hotel in central London or by Tower of London??

[cert4me]

I have finally narrowed the pre-cruise hotel to one by St Paul's Cathedral and one over by the London Tower. Can someone give me an idea of which one would be better? We have a 2 hour private flash tour of London when we arrive and the next day we are going to Stonehenge so I am trying to be close to some attractions we can do on our own. Suggestions welcomed.

 

thanks,

 

Mary

[Twickenham]

The locations aren't that far from each other, actually, and are a bit east of where most tourists stay in Central London (I would consider both Central London). How are you going to Stonehenge? As this is west of London, your locations are doable, but not ideal, for transport there.

[tartanexile81]

As a tourist to London I wouldn't choose either of these areas because they're a bit of a way out. We mainly stay in Knightsbridge because of its proximity to some the main sights (Harrods, various museums including Natural History, V&A, Hyde Park and walking distance to Buckingham Palace and lots of other places, particularly if you stay in Belgravia .) We've always felt safe there walking around at night with a good choice of restaurants etc. It is also West Central so more convenient for heading West to Stonehenge. Others may disagree but it's our preferred area!

 

There seems to be a lot of posts from people staying near Waterloo but we don't like it quite so much as an area to walk around in but each to their own I guess.

[SixOneTwo]

Last August we stayed at the Doubletree Tower of London and found it to be perfectly situated for spending a couple of days in London on either side of our cruise.

 

As for getting around from there: It's a 3-minute walk from the hotel to the Tower Hill tube station, which is on the District and Circle Lines. You really can get anywhere on the tube from there, and this is a nice, calm, small-ish station that won't overwhelm you with alot of platforms and connecting passengers. We did all of the "big attractions" in London proper without any trouble, and even made it to Stonehenge on a tour that began at Victoria Coach Station.

 

The Tower of London and Tower Bridge are right there. Excellent views and access to the Thames. Nice skyscraper architecture all around. Good eating choices at St. Katharine's Docks nearby, walk the neighborhood for pubs, or take the tube a couple of stops in any direction for more restaurants.

 

This is a business district, so it's not touristy and it gets very quiet at night. That is an asset in our book.

 

Finally, if you are embarking in Harwich and using the cruise train to get there, it is only ONE tube stop to get to the Liverpool Street Station where you catch that train.

 

Enjoy your trip!

[Morgans]

The Tower area is very good for seeing the sights as the Tower ,Tower Bridge, London Bridge, the London Dungeon and several other points of interest are close at hand. It makes a good base. The area around St Paul's is also very good - you are on the spot for the Cathedral, One Exchange (shopping centre/mall) millennium Bridge, Tate Modern and the Globe. There are good connections to other areas . We know both areas very well so perhaps could offer advice re hotels. Which hotels were you thinking of?

[Giantfan13]

We also stayed in the 'Tower' area, pre cruise. We stayed at the Tower Bridge Hilton and found it the perfect location. Got up early, headed over the Tower of London, and from there to Tower Bridge and a few other sites along the Thames.

 

Cheers

 

Len

[cert4me]

We decided on the Premier hotel at 1-2 Dorset Rise [close to St Paul's] for our trip. We are trying to figure out how to get to Victoria Coach Station for our Stonehenge tour. I know the Premier is a chain but for this first time into London we wanted to save the funds for tours and seeing the sites.

 

We have the Harwich Taxi company coming to collect us for our Infinity sailing on August 4th so we are good for the beginning of our trip!

 

Any suggestions for things to see please let us know. The private tour is to the main sites but there is always something special only the locals know I have found :-)

 

 

thanks,

 

Mary

[Cotswold Eagle]

That Pemier Inn is on the fringes of the City of London (the business district), close to the river. It is tucked away in a side street, but you will be a couple of minutes walk to Blackfriars tube station, from where the District & Circle line service will get you to Victoria in about 10 minutes. The coach station is a short walk from there.

 

You should try the Blackfriar pub near the station and your hotel. It has a very interesting Art Nouveau interior and has been protected from all the development that surrounds it.

[Morgans]

Premier Inn, Blackfriars is a very good choice - it's in a good, quiet area (esp evenings and weekends) and it is very new so the condition of amenities should be good. From here there are very easy connections to many sights - the 100 bus and the 15 bus are round the corner and will take you to the Tower, Museum of London, Old Wapping (trendy pubs) imperial War Museum and further into town. Easy connections. You can also walk easily to St Paul's, along the river, the Millennium Bridge, Tate Modern and the Globe. The area behind (to the north of St Paul's ) is very interesting - we especially like the church of St Sepulchre Without near the Old Bailey and open to the public at lunchtimes, Charterhouse Square - where you can see where Poirot is filmed and lots of other period dramas such as Downton , also the William Wallace (Braveheart) monument is nearby. All totally free. The Museum of London is worth a visit and again is free. st Katharines Dock is gorgeous and a haven of peace across the road from the Towet. Buy an Oyster Card and off you go. a good choice!

[orchestrapal]

As a tourist to London I wouldn't choose either of these areas because they're a bit of a way out. We mainly stay in Knightsbridge because of its proximity to some the main sights (Harrods, various museums including Natural History, V&A, Hyde Park and walking distance to Buckingham Palace and lots of other places, particularly if you stay in Belgravia .) We've always felt safe there walking around at night with a good choice of restaurants etc. It is also West Central so more convenient for heading West to Stonehenge. Others may disagree but it's our preferred area!

There seems to be a lot of posts from people staying near Waterloo but we don't like it quite so much as an area to walk around in but each to their own I guess.

 

I agree and would never stay in either of those areas. We prefer Mayfair and the West End where you are near many tube stations as well as bus lines and all the theatres and of course Chinatown, the National Gallery, Portrait Gallery, South Bank, Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square. British Museum and Covent Garden.

NOW That's Central!

Edited June 18, 2014 by orchestrapal

[cert4me]

Thank you all for your replies-I love all the suggestions for things to see while we are in before the cruise!

 

We also have a couple of days post cruise and now have an idea where to stay for that time and what will be available to see in Mayfair and West End.

 

It is great to have so many with knowledge to share-the planning is easier!

 

Mary

[cert4me]

Premier Inn, Blackfriars is a very good choice - it's in a good, quiet area (esp evenings and weekends) and it is very new so the condition of amenities should be good. From here there are very easy connections to many sights - the 100 bus and the 15 bus are round the corner and will take you to the Tower, Museum of London, Old Wapping (trendy pubs) imperial War Museum and further into town. Easy connections. You can also walk easily to St Paul's, along the river, the Millennium Bridge, Tate Modern and the Globe. The area behind (to the north of St Paul's ) is very interesting - we especially like the church of St Sepulchre Without near the Old Bailey and open to the public at lunchtimes, Charterhouse Square - where you can see where Poirot is filmed and lots of other period dramas such as Downton , also the William Wallace (Braveheart) monument is nearby. All totally free. The Museum of London is worth a visit and again is free. st Katharines Dock is gorgeous and a haven of peace across the road from the Towet. Buy an Oyster Card and off you go. a good choice!

thank you this is exactly the kind of thing I was looking for! Guide books are all well and good but the experience of people is so much more!

[Bob++]

What more to say... Except don't forget that the river is also a transport route, and one with much better views than the underground, though a bit slower. You can also take a boat East to Greenwich, where they have the Cutty Sark http://www.rmg.co.uk/cuttysark, the National Maritime Museum with the Royal Obsevatory which is the reason why 0 degrees longditude is there. http://www.rmg.co.uk/

[LondonTowner]

As a Londoner, I also think you have made a good choice of area. London doesn't really have a centre as such and wherever you stay you will have to travel to see the sights.

 

The surrounding areas like Shoreditch, Hoxton and Spaitalfields are the very fashionable areas for the young people these days and those areas have a great vibe and atmosphere. Lots of new bars and restaurants have opened up and all side by side with Jack the Rippers Victorian London. There is a daily market in Spitalfields and the stalls change depending on which day you visit.

 

The Museum of London (previously mentioned) is well worth a visit, as is the Museum of Childhood at Bethnal Green.

 

I personally think this particular part of London is much better choice to see how historic London compares to what modern London is today. I am sure once you have stayed in this area you won't want to bother with Mayfair or the West End. Nothing wrong with them, but far too staid and conservative.

[Globaliser]

Last August we stayed at the Doubletree Tower of London and found it to be perfectly situated for spending a couple of days in London on either side of our cruise.

This hotel has a great bar on its roof.

[tartanexile81]

As a Londoner, I also think you have made a good choice of area. London doesn't really have a centre as such and wherever you stay you will have to travel to see the sights.

 

The surrounding areas like Shoreditch, Hoxton and Spaitalfields are the very fashionable areas for the young people these days and those areas have a great vibe and atmosphere. Lots of new bars and restaurants have opened up and all side by side with Jack the Rippers Victorian London. There is a daily market in Spitalfields and the stalls change depending on which day you visit.

 

The Museum of London (previously mentioned) is well worth a visit, as is the Museum of Childhood at Bethnal Green.

 

I personally think this particular part of London is much better choice to see how historic London compares to what modern London is today. I am sure once you have stayed in this area you won't want to bother with Mayfair or the West End. Nothing wrong with them, but far too staid and conservative.

 

I started my post with "as a tourist", because I wanted it to be clear that I wasn't replying as an expert but as somebody who has visited London several times and has wanted to be near what many regard as the main sights and particularly theatreland. I know fashions have changed and I have visited friends in the East End which was great and I loved the vibe.

 

The reason I said what I did was I thought if I was advising someone on their first visit to Edinburgh, the areas I'd recommend would be within easy walking distance of Princes Street / The Castle which is not my favourite part of Edinburgh (by a long way:)) but very convenient for getting around. If, however, it was someone who'd visited before and knew there way around / could use the transport system confidently, I'd give a very different recommendation so they get away from the tourists! We're visiting New York soon and some locals recommended the Upper East Side for our hotel, which I'm sure we'd have loved but we've opted for touristy Midtown as we're only there for 4 days so we don't want to waste time sitting on subway.

[floridababa]

After our cruise we are staying 1 night in London. Kept going crazy trying to find a decent hotel that would no be way too expensive and decided on Hyde Park. Hope we made the right choice. We were in London once before so we are not looking to do the Palace.

Might do a HO Ho but not sure.

Priority was good air conditioning, decent shower and not break the bank.

The hotel is the Doubletree by Hilton at Hyde park. reviews were good.

I know we want to use the tube as we did not use it last time -any other ideas??

[FritzG]

How is the Bayswater area for transportation, restaurants, and safety at night. We've been to London many times, and we've always stayed in the Mayfair area in the past. This time we'd like to try a different area, and we are looking at the Thistle or Doubletree Hyde Park.

[Giantfan13]

We're visiting New York soon and some locals recommended the Upper East Side for our hotel, which I'm sure we'd have loved but we've opted for touristy Midtown as we're only there for 4 days so we don't want to waste time sitting on subway.

__________________

If money is no object, then by all means stay in Midtown, but it is also the most expensive area. For many people price and cost does play a factor and if you can save 1/2 the cost of a hotel by staying 15 minutes away, then that's the best option for them.

I know when we travel, cost plays a big part in our hotel stays as well as entire travel plans. We won't let it interfere with us having a great time, but in life, that's the way it is for us.

Like others take a private cab or limo from London to their cruise port, we took the National Express bus. It got us there with no problem and it fit into our budget perfectly. To those that can afford the limo, great, but not everyone sits in that seat.

 

Cheers

 

Len