Some questions about going to London (for the first time)

[Anonymous]

Ok, some questions. DH and I are going for the first time in May:

Is the London Pass worth it? Do you add the Oyster Card to it or buy separately? We will just be staying 3 days.

How did you get from Heathrow to your hotel? I am overwhelmed by the subway route, and by the cost of a taxi!

Is there anything nice to see near the East End? We will be staying at the Town Hall Hotel and Apartments, near the Bethel Green station.

[Anonymous]

For Heathrow - a middle ground is to take the Heathrow Express train, which goes directly from the airport to Paddington Station, and then take a taxi from Paddington to your hotel. That way you're not paying taxi rates all the way in from Heathrow. The Express is very easy, and you buy a ticket from a machine with your credit card right before you get to the platform (in a pinch you can even buy onboard but it costs more).

[Anonymous]

Why are you staying all the way out at Bethnel Green?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why are you staying all the way out at Bethnel Green?

Hotel was free with reward points! LOL.

[Anonymous]

We are in London now and we are cheap/frugal so we took Tube not Heathrow Express.

You can use the Transport For London website to plan out your journey but it looks like you can take the Tube from Heathrow (Picadilly line) to Holborn and switch to Central Line headed east directly to your stop.

For us it was worthwhile because we were headed to Earls Court which wasn't far and also had benefit of lifts in the station for easy luggage handling.

We bought our Ouster Visitor cards in advance and had them mailed to our home but you can also buy at Heathrow using cash or credit card.

London Pass is ok but didn't feel like we got the value out of it.

[Anonymous]

Ok, follow up question:

Places for clothes shopping (that is relatively inexpensive)

Hop on hop off bus tour- worth it for first timers?

I was thinking of getting the 2 day London pass, doing the bus tour, and the river cruise and the other paid museums, then do free stuff on the third day.

[Anonymous]

Oh, another follow up: how about just taking uber from the airport?

[Anonymous]

I've been to London many times and I'm a fan of the hop on hop off bus. It's especially good for the first day if you've taken the night flight and are tired. It's a good way to see the city which you miss if you are traveling by Tube.

The Heathrow Express is easy to navigate but is pricey for 2. It's the fastest option, although the taxi line at the train station can be long.

On the London pass be realistic about how much you want to see. Hopefully this won't be your last trip so don't feel compelled to see everything in 3 days. Doing 2 days with a 3rd day of free stuff may not make sense logistically. If you are on the south bank for example you'll want to do everything over there, not just the pay stuff or free stuff. I'd pick 3 things at most per day. Leave time for lunch, tea, just walking, etc.

[Anonymous]

I'm the PP currently in London for spring break. I liked the hop on hop off to see the sights although my DS8 was bored.

For London Pass - price out the 3-4 things you would want to do and compare against the inclusive price of London Pass. It is hard to get to everything and have the time to enjoy it so don't push it.

We did Tower of London,
Thames boat cruise and London Eye in one day and that was manageable.

[Anonymous]

Hop on / hop off is good for a first time visitor, but with a little planning you can see many of the same things with regular buses and an Oyster. Just depends if you want to pay for the convenience and the ease of use of the hop on/hop off.

You should probably walk Oxford Street and Regent Street for shopping, but generally I find the clothes prices higher in London than in the USA.

LHR Express x 2 + taxi to hotel ?? taxi from LHR to hotel direct. Investigate to find cheaper solution. Tube works as well, though can take a bit longer.

Second advice on London pass vs. pay as you go for the places you really want. Not sure how much you will do.

[Anonymous]

PP here.

"LHR Express x 2 + taxi to hotel ?? taxi from LHR to hotel direct."

The '??' was supposed to be an "approximately the same" symbol but apparently DCUM doesn't support that character.

[Anonymous]

You can book cheaper cabs to/from the airport if you want a middle ground between public transport and taxis. Actually these can often be cheaper than 2 people on the Heathrow Express, which is ridiculously expensive. I always use www.exclusiveairports.com. Works out cheaper than uber as well.

For clothes shopping - what kind of stuff? If you're looking for REALLY cheap, then go to Primark. There's one on Oxford Street - Marble Arch end. There's also Topshop. I don't know how old you are but if you find Topshop too young, then clothes for slightly more mature women in a similar price bracket are Dorothy Perkins and Next.

[Anonymous]

Spitalfields Market is in the East End, and there are a lot if historic tours of that area.

[Anonymous]

I always take the bus from Heathrow to a central station (like Victoria), and then others from there to my destination. Follow signs for Heathrow Central Bus station (it'll be downstairs) and then ask the attendant the best route to wherever you're going. You don't want to take the underground with luggage, as some stations (most, in my experience) don't have working, or any, elevators. I would never taxi or train from the airport.

[Anonymous]

OP here- follow up:

Now that I think about it, maybe I do not want cheap clothes, I would just like something good quality- and NOT polyester! I am sick of polyester!