Two nights in London post cruise.

[davisleel]

Planning to spend 2 nights in London after a cruise in mid-May. We want to see the sights around Buckingham Palace and go to the Tower of London. Any advice on where to stay and transportation would be appreciated.

[Essiesmom]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.  If you go back to the main boards page, scroll down a ways and you will find a forum called UK Cruising.  Folks there should be able to help you out.  EM

[StollyBolly]

No but can I suggest you think about the Churchill War Rooms as a site to visit.  Absolutely fascinating.  
 

[BklynBoy8]

Have a wonderful dinner at the Simpsons on the Strand. Great Roast Beef.

 

Theater, Lunch in Pub.

 

Tower of London, Big Ben. ST. Paul, etc...

[ontheweb]

Here is the link to the previously mentioned forum to get information including about London.

 

British Isles/Western Europe - Cruise Critic Community 

[mom says]

Have a look at booking.com for accommodations. Use their filters to adjust for price,  amenities and location. Use their map function and select a hotel very close to an underground station and bus line. Anywhere inside the Circle Underground line will work well. 

 

Use the tfl (transport for London) website to plan your city transportation. For bus and underground,  use an Oyster card or tap and go credit card.

 

Forget dinner at Simpsons on the Strand- they've been closed for years, with no reopening date.

[Heidi13]

2 hours ago, davisleel said:

Planning to spend 2 nights in London after a cruise in mid-May. We want to see the sights around Buckingham Palace and go to the Tower of London. Any advice on where to stay and transportation would be appreciated.

 

In London, since the Merchant Navy Hotel closed, we book a Travelodge or Premier Inn a short walk from a Tube Station. Last 2 trips to London, we stayed at the Travelodge Waterloo and the Travelodge Tower Hill.

 

The one at Tower Hill is a short walk to the DLR, Tube, Thames ferries and the Tower. If your ship docks in Tilbury, you can get to Tower Hill by train, or executive car. If docking in Southampton, most trains arrive at Waterloo.

[ldubs]

As already mentioned, for getting around the Tube (London's mostly underground metro) is incredibly handy.  

[DarrenM]

10 hours ago, davisleel said:

Planning to spend 2 nights in London after a cruise in mid-May. We want to see the sights around Buckingham Palace and go to the Tower of London. Any advice on where to stay and transportation would be appreciated.

Find a hotel away from the tourist trap of Leicester Square/Piccadilly Circus. Would recommend Tower Bridge area. You have the bridge, the tower of London, the shard and Borough Market all close by, and Brick lane not too far away. The City is close too with its imposing buildings, like the Lloyds Building and the Gherkin.

 

Buckingham Palace isnt worth seeing. It really isnt. And Oxford Street is a nightmare.

[K32682]

A first time visitor to London on their first day should take one of the hop-on, hop-off tour buses. You'll see all the major sites and can pop in for a visit in most of them. On the second day it's whatever your preferences are whether they are fine dining, theatre, music, art galleries, museums, historical sights, shopping, street food. 

 

London is the greatest city in the world. Two days won't be nearly enough.  

[Markanddonna]

We have stayed at several Premier Inns in London that are close to a Tube station. Very good experience.

[DarrenM]

2 hours ago, K32682 said:

London is the greatest city in the world. Two days won't be nearly enough.  

Mmmmm Opinions eh?

 

it isnt even the greatest City in Southern England, never mind the rest of England and the rest of the UK.

[Zach1213]

16 hours ago, mom says said:

Have a look at booking.com for accommodations. Use their filters to adjust for price,  amenities and location. Use their map function and select a hotel very close to an underground station and bus line. Anywhere inside the Circle Underground line will work well. 

 

 

Google Maps works well for this too. You can zoom in to London and just type "hotel" and a million will pop up along with their Google reviews rating (1-5). Then you can select a hotel and link directly to it for booking. It'll also give you a good idea of tube and bus stops nearby. 

 

4 hours ago, DarrenM said:

it isnt even the greatest City in Southern England, never mind the rest of England and the rest of the UK.

 

I'm really curious what city is better than London for a visit when it comes to southern England. Bristol? Luton? 

[K32682]

1 hour ago, Zach1213 said:

I'm really curious what city is better than London for a visit when it comes to southern England. Bristol? Luton? 

 

It is a British trait to rubbish their capital city and their criticisms have merit if you live or work there. Seeing it as a visitor is a different perspective and if city amenities are what you desire no other city is better than London. I've been there many times and always enjoy my return trips. The only city that comes close in my estimation is Edinburgh. 

[Zach1213]

3 minutes ago, K32682 said:

 

It is a British trait to rubbish their capital city and their criticisms have merit if you live or work there. Seeing it as a visitor is a different perspective and if city amenities are what you desire no other city is better than London. I've been there many times and always enjoy my return trips. The only city that comes close in my estimation is Edinburgh. 

Oh, I'm aware. My wife spent some time living in London and it's entirely different living there than visiting there. Still a pretty great city to live in, but of course no city is perfect or even near perfect. 

 

There are plenty of great cities in GB, I am just curious to see what city OP says is better than London in southern England. And what their definition of "city" really is. 

Edited February 26 by Zach1213

[John Bull]

8 hours ago, DarrenM said:

Mmmmm Opinions eh?

 

it isnt even the greatest City in Southern England, never mind the rest of England and the rest of the UK.

 

Hi, and welcome to Cruise Critic,

 

You'll have to forgive Darren - he's from "up north" 😏

Many of us southern softies tend to take the same attitude - there's London and there's the rest of the country.

But of course London is well worth a visit, so straight to the bones of your question..........

 

My choice for central London would be a hotel in the Westminster Bridge / County Hall / Waterloo area. Close to the London Eye & River Thames boat trips eg to the Tower of London,  and easy walking across Westminster Bridge to explore Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and Parliament Square, then up Whitehall (Churchill's War Rooms, Prime Minister's residence in Downing Street, Cenotaph, Horseguards Parade & other sights) to Trafalgar Square (Nelson's Column, National Gallery etc). then return via Northumberland Avenue and the Golden Jubilee Footbridge. About 2 miles in total.

Or if you're still feeling fresh at Trafalgar Square, leave the Square under Admiralty Arch & down The Mall to Buckingham Palace. You've now replicated the Coronation route from Westminster Abbey to Buck' Palace. Then back along Birdcage Walk or thro St James' Park, about 3 miles in total.

Evening river walks along the South Bank, perhaps as far as Shakespeare's (replica) Globe Theatre and Tate Modern - watering holes & restaurants along the way.

Direct trains from nearby Waterloo station to Southampton, or direct trains to Dover from the adjoining Waterloo East station and a number of other central London stations.

Hotels in that area are mainly big international hotels like Marriott County Hall, Park Plaza Westminster Bridge and Hampton Inn Waterloo, or national chain Premier Inn County Hall or Waterloo.

Like around the Tower of London / London Bridge area, it's not one of the most expensive areas in central London, but London is expensive and if those prices are too rich...........

 

 try around Victoria or Paddington. Broad range of hotels & prices, both with convenient to Heathrow airport but a little less convenient for the sights.

 

Even cheaper further out but some districts are fine, others not-so-fine. And less convenient for the sights, which neatly brings me to transportation.

 

Quickest & easiest way to get around London is its extensive underground  system - The Tube.

So make sure your lodgings are a short walk from a tube station.

https://content.tfl.gov.uk/standard-tube-map.pdf

There's always a tube map on tourist maps of London, on flyers, and in stations & on trains. Attractions always quote the name of the nearest tube station/s on their literature & websites.

Use that map only to plan your route underground - it's schematic, not geographically accurate. New Yorkers will know about that.

Set up an Oyster Card for cheapest & most convenient way to pay.

 

@K32682 mentioned the ho-ho buses.

Well-worthwhile for an overview, but useless as transportation because they follow a set route, they stop at  bus-stops, and they mix it with heavy traffic. So get a 24-hour ticket with either https://www.tootbus.com/en/london/home or https://www.bigbustours.com/en/london/london-bus-tours

 but don't waste your money on a 48-hour ticket. Mebbe hop off to walk Whitehall (as above) and hop back on at the other end.

Choose carefully if your lodgings aren't near the shared main route, they have different feeder routes. Other freebie add-ons vary, but both include a short river cruise from Westminster to the Tower of London or vice-versa.

Alternatively Golden Tours offer a simple round trip from the London Eye. Not a hop-on service, but covers much the same primary route as the hop-ons

route. https://www.goldentours.com/london-hop-on-hop-off-bus-tours/open-top-london-bus-tour-with-live-guide

 

IMHO the best website for visiting London is https://www.londontoolkit.com/

 

JB 🙂

 

 

 

[DarrenM]

12 hours ago, K32682 said:

 

It is a British trait to rubbish their capital city and their criticisms have merit if you live or work there. Seeing it as a visitor is a different perspective and if city amenities are what you desire no other city is better than London. I've been there many times and always enjoy my return trips. The only city that comes close in my estimation is Edinburgh. 

Edinburgh is my favourite City in the UK. Its so much better than London.

 

So, what other cities knock the socks off London?

 

Liverpool

Manchester

York

Durham

Glasgow

Newcastle Upon Tyne

Bath

 

And contrary to popular belief, I like Birmingham. And I love Dundee

[Zach1213]

5 hours ago, DarrenM said:

Edinburgh is my favourite City in the UK. Its so much better than London.

 

So, what other cities knock the socks off London?

 

Liverpool

Manchester

York

Durham

Glasgow

Newcastle Upon Tyne

Bath

 

And contrary to popular belief, I like Birmingham. And I love Dundee

 

Now I'm just so intrigued what your definition of both "southern England" and "city" are. The only one of those in the south is Bath, and while it's lovely, it's not a "city" in my book. 

[K32682]

17 minutes ago, Zach1213 said:

 

Now I'm just so intrigued what your definition of both "southern England" and "city" are. The only one of those in the south is Bath, and while it's lovely, it's not a "city" in my book. 

 

The  UK defines a "city" as having a population of over 75,000 so Bath qualifies but from visitor stand point it doesn't offer the same variety of attractions as London. The same could be said about Cambridge, Oxford and other similar-sized UK cities. 

 

Bath is a great place to go after you've visited London. 😉

[Zach1213]

13 minutes ago, K32682 said:

 

The  UK defines a "city" as having a population of over 75,000 so Bath qualifies but from visitor stand point it doesn't offer the same variety of attractions as London. The same could be said about Cambridge, Oxford and other similar-sized UK cities. 

 

Bath is a great place to go after you've visited London. 😉

 

Ah interesting, wasn't aware the UK had a legal definition of city based on population. So yeah, I guess Bath barely qualifies. 

[DarrenM]

City status in the UK can be associated with having a cathedral or a university, a particular form of local government, or having a large population

[KforKitty]

The UK does not define a city based on population, although many large centres of population are cities.  City status is granted by the British monarch, and Bath does have city status.

 

St. David’s, a city in Wales, has a population of less than 2,000 people.  Most, but not all, cities have a cathedral.

 

Catherine

 

[DarrenM]

17 minutes ago, Zach1213 said:

 

Ah interesting, wasn't aware the UK had a legal definition of city based on population. So yeah, I guess Bath barely qualifies. 

This isnt really true at all. It can be a reason but isnt usually.

[DarrenM]

1 minute ago, KforKitty said:

The UK does not define a city based on population, although many large centres of population are cities.  City status is granted by the British monarch, and Bath does have city status.

 

St. David’s, a city in Wales, has a population of less than 2,000 people.  Most, but not all, cities have a cathedral.

 

Catherine

 

Beat me to it.

[DarrenM]

I also forgot to add Cardiff in there too. Cardiff is a beautiful City. With great pubs.