Visiting London Eng for 3 weeks!!! What should I do??

[roxybc]

I'm visiting my boyfriend who lives in Purley, Surrey London (is that right?) at the begining of Jan for 3 weeks. He's been so busy working for his family he hasn't had much time to do the touristy things, so I'm so excited to go and do them with him, but I've never been to London before. I have so many questions, any help, especially from the UK girls would be much appreciated!!


* Where should we go and what should we do?

* Any must see's?

* How much does it cost to go on a 2 day trip to Paris?

* Are there any good stores I should be aware of?

* What should I wear? I've been a bum in University for the last 5 years, I'm used to wearing jeans and hoodies, and I know I can't get away with that there.

* What do girls wear out to the clubs? My boyfriend is taking me to one called Oceana.........

* Has anyone been to the Clothing and Textiles Museum. I don't know if that's what it's actually called, but it was founded by Zandra Rhodes

* Is there anything cool that most tourists don't know about that I should go see? Any little day trips I should make?


Ooooh, I'm sooo excited to come to London! I'll be moving there eventually, but for now I'm just comming for a visit.


:cartwheel:

:jump:

:cartwheel:

 

[madkitty]

right the touristy thing is FAB with http://www.bigbustours.com/uk/html/uk_our_tours.html as they go by all the usual places - big ben, houses parliament, buckingham palace etcetc and you can get on and off as many times as you wish. A tour down the thames is really nice too and dont miss the london eye FAB
shopping - oxford street for definite and also covent garden and dont forget the MAC shop LOL
wearing anything goes in London - Im a jeans and hoody girl too and that works fine for shopping. oceana is great and again anything from dresses through to aprkly tops and trousers - I dont think there is much difference between clubs in london and the US
Im sure a real londoner can fill you in a little more as Im about 30 miles away but still cant find anywhere better for shopping!

 

[Kisbee]

You'll definitely need to dress up to go clubbing if you're used to uni clubs in the states (at least in my experience). No trainers or jeans is probably safe, and the more glam the better.

Try to find things like markets and boutique shops that you wouldn't find elsewhere..

 

[caffn8me]

I'm sure you'll have a great time here in London. I posted a few ideas of what to do in the thread what to wear in England?

I'll think of a few more things nearer the time, I'm sure

 

[roxybc]

Thanks Caffn8me, that was a gerat post with lots of useful info!!

 

[as_cute_as_pie]

erm ive only been to london once and cant remember it lol
but for clubbing i personally would wear a dress (like babydoll style etc not big ball gown

) or high heels jeans and a nice top

go go go go to topshop oxford circus

just to add oceana has a website check out the gallery

http://www.oceanaclubs.com

 

[giz2000]

Find Clive Owen for me and tell him that I love him.....

 

[caffn8me]

Quote:

Originally Posted by roxybc * What should I wear? I've been a bum in University for the last 5 years, I'm used to wearing jeans and hoodies, and I know I can't get away with that there.

Jeans and hoodies are pretty regular wear here in the UK so there's no reason why you shouldn't wear them in London when you come. Comfy shoes (for lots of walking), an umbrella and a waterproof jacket are useful things to have too.

A trip on the London Eye is a must too.

Getting from Purley railway station to central London takes 30 minutes by direct train

 

[Bre]

Oh yeh go to Top Shop on Picadilly Circus I totally 2nd that one

London Is amazing, I lived there for 18mths and have nothing but fond memories.

Try not to catch the tube so much, it's expensive and walking around is half the experience you'll be surprised by how close everything is.

I recomend the Sattchi gallery, it's on the Thames right near the Eye. It's not your normal gallery, you know the artist Damien Hirst? There was an exhabition of his on while I was there. Crazy stuff.

Oh and get stuck right into that english pub food I miss it so much mmm. bangers and mash and onion gravy.

If you get a chance hire a car and drive out of London, heaps of my family live in England and the country side is absolutely beautiful

In regards to Paris, maybe it will end up being cheaper flying then getting the EuroStar train. Check out the websites below, sometimes they have amazingly cheap deals

One more thing be prepared for football fever! You can't escape it and it's highly contagious!

Have fun! I'm extremely jealous

www.ryanair.com
www.easyjet.com

 

[roxybc]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone!!! DAMN MAC for bringing all these collections out right now, I'm spending money I should be saving to spend in London!!! I definitly want to check out topshop, and I've always wanted to go on the London Eye, but I'll admit I'm a bit paranoid about them being a terrosit target. Does anyone know if they have a good security system in place??

My boyfriend has put me in charge of what we're doing, funny seeing that he actually LIVES there!!! He's just been so busy working I think he's only been to downtown London 3 times in the 10 months he's lived in England!


**EDIT**


Ok, I just checked one of those cheap air fair websites. The Prices seem too good to be true!!! Does this sound correct: A flight from London to Paris is only £9.99??? (Not including taxes).

According to the website 2 roundtrip tickets for a 2 day mid week trip to Paris from London is only £110.00 Wow this is so cheap!! When I move there, I'll be taking mini vacations all the time!!

 

[caffn8me]

The budget airline prices are true but taxes bump up the prices. You should also consider looking at booking on Eurostar - the Channel Tunnel train that goes from the heart of London to the heart of Paris. A return will cost about £59 if you book far enough in advance. It's probably less hassle than flying with a budget airline as these tend to fly between outlying airports which increases the journey time.

The Satchi Gallery is currently closed following its eviction from County Hall. It will reopen in summer 2007 in the Duke of York's Building in Chelsea.

As for terrorism in the UK, people from North America (which includes Canada) always seem to get it out of all proportion. Security on the London Eye is good. All bags are searched before passengers board and there are security cameras everywhere. You need to put things into perspective.

Let's compare being in the UK to the USA (although you're actually in Canada but it's likely you'll visit your neighbour!)

There are about 15,000 firearms murders in the USA each year. That's in a country with a population of 300 million.

Here in the UK, in the past six years, we have had just 52 deaths due to terrorism - and they all happened on 7th July 2005. We have a population of about 60 million - one fifth the size of the USA.

Scale our terrorism related deaths up to a country the size of the USA and that equates to 312 people over six years. So that would be the equivalent of about 52 people per year over six years in the USA. Compare that to the 15,000+ who are shot dead every year in the USA and you should realise that it's totally insignificant.

Doing the maths, if you look at the past six years you're 1,730 times more likely to have been shot dead in the USA (excluding accidental shootings!) than killed by a terrorist in the UK. Those are pretty good odds I'd say.

You're also more likely to be killed by fire ants, food poisoning, drowning, fire, motor vehicle accidents, waterborne diseases, heat stroke or being struck by lightning (as well as numerous other more common causes) in the USA than you are to be killed by terrorists in the UK.

 

[caffn8me]

Quote:

Originally Posted by roxybc Ok, I just checked one of those cheap air fair websites. The Prices seem too good to be true!!! Does this sound correct: A flight from London to Paris is only £9.99??? (Not including taxes). According to the website 2 roundtrip tickets for a 2 day mid week trip to Paris from London is only £110.00 Wow this is so cheap!! When I move there, I'll be taking mini vacations all the time!!

Easyjet flies from Luton airport (the "London" designation in its name is misleading as it isn't really in London). Getting to Luton Airport from Purley by train will take about an hour and a half and the return journey will cost £22.60 each so that adds to the flight cost of about £55.

Here's a direct comparison of travel leaving Purley rail station at about 6:30am on Friday 12th January with a return the following Monday. Detailed timings given for outward journey only.

Flying from Luton with Easyjet

• 0631hrs Train from Purley to Luton Parkway changing once arrives Luton Parkway (airport) 0805hrs - cost £22.60 return
• 0925hrs Easyjet flight 2553 to Paris CDG arriving at 1140hrs - cost £55.66 return including taxes
• 30 minutes for baggage reclaim, immigration and walk to train terminal
• Train from Paris CDG airport to Gare du Nord station - journey time 25 minutes - return fare 16.20 Euros - about £10
• Arrive Gare du Nord 1235hrs - total cost (return) £88.26 per person

Train from Waterloo with Eurostar

• 0625hrs Train from Purley to London Waterloo changing once arrives London Waterloo 0703hrs - cost £9.20 return
• 0812hrs Eurostar train to Gare du Nord Paris arriving at 1147hrs - cost £59.00 return including taxes
• No baggage reclaim or immigration at Paris (French immigration is done at check-in in London, you take your bags on the train with you)
• Arrive Gare du Nord 1147hrs - total cost (return) £68.20 per person return

So, if you leave Purley around half past six in the morning it will be 45 minutes faster by Eurostar and about £20 per person cheaper. All you have to do now is work out where to stay.

 

[roxybc]

Ooooh THANK YOU SOOO MUCH Caffn8me!! You've been so helpful!! I'm defintly going to consider the chunnel! My boyfriend and I are thinking of going with 3 or 4 of my boyfriends friends that live in Purley. We should probably buy the tickets soon.

Can anyone recomend a good, but inexpensive hotel in Paris?

 

[caffn8me]

Consider using http://www.priceline.com or http://www.priceline.co.uk to get a hotel in Paris and check out prices people are currently getting rooms for at http://www.biddingfortravel.com - there's a posting by someone who just managed to come back from several nights at the 4* Renaissance Hotel in LaDefense, Paris and paid $80 a night (that's US dollars). The location is a bit out of the way but 20 minutes by metro to the main tourist areas. There are reviews of the hotel here and a report on the recent bid of $80 here

 

[Uchina]

DON'T EAT THE FOOD jk. The shopping is to die for. Don't worry too much about what you're wearing. If you just walk around feeling self conscious, how the hell are you going to have fun? Here's a little formula for travel chic:

Trench
Dark denim
Cute, comfortable flats

Don't overpack, because you're going to be bringing back a lot of stuff from Harrods. If you're a history or an art buff, London is heaven.

Don't forget to take pictures of Japanese tourists taking pictures!

 

[roxybc]

What kind of clothing is "in" in London right now? Specifically pants and shoes? I usually just wear some comfy jeans and my clunky black boots. I know that the skinny jean is popular this season, but I'm not skinny anymore, so they are definitly NOT an option.

I'm worried I'm goig to stick out like a sore thumb!

Help!

 

[as_cute_as_pie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by roxybc What kind of clothing is "in" in London right now? Specifically pants and shoes? I usually just wear some comfy jeans and my clunky black boots. I know that the skinny jean is popular this season, but I'm not skinny anymore, so they are definitly NOT an option. I'm worried I'm goig to stick out like a sore thumb! Help!

TRUST me you will definately not stick out!
there is soooo many people in london (anywhere really) dressed so differently no one even notices

however if you're really worried try this site!
http://www.thelondonpaper.com/cs/Sat.../style/fashion

 

[flowerhead]

Quote:

Originally Posted by as_cute_as_pie TRUST me you will definately not stick out! there is soooo many people in london (anywhere really) dressed so differently no one even notices however if you're really worried try this site! http://www.thelondonpaper.com/cs/Sat.../style/fashion

Yeah, exactly, everyone is too busy to notice what you look like. I've walked down the street wearing a white fur coat (faux!) platforms, denim hotpants and bright pink fishnets and nobody even looked twice.

I live in Camden town and the shopping is amazing...as is Portobello market. Loads of beautiful vintage clothes and shoes.