Going to London in January, any ideas?
 

I am taking Jeanie, David to London, England on our way to India for our annual missions trip in January 2008, we will be there on a Saturday, Sunday and Monday, flying to India on Tuesday.

Any ideas of what to see, what to eat, recommendations on where to stay?
I am budgeting about 800-1000 for the 3 days we are there.
So we are on a budget, so I can't splurge.

On the list is the British Museum, Westminister Abbey, Imperial War Museum, Tower of London, taking a Walk tour, etc. Any others ideas, I have no idea what kinds of food we should try. So input from those that have been would be helpful.

Thanks in Advance

Bro. Keith,

There is a little Italian Pub right across the street from Harrod's Department Store...their food is awesome. Also, riding the busses they serve the best tea for tea time [free].

I hope you have a wonderful trip...I loved the subway, Harrod's, the tea, and the scenery.

Blessings, Rhonda

Rhoni,

The dollar versus everything else right now is being creamed, so everything is expensive, I need some ideas of where to stay that won't cost $250 a night.

Bro. Keith,

I am not sure about that...we stayed at the airport hotel and it was reasonable but that was 1993. I know that I didn't buy anything at Harrod's because of the dollar exchange...the prices were way out of my range.

Good luck.

Rhoni

I didn't spend much time in London when I lived near Oxford. I'd skip the typical English fare and try the variety of international restaurants there.

Hyde Park, Buckinham palace for the changing of the guard, Picadilly Circus. My daughter loved the Tower of London with the crown jewels and clothes of the period, old weaponry and arms. It also has Princess Dianna's dresses. She recommends going to a pub and having fish and chips. And maybe Madame Tousseaus wax museum but it's expensive.

London is my favorite city in the world! Here are some of the things I have done or seen and highly recommend;

1. The War Rooms / Winston Churchill Museum.
2. Imperial War Museum
3. London Transport Museum (if you are interested in old buses, subways,etc)
4. The London Eye - Giant 400 ft. tall ferris wheel on the river Thames across
from Parliment and Big Ben. Each glass capsule holds about 20 people. It moves slowly and takes about 30 minutes to make the complete revolution. You can see about 25 miles all directions. A great way to get an airiel view of London.

5. The usual stuff if you have not been before - Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Parliment, Westminister Abbey, Tower of London, etc.

6. I love the West End theater. They always have great shows. Over the last few years we have seen My Fair Lady, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and Mary Poppins.

7. Piccadilly Circus for just walking around, shopping, eating.

8. Foyles bookstore, Harrrods, Selfridges, Marks & Spencers (the M&S grocery section has the most amazing cookies covered in chocolate (they call "biscuits").

Keith, if you don't have a place to stay yet I can recommend a B&B that is clean, cheap, and although in the suburbs of London (North Harrow) is only 1500 feet from a subway station and you can get into Central London in about 20 minutes.

A double with private bathroom is just 40 pounds per night including a full cooked breakfast.

I also have some other ideas if you want to stay in a hotel in central London that might save you money. You could call me to discuss if you don't have your hotel booked yet and are interested.

Tower of London

Buckingham Palace

Big Ben

Piccadilly Circus

"Mind the Gap" on the Subways

Definetly ask for the best pub in the area you are staying and order "fish and chips" (if for no other reason than to say you did!) and beer is optional.

Stay at a small, private "Guest House" great price w/ breakfasts and friendly hosts.


Not sure about contact info (I think I could get it) but we stayed at Swift's Guest House and were very happy. About $75.00 a night. The restroom is in the hall and shared with a couple other rooms if the are rented, but a private shower in the room.


HAVE FUN!

PM me you # and I will call you towards the end of the week, I have to wait until then to finalize my arrangements.

By the way I had a feeling you would respond, you are well traveled!

I am very interested in this thread. I wish I were going but my 12 yr old is going to London next June and she is sitting here telling me to tell Keith and Jeanie to bring back tons of pics.. She is so excited all I hear about is this trip... She will be going to England, France, The Netherlands, and Belgium I am so excited for her!

We will be watching this thread. I know yall are going for the India trip mainly but please post pictures of the other ventures of the trip also :)

Forgot to add.. so that everyone doesnt think I just send my kids off without me lol... she is going as she has been selected for the Student Ambassador Program

Keith,

When planning your actitivites keep in mind you will be freezing your rear end off in January in London!!!

When I was 17 I spent 5 weeks in Europe with an educational group (mostly college students). It was an amazing experience that changed my life. I am so happy for your daughter. I think she is going to have a great experience she will treasure for a lifetime.

I thought it is warmer there - like no or little snow. Of course cold and wet is miserable too.

You white collar snobs.... Here I was sweeping chimneys on London rooftops!

January Weather for London;
Average High: 43°F (6°C)
Average Low: 33°F (1°C)
Average wet days: 15 days
Average daily sunshine: 1.75 hours
January and February are the coldest months

That sounds very similar to what Student Ambassadors is. She will be there 2 1/2 weeks though. The longer trips arent until high school. She is just barely 13 now (DUH I put 12 she would kill me she just had a bday!)

Everyone who has ever been with this group including our former pastors daughter have all said the same that it is indeed something she will remember and treasure forever!

She plans on going on the trip to Australia the following summer.

The British Museum takes days to do if you want to see most of it (you can't see it all, impossible). But there are tours that hit the grand highlights.

The "Eye" is supposed to be a great ride and a great way to see the city.

You mentioned Westminster Abbey. We owe a lot to many of the bones encased there.

One thing that I would like to do some day is to follow the Thames upriver to the Isis and the springs that are its source. There's a lot of old Roman sites in the area that have been neglected all this time.

Hey dont worry until I was 13 I had never been anywhere other than Mexico. We went with our church on a choir trip. Other than that I was 14 before I ever left the country again.

I tried to work it out for a short stay on the return leg in Rome, but I think once we are done, it would be to much, I wanted to try and maximize this trip. But the cost and wear and tear on us might be to much.

Sounds like a fortunate girl! She will have a wonderful time... "Investing" in experiences is generally very rewarding.

It's on the list, Jeanie might get mad once we spend much of the day there, but I have always and I mean always wanted to go there.

Great minds think alike. Autralia is next on my list to visit. I had planned on going 2009 after saving some money in 2008 and early 2009. However I ended up running into that fabulous deal going to Hawaii and then cruising back to LA at the end of January beginning of February in a couple of months and all my plans went awry. Now I will be lucky to pull it off in 2010.

Is this your first trip to these parts? Or have you traveled that area before?

This sounds like quite the trip - with or without Rome.

We might have to get with you to go to Sinapore, Malayasia, I have an open invite there to do some teaching. You could do a short flight to Australia.

Keith,

I agree about the British Museum. My boys thought it was cool seeing the Rosetta stone when we went there. I forgot to put it on my list.

Also depending on what exhibits they have going at the time the Royal Albert Museum can be good and also the Science museum.

She is eligible for scholarships for the trip also as long as she keeps up her grades so I have told her that I cannot afford it every year for all of them so at least 1 or 2 or even all 3 of them need to get the grades if they want to go!!! LOL

Sounds like fun! Now I just need to win the lottery.

Keith, The Mona Lisa is just through the tunnel a few hrs away from London.:hanky

At least in India a 100 dollars goes far, 6.00 for hotel, 75 cents for a small meal, 3 dollars for an elaborate feast. Anyway a little goes far. I think I might be able to get the Taj Mahal in on this trip, we are reserving 3 days for Sight Seeing.

It better be! Its a big investment LOL

Dont forget the lil peeps when you do! :jolly

OK then, can I jog behind you and carry your Bible of something? I love good food at low prices! Do they have Starbucks??

We stayed at a nice Western style hotel, I asked for Coffee you should have seen the blank looks on their faces, they serve Indian Milk Tea, almost like the Chai blend that Starbucks serves. India is great, costs a lot to get there, but once you are there it is so cheap. You could live good on 1k a month. Servants and all.

Sound good... but... aren't there alot of Holy Cows roaming around? And what about monkey problems? Flies?

Yup. I think they just opened the new train station in London that is cutting another 30 minutes off the London to Paris Eurostar time.

I would only do that if I had a lot of time though because you would lose an entire day. Plus Spring, summer, or fall is the time to go to Paris!!!

I saw the Mona Lisa way back in 1976 and was shocked at how little the painting is. Back then it wasn't even kept under glass but shortly after I saw it a crazy man attacked it and cut it so they started protecting it better.

You need a complete day just to go trhough the Louvre and that would mean one more day around French people. Ughhhh.

The exchange rate is NOT GOOD in England!!! My mom and sister went in March of this year......almost $40 for 2 Whoppers and fries at Burger King. London is very pricey!!!

I think when I was there for 10 days in 2002 the exchange rate was about $1.60 to one pound sterling then 1 1/2 years ago it was almost exactly $2.00 to one pound sterling.

You can pretty much count on any food being about doublle what it would be in the USA at best. We ate at a TGI Friday's there and everything on the menu is about doulbe the price of a similar restaurant in America.

Cokes in a restaurant are about three or four dollars with no refills.

I don't remember Burger King or McDonalds being that expensive but it was about doulbe what it is in the states.

Back in 2002 for my family of four to eat ata Pizza Hut for lunch was about sixty bucks.

In 2006 in Edinburgh Scotland after I almost drowned earlier in the day I celebrated life by ordering the most expensive thing on the hotel restaurant menu wihich was a steak for about $30 and it was not as good a steak as you would get in the USA for about ten bucks somewhere.

Any ideas?

Take me!
I am Canadian & as a loyal colonist, I will vouch for ya, so they don't throw you in the Tower!:hypercoffee

I LOVED that story! OH wait... that does'nt sound right... :ursofunny