I'll be traveling to London for work in November and will be 21 weeks pregnant. I'll be there for three days after my work duties are over and will want to switch to a hotel in a walking-friendly area, so I'd love to know good places to stay. Plus any advice on what to wear (I'm assuming it will be WET) and what I must see!
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Oh, cool. No advice since I've never been to London.
I am planning on going on a business trip to France hopefully before the end of the year. We have friends in London so we will probably take the train there to visit.
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I've got a bunch of places that I recommend but touristy things that you shouldn't miss:
Tower of London, British Museum, National Galleries, Covent Garden, Westminster AbbeyNot touristy: I highly recommend checking out the Spitalfields market. http://www.spitalfields.co.uk/
Brick Lane is near here and has the best Indian food that I have ever had (if you like that).I have tons more but it depends on your interests!
ETA: Bring lots of layers, rain coat, and rain boots!
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We stayed at the Millennium Bailey in Kensington. You could take the tube from the airport to Kensington. It was a really nice area and the tube is right across the street from the hotel. There is a Tesco and restaurants right across the street so we loaded up on snacks for me (I was about 12 weeks pregnant at that time)
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You can hit Tower Bridge, the Tower of London, the London Eye, Buckingam Palace, Big Ben and Westminster Abbey pretty easily. The first 3 are right next to each other and the 2nd are also close by each other, just a couple stops down the tube. The Tower is worth going in and touring, the others are mostly quick stops or are not able to be gone in.
Piccadilly Circus is pretty neat, as is Leiscester Square. Lots of shopping and stuff to see. Chinatown is pretty cool too.
We only live an hour from London, so we've never stayed overnight and I can't give you any advice there.
As for clothing, bring umbrellas, for sure, and lots of stuff to layer. Sweaters, coats, scarves. The weather is unpredictable and usually quite wet. You never know how cold it will be.
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I lived in London for a few years so happy to answer any questions you may have! Kensington is a nice area to stay and very central for everything. Shopping on High Street Kensington is great, all the best stores without as many crowds as you'll get on Oxford Street. You also would be close to Knightsbridge, which is fun to walk around, and South Ken, which is home to some amazing museums (V&A and Natural History Museum).
Weather will be hit or miss. I actually loved November and December as it was cold, but not bitterly so (40s F usually), and not terribly rainy. I'd bring warm clothes and waterproof outer layers. Rain boots (wellies) won't be necessary as you probably won't walk around town in them (really, you'd only wear them if you were out for a country walk), just make sure you have water resistant shoes. I'd go with a water resistant coat though, not a rain coat per se, but something other than wool, as a brolly won't keep you totally dry.
As for what to do - just walk, walk, walk! The best of London is seen through walking around, rather than hopping on the tube to go everywhere. Pick up a pocket sized London A to Z (pronounced "zed" not zee) when you get there (I couldn't find it sold anywhere outside the UK) as it is a directory and map of every single street in London. It also helps you realise just how close places are to each other, eliminating the need to take a train. Also, buy an Oyster card when you get there - makes using the train and buses so much easier!
Enjoy - London is my favourite place on earth and I'm so happy I got to call it home for three years....and hopefully will again in the future!
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How fun!! We were in London during October a few years back and it was chilly so I only imagine it'll be colder in November.
Definitely go see the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace if you can! It doesn't occur daily but you can check online. I'm sure it'll happen at least once the time you're there.
I'm a architect so I absolutely loved London St. Pancras Train Station.
Also The Stockpot in Soho had amazing beef stroganoff. Soho is also only blocks away from their theater district.We loved London; people were SO friendly and what a amazing clean city that preserves it's history and architecture .
I will go through my notes tonight and write more!
Oh, shop at Top Shop! LOL
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@bluestriped bee: we took the train from London To Paris! Gosh, I love the rail system in Europe!
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@locavore_mama: I looked it up last night. DH and I were shocked that it takes less than 2 hours to get to London from Paris. Crazy!!
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We went to London earlier this year and stayed in Leicester Square. I thought it was a great location! It was right by Chinatown for cheap & delicious eats, and it was around a 20 min walk to Big Ben/Westminster Abbey. You're right by the (free) National Gallery and (free) National Portrait Gallery as well. Picadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square are also right there as well.
We stayed at 3 different hotels right in LeiSq and they were all great. Radisson Blu Hampshire, Radisson Blu Leicester Square and the W. The W was really swanky but also quite pricey.
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Side bar: was anyone else horribly the circle is no longer there?!? Big Ben. Parliament.
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I dont know if someone already mentioned London Eye, also shopping at Harrods and Oxford street is good. Make sure to have an umbrella at all times
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I also recommended Kensington or Leicester square. Kensington is more low key, Leicester square has more nightlife and is better at night.
Greenwich is cool too... You can stand on the prime meridian. I also love the museums...especially the natural history museum and the science museum. They are free.
Changing of the guard is a must. Also covent garden is nice.
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These are all awesome suggestions! I'm going to have to create an outline itinerary and get back to some of you all with questions!!
I'm going to get some good (cheap) waterproof shoes since I' basically live in flats!
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@bluestriped bee: @locavore_mama: I would loooove to go to Paris! If only I had a few more days! DH doesn't fly so work trips are my only chance to explore far away locations!
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Subscribing so I remember to reply tomorrow when I'm not on my phone!
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@fussygal: I live in London! If you'd like some company ill join you for some walking activities. I live in kensington
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Am I the only one that thought the change of the guards was a complete waste of time? I have the most ridiculous photos from that hour or so that we were there...
I really liked the Tower of London, but I adore Royal History.
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Tower of London and Westminster Abbey were my faves. You should also have afternoon tea somewhere! DH and I had afternoon tea at The Orangery at Kensington Palace--it was really fun
ETA: We stayed at the Apex City of London hotel and it was really nice. It's very close to Tower of London and only a few blocks from a tube station.
http://www.apexhotels.co.uk/en/hotels/london/apex-city-of-london-hotel/
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When I lived in Cambridge, I often went to London to visit friends for the day/evening and then once or twice a year, once always end of November/beginning of December, Dh and I would go and make a long weekend of it. I love the city, there's so much to explore!
Firstly, where to stay. If money is no object, I would probably stay as close to where you want to visit as possible. I personally like the Covent Garden area, or Bloomsbury which is a little quieter. Sometimes I'll stay there or other times I prefer to stay as close to my arrival train station as possible, so Paddington has a lot of good hotels and is good for getting to Heathrow, or the Liverpool St. area- the hotel @lawbee11 suggested is a good one, we stayed there last year. If we are driving, we stay further afield... last summer for the Olympics we stayed in Chiswick, not far from the end of the motorway and maybe a 30min tube ride into the centre. It worked out much cheaper at that time when hotel prices were crazy!!
Things I like doing recently; going to a musical in the West End, going to one of the free museums (Natural History, Science Museum, I think the V&A museum is free too), wandering around the markets (Borough, Spitalfields). From the end of November there will be a Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park with stalls, rides etc. Last year there was a nice xmas market along the Southbank near the Eye... there are lots of places to go ice skating outdoors, Somerset House being one of them (though tickets sell out quickly).
Then if you haven't been before, there are the main tourist sites; Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, St. Paul's, Westminster etc. which are worth seeing.
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@fussygal: In addition to all of the landmarks already mentioned (like the Tower - soooo worth it - and a changing of the guards at Buckingham!) I just wanted to second @Mrsbells:'s suggestion of Harrods!
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@sea_bass: Oh yay! I miiiight be solo one day and if I am I'll let you know and we could meet up!
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