5 Days in London - July 2020

[knagelli]

Hi Experts - We plan to visit London during second week of July , particularly between 12 - 19 July to celebrate my 40th Bday. We will be two adults and my kid. Any suggestions on best accommodation around London City Centre as it is our first time and want to make best use of the time. We intend to stay 4 nights and then travel to Paris from there.

Appreciate any valuable inputs.

 

[Spongbob]

Nominating a price range might encourage answers.

 

[knagelli]

Nominating a price range might encourage answers.

Thanks @Spongbob

I assume we are okay to spend around 1500-2000 AUD on the accommodation. I have started the research and most of the hotels in London City are beyond my budget. Will check for any good options away from the city as I understand the tubes are pretty easy to go around.

 

[VPS]

Have you looked at AirBNB, HomeAway.co.uk | Book your holiday lettings: villas, apartments, cottages Premier Inns are basic but good value.

This is peak season in London so you may have to fork out a bit more. How old is the child - will they need a separate room.

Also google university colleges that rent out rooms while the students are on holidays

Central London is expensive at the best of times but I think it's worth it to be close to the action rather than travelling an hour on public transport to get everywhere

 

[sinophile888]

My daughter and I stayed at the Doubletree Islington in July 2017. The location was perfect with plenty of bus routes and Angel train station an easy walk. Quite close to St. Pancras as well for the Eurostar. It was a little expensive (about GBP180 per night) but we booked late and I wanted a large room with executive lounge access.

 

[knagelli]

My daughter and I stayed at the Doubletree Islington in July 2017. The location was perfect with plenty of bus routes and Angel train station an easy walk. Quite close to St. Pancras as well for the Eurostar. It was a little expensive (about GBP180 per night) but we booked late and I wanted a large room with executive lounge access.

Thanks Sinophile888, for now I have an open reservation at Novotel London Wembley , which is costing about 160 GBP per night.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Accor (including novotel) has a 30% off sale, which covers the period you are intending to travel i think.

$2000 for four nights in london, even in july? Crazy if you can’t find something in that price range. As mentioned above there is the premier inn... dotted all around london including covent garden that is currently £478 for four nights 13-16 July. That will be for a non-refundable rate. Full flex is £650. Premier inns are perfectly fine Also in the same category are Travelodge hotels.

You don’t want to stay in Easy Hotels... those are just too basic.

I don’t recommmend staying ‘out of town’ (Wembly) if you can avoid it. So much to see and do in london itself, being just one or two stops away from where you are staying is a huge benefit. Stay in zone 1, or max zone 2. It’s saying 31 mins to go by tube from wembly to piccadilly circus... that’s a huge additional time every day to be mucking around, in the heat. If you stay in covent garden, kings cross, Victoria, etc, you’ll be able to walk almost everywhere.

 

[BAM1748]

Stayed at the Flower Pot, not for everyone but they were welcoming and I enjoyed it.

 

[kelvedon]

Wembley is a fair way out. Maybe 30 mins on tube to the centre.

 

[SYD]

London is my favourite city in the world after Sydney. I think I’ve been there at least once a year for the last 20 odd years.

Another vote for AirBnB. However, if it’s your first time then it could be overwhelming trying to find something.

Not wanting to sound pedantic, but London is actually two cities. The City of London and the City of Westminster. The former based around the Roman and Medieval settlement and now Financial district, the other to the west, including Houses of Parliament, Buck Palace/Mayfair, West End etc. You’ll want to go to both but probably stay closer to or in Westminster. Paddington is popular because it’s easy access to Heathrow, but does mean you need to Tube to most attractions.

The West End is very central to everything. I like Bloomsbury (near British Museum). Russel Square and Holborn tube stations are on the Piccadilly line to/from Heathrow. The Central line at Holborn gets you into the City for St Paul’s then on to Tower Hill (change lines or bus).

About 10 yrs ago, I stumbled across this small chain of Hotels / come B&Bs. They have several properties on Bedford Place. A quiet street that runs between Bloomsbury Square Garden and Russell Square. It’s been a while, but the Portland was quite nice (surprisingly large rooms).

Grange Hotels London | 4-Star Accommodation London.

Official Site - Grange Hotels offers an extensive range of 4-Star accommodation in some of the best locations London has to offer.

www.grangehotels.com

Weekends (especially Sunday nights) are normally cheaper than weekdays.

Getting around London got a lot easier with contactless payments on Tube/Train/Buses. So long as you use the same card, you get a cheaper rate than a single ticket from a machine plus enjoy daily caps.

We're doing maintenance for contactless

We're doing maintenance for contactless

contactless.tfl.gov.uk

 

[lovetravellingoz]

The West End is very central to everything. I like Bloomsbury (near British Museum). Russel Square and Holborn tube stations are on the Piccadilly line to/from Heathrow. The Central line at Holborn gets you into the City for St Paul’s then on to Tower Hill (change lines or bus).

I fully agree, and after having stayed in various parts of London, and enjoyed them, our last few stays, and our next one next June, have all been in this approximate location, or a bit closer to the theares. Last time our hotel was a 5 minute walk from Holburn Station . Holburn Station is also an easy Tube station to access from the airport and so now taxis required.

We enjoy walking and we find by staying here that as a repeat visitor that many places we like are walkable, or only a few stops away on the Tube.

We splurge on the theatre and so we like walking to the shows. I it is raining one still has the option of going back/to bt Tube which is normally only a few stops.

The various theatres are actually spread over quite a large area.

 

[cove]

Hilton Canary Wharf is close to both the DLR and the Jubilee line. They offer an 11 pound upgrade so you can enjoy their top floor lounge with food , drinks and views so that can reduce your daily costs and relax.

 

[knagelli]

Wembley is a fair way out. Maybe 30 mins on tube to the centre.

Thanks for your suggestion. Will look for something closer to London City.

 

[knagelli]

London is my favourite city in the world after Sydney. I think I’ve been there at least once a year for the last 20 odd years.

Another vote for AirBnB. However, if it’s your first time then it could be overwhelming trying to find something.

Not wanting to sound pedantic, but London is actually two cities. The City of London and the City of Westminster. The former based around the Roman and Medieval settlement and now Financial district, the other to the west, including Houses of Parliament, Buck Palace/Mayfair, West End etc. You’ll want to go to both but probably stay closer to or in Westminster. Paddington is popular because it’s easy access to Heathrow, but does mean you need to Tube to most attractions.

The West End is very central to everything. I like Bloomsbury (near British Museum). Russel Square and Holborn tube stations are on the Piccadilly line to/from Heathrow. The Central line at Holborn gets you into the City for St Paul’s then on to Tower Hill (change lines or bus).

About 10 yrs ago, I stumbled across this small chain of Hotels / come B&Bs. They have several properties on Bedford Place. A quiet street that runs between Bloomsbury Square Garden and Russell Square. It’s been a while, but the Portland was quite nice (surprisingly large rooms).

Grange Hotels London | 4-Star Accommodation London.

Official Site - Grange Hotels offers an extensive range of 4-Star accommodation in some of the best locations London has to offer.

www.grangehotels.com

Weekends (especially Sunday nights) are normally cheaper than weekdays.

Getting around London got a lot easier with contactless payments on Tube/Train/Buses. So long as you use the same card, you get a cheaper rate than a single ticket from a machine plus enjoy daily caps.

We're doing maintenance for contactless

We're doing maintenance for contactless

contactless.tfl.gov.uk

Thanks for your valuable inputs , will be looking at options in around Westminister.

 

[knagelli]

Hilton Canary Wharf is close to both the DLR and the Jubilee line. They offer an 11 pound upgrade so you can enjoy their top floor lounge with food , drinks and views so that can reduce your daily costs and relax.

Thanks for the suggestion. I will look for the availability.

 

[TonyHancock]

Wembley is a fair way out. Maybe 30 mins on tube to the centre.

If you can jump on the tube at Wembley Park it is less than 15 mins to Baker Street. There is only one stop on the Metropolitan Line (Finchley Road.) I usually stay at the Hilton at Wembley. (I used to live in Wembley many, many years ago and the "fast" tube to Baker St was always a bonus. The key is to avoid the Jubilee Line.)

 

[knagelli]

Update : We have locked in on staying @ The Grand at Trafalgar Square and have booked for 5 nights in 3rd week of July. I am still looking for any other options at Hilton/Marriott properties , if not The Grand it is.

I appreciate all of your time and valuable suggestions.

 

[SYD]

Update : We have locked in on staying @ The Grand at Trafalgar Square and have booked for 5 nights in 3rd week of July. I am still looking for any other options at Hilton/Marriott properties , if not The Grand it is.

*Very* central location. You can practically walk to many things from there. You should enjoy it!

Charing Cross Tube station is right there, but not the most useful lines for a tourist but usually one stop to other lines). Besides the Tube, there are some very useful bus routes that go up/down Whitehall and then left and right around Trafalgar Square. Cheaper than the Tube and you get to see things, albeit at a slower pace in traffic.

There is a Hilton (Curio) right on Trafalgar Sq. Also a great location. I managed to stay there a few years ago on a bargain Points & Pay deal (also I was Diamond at the time - so full Breakfast each day). It's a little pricey these days.

 

[AisleSeat]

Charing Cross Tube station is right there, but not the most useful lines for a tourist but usually one stop to other lines). Besides the Tube, there are some very useful bus routes that go up/down Whitehall and then left and right around Trafalgar Square. Cheaper than the Tube and you get to see things, albeit at a slower pace in traffic.

Number 11 bus from right outside Charing Cross going east will take you down the Strand, Fleet Street, past St Paul's and through the city to Liverpool St where its a short walk to Spitalfields/Brick Lane. A slower way to get there, but upstairs seats will get you some good views. It was my bus route for a few years.

 

[Ausbt]

The City of London and the City of Westminster.

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Solid point. My preference is definitely City of London. I think it's important to base yourself somewhere close to where you want to eat out at night, so you need a good restaurant strip or collection of boozers. But ultimately it's an easy place to get around, particularly now with the night tube operating.