London, United Kingdom by Gautam Khattak

Last updated August 2, 2011

Disclaimer: These are notes I’ve written or gathered from various sources. I have not experienced all things in this document nor is it intended to be a definitive guide.

General Tips

Currency: British Pound (GPD)

Conversion Tool: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=100+USD+to+GBP&aq=f&oq=&aqi=

(Update for current rates)

1 USD = .6116 GBP

100 USD = 61.158 GBP

1 GBP = 1.635 USD

100 GBD = 163.57 USD

Transportation

Transportation for London Maps – http://www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/1106.aspx

Heathrow to/from London – The best way to get into London is via Heathrow Express. The train leaves to/from the airport every 15 minutes and takes 15 minutes to get you to Paddington Station. The first train from Heathrow is 05:07 (Monday to Saturday) and 05:03 on Sundays. The last train from Terminal 5 is 23:42 (Monday to Saturday) and 23:48 (Sundays). The first train from Paddington is at 05:10 and the last train from Paddington is about 23:25.

Ticket prices are: £16.50 (online) £18.00 (machine/teller), or £23.00 (on-board train). Roundtrip fare is £32.00.

Budget Airlines for travel around Europe (might not fly into large airports)

BMI Baby  – http://bmibaby.com/

Easyjet – http://www.easyjet.com/

Ryanair – http://ryanair.com/

BMI – http://www.flybmi.com

Lodging

Hotels in London is FAR from cheap. I suggest trying out www.priceline.com. Actually if you low-ball the offer and get denied but don’t want to select a new area or wait 24 hours to try again you can do another bid on http://www.priceline.co.uk/ . They don’t seem to talk to each other (not the latter is in £’s. There are also plenty of sites that link you to a variety of Bed & Breakfasts in London. I aim for the Bloomsbury – Marble Arch and Mayfair Soho areas.

Hilton Paddington – Sitting on top of Paddington Station. This hotel is as convenient as it can get as far as getting to the airport while still staying in town.

Hyatt Regency – The Churchill – Located in a very convenient part of town, the West End of Central London. It’s a block away from Marble Arch & Bond Street Underground stations and very close to the Heathrow Express line at Paddington Station. The hotel is very nice and up to date.

Sheraton Park Lane – This hotel is located near the south end of Hyde Park so down the street from the Hilton and Hyatt. The hotels is across the Green Park and Buckingham Palace. It has a old but elegant field to it.

W London – Located more in the heart of the action in Leicester Square. I haven’t stayed here but the price was comparable to the Hyatt.

Le Méridien Piccadilly – Located right in the center of Piccadilly, need I say more?

Sheraton Hotels of London – http://www.sheratonlondonhotels.com/

Park Plaza Sherlock Holmes Hotel – This hotel is not bad, but not as good as the ones above. The location however is great. It’s on Baker Street and close to everything. I booked this hotel on Priceline and got an ‘ok’ price for it. They do a joint event with a Murder Mystery company (dates vary) where you can do dinner and a ‘Who Dun It’ mystery game.

Shopping and Walking around

Bond Street (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bond_Street)

Oxford Circus (http://www.streetsensation.co.uk/oxford/os_intro.htm)

Regent Street (http://www.streetsensation.co.uk/regent/rs_intro.htm)

Carnaby Street (http://www.carnaby.co.uk/)

Covent Garden – http://www.covent-garden.co.uk/ – Fanuel Hall in Boston was designed after this, great place in the afternoon to eat/shop/people watch

1. Christopher’s Place (http://www.stchristophersplace.com/) –  Opposite Bond Street Tube stop and very close to Selfridges. It is one of London’s most individual specialist shopping areas. There are tons of café’s and restaurants to choose from while walking around. On a nice day this place is hopping with people and is a good scene to check out.

Piccadilly Circus – I equate it to Time Square…Central location for hotels, bars and clubs.  Its packed in the early afternoon/evenings. Theater shows are here – http://www.travellondon.com/templates/attractions/gallery_piccadillycircus.html

Selffridges & Co. – http://www.selfridges.com/index.cfm?page=1182 – Dept store the size of a city block, ridiculously huge

Harrod’s – http://www.harrods.com/Cultures/en-GB/History/ is also a well known dept store but that’s in Knightsbridge which is a ways away.

Soho – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soho – True to the other places that share its name (New York and Hong Kong). Soho is a fun place to walk around. You’ll find great and but non-pretentious restaurants, fun boutiques, record stores, and just cool places to hang out. Soho has a reputation for sex shops and a gay friendly neighborhood as well. Soho has  a hopping nightlife where you might see some interesting characters and costumes.

Chinatown (best Dim Sum)/ Leicester Sq / Trafalgar Sq. – http://www.chinatown-online.co.uk/  http://www.travellondon.com/templates/attractions/chinatown.html

Common Sites

Prices are subject to have changed since this was originally written.

GK Editorial: There are plenty of touristy sites to see in London. But if you’re also into walking around and getting a vibe of the city I highly recommend checking out St. Christopher’s Place and Covent Garden, Soho is fun too. You won’t be disappointed with the vibe going on in these areas. Also walk around the Embankment (both sides) near Big Ben and on the other side by the London Eye.

Some areas/borough’s of London to check out for a more local feel:

• Bayswater
• Camden
• Saint John’s Wood
• Harrow

London Pass – http://www.londonpass.com/ – A pass that gets entry into many sites. Pay attention to any gotchas like invalid dates or days of the week.

These you can do really quickly (if you don’t go inside them) because they’re all in the same area: Buckingham Palace, Westminster Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, House of Parliament, and London Eye – if you want to go into Buck house or Parliament you have to make reservations or wait in a long line.

Tower of London – http://www.aboutbritain.com/TowerOfLondon.htm – (Fort with cannons, old armor & weaponry and replica crown jewels) £16.00 (Free w/ London Pass)

GK Editorial: Not on my recommended list. So unless you want to see the Crown Jewels or are a major history/armory buff, skip it.

London Aquarium – http://www.londonaquarium.co.uk/ £13.25 (Free w/ London Pass)

London Zoo – £14.50 (Free w/ London Pass)

Marble Arch – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marble_Arch

HMS Belfast – http://hmsbelfast.iwm.org.uk/ – Moored on south bank of the Thames – £9.95 (Free w/ London Pass)

Royal Botanical Gardens @ Kew – http://www.kew.org/ – £11.75 (Free w/ London Pass)

Wimbledon – £7.50 (Free w/ London Pass)

Vinopolis – http://www.vinopolis.co.uk/ – (Near London Bridge Tube stop) Wine Tasting £16 (Free w/ London Pass), £21, £26, £31 (Champagne Tour) Sunday Brunch – £30

Tower Bridge – http://www.towerbridge.org.uk/ – £6 (Free w/ London Pass)

Westminster Abbey – http://www.westminster-abbey.org/

Westminster Cathedral – http://www.westminstercathedral.org.uk/

Buckingham Palace – http://www.royal.gov.uk/TheRoyalResidences/BuckinghamPalace/BuckinghamPalace.aspx

House of Parliament – http://www.parliament.uk/

9. Paul’s Cathedral – http://www.stpauls.co.uk/– £9.50 (Free w/ London Pass)
10. James Park – http://www.royalparks.gov.uk/parks/st_james_park/ Feed the ducks & Pigeon’s

Hyde Park – http://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/hyde_park/ –

GK Tip: Go to the railings where there are some pigeons. Put your arm out to your side and the pigeon might jump on your arm. They are pretty used to doing that for a treat.

London Eye – http://www.londoneye.com ~ £18.00.

GK Editorial: I have been twice and the best of the two was when I went at dusk. You want to start out before it gets dark but while you can see the sun setting behind London’s skyline. As the sunset progresses it gives way to beautiful shots of Big Ben and Parliament.

London Dungeon – http://www.the-dungeons.co.uk/london/en/index.htm

GK Editorial: I can’t really remember but I think this was fun.

Art & Museums

Theatre in London – http://www.londontheatre.co.uk/ – Lots of great shows in the West End

National Portrait Gallery – http://www.npg.org.uk/live/index.asp – £8 (Free w/ London Pass)

Courtauld Institute of Art – http://www.courtauld.ac.uk/ – £5 (Free w/ London Pass)

Royal Opera House – http://www.royalopera.org/ – Show: Iphigénie en Tauride – Monday the 10th (£7 – £150)

Sherlock Holmes Museum – http://www.sherlock-holmes.co.uk/ £5 (Free w/ London Pass)

The London Museum –  Free or £5 (Free w/ London Pass)

The British Museum – http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/ – Free admission (Some exhibitions have charges)

National Gallery – Art Museuem in Trafalgar Sq. – http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk – Free admission (Some exhibitions have charges)

Shakespeare Globe Theatre – http://www.shakespeares-globe.org – £9 (Free w/ LondonPass)

Madame Tussaud’s – http://www.madame-tussauds.co.uk/ – 50% off normal ticket if you book online and arrive after 5pm tickets are £12.50 (£32.50 normally)

Excursions Outside London

Hampton Court– http://www.hamptoncourt.org.uk/ – Take the train to it from London.  It’s a palace and there is a maze garden. £13.00 (Free w/ London Pass). It takes about a half hour to get here from Waterloo. Depending on how good you are, about an hour for the maze and a few hours for the Palace to visit the various apartments. You can also get lunch in this nice little town. Riverside was the restaurant we went to. Sat outside along the River (hence the name). All the food being served around us looked really good however the fish and chips were not. Well the chips were excellent but the fish was severely lacking.

Lego Land – Nuff said! Okay I’ll add a little, it’s in Windsor so you can see Windsor Castle along the way. And it’s sort of on the way to STonehendge

Windsor Castle – £14.20 (Free w/ London Pass) – http://www.windsor.gov.uk/site/things-to-do/windsor-castle-p43983 or http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/page557.asp

Stonehenge – Located in Salsbury its a nice little 2 hour drive from London. You can pass through Windsor along the way and see the Castle and/or Lego Land.

Cornwall is far from London but you could stop by Stonehenge on your way there if you drive it.  I heard you can fly to Cornwall for fairly cheap.

Paris via Eurostar to book your Chunnel trip – 2 hours 50 minutes ~ £154.50. I believe it’s much cheaper if you book it several weeks in advance.

Take a drive up to Scotland or fly to Ireland

Dining

London has PLENTY of places to eat, and plenty of different food options. The following list is just made up of places I’ve been to or have heard of. There isn’t really any rhyme or reason to the list.  I might have been walking down the street and just walked into a place.

Wagamama  – Decent budget noodle chain. Located all around London.

Chipotle – That’s right this US gem has made it to London. As of now the only open location I’m aware of is near Charring Cross tube station. But they are opening a new one on Baker Street, near the Sherlock Holmes Hotel. They say they plan on opening about 200 locations in London in the future.

Nando’s – Nando’s is a cheap and cheerful chicken joint. Some but not all locations are halaal. The chick is good quality and the menu is simple and healthy.

Levant – Moroccan restaurant in downtown London. Located near Bond Street this restaurant has great food, belly dancers and indoor (normal) and outdoor (electric) Sheesha. This place gets very busy so make reservations in advance.

76 Wigmore Street

London W1U 2SJ, United Kingdom?

The Kati Roll Company – A New York/London Chain. The signature dish is a warm paratha’s wrapped around a variety of meat or paneer. If you’re downtown and near Oxford Street, this is an excellent stop for a quick snack.

24 Poland Street (between Great Marlborough St. and Oxford St.)

London W1F 8QL

Busaba Eathai – Really good and fairly priced Thai restaurant

Alounak Restaurant – In Bayswater, this Middle Eastern Restaurant has great food!

44 Westbourne Grove, London, W2 5SH

Telephone: 020 7229 4158

Cocoon (Regent St) – Supposedly really good Pan Asian cuisine http://www.urbanpath.com/london/pan-asian/cocoon.htm

Suka – Sanderson Hotel – http://www.urbanpath.com/london/fusion/suka.htm – Trendy, & expensive but great food. The bars in the Sanderson Hotel are also cool to hit up.

Electric – http://www.electrichouse.com/

Koi (Japanese)  – http://www.london-eating.co.uk/6514.htm

Tamarind – Award winning Indian restaurant in Mayfair. http://www.tamarindrestaurant.com/contact.php

Elysium – http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/restaurants/elysium-info-7601.html

Bombay Palace – Excellent Indian food, walking distance from Paddington

50 Connaught Street, Westminster, London W2 2AA

El Cantara – Moroccan restaurant in Soho. Good food, belly dancers and outdoor patio for Sheesha. The place isn’t big so make reservations or get there early.

45 Frith St, London W1D 4SD, United Kingdom

+44 20 7734 6868 ?

Dishoom – London’s first Bombay style café. There’s one located on Southbank near the London Eye and another near Covent Garden.

The Victoria (near Paddington)

Bizzarro – Decent quaint Italian place next door to Paddington

Nightlife

Some of these places are pretty old so for a more up to date list of places to go, let me know and I can ask some of my London peeps…

Salt Whiskey Bar & Dining Room – Located on the corner of Seymour and Edgware Road this is a good place for Sheesha (and I presume Whiskey judging by the title). It gets busy so sometimes it’s tough to get a table outside to smoke Sheesha.

Teatro – http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/clubs/teatro-info-10075.html – Members only?

Cafe De Paris – £15 – http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/clubs/caf-de-paris-funky-fridays-guest-list-438-9340.html

The Pangea – http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/clubs/pangaea-userreview-archive-9710.html

Tiger Tiger – £10 – http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/pubsandbars/tiger-tiger-guest-list-guest-list-14-6574.html

Koko

Purple Bar – Sanderson Hotel – For Guests Only but I talked our way in after we ate at Suka – http://www.sandersonlondon.com/sanderson_hotel_purple_bar.asp

Courthouse Bar – http://www.urbanpath.com/london/hotel-bars/courthouse-bar.htm

Long Bar – Sanderson Hotel – http://www.urbanpath.com/london/hotel-bars/long-bar-sanderson.htm

Soho House – http://www.urbanpath.com/london/members-clubs/soho-house.htm

Beach Blanket Babylon (Notting Hill) – http://www.urbanpath.com/london/cocktail-bars/beach-blanket-babylon.htm

Kensington Roof Gardens
Amika
Crystal