This reminds me that the British Museum has fantastic tours that run before the museum as a whole opens up. It can be a great way to visit without the enormous crowds.
4 Likes
And I’d encourage anyone to sign up for a tour if it’s convenient even if you don’t think the subject matter will interest you. I learned more about Intaglio’s than I thought there was to know- fascinating! Ditto Asian screen painting, rare bindings…
3 Likes
We went to London last month (there is a thread with the hints I had then - thanks all!) I also signed up for a “London Travel Tips” Facebook group. One helpful thing my husband did was to look at websites for all the potential places/tours, figured out which things needed booking far ahead of time (few) vs a day or two prior vs walk-up seemed OK (those things we usually booked prior day). We were there 10 nights so saw lots of great sights!
One thing that needs careful pre-booking THREE weeks prior (timeslots added on Mondays) was the free Sky Garden indoor viewing area. We thought it was worthwhile. Went a little before sunset.
And I know it’s cheesy…but go on the London Eye. The views from that ferris wheel are amazing.
Funny story. Our first hotel (Premier Inn County Hall) was right by the London Eye. We walked by it many times, enjoyed the festive tourist vibe and nearby restaurants. One time we even got off the Uber ferry at The Eye (we got lucky….the stops there are less often than at Westmister right across the river). But neither my husband nor I are keen on heights, and it was not a priority to ride The Eye. Had it been free, maybe… but we had other spending priorities. So imagine my surprise when we were all unpacked and I decided to open the curtain of our room (a Premier Plus upgrade, but with no promise of any views) and saw this….
2 Likes
Theater in London seems a lot more affordable than Broadway/NYC. Since you are staying in Covent Garden area, you may find some theater shows not too far away. Our 2nd hotel was Strand Palace, just a block away from Six.
We got lucky and booked just about the last two seats together a day or two ahead. The music style is more contemporary than what we’d normally see, but it was so interesting to see this show after having toured The Tower of London.
If you go to Tower of London, definitely seek out the included Yoeman Warner (Beefeater) tours… I think on the half hour?. Very interesting and surprisingly funny. Dress warmly since much of the time you will be outside. For us the line was not too long to see the Crown Jewels, and we enjoyed that. (Some tourists skip it - you can find youtube videos of it if curious).
Thank you! Actually our hotel turns out to be right across the street from the British Museum, great price, great hotel it sounds like. Montague on the Gardens. Thjrns out it’s in Bloomsbury, adjacent to Covent Garden.
It was between there and the Strand Palace. So, what are your impressions of that hotel and was it closer to Covent Gardens?
Edit: I looked it up again. I did like it better for the location, but the Montague was cheaper. We’re trying to keep costs down as son is paying for most of his way. Otherwise, we would have stayed at Strand Palace. Montague is about a mile or less away from Covent Gardens.
I won’t be doing the London Eye, I absolutely hate heights unless there is a physical barrier (I can do The Empire State Building). I didn’t know about that indoor place you posted a pic, so thanks. I’ll be looking at your posts.
2 Likes
In that case it’s an easy walk from Tottenham Court Road on the Elizabeth Line (0.4 miles) or almost across the street from Russell Square on the Piccadilly Line (0.3 miles).
1 Like
Hi, I read the Elizabeth line is a train, is that correct? We did decide to use that and walk if it’s nice or Uber if it’s raining at the Tottenham station. I’d be more comfortable in a train. I believe the Russell square station has about 25 steps to climb. Not sure I want to do that with luggage.
Yes that’s right. It is step free albeit with long escalators (though there are elevators if need be). Make sure you exit at the eastern exit for Tottenham Court Road rather than Dean St (there’s one at each end of the platform and the exits are almost half a mile apart).
Thank you! I guess I would have thought there was just one exit! I’m sure there will be plenty of signage.
Also, I’m thinking of getting us all an Oyster Card instead of using our CC. That way we don’t have to get that out all the time. I like keeping it safe and stashed away. What are your thoughts?
Yes I use an Oyster card and just add credit when needed because I go several times a year. You will need one each which might be a pain. There is a Visitor Oyster card and a regular one and it seems foreigners can get either at Heathrow. They are mostly the same but you pay 7 pounds for the regular one (though then it’s refundable if you bother to hand it back) and 5 pounds (non-refundable) for the Visitor one. There are apparently some discounts at attractions for holders of the visitor card.
Thank you! Yes, I read you can get $10 back of unused money.
You don’t need to purchase an oyster card. You can just tap in and out with a credit card for the exact same price (per ride) and not spend any money on an actual card.
If you don’t want to use an actual card, you can also use apple pay on your phone to tap in and out of stations.
3 Likes
We considered the Oyster card, but in the end we use our iphones to “tap” pay for train, tube, Uber boat. (You could also tap with a credit card, but not the same card for both people. Using different devices for our joint United Chase Visa worked ok).
Your hotel location should work nicely. The British museum is free and even has some free tours (check website). If you are nearby, you could go more than once since it is HUGE. I think that we walked there from Strand Palace and then took Uber home due to the rain. Easy to pick up Uber or black cab there.
The Strand Palace was nice (except for sometimes a long wait at the elevators). But it was pricey, and we did the first nights at a Premier Inn which was nicer than expected. We planned only a month ahead, taking advantage of excellent frequent flier direct flight availability… limited options. Please come back here with your Montague feedback because is looks like a great place.
I thought each ride would be cheaper getting an Oyster Card, but maybe not. On the Sky Garden pic you posted, is that the brassarie? I’d like to do that. It says you can reserve window tables.
@conmama - H and I always put $ on the Oyster Card and use that. We don’t want to be pulling out credit cards or phones to tap just in case someone tried to take them from us. Also H is not good about carrying a phone so having something on the phone is not good for us.
Strand Palace is where we have stayed in Covent Garden after H stayed there on business and liked the location. Montague on the Gardens looks like a nice place. You will have to let us know what you think of it.
1 Like
The cost and daily cap work the same whether it’s a credit card (but you must use the same one each time), tap and pay on a phone or the physical Oyster card. It’s just about which you want to carry and pull out at the start and end of each journey. That assumes your credit card has no foreign transaction fees.
1 Like
That’s the reason I’d want them the most. I don’t typically carry my phone. DH has his and I just want to make sure one of us has one if the other gets pickpocketed.
I’ll let everyone know about the Montague. It has a great rating on TripAdvisors.
1 Like
I think fare costs are same Oyster or tap. (The Oyster card can be helpful for student discount. But senior discount is only available for London residents, not tourists). Contactless vs Oyster Card [Pros and Cons of each].
NOTE - If your credit card charges foreign exchange fees (ours does not), definitely get an Oyster card.
So I was actually a bit worried about having my cellphone out at the tube station. There’s risk of theft AND I’m quite the klutz. But I knew my husband was always gonna have his phone out for navigation and use it to Tap. So I decided to use my cellphone too. I did feel safe doing so because usually there was an attendant (or two) monitoring the turnstiles. Plus I have a nice front thigh zip pocket on the pants I wore the most, fits my iphone mini. (No purse, just a neck wallet for id and backpack for small umbrella etc.) However I actually did drop my cellphone getting off the Uber boat, on the dock phew not into the water. So the klutz fear was valid.
On the tube or Uber boat, IT IS IMPORTANT TO Tap (or swipe Oyster card) on in AND the way out. Otherwise you will pay max daily rate. For bus, just when you board.