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Post by jinxie on Dec 19, 2015 16:59:11 GMT
Hubby and I are spending 6 days in London in July. Is the London Pass the way to go? We are planning such things as the London Eye, Tower of London, Thames cruise, Churchill War Museum, London Zoo, etc. We are going to the British Museum and British Library and Hyde Park where the pass is not necessary. Any suggestions are appreciated.
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Post by plane2catch on Dec 19, 2015 20:28:04 GMT
Don't have any suggestions Jinixe. But have a wonderful time. I picked up a lovely bobble head of the Queen last July when I was in the U.K. She is solar generated and really starts wiggling and waving when the sun comes out. I have her sitting right next to me on the coffee table. All the times I have been in London, I just paid as I went. Never found the prices to be prohibitive. Others on the board most likely will have better ideas on how to save a buck.
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Post by chech on Dec 20, 2015 17:51:56 GMT
If I were going for six days, there'd be no question. I'd get it. Probably get an Oyster card too. The six day pass is on special there now for just over a hundred pounds. For six days of free admission into the sites, it's well well worth it.
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Post by jinxie on Dec 21, 2015 14:44:53 GMT
Thanks for the replies. I think we will go ahead and get the pass and oyster card. I'm all for making the trip a little easier.
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Post by jinxie on Dec 21, 2015 14:46:28 GMT
I will keep my eye out for those bobble heads. I have someone who will get a kick out that.
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Post by plane2catch on Dec 21, 2015 15:25:55 GMT
Yeah, she brings a smile to my eye. Actually, she seems to energetic when she starts swaying. Her energy level reminds me of the Queen herself as I think she is doing well for her age. Perhaps her majesty will live a long life like her mother.
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Post by chech on Dec 21, 2015 17:36:40 GMT
Thanks for the replies. I think we will go ahead and get the pass and oyster card. I'm all for making the trip a little easier. And for some sites, it gives you fast track. Worth its weight in gold.
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Post by purvis on Dec 21, 2015 19:37:52 GMT
jinxie: Spent 7 days in London this past Sept. and ordered a Oyster card before leaving home. I received a "Visitors Oyster card" but not too sure if I would order from home again as it may or may not be the reason why I was charged more for each trip than when I used an ordinary "Oyster Card" which has a daily limited cost. Oyster cards can be purchased easily from machines throughout Tube stations. after you arrive. A not too well known tourist site is "Guild Hall' in the area of St. Pauls. It was very interesting as was "The Victoria-Albert Museum" A day trip to Hampton Court (Henry V111"s home is well worth the time . Hope you have a wonderful trip and if there are any questions you need answered several of us here on this board are more than willing to help answer them. Purvis
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Post by Tulips on Dec 21, 2015 23:49:45 GMT
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Pauline
Full Member
Normandy, Brittany & the Loire Valley, WW1 Battlefields and Northern Spain in Sep 2023 with Insight
Posts: 210
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Post by Pauline on Dec 23, 2015 3:39:42 GMT
I had a week in London back in 2011 and bought the London Pass with included travel. Never had to pay for any of the sights that I visited or the transport I used either and also managed to get out to Windsor Castle and also Hampton Court Palace. That was a very interesting visit. To get to Windsor Castle you need to take a train from Paddington Station bound for Oxford, that stops at Slough as you need to change trains there to get to Windsor. At Paddington, they don’t list the platform that a train is departing from, until it has been cleaned and is ready to board. Once that happens, there is a dash by people to get to the train. It appears to be announced about 10 minutes prior to departure.
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Post by purvis on Dec 23, 2015 3:40:37 GMT
jinxie: If you and your husband have not made hotel reservations may I suggest The Premier Inn at either County Hall or Waterloo.If you do decide to book into either of these hotels I suggest that you do so immediately as they fill up quickly. I have stayed at 6 different hotels over the years in London from the 5 star on down and although Premiere Inns in London don't rate in the high category they are nicely located, clean and reasonably priced. The two that I mentioned are in easy walking distance to Waterloo station which gives you transportation to all areas of London plus excursions outside of London. Also Marks and Spencer is within the station which I found very handy for bits and bites etc. If I can help you in any way please don't hesitate to ask. Purvis
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Post by Oz-T on Dec 23, 2015 11:06:16 GMT
Hi Jinxie, I'm familiar with the London Pass, although I haven't had the need to use one. If you plan to go to many of the attractions in your London stay it may be worth the price but this can be easily checked. I suggest that you go through their website and plan which attractions you would use, then go to each individual website to ascertain the admission prices. If the amounts are similar, go for the London Pass because you'll probably save lots of time from queueing. If you aren't making much in savings, skip the London Pass idea and buy tickets separately. You can buy discounted tickets from other places and I can guide you with this.
I do think that the Oystercard is good value and convenience. You can buy these at the station underneath Heathrow Airport.
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Post by jinxie on Dec 23, 2015 15:34:48 GMT
Thank you everyone! I am loving all of this advice. We have made a few decisions about our stay in London. We arrive on the 3rd of July and on the 10th we leave for the European Impressions tour. We are going to go to Brighton for a day and also taking a side trip, either to Stonehenge and Bath or Warwick Castle. We then decided on the 3 day pass with the oyster card. Our other free time will be visiting museums which are generally free, with a donation of course. I am a school librarian so the British Library is a must for me. Now we just have to work out our 3 day agenda. There is so much to do! That just means I will have to go back. I too admire the Queen. She is amazing for her age and so very intelligent. Guild Hall sounds interesting. I do like to hear about places that are not as touristy. Our hotel is booked. We were able to get a 3 star for a reasonable price in the Kensington area. Can't remember the name of it now. All we care is that we have our own bathroom and it's clean! Like Purvis said, clean and reasonably priced. We do have a travel agent that has been great. I prefer advice and opinions from people who travel though. I understand that the London Eye is not covered on the London Pass. Any thoughts on it? Is it a "must do"? Besides Stonehenge/Bath or Warwick, any other side trip worth taking? We are also going to Scotland post tour. First a day in Lincoln to see where my family is from. Then to Edinburgh for 2 days and Glascow for 2 days. We are thinking of a distillery tour and of course Edinburgh Castle. Any other suggestions? I am starting to get very excited about this trip!
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Post by Tulips on Dec 23, 2015 17:55:52 GMT
I highly recommend London Walks. You will get so much out of these and learn a lot. The guides are really really good. I have done several of these including one that did a tour of the British Library. www.walks.comi have also been to Brighton. Took the train down. The pavilion is a must imo. Have a look at my travel tale of my most recent trip to London for some ideas. I have been to London several times, so if you have any questions, please ask. travel-forum.freeforums.net/thread/361/london-remembrance-walks-shops-eats
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Post by chech on Dec 23, 2015 22:59:48 GMT
I did the Eye when I was in the city for a few hours. It was cloudy out but I could see a lot. I'd recommend it but if you have a chance to choose, do it on a sunny day to get the most out of the money you spend for it. I like to hit one high point in every city for photo ops whether it's a ferris wheel, building or natural lookout. I was quite happy with what I saw from the Eye. The Fast Track ticket was well worth it too. Saved me about 1-2 hour wait.
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Post by purvis on Dec 25, 2015 18:13:39 GMT
Jinxie: I know many will not agree with me but if you are trying to get in the most experiences in London area for the time there I would skip Stonehenge. Have been there twice (on bus tours) and thought it a waste of time however Bath is well worth visiting. Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's are a must as well as the Tate Modern. Harrod's is an experience and has a tube station just outside so is easy to get to. The one nice thing about London is that no matter how many times you visit there are always new adventures so if you don't get to see all the sites you wished to see there is always a return visit possible. Purvis
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Post by jinxie on Dec 26, 2015 22:19:16 GMT
I must admit that I agree about Stonehenge. I was there 18 years ago so deep down I don't feel the need to return. My husband hasn't seen it but he is happy to go any where. I really did like Bath though. It was so pretty. My sister was at Stonehenge in the 70's and loved it. It was totally different though as you could actually walk right up to the stones and touch them. We will go on the London Eye. I think it will be fun. I have been looking at the London Walks. We are interested in the Beatles walks. This is shaping up nicely. As I said before, I'm loving all of this advice. Hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas.
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Post by chech on Dec 27, 2015 12:49:54 GMT
If you've been, I wouldn't go back. I haven't seen them and will go if the opportunity arises because I haven't seen them and they're too much of an icon to skip. It's like Italy in April. I'll do the optional that includes Pisa...even though there's nothing much to see, it's an icon. If your husband is that easy going, there's certainly more than enough to occupy you in London itself.
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Post by marielouise on Dec 27, 2015 16:46:34 GMT
Chech, I must have missed that you are going to Italy. It was cold and windy when we were there at the end of February or very beginning of March, but luckily it wasn't crowded. We did not go inside, I am not sure if the church was open. We walked down a street past the Baptistry on the left side, parallel with the wall, it was deserted but at the end there was a wonderful Sicilian pastry shop. I had the best canoli there, it wasn't on display, they filled it for you after you ordered it. But maybe you are going to Sicily too and they might be better there. There were Roman ruins across the street.
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Post by chech on Dec 27, 2015 21:20:57 GMT
Yes...I'm going in April...with Monograms again. Sorrento to Rome to Florence to Venice to Catania (Sicily). Get 3 nights in all with extra 2 nights in Sorrento and extra night in Catania.
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