Tri-city Trek : London

An October 2007 trip to London by electrofork

Alberts ironwork Photo - London, England

Quote: London is a huge city, even to New Yorkers, but walking is the best way to meet a city, especially on a clear day.

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Tri-city Trek : London

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Overview

Quote:

Don't be fooled: despite its size, London can be a walkable city, if you're not in a hurry. We wandered and walked, having beautiful sunny warm days in early October to explore; it was a splendid way to see the neighborhoods, and how they flow from one to the next.

We stayed in Bayswater, at one of the numerous hotels along Princes Square. It was within short walking distance to Queensway for shopping or to catch the Tube for quick trips to other parts of the city - or, weather permitting, to Kensington Gardens or Portobello Road in Notting Hill.

One day we wandered across Kensington gardens, then northward to Buckingham Palace. (We were passed en route by a lovely black carriage pulled by a two-in-hand of smart-looking greys - it was one of Her Majesty's twice-daily mail calls!) By way of the palace we walked up the pedestrian mall along St. James' Park, which took us straight to Trafalgar Square (where the pigeon frenzies can be overwhelming!) and the National Galleries by way of trees and green. The National Galleries are free (donations encouraged) and well worth a visit.

Other wanders included trekking through Regents Park; a scenic route toward Camden and its famous markets; across Millennium Bridge to Millennium Mile on the south bank to spy the Eye (and pleasantly surprised by several large Salvador Dali sculptures along the way); through Hyde Park one afternoon, threatened the whole way by an oncoming thunderstorm (the sky finally opened when we were a mere three blocks from our hotel, and we were drenched!); and a brilliant sunny day walk past the Tower of London, across Tower Bridge (often mistakenly referred to as London Bridge) toward Southwark and the Tate Modern.

This city is vast and eclectic in every way; cuisine, architecture, people - a fantastic array of history and culture. Though it can be a very expensive city to visit, it needn't be. Our rooms were very reasonable, and by the luck of the weather and wandering, we filled our days spending very little aside from paying for our meals and pub visits.

Quick Tips:

At pubs and bars in the UK, a ten percent tip is usual and appreciated only if you've been served a meal with your drinks. It is not customary to tip on drinks only, especially if you've had no table service. (Wages for service industry jobs are different to the US, so bartenders and wait staff are not reliant upon tips for the bulk of their income.)

As in any unknown city, I highly suggest carrying a small compass as well as a map, so that no matter how turned-around you may get, you'll always be able to orient your map accurately, thus avoiding getting lost.

Best Way To Get Around:

An overnight flight to London landed us at Heathrow 6:30am GMT. We were troopers! We navigated the morning rush on the tube without ease but with determination... Upon landing, we purchased tickets for the Piccadilly Line, then transferred to the District line to get to Bayswater. (If you're heading into the heart of the city, however, Piccadilly line also connects with Central line for about 4 pounds. Underground ticket prices vary depending upon the number of zones traversed.) The attendants at the ticket windows were very helpful, and informed us with which line we needed to connect, and advised us on the best type of ticket to buy based on our needs. They also provided us with a pocket tube map.

The tube, of course, is the fastest and most economical way to get around London. However, we found it a wonderful city for walking, weather permitting, of course, and provided you have the time and inclination. We hailed no taxis, as they are notoriously pricey (even to New Yorkers) unless for short distances. It does not run after midnight, however, at which point one has the option of the Night Bus, whose system can be tricky to navigate and can require long waits. We avoided the necessity by exploring far afield by day, and saving the evenings to explore our more immediate neighborhoods.

Taxis are another option, of course, but we hailed none as they are notoriously pricey (even to New Yorkers) and can involve congestion fines. We found it a wonderful city for walking, as we had good weather on the whole, and had the time and inclination to do so.

For our return to Heathrow at the end of our trip, we used the last remaining valid day of our Eurail passes to take the Heathrow Express from Charing Cross Station, a 15-minute direct. If you're not traveling with a Eurail pass, express tickets are about 14 pounds, one way, and well worth it! Read Less

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Palace Court Hotel

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Hotel

Quote:

Though this was not, perhaps, the best hotel in this row of holiday residences, Princes Square is a great location from which to base a London trip.

As London was our "bookend" city, we stayed here on our first night of the trip, and our last 2, after returning from up north. Our first room was very small, and did not have two twin beds as requested, but to be fair, we'd made last -minute changes due to our third traveler canceling at the last minute. The room was clean and had a hot pot with coffee and tea packets, a television (no remote, but the room was so small it hardly mattered) an in-room shower and a nice view to the yards in back.

The room we were given at the end of our trip was a bit the worse for wear, and on what must have been the 6th or 7th story, so lugging our luggage up all those flights was a chore! (It was funny, in fact, we got to what we thought was the top, only to see another small door, followed by a very steep staircase, which we practically had to climb hand-over-fist! We dubbed it a "gollum" crawl.) This room was much larger, however, and had a really splendid view of Princes Square (see photo), which made up for the unsettling water damage on the ceiling. We were traveling in early autumn, and had fine weather, so I can't comment on the climate control, in extremes, but we were able to turn on pour radiator to dry our wet clothes overnight!

This hotel does have 24 hour reception, as well as a basic continental breakfast every morning in the dining rooms downstairs. An interesting thing: we noticed that our fellow guests were primarily from the continent, and heard many accents, but none of them America during our stay (which we enjoyed).

I have seen some pretty awful reviews of the Palace Court (some based on complaints of no elevator), and I wouldn't say it's suitable for everyone. But, at approximately 65 pounds per night for two, and in a great location, it serve our purposes, and I had no major complaints. Read Less

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on May 22, 2007

Palace Court Hotel
64-65 Princes Square
London, England W2 4PX
+44-(20) 77274412

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About the Writer

electrofork
Brooklyn, New York

"I seriously love traveling, and I'm especially addicted to Europe since my first trip abroad. I'd l..."
2 journals
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