Best area to stay in London?

[satans worm]

Hi
So despite working in London for years before i moved to NYC, I never really explored London, just walked form Liverpool st to work and back!

Im coming back to England for a couple of weeks with my partner who has never been to London, and plan on spending 2 nights in there, the question is where?

Im not even sure what to see, was thinking Covent Garden, walk by the Thames, the wobbly bridge, she wants to goto Oxford street and then Harrods for sure.
I would of like to have seen Big Ben but i believe its all scaffolded up at the moment,

So any ideas for best area to stay in thats most convient plus any good places to go (im not into Museums to be honest!)

Thanks

[Gary29]

Just came back from staying a week in Southwark, good base to explore from.

Walking distance to River and 'wobbly' bridge, Globe Theatre, Tate Modern, Shard, IWM etc

Tube to everywhere else you fancy going.

Big Ben is scaffolded up, but one clock face is still visible.

Shard is amazing at night, but if you book this place in advance it's completely free and very similar experience:

http://skygarden.london/booking

Edited by Gary29 on Tuesday 22 May 15:18

[WhiskyDisco]

satans worm said:

Hi
So despite working in London for years before i moved to NYC, I never really explored London, just walked form Liverpool st to work and back!

Im coming back to England for a couple of weeks with my partner who has never been to London, and plan on spending 2 nights in there, the question is where?

Im not even sure what to see, was thinking Covent Garden, walk by the Thames, the wobbly bridge, she wants to goto Oxford street and then Harrods for sure.
I would of like to have seen Big Ben but i believe its all scaffolded up at the moment,

So any ideas for best area to stay in thats most convient plus any good places to go (im not into Museums to be honest!)

Thanks

Chesterfield Hotel in Mayfair is good, if you can stay for less than £300 a night B&B. Old School Charm. Easy walk to Picaddilly/St James and the places listed above.

[Puggit]

Southwark is a good call. The Hilton Bankside is a very good hotel (if budget allows), but there are cheaper alternatives too. Short walks to places north of the river, and the Jubilee line gets you around quickly.

[The Selfish Gene]

it's a tough one - as you can't go wrong if you're central really.

I never use tubes, and walk everywhere - it's much smaller than you think.

Fitzrovia - (Charlotte Street, or Marlyebone) super cool and beautiful places to go. See Charlotte Street Hotel or Chiltern Firehouse for really nice hotels and location.

The Strand , Covent Garden - different cool, buzzy, shows, and a bit more touristy.

St James - high end shops and restaurants, some really nice hotels. Close to Westminster and also walkable to Strand, Oxford street etc assuming everyone is in reasonable health. If not - Cabs are easy. 'The Stafford' is a good example or Dukes.

Or you could go super trendy - and head out to Shoreditch. If you like motorbikes check out 'The Bikeshed' on Old Street. I spend much time there - it's fantastic..

Or off the wall suggestion would be Canary Wharf area. It's really bustling now and has awesome bars and reasonable hotels - from there it's easy via Jubilee to get central.............in about 15 minutes.

Oldy Wordly would be Greenwich, Blackheath (where I live) again easy ish to get places but you're a little bit less London and local there - but some nice hotels and nice places and touristy stuff.

They'd be my sort of tips.

Oh and if you do find yourself out near the Strand - you must check out Gordon's Wine bar on Embankment. It looks truly st from the outside - a real magic place for tourists (that rarely find it by accident)

[KarlMac]

We just had a long weekend and stopped at The Mad Hatter Hotel. Really traditional hotel and within walking distance to most stuff you want to see around the Thames.

[PurpleTurtle]

Budget per night? Impossible to answer this without.

We could recommend you The Savoy, but not much point if you can't afford it.

IME London Hotels are pricey for what you get, so I treat them as a bed for the night only, try to spend as much time out and about.

I'd rather my money went on doing things in the city rather than a pricey abode that I'm just sleeping in. As long as it's clean, comfy, reasonably quiet and convenient I'm not much bothered

[vixen1700]

PurpleTurtle said:

Budget per night? Impossible to answer this without.

We could recommend you The Savoy, but not much point if you can't afford it.

IME London Hotels are pricey for what you get, so I treat them as a bed for the night only, try to spend as much time out and about.

I'd rather my money went on doing things in the city rather than a pricey abode that I'm just sleeping in. As long as it's clean, comfy, reasonably quiet and convenient I'm not much bothered

That's what we always did and stayed at the Travelodge in Drury Lane. Very inexpensive for such a central location.

[Puggit]

vixen1700 said:

That's what we always did and stayed at the Travelodge in Drury Lane. Very inexpensive for such a central location.

There used to be a great independent cafe outside. Coffee and Croissant for £1.80. Wonder if it's still there?!

[pc.iow]

We stayed here last christmas,

http://doubletree3.hilton.com/en/hotels/united-kin...

Done all our travelling on the river ferry's.
Great views of London from the river while sipping on a glass of wine and stops within a few minutes walk to most of the attractions.

[satans worm]

Gary29 said:

Just came back from staying a week in Southwark, good base to explore from.

Walking distance to River and 'wobbly' bridge, Globe Theatre, Tate Modern, Shard, IWM etc

Tube to everywhere else you fancy going.

Big Ben is scaffolded up, but one clock face is still visible.

Shard is amazing at night, but if you book this place in advance it's completely free and very similar experience:

http://skygarden.london/booking

Edited by Gary29 on Tuesday 22 May 15:18

Th aks, skygarden looks good I’ll try and book that.
A friend recommended I stay in the tower hotel by tower bridge, it’s a 15 min walk from Liverpool Street and has nice views so might opt for that, plus I know the area at least.

[M666 EVO]

I always suggest staying in the Travelodge near Bank, 10 min walk from Liv St. Central and cheap, save your cash for the fun stuff.

Walk from there down to St Kats Docks, over Tower Bridge, quick stop off at Borough Mkt. View from the Shard is cool but not cheap. Walk all the way along the Southbank stopping for the odd beer on the Thames. Take the walking bridge over to Embankment, walk up to Covent Garden. Walk through Soho, grab some lunch. Walk along Oxford Street to Mayfair and on to Green Park. Through St James to Big Ben. District Line from Westminster to Tower Hill, quick trip to Sky Garden.

Harrods is guff. Canary Wharf would be good for day 2, maybe try Shoreditch and Angel. I quite like Spitalfields Mkt which is next to Liv St

Job done.

Forgot to add, get an Oyster - bung a score on it. Travel sorted. Or Boris Bike if you're brave.

Edited by M666 EVO on Wednesday 23 May 11:30

Edited by M666 EVO on Wednesday 23 May 11:31

[Frank7]

Puggit said:

There used to be a great independent cafe outside. Coffee and Croissant for £1.80. Wonder if it's still there?!

Coffee and croissant £1.80? Really? £1.80?
Doubt it’s still there, probably got bombed during the war.

[Puggit]

Frank7 said:

Puggit said:

There used to be a great independent cafe outside. Coffee and Croissant for £1.80. Wonder if it's still there?!

Coffee and croissant £1.80? Really? £1.80?
Doubt it’s still there, probably got bombed during the war.

Really!! Probably around 6 years ago, haven't been for a while, but looking on Facebook it hasn't changed much.

Still there on Googlemaps:

[valiant]

M666 EVO said:

Forgot to add, get an Oyster - bung a score on it. Travel sorted. Or Boris Bike if you're brave.

Edited by M666 EVO on Wednesday 23 May 11:30

Edited by M666 EVO on Wednesday 23 May 11:31

Or just use your contactless credit/debit card. Caps at the same daily travelcard rate as oyster. Same goes for Apple Pay or the Android equivalent.

[Vocal Minority]

valiant said:

M666 EVO said:

Forgot to add, get an Oyster - bung a score on it. Travel sorted. Or Boris Bike if you're brave.

Edited by M666 EVO on Wednesday 23 May 11:30

Edited by M666 EVO on Wednesday 23 May 11:31

Or just use your contactless credit/debit card. Caps at the same daily travelcard rate as oyster. Same goes for Apple Pay or the Android equivalent.

This

Really convienient

[omniflow]

M666 EVO said:

Harrods is guff. Canary Wharf would be good for day 2, maybe try Shoreditch and Angel. I quite like Spitalfields Mkt which is next to Liv St

Job done.

Forgot to add, get an Oyster - bung a score on it. Travel sorted. Or Boris Bike if you're brave.

Edited by M666 EVO on Wednesday 23 May 11:30

Edited by M666 EVO on Wednesday 23 May 11:31

Harrods isn't guff - it's definitely worth a visit if you've never been to London before - even if it's just to see the displays in the food hall and the unbelievably tacky but massively expensive furniture and ladies clothes. The Oyster question needs more investigation - a contactless card is much more convenient, but if you only have a US bank account you might actually need an Oyster card - investigate.

Covent Garden is definitely worth a wander around, some of the street entertainment can be quite good - also take a walk north and go through Seven Dials.

I would recommend taking the Thames Clipper to Greenwich. The trip there along the river is pretty cool, and Greenwich is a really nice place to take a stroll around.

As for where to actually stay, that's a tough one. What do you want out of a hotel? Location, Service, a trendy bar. Personally I'd say being close to where you're going to be in the evenings would be what I would look for. For me, that would be Soho, or Shoreditch - and I think I'd plump for Shoreditch as it's probably better value.

When looking for a decent restaurant, my advice is totally ignore TripAdvisor - I'm not sure how their top 30 restaurants in London list was actually compiled, but I don't think I can recommend any of them.

[M666 EVO]

valiant said:

M666 EVO said:

Forgot to add, get an Oyster - bung a score on it. Travel sorted. Or Boris Bike if you're brave.

Or just use your contactless credit/debit card. Caps at the same daily travelcard rate as oyster. Same goes for Apple Pay or the Android equivalent.

He is coming from the US though? My mate always had issues with his card.

[princeperch]

Puggit said:

There used to be a great independent cafe outside. Coffee and Croissant for £1.80. Wonder if it's still there?!

That cafe directly opposite is good, but ECCO pizza a few shops down is the dogs danglies. Some of the cheapest (and best) pizza in London (I work round the corner and may go in there quite a bit)

[toastybase]

Find somewhere to stay on air bnb or One I’d the cheap hotels in Westminster.

Edited by toastybase on Friday 25th May 09:28