Planning a destination: London

[CARMEN]

Hello,

My personal choice has been London because I and my husband are planning a Carnival family trip. It will be a surprise for my daughter because we want to reward her good attitude and good marks at school.
Therefore, we have planned a 8-day trip that will include a visit to Harry Potter Warner Park since my daughter is a fan of the famous wizard, almost a freak. Obviously, she knows everything about the famous Harry Potter saga. Although we have been there once, it will be the first visit for her.

Normally I am in charge of planning family trips because surfing the web, I have found a cheap three- star hotel called Bayswater Inn located in Westminster Borough, specifically nearby Hyde Park, just a 3-minute walk from Paddington Station and the 15-minute Heathrow Express service. As well, Westminster Borough area is a great choice for travellers interested in shopping, parks and history because Oxford Street, Regent Street and Bond Street are quite close.

We have booked a triple room for nine days, including breakfast whose price is 151 € per night. In addition the essential visits to London should be Tower of London, where we will see the world-famous Crown Jewels and meet the Beefeaters on a tour, British Museum where we will be able to admire the Museum’s masterpieces and learn how humans have shaped our world; London Eye, where we will enjoy incomparable panoramic views over the city; Westminster Abbey, a 700-year-old church in the heart of London, where all coronations of British monarchs have taken place and several royal weddings have been held. It is also the burial ground of numerous British historical figures.

Of course, we will not forget to visit Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, The Big Ben, the view from the Shard, the London Eye, St Paul’s Cathedral, the Thames sunset cruise and so on.

At the end of the trip, I have a surprise for my husband who is an absolute lover of castles. It is a one-day car trip to Windsor, including a visit to Stonehenge and Oxford. I have hired a car with the rental-car agency Avis located in Paddington for 70 euros, including taxes, fees and additional -censured-. I do not know what he will think but I do not think he makes hopeful about driving in England. It’s scary!

In addition, the last night of the trip we would like to have dinner in the restaurant "Rules", which is the London’s oldest restaurant which was established in 1798 and it is a compulsory visit if you are a bit of a history buff. I will try to make a reservation for next Carnival but it is almost impossible.

[Guest]

London
A map of the city: https://www.google.es/maps/place/Londres,+Reino+Unido/@51.6173315,-1.6980053,8.08z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x47d8a00baf21de75:0x52963a5addd52a99!8m2!3d51.5073509!4d-0.1277583
A hotel: https://www.atrapalo.com/dynamicpackaging/ec290a6a-0d59-4c0a-b4f7-cc069588dc27
Hiring a car.
https://www.atrapalo.com/coches/resultados/?cci=66a937133c5f0d13d12fb9d49c602602
Places to visit: I would visit some of these places: The London Eye, Greenwich, The National Gallery, Buckingham Palace, River Thames, The Houses of Parliament, Oxford Street, Madame Tussauds London…
A restaurant I would like to eat at:
https://www.tripadvisor.es/Restaurant_Review-g186338-d1316206-Reviews-Bar_61_Restaurant-London_England.html
A short summary of my travel plans.
I am having a great time in London and these are my travel plans for seven days. I would like to stay in a hotel that is nicely located, Hotel Days Waterloo. I do not really consider hiring a car since it is expensive and I can save a lot of money by using the London Travel Card in the tube, the bus, or the train, or simply walk since I already know the city. The first day I would like to visit The London Eye to get the beautiful views of the entire city from the air and after that, I would have a scorn and a coffee in one of the cafés in the harbour. The second day, I would walk to Saint James Park and go straight to Buckingham Palace to see the change of the guard. Then, I would have lunch at Bar 61 Restaurant London. The third day, I would go shopping by bus to Oxford Street. I would surely buy some chocolates and a teddy at Harrods and then I would go back to the hotel by cab. On Thursday, I would visit the British Museum and I would spend the morning there, especially on the floor dedicated to Egypt. Then I would buy some souvenirs in the British Museum Shop and I would go for a walk to Saint James Park. On Friday, I would go to Madame Tussauds Museum to have some fun and take some photos with the famous characters such as Shakespeare, Obama… The next morning, I would do a river tour by the Thames and I would hop off at Greenwich to go up the hill and enjoy the “0-grade” view. The last day, I would walk and have some fish and chips on the way to Saint Paul’s Cathedral. Then, I would go back home after having had a great time. I would post this summary on my blog after having had a big rest and after having found there are still some pounds in my wallet.

[Ana P]

Congratulations for your work!
Here's my plan for a seven-day trip to London, travelling with some friends and trying not to waste so much money:

1. Map of the city --> I usually use Google Maps on my smartphone. It's a good choice to see the exact point where you're located, the nearest places of interest and useful information about them. To complete the information given in Google Maps, public transport maps are very useful. Here you can find a PDF map of London Tube (link not accepted) and London bus (link not accepted).

2. Hotel to stay at --> For a week travel to London with some friends I've chosen a Hostel. It's a very cheap option, near city centre and most of them offer additional services. An example would be "The Pride of Paddington", which is located 5 minutes walking of Hyde Park and near the Tube Station of Paddington. Prices vary from 143€ (for a bed in shared bedroom, 8 people) to 221€ (for a two-bed bedroom) for the whole week. The price includes homemade breakfast, Wi-Fi service and a little shared kitchen between others. In addition is located just above a pub -perfect to eat every day or have a drink!-.

3.- Hiring a car --> The best option I've found is hiring a Hyundai i20 2DR with Inter-Rent (AutoEurope) for 22.18€, only with the basics included. The car should be taken and delivered at Heathrow Airport and the number of miles is limited to 90 per day. It includes civil liability -censured- and airport taxes.

4.- Five places to visit --> Here are five interesting, free plans in London:
* Free museums: affortunately there are lots of free museums in London. Some of the most known are the Natural History Museum (open daily 10.00 - 17.50), the Museum of London (open 10:00 to 18:00 daily) or the British Museum (open daily 10.00-17.30, a donation of £5 is recommended).
* Go to street markets: Borough Market, Brick Lane Market, Alfie's Antique Market, Portobello Road Market, Camden Lock Market...
* Enjoy the city parks: go for a walk in Hyde Park, go deer-spotting in Richmond Park, see the Prime Meridian line at Park Vista or watch the pelicans being fed every day at 2:30pm at St James's Park, between other animals.
* Watch the Changing the Guard ceremony outside Buckingham Palace.
* For some of the best views of the capital from the heady heights of 155m, head up to Sky Garden.

5.- A restaurant to eat at --> Cereal Killer Cafe in Candem, a retro cafe with an original food concept. Any of the Indian restaurants in London. And a meat-free restaurant like Mooshies for a quick, savoury dinner.