Richmond area of London

[Anonymous]

I'm spending about 5 days in the Richmond part of London this week. For those of you who are familiar with this area: any helpful tips relating to travel (can I just use my current uber app?; is uber a good way to travel short distances?), dining, safety precautions?

[Anonymous]

Its a safe and leavy green liberal minded suburb of London with some multi million dollar homes (Richmond Green for instance - used to be home to Lord Attenborough).

You will be fine with uber. There are also many buses and its the end of one branch of the District line on the tubes, or you can get an over ground train directly to Waterloo etc.

Enjoy. I lived there for several years and miss it.

[Anonymous]

OP: thank you, this is helpful. I appreciate it!

[Anonymous]

NP-I'm going to be exactly in Richmond (closer to Kew) this summer too! I'd love to hear back about your experience-best pubs, day trips, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Its a safe and leavy green liberal minded suburb of London with some multi million dollar homes (Richmond Green for instance - used to be home to Lord Attenborough).

You will be fine with uber. There are also many buses and its the end of one branch of the District line on the tubes, or you can get an over ground train directly to Waterloo etc.

Enjoy. I lived there for several years and miss it.

Any good restaurants and or old style pubs with old men drinking in the corner--not a gastro-pub or whatever?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP-I'm going to be exactly in Richmond (closer to Kew) this summer too! I'd love to hear back about your experience-best pubs, day trips, etc.

OP here: I'll be glad to update when I get back. If time allows, thinking about traveling to Cardiff or the Lake District, although either of those might involve an overnight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Its a safe and leavy green liberal minded suburb of London with some multi million dollar homes (Richmond Green for instance - used to be home to Lord Attenborough).

You will be fine with uber. There are also many buses and its the end of one branch of the District line on the tubes, or you can get an over ground train directly to Waterloo etc.

Enjoy. I lived there for several years and miss it.

Any good restaurants and or old style pubs with old men drinking in the corner--not a gastro-pub or whatever?

Haha. I don't know, its been a while, you're more likely to find that kind of thing in Yorkshire... But if you walk around Richmond Green there are several pubs, the Prince's Head is a 16th century pub which was always very traditional, but may have changed. You can take your pints outside and sit and watch the summer evening. And there is a tiny pub, The Old Ship just down the road which is also old and I think there are waterfront pubs which you might try.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Its a safe and leavy green liberal minded suburb of London with some multi million dollar homes (Richmond Green for instance - used to be home to Lord Attenborough).

You will be fine with uber. There are also many buses and its the end of one branch of the District line on the tubes, or you can get an over ground train directly to Waterloo etc.

Enjoy. I lived there for several years and miss it.

Any good restaurants and or old style pubs with old men drinking in the corner--not a gastro-pub or whatever?

Haha. I don't know, its been a while, you're more likely to find that kind of thing in Yorkshire... But if you walk around Richmond Green there are several pubs, the Prince's Head is a 16th century pub which was always very traditional, but may have changed. You can take your pints outside and sit and watch the summer evening. And there is a tiny pub, The Old Ship just down the road which is also old and I think there are waterfront pubs which you might try.

Thanks! I'm going to be closer to Kew right near the overland train station-the who area looks very trendy in a Georgetown sort of way--which looks more posh than I would have liked, but I'm not complaining.

[Anonymous]

Just to add that uber is pretty expensive in London, not like DC. Use the tube/bus as much as possible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Its a safe and leavy green liberal minded suburb of London with some multi million dollar homes (Richmond Green for instance - used to be home to Lord Attenborough).

You will be fine with uber. There are also many buses and its the end of one branch of the District line on the tubes, or you can get an over ground train directly to Waterloo etc.

Enjoy. I lived there for several years and miss it.

Any good restaurants and or old style pubs with old men drinking in the corner--not a gastro-pub or whatever?

Haha. I don't know, its been a while, you're more likely to find that kind of thing in Yorkshire... But if you walk around Richmond Green there are several pubs, the Prince's Head is a 16th century pub which was always very traditional, but may have changed. You can take your pints outside and sit and watch the summer evening. And there is a tiny pub, The Old Ship just down the road which is also old and I think there are waterfront pubs which you might try.

OP here (not the poster who asked about pubs): I'm not into pubs, but love old buildings. Will be sure to look for the Prince's Head.

[Anonymous]

District line is slower than Picadilly. Easy switch at Hammersmith(they share a platform), if Picadilly works for where you are trying to get to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just to add that uber is pretty expensive in London, not like DC. Use the tube/bus as much as possible.

OP: good to know, thank you!

[Anonymous]

Richmond is a beautiful area of London, often not visited by American tourists, which is their loss. I loved there for two years and just reading your subject line made me nostalgic.

A few ideas:

First, it does indeed sound like you're going to be closer to Kew, so spend a few hours strolling in Kew Gardens.

Do go to Richmond proper. From the High Street, you can go down a few alleys to Richmond Green. You can also walk down to the river, where there are lots of restaurants and a nice view of the bridge over to Twickenham. If the weather is good, people will be out enjoying food and drink along the water and the scene is lively and lovely.

If you seek more solitude or natural beauty, head up the hill (Richmond Hill). Spend a few hours in Richmond Park, the largest city part in Europe. There are deer and huge oaks. If you have enough time, go to the ponds and watch the kids sailing boats, or head to Isabella's Garden, if you love flora (this would be a bit of a walk though, so it depends on time).

Going in or out of the park, you might want to peek in the grounds of Richmond College, which is a small American college just near the entrance to the park. It's on Queens Road and the main building is very beautiful.

Restaurants have likely changed, so I can't really recommend any, but one of the best ways to enjoy Richmond on a sunny day is to get your own food at the grocery and sit on a bench by the river. The river has a tow path, and if you have a long time, you can also walk along it.

Mick Jagger lives on Richmond Hill - ask any one around which house it is. It's one of the houses overlooking the same view as the Petersham Hotel, which is the view in a famous painting of the Thames at Richmond by a famous painter (Turner, I think?)

Have fun!

[Anonymous]

Ha ha - I'm the PP. When I said I "Loved" there, i meant I "lived" there, although I did meet and marry my husband there, so I guess either word is appropriate!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Richmond is a beautiful area of London, often not visited by American tourists, which is their loss. I loved there for two years and just reading your subject line made me nostalgic.

A few ideas:

First, it does indeed sound like you're going to be closer to Kew, so spend a few hours strolling in Kew Gardens.

Do go to Richmond proper. From the High Street, you can go down a few alleys to Richmond Green. You can also walk down to the river, where there are lots of restaurants and a nice view of the bridge over to Twickenham. If the weather is good, people will be out enjoying food and drink along the water and the scene is lively and lovely.

If you seek more solitude or natural beauty, head up the hill (Richmond Hill). Spend a few hours in Richmond Park, the largest city part in Europe. There are deer and huge oaks. If you have enough time, go to the ponds and watch the kids sailing boats, or head to Isabella's Garden, if you love flora (this would be a bit of a walk though, so it depends on time).

Going in or out of the park, you might want to peek in the grounds of Richmond College, which is a small American college just near the entrance to the park. It's on Queens Road and the main building is very beautiful.

Restaurants have likely changed, so I can't really recommend any, but one of the best ways to enjoy Richmond on a sunny day is to get your own food at the grocery and sit on a bench by the river. The river has a tow path, and if you have a long time, you can also walk along it.

Mick Jagger lives on Richmond Hill - ask any one around which house it is. It's one of the houses overlooking the same view as the Petersham Hotel, which is the view in a famous painting of the Thames at Richmond by a famous painter (Turner, I think?)

Have fun!

OP here: Thank you! Not sure where I'll be in proximity to Kew (that's another poster), but this is so detailed and helpful!