London,
There is just so much to it! Where do you begin? As Irish people, we’ve been almost attached to London since travel began. We’ve emigrated, enjoyed and built London as natives of Ireland.
London was my own first “destination” as a travelling soul. And there’s not been a year in 30 years I’ve not been there. Recently I had the pleasure of flying VLM from Waterford Airport to London Luton and scooting into the City via the excellent train service. Entertainment in London is endless – from Thorpe Park – the often forgotten but tip top theme park to the varied museums, fantastic shopping, and really – the buzz. Even in the recession, London buzzed.
You can do London on a budget – even allowing for sterling. Here are some notes colleagues and friends have contributed on the subject.
With the Euro now only buying you 75 pence sterling (as of 02/02/’15), London has become even more expensive than it normally is so all the more reason to choose your accommodation carefully — particularly if staying in town for a couple of days. As with all large cities, choosing your location carefully is extremely important if you don’t wish to spend half your time getting from A to B and whilst the term ‘central’ is a relative one in a city the size of London, I don’t think anyone would disagree that the South Bank is about as central as it gets! Located right beside the London Eye (it is literally outside the hotel), the Premier Inn County Hall ticks all the boxes in terms of location. It is just a three minute walk from the nearest underground station at Waterloo (the entrance on Belvedere Road. Not York Road) and is located directly across the river from the iconic Houses of Parliament. The hotel is slightly unusual in that it does not have a traditional reception area but rather a series of self checkin/checkout kiosks with two lectern-type desks from where extremely helpful staff assist guests with enquiries or requests. The rooms are all soundproofed and they operate an all-you-can-eat buffet breakfast along with a left-luggage facility where you can leave your bags if you have a flight later on in the day and want to fit in some last minute sightseeing or shopping. The entrance is located around the back of the huge County Hall building which looks like it has been recently given a major clean so you need to approach it from Belvedere Road which is a Cul de Sac. The Jubilee Gardens are located just beside the hotel and the London Aquarium is housed in the same block, just around the front by the Thames. At around £100 per room per night on average, the Premier Inn represents excellent value for money, given its superb location, friendly and helpful staff and proximity to many of London’s major tourist attractions. The hotel also has a bar. The hotel is located at the rear of the building shown at the lower left of the photo accompanying this blog.
Check it out the next time you’re in town.
Getting to London – costs to remember –
From Heathrow – you can take the tube – approx 50 mins and you’ll be pretty close to the absolute Heart of London. Cheap by Heathrow express the alternate – but very fast way of getting to the centre. https://www.heathrowexpress.com/
From London City – London City is a breeze. Based in the Docklands, the only airport actually “IN” London. Again easy striking on the Dockland Light Rail/Underground means – you can save money essentially by paying lower train fares. So when you look at the cost of getting to London, the airfare into London City might be a touch higher but factor in the bones of £30.00 of a difference.
London Luton – you can buy return train tickets for less than £20.00 into London which is dead handy. Combine with a 6 zone travel pass on the underground and you have a weapon of mass travel! From Airport to St. Pancras should take approx 1 hour total time – allowing for hanging around. There are also frequent bus services to Victoria Coach station – and again are very economic.
Gatwick – the Gatwick express is simplicity itself into Victoria. Not cheap – but it runs every 15 minutes from Gatwick and takes 30 minutes. http://www.gatwickexpress.com/
Contact us and we’ll help put together your London break…
