There is always so much to tell about a city, that is why I separate my articles into 3 very useful parts:
Part 1: 10 BEST Things To Do in London
Part 2: Best Places to Eat in London
Part 3: Transportation & Accommodation in London
London Accommodation
Usually when I come to London I stay at my friends houses, so I have little experience with the hotels in London. However, I do in fact know a few good central locations to stay in London.
One of my favourite areas to stay in is near Euston station and St Pancras International station (also down to the Russels Square). The area has a great metro connection to nearly everywhere, has many restaurants, supermarkets and shops around and also museums and beautiful parks.
Hyde park area is also a great area if you are looking for a quieter location, which is still central. I once stayed in Grand Royale London Hyde Park 4* Hotel, and it was a great stay with an amazing location with a park only a few minutes away.
If you are looking for something more budget, have a look at the South Kensington area and near the Earl’s Court Station. Depending on the time you visit hotels in central London can get really expensive, this area however often has more cheap hotels in London and has a good public link to reach the city centre fast and convenient. The Kensington area itself is very residential and nice to stay in.
Public Transport
London is one of the few cities where I use public transportation on a regular basis, because when you have limited time it’s simply impossible to see everything by foot. Luckily, London also has one of the best public transport systems to use.
Metro: Underground is one of the fastest ways to get around London, and London’s underground network is quite huge so it can get quite confusing at first. There are different tariffs for different zones, but if you have limited time, you will usually stay within zone 1 or 2. I made my own map with my suggested best attractions in London that you can use below to get easily around London:
Here you can download the PDF version of Londons metro map with popular attractions.
You can buy a travel card for 1 day of unlimited travel for zone 1-2 for £13.50 (16€), or it will only cost you £7.20 (8€) when you use an oyster card. You can easily purchase an oyster card from the ticket machines at the tube stations, and a 5£ (6€) deposit is required. This deposit can be returned at the end of your journey through the same ticket machine. When you use your oyster card the daily cap will be applied automatically at £7.20 (8€) so you won’t spend more than this on a day of travel.
Tip: I highly recommend getting an Oyster card as it has discounted tariffs and simply saves you a lot of time trying to figure out which zone you go to. You can also pay contactless with your phone or credit card, which is super convenient. It also works in underground and all tfl buses.
Buses: Oyster cards are also perfectly fine for any bus in London. I usually only take buses around London if there is no other alternative, as you can be stuck in London’s busy traffic. However, I do recommend getting a central ride on one of the Oxford Circus or Kings Cross double decker busses, as it is way cheaper than buying the ‘Hop on-Hop off’ tours that are so overly promoted in London. All the buses in London are double-decker, so you won’t miss out on the experience!
Taxis: This is a great way if you need a transport at night, and London has many alternative taxis to choose from. There are iconic black taxis (most expensive ones as well), Uber, Bolt, ViaVan, Kabbee, MyTaxi and many other services. For me it can be a great alternative to get home at night, but during the day I would usually not use taxis in London as you can get stuck in traffic with the meter still running.
Getting from the Airport
From Heathrow to central London: Heathrow is the best connected airport in London, so you can get to central London by any transport. There is an underground station which will take you around 30 minutes to get to the centre and will set you back at £6 (7€) for a one way journey (£5.10 /6€ with oyster card). If you use more public transport this day the daily cap will be at £13.20 (16€) to travel between zone 1-6.
Another way is to take a Heathrow Express train which takes only 15 minutes to reach Paddington Station. You can now also use your oyster card for it. However, if you buy a ticket at the spot it will cost you £22 (26€), so it is cheaper to pre-book it online at £5.50 (7€) 90 days before departure or for £12.50 (15€)a month in advance. However you are also likely to take an underground to your destination after you have reached Paddington Station.
I recommend taking the underground as you can reach your destination with an affordable budget.
From Gatwick to central London: Gatwick is located 45km outside of London, so it will take longer to get to the city center. The fastest way is to take a Gatwick Express train to Victoria train station which will take 30 minutes and cost £17.80 (21€) for a one way journey if booked online. A cheaper option is to take one of the buses outside of the terminal, costing 8£ one way. I would recommend spending more money for the train and enjoying the time in London, as the bus journey can last around 2 hours or even longer if there is a traffic jam on the highway.
From Stansted to central London: Stansted is a popular airport for budget airlines, such as Ryanair and it lies 60 km away from central London. You can use the Stansted express train to get to London Liverpool station in 50 minutes for £19.40 (23€) one way. I would recommend booking online in advance to get the cheaper tickets starting at £10 (12€)one way if you book a few months in advance. A more budget option is to use one of the buses outside of the terminal for 6£ (7€) one way. The journey will however take you a minimum of 2 hours to London Victoria and can be even longer if there is busy traffic.
From Luton to central London: You can use a bus starting at 7£ (8€) to get to central Victoria station in around 1.30 hours or use Luton airport train service, which will take you 25 minutes to reach Kings Cross St Pancras Station for £17.70 (21€) one way.
For the best places to see in London and to try out local food in, see the next parts of my article:
Part 1: Top Places to See in London
Part 2: Best Places to Eat in London
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