What to do in London before i join the others

11 Jun 2007 shaner123 said

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• travel advice

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• 11 Jun 2007 Kelsey said

  

  The musts are: Harrods, Buckingham Palace (its open to the public this summer), Hamleys (huuuge toy shop!), Oxford street, London Eye… many more! Check out some travel books for great tips

  The musts are: Harrods, Buckingham Palace (its open to the public this summer), Hamleys (huuuge toy shop!), Oxford street, London Eye... many more! Check out some travel books for great tips or Cancel
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• 12 Jun 2007 Gryphon said

  

  Checkout www.lonelyplanet.com for travel tips on London. What I chose to do was to visit the main London city sights such as Buckingham Palace, Tower of London, London Eye on 1 day and took a tour to Stonehenge on a free day after my trip.

  Checkout <A HREF="http://www.lonelyplanet.com" TARGET=_blank>www.lonelyplanet.com</A> for travel tips on London. What I chose to do was to visit the main London city sights such as Buckingham Palace, Tower of London, London Eye on 1 day and took a tour to Stonehenge on a free day after my trip. or Cancel
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• 12 Jun 2007 the world is my oyster said

  

  hey !
  just wondering when u start the tour?
  im doing the same one mine starts 30th June
  ive got 2 full days as well !?!!!!

  hey ! <BR>just wondering when u start the tour?<BR>im doing the same one mine starts 30th June<BR>ive got 2 full days as well !?!!!! or Cancel
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• 12 Jun 2007 Dancin' OCTD said

  

  For those seasoned London travellers, would you recommend purchasing attraction tickets prior to arriving? I’ve read that the Contiki basement offers dicounts, but how do those compare to online pre-purchase stuff? Any tips and tricks would be greatly appreciated!
  
  Shannon

  For those seasoned London travellers, would you recommend purchasing attraction tickets prior to arriving? I've read that the Contiki basement offers dicounts, but how do those compare to online pre-purchase stuff? Any tips and tricks would be greatly appreciated!<BR><BR>Shannon or Cancel
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• 12 Jun 2007 KatCanuck said

  

  Near the Tate Modern and the Millenium Bridge is Shakespeare’s Globe. Easy to get to after a visit to St Paul’s Cathedral. Provided you like those sorts of things.

  Near the Tate Modern and the Millenium Bridge is Shakespeare's Globe. Easy to get to after a visit to St Paul's Cathedral. Provided you like those sorts of things. or Cancel
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• 12 Jun 2007 Contiki CRAZY said

  

  HEY
  
  I RECENTLY AM BACK FROM EUROPE AND HAD 3DAYS ALSO TO APRE IN LONDON
  
  YOUR FIRST AND LAST DAY WILL BE CATCHING UP ON SLEEP (TRUST ME) THE FLIGHT OVER IS HELL AND THE TRIP WILL REALLY WEAR YOU OUT. NOT TO MENTION MOST PEOPLE HAVE DRINKK AT THE PUB ON THE DAY AFTER THE TOUR SO THAT WILL KEEP YOU BUSY.
  
  MY BEST PIECE OF ADVICE FOR YOU IS A COMPANY CALLED ’ HOP ON HOP OFF’ ITS A BUS COMPANY WHICH LEAVES FROM THE ROYAL NATIONAL FOR 20POUNDS = $60AUS AND ITS THE BEST MONEY EVER SPENT TO GET YOURSELF AROUND LONDON.
  
  IT TAKES YOU TO ALL THE MAJOR ATTRACTIONS AND YOU CAN GET OFF THE BUS AND LOOK AROUND ANYTIME AND JUST CATCH THE NEXT BUS.
  
  IT IS AWSOME VALUE FOR MONEY AND IT WILL TAKE YOU THE WHOLE DAY TO TOUR.

  HEY<BR><BR>I RECENTLY AM BACK FROM EUROPE AND HAD 3DAYS ALSO TO APRE IN LONDON<BR><BR>YOUR FIRST AND LAST DAY WILL BE CATCHING UP ON SLEEP (TRUST ME) THE FLIGHT OVER IS HELL AND THE TRIP WILL REALLY WEAR YOU OUT. NOT TO MENTION MOST PEOPLE HAVE DRINKK AT THE PUB ON THE DAY AFTER THE TOUR SO THAT WILL KEEP YOU BUSY.<BR><BR>MY BEST PIECE OF ADVICE FOR YOU IS A COMPANY CALLED ' HOP ON HOP OFF' ITS A BUS COMPANY WHICH LEAVES FROM THE ROYAL NATIONAL(YOU CAN GET TICKETS THIER) FOR 20POUNDS = $60AUS AND ITS THE BEST MONEY EVER SPENT TO GET YOURSELF AROUND LONDON.<BR><BR>IT TAKES YOU TO ALL THE MAJOR ATTRACTIONS AND YOU CAN GET OFF THE BUS AND LOOK AROUND ANYTIME AND JUST CATCH THE NEXT BUS.<BR><BR>IT IS AWSOME VALUE FOR MONEY AND IT WILL TAKE YOU THE WHOLE DAY TO TOUR. or Cancel
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• 12 Jun 2007 Dancin' OCTD said

  

  Matty, you are amazing!!! Thanks so much for all the info. I have printed this fantastic guide and I will follow it closely. haha

  Matty, you are amazing!!! Thanks so much for all the info. I have printed this fantastic guide and I will follow it closely. haha or Cancel
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• 12 Jun 2007 shaner123 said

  

  hey the world is my oyster.. my tour starts on the 28th of June!! figures..

  hey the world is my oyster.. my tour starts on the 28th of June!! figures.. or Cancel
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• 12 Jun 2007 shaner123 said

  

  thanks matty and everyone else.. this helps alot.. at least i kinda have some direction now!

  thanks matty and everyone else.. this helps alot.. at least i kinda have some direction now! or Cancel
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• 13 Jun 2007 Wella said

  

  I also found this on the web, its called a London Pass. Just wondering if anyone had experiences and if it was worth it,
  
  http://www.londonpass.com/howitworks.asp?WT.svl=topnav

  I also found this on the web, its called a London Pass. Just wondering if anyone had experiences and if it was worth it,<BR><BR><A HREF="http://www.londonpass.com/howitworks.asp?WT.svl=topnav" TARGET=_blank>http://www.londonpass.com/howitworks.asp?WT.svl=topnav</A> or Cancel
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• 14 Jun 2007 Dancin' OCTD said

  

  A friend of mine highly recommended the London Pass with travel for her stay a couple of months ago. She was there for a week and saw “everything”. Since I only have a couple of days of sightseeing, I don’t think it will work for me as the pass excludes some of the attractions that I am interested in, and includes a ton of stuff that I will likely not see.
  
  My suggestion would be to price out single admission tix for the things you hope to see and then compare it with the pricing of the London Pass. For me, I am better off doing it on my own. Best of luck, and happy travels!!

  A friend of mine highly recommended the London Pass with travel for her stay a couple of months ago. She was there for a week and saw "everything". Since I only have a couple of days of sightseeing, I don't think it will work for me as the pass excludes some of the attractions that I am interested in, and includes a ton of stuff that I will likely not see.<BR><BR>My suggestion would be to price out single admission tix for the things you hope to see and then compare it with the pricing of the London Pass. For me, I am better off doing it on my own. Best of luck, and happy travels!! or Cancel
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• 20 Jun 2007 Lindsay M said

  

  Everyone is different but my favorite things from my trip to London before was: 1 the National Gallery, 2. Tower of London, 3. The London Eye, 4. Les Mis (Definitely see a show!)
  
  The State Apartments open at Buckingham July 28th and I’ve gone ahead and booked a time to go my first day there on the 30th. Also when I was there I did like fish and chips, have not liked them since I got back to the States. So as cliche as it is I suggest finding some. I can’t wait for lunch my first day! Oh and if you can stop by Fortnum and Mason and get some shortbread I strongly recommend it. Again it was cliche but a fantastic cliche.

  Everyone is different but my favorite things from my trip to London before was: 1 the National Gallery, 2. Tower of London, 3. The London Eye, 4. Les Mis (Definitely see a show!)<BR><BR>The State Apartments open at Buckingham July 28th and I've gone ahead and booked a time to go my first day there on the 30th. Also when I was there I did like fish and chips, have not liked them since I got back to the States. So as cliche as it is I suggest finding some. I can't wait for lunch my first day! Oh and if you can stop by Fortnum and Mason and get some shortbread I strongly recommend it. Again it was cliche but a fantastic cliche. or Cancel
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• 22 Jun 2007 Jeremy said

  

  I have a question regarding time budgeting in London. I don’t want to stay an extra night, and I was wondering if I had a flight that landed anywhere between 8 and 10 am would I have time to see the Tower of London, St Pauls Cathedral, Tower Bridge, and Westminster Abbey before meeting with the tour at 10pm? I was thinking for the money I would just get a London Pass since it includes the tube, and then pay the extra for Westminster Abbey. I just hope I’d have enough time to see those places, and then see some of the outside only sites like Big Ben as well.

  I have a question regarding time budgeting in London. I don't want to stay an extra night, and I was wondering if I had a flight that landed anywhere between 8 and 10 am would I have time to see the Tower of London, St Pauls Cathedral, Tower Bridge, and Westminster Abbey before meeting with the tour at 10pm? I was thinking for the money I would just get a London Pass since it includes the tube, and then pay the extra for Westminster Abbey. I just hope I'd have enough time to see those places, and then see some of the outside only sites like Big Ben as well. or Cancel
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• 22 Jun 2007 Jeremy said

  

  You know, that sounds great! I think i’ll do everything you just said. You seem to know everything mattyv haha. Now if you know the best place to get Fish and Chips at a reasonable price along the way that’d be great too!

  You know, that sounds great! I think i'll do everything you just said. You seem to know everything mattyv haha. Now if you know the best place to get Fish and Chips at a reasonable price along the way that'd be great too! or Cancel
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• 27 Aug 2007 LuLu said

  

  Whoa dude (Matty V)! You’re an absolute fountain of knowledge!! Thanks heaps!!

  Whoa dude (Matty V)! You're an absolute fountain of knowledge!! Thanks heaps!! or Cancel
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• 21 Jan 2008 Jessica83 said

  

  any suggestions on doing london before or after your main tour with contiki….I’m thinking of doing euro encounter in october and can’t decide whether to do london before or after…

  any suggestions on doing london before or after your main tour with contiki....I'm thinking of doing euro encounter in october and can't decide whether to do london before or after... or Cancel
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• 27 Jan 2008 Chris said

  

  Hi, I have just come back form a tour around Europe including the European Vista tour. I was with a group of 5 guys and we did London before. we used the hop on hop off tour and it was great. When we were there you payed for 1 day but got 2 days which was great but we weren’t able to use it. I reckon its worth seeing London there is some cool sights.
  
  We had 4 nights 3 days there and i think that was perfect for a short stay. first day went for a walk and saw the Thames and went on the London eye, worth it. On the second day we took a tour with Andersons tours to Stonehenge and Bath, (2000 year old hot spring roman baths). It was a bit pricey at 53 pound but worth it because that included the entrance into Stonehenge and the baths. We had 4 hours in Bath with was good because it is an interesting place with a bit of history. We visited a pub for lunch and a few beers. enjoyed the day. On the last day we used the hop on hop off bus. I found London tower the best of the lot. you did get a river cruise in it as well but we weren’t able to go on it. then had a quiet one ready for contiki in the morning.
  
  I think the European encounter would be a good tour. Very similar to mine but you miss out on Munich, Prague and Vienna. The one thing about choosing a tour is to make sure you have 2 nights and one day at the main cities. This is because you are traveling on the days before and the days after. for example on our first day we went from London to Paris. We arrived at about 7pm after leaving at 7am. If you only had on night there you wouldn’t see much of Paris. So a tour with 2 nights is the best.
  
  On whether doing London before or after well its a bit of both. The thing i found is to try and make your flight, if it is a long one, arrive at heathrow late afternoon or evening. You will be stuffed after it and its good to get there at the same to want to sleep. Thats the same for the return journey. If you are traveling by yourself then i would say after because someone from your tour will be staying after to see London too so you could do it together. However, with the hop on hop off tour it is really easy to see on the tour. One point to note there is 2 tours. They are the ‘original red bus tour’ and ‘the big bis company.’ We went on the original tour and it was over crowded at times but you did get more from it from what i remember.
  
  The other tip i would say is to go in winter. You avoid the crowds and the time on the bus is a lot less due to missing the summer holiday traffic. Thats depends when you can go to Europe though.
  
  Hope that all helps.

  Hi, I have just come back form a tour around Europe including the European Vista tour. I was with a group of 5 guys and we did London before. we used the hop on hop off tour and it was great. When we were there you payed for 1 day but got 2 days which was great but we weren't able to use it. I reckon its worth seeing London there is some cool sights.<BR><BR>We had 4 nights 3 days there and i think that was perfect for a short stay. first day went for a walk and saw the Thames and went on the London eye, worth it. On the second day we took a tour with Andersons tours to Stonehenge and Bath, (2000 year old hot spring roman baths). It was a bit pricey at 53 pound but worth it because that included the entrance into Stonehenge and the baths. We had 4 hours in Bath with was good because it is an interesting place with a bit of history. We visited a pub for lunch and a few beers. enjoyed the day. On the last day we used the hop on hop off bus. I found London tower the best of the lot. you did get a river cruise in it as well but we weren't able to go on it. then had a quiet one ready for contiki in the morning.<BR><BR>I think the European encounter would be a good tour. Very similar to mine but you miss out on Munich, Prague and Vienna. The one thing about choosing a tour is to make sure you have 2 nights and one day at the main cities. This is because you are traveling on the days before and the days after. for example on our first day we went from London to Paris. We arrived at about 7pm after leaving at 7am. If you only had on night there you wouldn't see much of Paris. So a tour with 2 nights is the best.<BR><BR>On whether doing London before or after well its a bit of both. The thing i found is to try and make your flight, if it is a long one, arrive at heathrow late afternoon or evening. You will be stuffed after it and its good to get there at the same to want to sleep. Thats the same for the return journey. If you are traveling by yourself then i would say after because someone from your tour will be staying after to see London too so you could do it together. However, with the hop on hop off tour it is really easy to see on the tour. One point to note there is 2 tours. They are the 'original red bus tour' and 'the big bis company.' We went on the original tour and it was over crowded at times but you did get more from it from what i remember.<BR><BR>The other tip i would say is to go in winter. You avoid the crowds and the time on the bus is a lot less due to missing the summer holiday traffic. Thats depends when you can go to Europe though.<BR><BR>Hope that all helps. or Cancel
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• 29 Jan 2008 nazza1 said

  

  thanx for all the input guys… i got alot out of this thread

  thanx for all the input guys... i got alot out of this thread or Cancel
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