Since I am going to London in March - any advice?

[oddcouple1]

We were there2 weeks ago- don't let the 2 hours of morning sunshine and clear blue skies fool you into thinking you don't need your coat/scarf/gloves/hat if you are going to be away from your hotel ALL day!

If you are a history geek, Hampton Court Palace was AWESOME. It is a short train ride out of London from Waterloo. Henry VIII lived there for a number of years, as did a few of his wives, and it was maintained and renovated and added to by each successive monarch- lots to see, and if you engage a guard in any of the rooms, they have a lot of stories to tell. We went to the Ceremony of the Keys, as previously mentioned, and it was VERY cool. There is a nice little pub just up on the corner from the Tower of London that we hung out at before the Ceremony, and ran to afterward to use their loo.

Have fun! ;D

[marksbird]

Wych if you are considering the ceremony of keys be sure to get someone to request the tickets sooner than later. They are really limited and you have to put names on each ticket. Worth doing though....something different than the normal tourist stuff.

[pia]

I wanna go too! LOL

I've heard of the Ceremony of the Keys. I had no idea that they let tourists see that though.

*hides in Amber's luggage*

[tommie]

You want some good advice??

Enjoy your stay. I've been to London several times and I love it. All the sites mentioned are great. You probably wont have enough time to see it all, but then you can always go back just like me.

[barbaraw]

If you need someone to take you shopping...well i volonteer with immense pleasure.I live just outside London(about 10 mins from where Sarah Bunny lives...)and am always looking for excuses to go to the west end.

[moomama18]

hey is wagamama's the japanese noodle house? if so, it is goooood!

we also went to Punch & Judy's just for the experience. Everything else has been mentioned. have a great time and pack warm clothes! although we went the beginning of May and the weather was fabulous.

[RioDuranie]

I would love to go to London.

[nooks1]

Go see all you can and just enjoy yourself.

[GothicblueCJ]

I told u this in chat the other night--get yourself a couple of books or so. I got London for Dummies and it broke down what to see, do, and avoid!! It' very helpful. I trust those books--I've got a few for other places like Scotland and Vegas.

If u plan on taking the tube, get ur pass fairly early because apparently if u get it there it's more expensive. Here's the site:



The main sites are fairly easy to get to if u study the tube map and they are near tube stations. For example, if u want to go see Big Ben, when u come out of the tube all u have to do it look up and there it is.

HAVE OODLES OF FUN BABE!!! I know u will! It's a great place!!!

[dza-dza]

Hi wych,
I thought of you when I saw this article in my local paper this past week. I'll post snippets from it here so others can comment on what was stated:

Shedding pounds from pricey British travel
England is an expensive place to visit, but some new offers will let you get around on the cheap

*London
Simply breathing in London feels expensive. Even the cheapest public transit options (the Underground and buses) add up quickly. And effective this month, prices are going up, with all one-way journeys on the Tube costing an astonishing £4 -- up from £3.50 in 2006.
One of the best ways to save money is with the purchase of a pay-as-you-go travel card called Oyster. With the card, you'll only pay £1.50 for an Underground trip and £1 for a bus trip. Furthermore, it automatically caps your daily spending at less than the cost of a day pass. Cards can be ordered on the Oyster website before your trip and topped up online or at Underground stations in London. Go to www.oystercard.com for more information.

*Train
Undoubtedly the nicest way to see Britain, rail travel is known for its "three Cs": convenient, comfortable and costly. However, Virgin offers great bargains if you book online several weeks in advance. A sample fare is London to Birmingham one way for £10 -- less than half the regular price. The network covers most major points in the UK, with some limitations. Go to www.virgintrains.com for more information.

*Air
Air travel is highly competitive in the UK, with Ryanair, easyJet and BMI continuing to dumbfound consumers with flights for less than a pint of ale. All three airlines offer deals to several destinations around Britain. However, when you add up the taxes as well as time and money spent getting to and from outlying airports, it's not always your best value. For example, a one-way flight from London to Glasgow on Ryanair can cost as little as 79 pence, but after taxes and transportation to London Stansted Airport, it will cost almost £30. For more information, go to www.ryanair.com, www.easyjet.com or www.flybmi.com


Hope some of this is useful.
Have fun.