traffic can be heavy both in the area where you are staying and where you are visiting. That said, Uber is a very helpful option in London overall.

 

I did not need to speak to the Conceirge team, but I'm sure they can help too. 

 

AF

 

p.s. I'm also booked on that cruise so maybe see you onboard! If you need anything else, post on this thread and I will try and help. 

 

Not all US credit cards are contactless, and foreign transaction fees could also be an issue, depending on the terms of the credit card. I've found that, for people from the US, the best solution is to get an Oyster card. Almost every little convenience store sells them, and the nice thing is you can get back leftover money that you loaded onto it when your stay in London is over. 

 

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Simon-t

Simon-t

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It will take you about 20-25 minutes to walk that route, and all of it is through pretty busy parts of London that will be safe in my view. But as per previous posts, London in November can be cold and wet, so dress appropriately!

 

With London traffic it could take you that long in a taxi, but if you do decide to get a cab, you will have no trouble hailing a cab in the west end at the end of a show. If you  walk down to Charing Cross Road (two minutes from the theatre) you will find plenty of taxis to hail.

 

Good choice of show - enjoy!

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ToadOfToadHall

ToadOfToadHall

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If you want to use the tube I'd get a Travelcard:

 

https://visitorshop.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/london-travelcard/

 

£13.10 for a day, or £35.10 for 7 days.

 

Oysters and contactless cards are great but there's no real point getting an Oyster for your short trip.

 

£13.10 is as cheap as chips ! You can use the tube as many times as you like for those prices . Only in London in the UK is travel so cheap. And the only people that complain that the tube is expensive are people that live in London. The rest of us think it's almost free travel for those prices ! And yet oddly, Londoners will pay £6+ a pint or £5 for a coffee but moan like hell at having to pay more that 3p to use the tube !

 

 

Edited by ToadOfToadHall
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LittleFish1976

LittleFish1976

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There's a tourist oyster card which can be ordered on-line and delivered to your home address prior to your travels. I always use this option. It has a daily cap so that it apparently is the most economical way of paying for travel on the tube - regardless of how much travel you do in a day, the charge will not exceed a certain amount. Below is the link.

 

https://tfl.gov.uk/travel-information/visiting-london/visitor-oyster-card

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carlmm

carlmm

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Posted
4 hours ago, ToadOfToadHall said:

£13.10 is as cheap as chips ! You can use the tube as many times as you like for those prices . Only in London in the UK is travel so cheap. And the only people that complain that the tube is expensive are people that live in London. The rest of us think it's almost free travel for those prices !

 

Might be cheap for you - but certainly not for many people coming from other parts of the world (and traveling with Cunard 😉 )

 

Just a few daytickets in Europe to compare:

Cologne (24 hours): € 7.30, ~ £ 6.30

Paris (did not find transportation only, already including reductions at museum): € 12.00, ~ £ 10.37

Berlin: € 7.00 ~ £ 6.04

Rome: € 7.00 ~ £ 6.04

 

And if you go for single trips, the London prices prove to be extremly high even more, this time for example other capital cities visited on cruises:

Buenos Aires: max. ARS 19, ~ £ 0.34

Singapore: max. SGD 2.08, ~ £ 1.18

 

And don't let me get started about beer, coffee or other drink prices ...

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3rdGenCunarder "Live from...." Rare

3rdGenCunarder

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Posted
5 hours ago, Toffeegirl68 said:

It's because we Londoners have spent all our money on overpriced beer that we've got no money left to pay for the tube... 😊🍺🍺🍺

Enjoy your stay in our wonderous city.

 

But you have so many beers that are worth it!!! Of course, a shocking number of people in London like imported American beer, which I find amazing. One Friday evening walking along the river, we passed several pubs full of 20-somethings holding bottles of Bud. I wanted to scream at them to drink something LOCAL and worth the money and calories rather than American swill!!! 

 

I love to walk in London. I like to set aside one day just to walk along the river. My favorite route is from Borough Market to the Eye and then over to the Strand, where I like to stay. I don't take public transport enough in one day (probably 2 bus or underground rides each day) to find the visitor day card worth it, and my stay is usually 3-4 days, so I don't need a week card. So I just get a regular Oyster. 

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ToadOfToadHall

ToadOfToadHall

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2 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

But you have so many beers that are worth it!!! Of course, a shocking number of people in London like imported American beer, which I find amazing. One Friday evening walking along the river, we passed several pubs full of 20-somethings holding bottles of Bud. I wanted to scream at them to drink something LOCAL and worth the money and calories rather than American swill!!! 

 

 

Years ago in Colorado a group of use went to some restaurant where they had their own micro brewery. One of our party asked for a bottle of Bud. The waitress said to him "we do brew our own beer here sir". "Yes, I know, I've been here before" he said "I'll have a bottle of Bud". She had a right face on her !

 

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3rdGenCunarder "Live from...." Rare

3rdGenCunarder

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14 minutes ago, ToadOfToadHall said:

 

Years ago in Colorado a group of use went to some restaurant where they had their own micro brewery. One of our party asked for a bottle of Bud. The waitress said to him "we do brew our own beer here sir". "Yes, I know, I've been here before" he said "I'll have a bottle of Bud". She had a right face on her !

 

 

As well she should! 

 

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brian1

brian1

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Posted
11 hours ago, ToadOfToadHall said:

 

A new trendy chippy in Chester charges £4.80 for a large cone of chips ! 

 

I give it 6 months before it closes.

Blimey,that's twice the price of the average in London.I'm scared to ask how much the cod was,lol.

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brian1

brian1

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Posted (edited)
3 hours ago, ToadOfToadHall said:

 

It's so trendy they don't do fish, or pies, or sausages. It only sells chips !

 

Somebody should tell them,chips are not trendy.They're working class,lol. PS I've just realised these must be the Dutch chips with various sauces,there's one at FCO airport,very popular.

Edited by brian1
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