London calling

[anise_anise]

Two posts in less than a week. Impressed? I sure as fuck am. I'm generally to lazy to sign in. I'm not sure if this is a sign of the end of the world, but I'm certainly not ruling it out.

So I'm going to London in a few days time, (I know, flying again, I have more medication so I should be okay) and I really really really could use any tips for

Comments

[secretsolitaire]

Haven't been to London in 10 years, but I love planning trips, so...

-How much does a cab cost from Heathrow to central London?
Info here. Sounds pricey. I can't imagine they'd be hard to find, as most airports have a big taxi waiting line and plenty of signs to guide you there.

The tube would be cheaper but would we be thrown off for bringing on all that luggage?

Nah. But if you're traveling during rush hour when the Tube might be standing room only, having all that luggage could be a huge hassle. A cab would likely be your most convenient option as it would take you exactly where you wanted to go, rather than taking a train and possibly transferring to another train or walking.

-Bellhops, do I tip them? How much? And what about restaurants and pubs? Same tipping policies as here?

Brits tip less than we do. Info here.

-If we get to the hotel before check in, will they store our bags til they can get us a room?

Yes, nearly all hotels will do this for you. You might call ahead of time just to be sure though.

-Do Londoners, in

[anise_anise]

Wow, thank you for all the info!!! Particularly on the tipping, because I had no damn idea that tipping there was so different. I feel very ignorant to everything. We don't do much travelling, obvs, and I've only been in a cab once (It was in New Orleans with dementordelta, I'm fairly certain the cabbie had just put down the crack pipe and we barely escaped with our lives) and I've never stayed at a hotel where they take your luggage to your rooms for you. The only subway I've ever dealt with was the one in DC and we had friends with us who knew what they were doing. It's all rather intimidating

[secretsolitaire]

I'm fairly certain the cabbie had just put down the crack pipe and we barely escaped with our lives

LOL! I've had cab rides like that.

I've never stayed at a hotel where they take your luggage to your rooms for you.

What they'll do is store the bags behind the desk or in a room somewhere -- they also will usually do this if you have a late flight and don't want to lug all your stuff around on your last day after you've checked out. In either case they'll give you a little thing (like a coat check) to verify how many bags you've left with them, and you present that at the front desk when you're ready to get the bags back.

Subways are generally fairly straightforward, especially when the signs are written in English, but if you're trying to minimize stress I'd just pay for the cab. (Some hotels have free airport shuttles -- might be worth asking before you shell out for the cab.)

All is well here, thanks for asking. I'm in the depths of trying to plan my own next trip. :-)

Reposting this in reply to your new comment because I'm

[anise_anise]

We will be flying in in the morning and can't check in til like three pm so it helps out to know they'll keep our luggage for us. And I'll ask about the shuttles and such, but the ones I see on the Heathrow sight, once you pay for all three of us, it's about as much as getting a taxi. And a taxi would be much more convenient.

Yeah? Where will you be going on your next trip?

Don't worry about the repost. You see I posted twice because I too am anal. :P

[inspiredlife]

You're going to London!! How exciting. Any fun things already planned? Okay, I'm not the expert on London but I lived there for two years and just came back from a week there. So, lemme try

[anise_anise]

We're staying near the Great Portland Street tube station. I think. That's what reviewers of the hotel are saying is close. The tube really would be the cheapest of all the options. We are toying with the idea of biting the bullet and getting a taxi to the hotel, but then planning on the tube back to the airport. That'll give us the experience of a taxi, and the convenience at first, and then we'll have a week to learn the layout and get our bearings before going back to the airport

[seshat1]

If you can carry your luggage then take the tube, a cab will be horribly expensive. If you need to change lines more than once, go into central london on the tube, get as close as you can on the line you're on, then flag down a cab from whatever station you get off at, it's much cheaper :D I also rarely tip cabbies, but I know some people do. It's not as expected here for some reason

[anise_anise]

I hadn't thought about taking the tube part of the way and then taking a cab. That's a damn good idea. Thanks for that! And I took your advice and emailed the hotel, so we'll see if we get a response in time. We're leaving in two days, eeeeep!

Why wouldn't people hate us? We're trainwrecks. But I agree, everyone has a tendency to get irritated with tourists. I'm wearing nothing but shirts and sweaters with huge London Jacks on them, though, so I'm sure to blend right in! *snerk*

So pack everything. Check. I am getting good at rolling things up and shoving them in small spaces. :P Thank you dear, for all the help!!!! How are things going on your end??

[anise_anise]

Oh, and yes to the natural history museum. I hadn't even thought of that. We've got tickets for quite a few things while we're there, but we will have time to do a few things on our own. I'm into shopping, though I'm broke and shouldn't be, and the kid is interested in anything creepy or ghosty. We're doing the London tower and the Jack the Ripper tour.

[sugarfreeandi]

I've only been a couple of times but I'll echo seshat1 and recommend the Natural History Museum. It's free and full of really interesting exhibits about dinosaurs, space, evolution, ect. You could easily spend most of your day in there though so it's maybe worth picking what you'd like to see most if you end up going

[sugarfreeandi]

Are you going to the west end to see a show whilst you're there? Amazing experiance. I went to see Lion King a couple of years ago and it blew me away. I'd definately recommend it if you're looking for things to do in the evening.

<3

[anise_anise]

Thank you for the link, we're going to check it out. :D I figure that once I get there and actually get on the tube, it won't seem so intimidating.

Ha! I can handle the humid, god knows it's stupid hot here, but the chilly will be odd for me this time of year. We're taking mostly jeans and then lots of layers. I'm going to be careful and try not to go too insane packing.

We don't have a show booked through the foundation, but it's definitely something we've been thinking of. It will depend on the prices and such. And how are YOU?? How's things? How's the little man?? I miss you!!!!!

[sugarfreeandi]

Nah, it's not that bad at all. You can work out where you need to get off at most places and the maps are all colour coded- you'll be fine

[pitchblackrose]

Hello, you :)

People have said most everything I wanted to say, but I think your best bet from Heathrow is the Heathrow Express. It's not cheap, but cheaper than a cab and much quicker. And SO Much more convenient than the tube. (I lived in London and I like it as much as the next person, but I'm no fan of taking tons of luggage through the tube system!)

The Heathrow Express takes only 15 minutes to get you to Paddington Station, which is very centrally located. https://www.heathrowexpress.com/

[anise_anise]

Yes, I had seen a link to that but no one had mentioned it to me. I agree, I worry about hauling all our stuff on the tube. I'm going to see how much of a difference there is between this and the taxis. If there's a significant difference, this will be our choice. If not, then we'll just suck it up and spring for the cab. I assume the drivers there aren't as crazy as the ones in our larger cities here in the states?

And hello to you, too, dear! *smooch* How's things?