First time in London, 24hrs on return transit, options?

[alieninperth]

As you are in North(ish) West(ish) London then I would opt for Portobello Rd markets. The walk from Notting Hill, on the circle line, down Portobello road is brilliant on market day. You can then jump on the tube at Ladbroke Grove, Hammersmith and City Line, back to Paddington. You could also walk. I posted a suggested itin a few years ago that might be useful. I'll head off and see if I can find it.

Right, I found the other post I wrote a while back. here it is (hopefully)

Hey medhead, it sounds like a great trip.

If you were to walk from St James to Bayswater it will take about 30 to 45 mins from memory, the quickest route will be around Liz's house (buckingham palace) and across hyde park. A lovely walk to do once or twice but I am not sure how often I would want to do it. If you do walk you will pass the memorial to Princess Diana, a nice water monument that keeps breaking down.

I would say the quickest way to get there would be the tube from St James' Park on the circle line to Notting Hill Gate and then walk from there (about 500m). the tube journey should take about 5-10 mins.

In terms of getting to the airport, I know a lot of people rave about the train from LHR to Paddington but I always used the tube, and again you can get it from St James' Park (District/circle line and then change at South Kensington/Glouster Park onto the Piccadilly Line). It doesnt take that much longer, it is a little bit cheaper, you get a free 'newspaper' and I didnt have to get across London to get to there (I lived in SE London where the tube doesnt exist). With a 9pm flight time I would probably want to be there about 7pm which would mean leaving about 6pm. It will be rush hour so it can be a bit crazy on the tube, although there should be a mass exodus at Victoria the stop after you get on. Be prepared for tutting and muttering if you have luggage.

If you are doing some overground travel transport for london (Home | Transport for London) has some great maps and are generally happy to help. you can also get some useful, and not so useful alternates, here (Geofftech - Tube - Silly Tube Maps) I like the realistic and its quicker to walk alternates.

Now things to do in London.

Over the weekend there are loads of tourists but I guess that is not going to be a problem for you.

I actually used to work in the Notting Hill/Baywater areas so they hold a very fond place in my memory. Saturdays are generally market days. My personal favourites are the Portobello Road market, it is just like the film, and in fact if you watch it before you go you will probably see some of the stall holders still working away. You can also go into the bookshop that the one in the film is based on. There is lots of tat but the colour and vibrancy of the place is amazing. Its about 1km long and runs pretty much the whole length of Portobello Road, from Notting Hill Gate down to Westbourne Park Grove. If you like coffee there is a great place on Portobello Rd that roasts its own beans (daily I believe) and will grind them for you. You can also sit in and watch the world go by with a great coffee and pastry.

If food is more of your thing then Borough Market near London Bridge Station is a must. they have stalls selling all kinds of edible delights. From general fruit and veg (from the growers) to pies, cured meats, cheeses (from Neals Cheese Yard), sandwiches. Friends of mine used to actually do their regular food shopping there so the prices are pretty reasonable.

The Globe is a great place to go and really quite cheap if you get a yardling ticket, GBP5 when I was there. The legs do begin to ache after a while and you are exposed to the elements which means you will get wet (no umberellas allowed and it is England).

If I can be so bold as to suggest a bit of an intinery for Saturday.
early doors ish get to Portobello Road, have a bit of breakky, from one of the many, many stalls.
Walk through the market to Westbourne Park Road, take a left and then left agin and walk to Ladbroke Grove station. Tube to Baker Street and change onto the Jubilee line to London Bridge.
Out of the station and into Borough Market for a look around and a feed. Steak sandwich and a pint, or a full cooked and a Guiness (the market porter pub is famously open early for the market worker as they will have been there is o'dark hundred, The Market Porter | Famous Public House in London's Borough Market | Market Taverns Ltd).
When you have finished there walk west along the river (the river is on your left) past the Globe (pick up your tickets) and then on to the Tate Modern.
A bit of a look around there and then across to St Pauls for a bit.
Back across the footbrigde to the Southbank and into the Globe for the show.
Post show meal and drinks at either the pubs along the southbank (or a pizza express next to the Globe).

Not a bad day if I do say so...

If it is beer that you want they I cannot recomment these website enough BITE # pubs and bars - beerintheevening.com and Pub guide to London pubs and other pubs in the UK. | Fancyapint?. These websites were invaluable when I lived in London. Here is the link to the ones around Notting Hill Find pub guide for notting hill. Read pub reviews in Fancyapint anything that has a 4+ pint rating is worth going to.

A few last words of advice, in additon to the usual passport/credit card/cash stuff.
1) stand on the right hand side of the escalators,
2) when you get off the escalator move away, do not stop and look around you,
3) don't talk to people on the bus/tube,
4) stand on the right hand side of the escalators,
5) don't just stop when walking down the street,
6) try the local beer, and I don't mean fizzy cr*p, both Fullers and Youngs are local brewers (large scale) and will have some tasty ales on offer (they will be flat and a little bit warmer that lager/pils but for my money are vastly better, there will also be some even smaller brewers and better beers available if you are a little bit adventurous. Normally of you ask to try a little bit they will allow you to, and lastly
7) stand on the right hand side of the escalators.

Oh yeah, have fun

 

[alieninperth]

Don't go too cheap though. When I was a student I lived on Sussex Gardens which is one block from Paddington station. I returned a couple of years later for a party with my then girlfriend and walked up to a cheap hotel. The clientele looked 'interesting' but we dropped off our bags and went out. When we returned, we realised that the door to the room had a (non-opaque) window with no curtain-I think we were the only guests not paying by the hour

A lot of the 'hotels' in that area are also used for crisis and homeless accommodation; no so much hotel, as temporary accommodation.

 

[NM]

I have done this several times and have stayed both near LHR and in the down-town London. For me, the decision is based on the timing of my flights. If arriving late or departing early morning, I prefer to stay near the airport and have used LHT Hilton (connected to T4) several time for this, though there are many local hotels. Just be aware that many do not have their own airport transfer shuttle service to you have to pay for the hopper service.

Other arrival/departure times I prefer to take the HEX or other train options and stay in the Paddington area. Again have used Paddington Hilton several times, and find its a good value hotel to use HHonors Points . But there are other hotel options within walking distance or its a simple cab or tube ride to most popular places to stay. Stay close to a tube station and you have easy transport. The Red Bus is also also good if you are new to London and tickets are good for 24 hours from first use, so can use one afternoon/evening and the following morning.

If you can afford the time, I would certainly plan to stay the 24 hours.

Another option I have taken, when arriving early am into LGW (from DFW) and departing late evening from LHR (to Australia) was to rent a car and drive around the M25 and up towards Cambridge to the Duxford Air Museum (part of the Imperial War Museum) and spend the day wandering around there. I did that in Feb when it didn't reach more than 4 degrees all day, but had a great time wandering around the exhibits almost alone! Took a few hours to drive north from LGW, but that was fine since arrived around 6:30am and museum didn't open until 10am. Then had plenty of time to drive down to LHR, drop off rental car and shower and eat at the lounge before late night departure.

 

[andye]

Get a one-day travel card from a train/tube staion/newsagent.
Use the underground for medium distances but buses or walk for shorter ones-you'll see more. Often the tube stops are closer than they appear on the map
The tfl.gov.uk site is a useful resource with maps and a journey planner.
If on a first trip to London and want to catch sights, the route from Westminster (Houses of Paliament, London Eye, Westminter Abbey), up Whitehall (Downing Street, Cenotaph, Horseguards) to Trafalgar Square (Nelsons Column, National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery) and then onto Buckingham Palace down the Mall ticks boxes very quickly. Covent garden, Piccadilly Circus, Oxford Street all very close to Trafalgar Square too. I like both Hyde Park and Green Park.

 

[Comoman]

Get a one-day travel card from a train/tube staion/newsagent.
Use the underground for medium distances but buses or walk for shorter ones-you'll see more. Often the tube stops are closer than they appear on the map
T.

I discovered 2 weeks ago you don't need a travel card anymore. A credit card with Paypass works (I used my Amex) - it calculates the minimum fare for the day at 4am next day for the previous 24 hours. I think I was charged GBP6.20 for 1 day unlimited travel around Zone 1/2. Just make sure you use the same card to tag on and off otherwise you will have some major issues! Works on busses and underground.

I don't know why London Transport don't publicise this more.....