Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with travel and london

Things to do in London over Christmas

Conductor71 — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 12:50:23 -0800

Looking for recommendations for things to do in London. Asking on behalf of a colleague, who is visiting from America for a week over Christmas. Relevant details:

-Traveling with his wife, and daughters aged 11 and 13.
-Jewish (so no carol concerts)
-Assume a decent budget
-Seasoned travelers, so would rather avoid the obvious tourist traps
-Like contemporary culture, shopping, art, music

I'm mad, I know, but its part of a bigger plan...

twine42 — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:16:09 -0800

For various reasons, I'm planning on walking the A10 from London Bridge to the North Circ (Shoreditch, Kingsland Rd, Stoke Newington Rd, Stamford Hill, Tottenham High Rd, Bruce Grove, Roundway, Gt Cambridge Rd). I'll have my camera with me... Without detouring from the route by more than a couple of hundred yards, I'm looking for suggestions of places to visit that are photographically worthy for their interest, beauty or hideousness.

I'm very early in my plans, so all I've really considered so far is the bridge itself and Abney Park.

What else should go into my plan?

Oh, and while I know London is hardly Baltimore, is there anywhere on that route where a country boy like me should be very clearly Not A Tourist™?

Weird me out in London

MsMolly — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:37:44 -0800

Fun/weird London activities. Sock 'em to me. I'm going to be in London for three days at the end of November/beginning of December before an academic conference. I lived in London for a year during high school 20 (ulp!) years ago, and have been back a couple of times since, but my last visit was in 2001. I'm looking for quirky, off-the-beaten-path places to go and things to do. Something like Philadelphia's Mutter Museum, or Toronto's Bata Shoe Museum, or NYC's Peanut Butter and Co.. Shops, restaurants, museums, activities, all appreciated.

How to be an au pair abroad

grobstein — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 20:58:49 -0800

I'm thinking about working as a nanny in England for a year or so. I'm a twenty-one-year-old American woman with a few years of experience with kids as a teacher's assistance and tutor. Anybody know a good way I could start looking for a position from the U.S.? (Asking for a friend.)

Youth hostel in London?

malapropist — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:39:21 -0800

I'm going to London for a week in August. Can you recommend a good hostel for a young traveler type who wants to meet other travelers and have a good time? Just wondering if anyone had a sweet hostel in London for a young traveler that they could recommend unequivocally.

My only hostel experience before was staying at the Green Tortoise in San Francisco, and it was pretty ideal: cheap rooms, a common dining/party area where you could bring beer or liquor in and hang out, talk to other people staying there, even smoke pot as long as you were somewhat discreet. The hostel organized pub crawls down the street on Wednesdays, and even had internet connected computers for everyone to use. I thought it was an ideal place to stay, and I'm looking for something like this in London.

It seems there are a lot of hostels in London, but looking through listings it's hard to tell what kind of a place a certain hostel is, whether it's a straight-laced hotelish type place, or if it's more of a traveler's hostel, and some reviews of places I've seen have depicted certain places as crapholes.

I'm looking to just rent a bed in a dorm room, I've never done that before and want to see what it's like. I was curious, what can I do with my backpack (that'll be my only luggage) if I want to say, go to a pub or something. Any chance a hostel would have lockers or something? Or should I get one at say, a train station? Is there really a secure way to store my backpack for a few hours or maybe a day at the most at a time? I mean, when I'm out seeing the sights and taking pictures and whatnot, I won't mind carrying the backpack, but sometimes I'll want to just leave it behind somewhere. Previously, I'd just leave it in the room I'm staying in, but if I'm just staying on a bed in a communal room, what should I do with it?

Does anyone know of a specific hostel in London that sounds like what I described above, or is just generally a fun place for a 23 year old guy in London by himself for a week? Thanks!

Is the London Pass worth getting?

jayder — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 21:38:51 -0800

Is the London Pass worth the price, for tourists who will be in London for six days? Two of my family members are going to London, and they tell me it's approximately $212 per person for a six-day pass. In addition to full access to the Tube, it covers the access fee to a list of ~50 attractions (and you get to bypass the lines at those attractions). The main attractions they are interested in are St Paul's, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Globe Theater, and Kew Gardens. They don't know whether they will visit enough attractions, or use the Tube enough to make it worthwhile --- the Tube is £4.00 for a single fare.

Do any of you have any advice, from your own experience, for whether the London Pass is worth getting? Any thoughts?

Down and Out in Paris and London

the NATURAL — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 03:45:12 -0800

LondonFilter, ParisFilter: I'll be in London and Paris for about a week, starting next week. What are the coolest, most-offbeat, least-overplayed activities/destinations for a young (21) traveler? Yeah, yeah. The Louvre, Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London -- all that stuff is great, but I'd like to do and see things during my two weeks in Paris and London that hinge on me being young and fun. (Disclaimer: I'm not discounting the value and coolness of museums, but on limited time and money, offbeat is better.)

So, MeFites, what can I do? Ideally these activities will be within the Paris and London metro areas, moderately easy to access via tube (or whatever France has), and edgy but not dangerous. (i.e., I shan't be buying hard drugs under bridges like Russell Brand.)

Bonus points for good food and good photo ops (for my Rebel XT, you see).

Cheers!

London to Berlin by train - what is the fastest/cheapest route?

maryrosecook — Thu, 07 May 2009 02:42:32 -0800

London to Berlin by train. The best option I've found is Eurostar to Paris then sleeper to Berlin for £250. This seems expensive. Are there faster/cheaper options?

Even More London Questions

JoanArkham — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 08:04:13 -0800

I'm heading to London at the end of June. Thanks to the green (and the "London" tag) I know where I'm staying and where I'm going to eat. But I have a few random, oddball questions... I spent 2 days in London in 1987, so this is more-or-less my first visit. We're staying at Base2Stay in Kensington. Questions:

- Where should we go to see a neo-burlesque show? I found some listings, but I was wondering if anyone had any particularly recommended performers or venues.

- I'm worried that I don't have any appropriate clothing. My husband and I dress like the aging Gen-X goth-punk hipsters we are…jeans or shorts, t-shirts, and Chuck Taylors. We're not planning on going to any 4-star restaurants, but are there places where that going to be a problem? (Also, I have tattoos that are visible in sleeveless tops. Will people think I'm skeezy?)

- We're thinking of checking out Slimelight. Is the neighborhood OK? How hard is it to get a cab after the Tube closes?

- Any other "inside tips"? (Local example…if you come to DC and get on the Metro, you should stand to the right on the escalators or you'll get run over.)

Give me London in five days or less.

backseatpilot — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 13:26:07 -0800

London trip - recommendations? Traveling to London next week for business, and I decided to stay a few extra days for some leisure travel. So, I need some advice.

I'm going to get my own hotel after the business is done, so I'm looking for somewhere cheap to stay. I'll have lots of electronics with me, so shared hostel rooms are out. Are there hostels in the area where I can get a private room? Or maybe a b&b type place?

Food recommendations - dim sum and Indian restaurants? Anywhere quintessentially "British" that's not a tourist hangout? Anywhere else I should eat?

I like to do a lot of walking around with my camera, so what neighborhoods should I visit? Maybe a day trip on the train to the countryside - feasible?

One thing I'd really love to do (and could use some advice on) is to take a trip out to the country, rent a bicycle, and ride around all day. Suggestions?

Any other must-see/do things in London? Outdoors stuff is good, arts and culture are good, food is good. The last time I was in London was when I was twelve, and we did the touristy stuff then. Travel dates are still up in the air, but it looks like I'll have time to myself from Friday, May 1 through Wednesday, May 6.

To London and Edinburgh, and back!

chunking express — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 08:15:16 -0800

London to Edinburgh and back! Why is it so damn expensive? My wife and I want to go to Edinburgh next week. We were thinking of going in the middle of the week -- Tuesday to Thursday. Sadly I realize now that we should have bought train tickets for this trip months ago. Is there some trick to getting cheap fares back and forth? Tickets are about 100 pounds or so each now. We could fly for less, though even that seems excessive.

Buses are a long trip, and would be about 40 pounds each by the looks of things. A bus to Edinburgh doesn't sound like much fun.

Any ideas? Please Hope Me.

Recommend quirky places to visit or places to eat/drink between London and Snowdonia...?

skylar — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 08:02:04 -0800

I'm taking a journey by car from London (England) to Portmeirion (North Wales) and back a day later. The quickest route appears to be M1-M6-M54-A5 and then eastwards through Snowdonia and a variety of smaller roads. Along this route, say anywhere after Northampton, are there any lovely/eccentric places to stop either for some brief sightseeing or for a bite to eat and something to drink? The idea is to take a break halfway through the journey or so. I don't mind a detour of a few miles off my route if it means avoiding frightful motorway service stations with terrible food and no atmosphere. I'm seeking recommendations from people who have either taken this route from London to North Wales or who live along the route. Where would you stop for a gander and for a meal if it was up to you? Quirky, strange or picturesque places appreciated.

Finally I'm willing to consider taking a different route home, travelling southwards out through Snowdonia...so if there are some great sights or some peculiar inns in a different direction that I should visit please let me know! Thanks.

Navigating London Airports

mannequito — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 07:29:54 -0800

London-Airports-Filter : Is this trip realistically possible? Apologies in advance if this is a stupid question but I'm not all that familiar with the airports around London (I've only ever been to Gatwick before).

So - I am planning a trip from Berlin to Vancouver in April, one way. I have managed to find a great combination of two flights that total out to a little over 400$ CAD and would just like to make sure that I won't end up missing the second.

My first flight would take me from Berlin to London's Stansted airport, which I am totally unfamiliar with. I would arrive at 10:25 am on a Thursday. Then, my flight to Vancouver would depart from Gatwick at 6:20 pm. Basically I would just like to be confident that this would leave me enough time in the morning to collect my bags, pass customs (do I go through customs if I'm coming from another European country?) and travel to Gatwick airport, I'm assuming by train, in time to check-in for the Vancouver flight. I'm guessing I should be there 2 to 3 hours in advance since it's an international flight. Oh, if it helps the firstr flight is RyanAir and the second is Air Transat.

If I've left out any important info just ask and I'll try to fill it in. I'm also open to any better travel suggestions to get me between these two cities although I don't expect it will get any cheaper than this. Thanks everyone!

The world is not my oyster

still_wears_a_hat — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 12:14:26 -0800

I'm heading to London from the U.S. for several weeks, and I'm confused about Oyster cards. I've read the site, and now I'm even more confused. Specific questions are: Despite what the tourist books say, I don't think I want a visitor card, because it looks like the visitor cards can't be loaded with multi-day travel cards. But can I - as a non-resident - get a "non-visitor" card? If so, is there any drawback in just getting one when I get there, rather than trying to get one in advance? Will I need ID?

Can I have 'pay as you go' and a weekly or monthly travelcard at once on the same card? I'm pretty sure I'll want to do some stuff not covered by the travelcard. If I can't use the same card in those situations, what do people do? Carry more than one, or just pay for non-travelcard travel using cash?

What NOT to do in London?

uauage — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 11:20:20 -0800

Mr. Uauagè and I are going for a weekend to London. We want to make the most of it. Can you point out what to avoid wasting time on? This will be the first trip after our 2-year-old was born, and the last one before our new baby arrives in May. We want to enjoy good restaurants, good modern art, maybe an evening at a concert or theater, but we want to avoid coming back saying: this or that was a disappointment. Also, since I'll be 8 months pregnant I would like to avoid walking-too-much-for-nothing-special.

London calling; can I answer?

punishinglemur — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 16:17:43 -0800

The documents that the UK wants from me for a visit are extensive and horrifying. Will I be able to get into the country? I'm planning to visit my girlfriend, who is currently in the midst of a nine-month working gig in London, for a week (spring break) in late March. Looking over the list of documents they expect from me is horrifying.

I get the feeling they're going to think I'm a bum. I have no property, and my bank statements will show that I have a habit of not having much money at all. My employer is my college's cafeteria. I'm going over spring break, so there's no work to be excused from. I own no property. If it weren't for my parents' generosity, I wouldn't have the funds to make this trip work.

Are they going to stop me at the border? Do I really need written proof from my college that I am on spring break? Is this whole thing really as rough as it sounds?

International Humanitarian Law and London

nihraguk — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 01:42:07 -0800

I am being sponsored to travel to the UK for the purpose of educating myself about international humanitarian law. Apart from the British Red Cross, are there any places of interest / etc that I should visit that would be relevant to this area of law?

What are my options for using my US 3G iPhone in London for a week?

schmoppa — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 08:01:00 -0800

What are my options for using my US 3G iPhone in London for a week?

London's calling, and it's my turn to pick up the phone

The Shiny Thing — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 09:10:17 -0800

What can I do with two spare weekends in the Square Mile? I'm about to head over to London for three weeks, yay! But what should I see while I'm there?

Home base will be roughly near Mansion House tube station. This is terribly convenient on weekdays, but apparently that part of town is kinda dead on weekends.

So my question is, what can I do on my weekends off that will fill my brain with culture?

I'm mostly looking for cultural things - museums, bookshops, old buildings, and anything that's a little bit different, or off the normal tourist track. (Interesting photo opportunities would be cool, as well.)

There's the Tower of London nearby, sure; and the West End as well (although I don't know what specifically would be worth seeing). And having rummaged through some old threads, starting the day with a coffee at the London Review Bookstore sounds kinda awesome. But is there anything I'm missing?

(And I'll be at the meetup.)

Craft shops in London?

gakiko — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 05:44:20 -0800

Please give me recommendations for craft stores in London, UK! Specifically: card making, optional: knitting and soap making/rebatching. Bonus points for locations around Oxford Street and/or easy access by tube! And please don't send me off to some distant location or make me get lost, as I only have 1 day in London to do my shopping. ;) Thank you!

What's a good architecture catalog website?

askmeacct — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 10:31:43 -0800

Contemporary architecture: Is there a website that lists notable pieces of recent architecture, organized by city, with pictures and descriptions? I'm traveling to Paris and London and I need a tool to plan out my time in those cities so I can see cool buildings in an efficient manner. So, any resources devoted solely to architecture in London or Paris would also be appreciated.

La Vie en London

santojulieta — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 18:05:05 -0800

Help me plan some activities for our honeymoon in London and Edinburgh. So, here are the details:

1. Going to be in London from Oct 15th to Oct 18th, then hopping a short flight to Edinburgh on the 18th and will stay there until the 22nd.

2. I have been to London and Edinburgh myself, but the future Mr. Santojulieta has not.

3. I don't mind a bit of touristy stuff, like the British Museum and Edinburgh Castle (which I personally enjoyed a great deal), but don't want to be stuck with solely touristy stuff.

4. We're very comfortable taking the tube anywhere.

5. We're also looking for things to do that would produce artifacts for us to bring home. (I'm not talking Indiana Jones type artifacts. I'm talking about going somewhere (that's not necessarily a gift shop) that will give me the opportunity to purchase some really awesome stuff to frame and put up on the wall or to display on a shelf.)

So, help me figure out some events to see or places to go. In a previous thread, someone mentioned that they'd gone to a burlesque show, which I think would be bitchin', but I don't know if any are playing (or more importantly, if any are good.) We don't want to be too overloaded with stuff to do, but I do want some good options.

London, Dublin, Cork, Here I come!

majikstreet — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 16:21:39 -0800

TravelFilter: Things to do in London, Dublin, Cork. Places to stay in Dublin and Cork. Indian Restaurant recommendations in London. General restaurant recommendations for either London, Dublin, or Cork I'll be going to London, Dublin, and Cork in August. Do you have any recommendations for things to do? Or places to stay in Dublin and Cork? I know that there is good Indian food to be eaten in London, but I don't want to just wander around trying to find food. Other restaurant recommendations also appreciated.

Scotland-a-go-go Land

santojulieta — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 14:08:12 -0800

Travel Slash Honeymoon Filter: Help us coordinate in-country travel options between London and Edinburgh. Based on previous recommendations, we've decided to do it up right one night of our honeymoon and stay at The Witchery in Edinburgh. This is going to be one night in the middle of a 9 day stay, so we're looking for the best options to minimize time wasted travelling.

Right now, our best option is to book an Easy Jet flight that takes about 1:30 and will only run us about $200. However, we'd have to travel to the airport from (what we assume will be) central London.

What would you recommend?

Here are the essential details:

1. We're booked at the Witchery for October 17th and will be returning on October 18th.

2. We're both 27, so we're too old to apply for the student travel program with Britrail. Looking at Britrail tickets, it seems that a flexipass is going to run us in the neighborhood of $600, which seems nonsense to me.

3. We have no problem with renting a car and driving, except that I have no concept of what gas will cost in Europe. And it appears, according to Google Maps, that the drive will take 8ish hours.

4. Taking a coach, cheap though it might be, seems terribly unromantic and a huge waste of time.

London+England trasportantion, baggage shipping and hotel chains

elpapacito — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:09:47 -0800

London+England transportation/extra baggage shipping / hotel chains questions. A minor question about Scotland as well. Hi there. After looking at previous posts tagged london+travel, I'd like to ask the following questions:

- Hotels: I am used to book Ibis/Mercure (Accor Chain) alike rooms, which are often spartan , but clean, with air conditioning + tv and the occasional in-room wifi and broadband, which are a good bonus.

http://www.premiertravelinn.com/ and http://www.travelodge.co.uk/ were both recommended in a previous thread, and I get the impression they both are of very standardized, tiny, corporate just-to-sleep in chains. I'd like to know wheter my impression is correct or not OR if you know of any similar, no-frills no unpleasant surprises chains in London (even better if present all over England)

- The tube relative to tourism attractions: It seems to me that most of the attractions in London are quite concentrated in the center, which is Tube's Zone1 or 2 at worst, except for Kew, Greenwich and Windsdor. I was wondering wheter a locally bought Oyster card + Pay-As-I-Go (which I assume can be bought by non-nationals as well) could be more convenient than a x days Travel Card (which I also supposes is routinely contained in a Oyster)

- Excess baggage shipment: I have noticed that Royal Mail doesn't seem to be shipping packages internationally (to europe) whose weight is greater then 2 Kg. That's quite inconvenient as I will
prob have to ship books and other goods, but airplane extra weight fare is out of question. I'd like to know if there is any less expensive (in comparison with Fedex ad UPS) and reliable shipping company that can organize a pick-up of a +-30 Kg baggage/package or have a drop off location
in central london.

- Transportation: So far I have tried http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/ site to figure out expenses and timetable, but I have also learned about https://www.nationalexpress.com/ buses which seem to be even less expensive. While I try contacting them, I'd like to know if their bus service is, in your experience, usually on-time and reasonably clean. Also information about better bus/train services
and sites would be appreciated.

- Scotland, Glasgow, Edinburgh

Damn, why is so damn expensive in august? Additionally, where's the best nearby location to get the highlander/trainspotting alike highland experience and what else is noteworthy
in Scotland (no lockness thanks) , except Edin of course.

Thanks for your time!