England Trip in June - London and Manchester Questions

Two initial observations-

For the Hyatt Place London City- from Heathrow I would stay on the Elizabeth Line all the way to Whitechapel then walk back down the road to the hotel;
or transfer onto the tube one stop back west to Aldgate East.

I'm not sure if there is a mis-type. Son is a Manchester City Fan but you are going to an Old Trafford (Man Utd) tour- I would have thought you would go to the Etihad for a Man City tour?
3 hours would be a slow train to Manchester Picc nowadays. Most are a few minutes over two hours.
You reach the Etihad on the tram from the undercroft at Piccadilly.

For Harry Potter train/bus is always the fastest way to get there. The cheapest is always a couple of tube/red London bus combos.
I thought the studio bus ran from Victoria and Baker Street, not Kings Cross (as opposed to your Kings Crossing) but plenty of people take the bus- it costs a lot more and not really more convenient for you. But then you have an hour and more on the bus of apparently getting into the mood. So I suppose it's your choice.

Thanks much for the reply - and typo for sure :) He's a ManUnited fan, not City. So Old Trafford it is.

We enjoyed the views from Horizon 22 (free), just north of Leadenhall Market. Are you planning to visit the Tower of London? We were in that area over the weekend and some restaurants were closed on Sunday. We ended up at the Pizza Express by the Tower which had slow service but was fine overall. After dinner we walked over to the Tower and got some great "golden hour" photos of Tower Bridge.
For your return, are you sure you want to stay near Heathrow when your flight home isn't until 6 pm? I would stay in central London if possible.

Sounds like an exciting trip- a few thoughts/suggestions:

• For getting from the airport to your hotel- yes, you can transfer to the tube at Paddington to the Hammersmith and City line to Aldgate East. There is also a different nearby station called Aldgate on the Metropolitan line.
• Some of my favourite things in the area you are staying in: walking down Brick Lane (especially to get an authentic London beigel at Beigel Bake or Beigel Shop- they are next door to each other tho I believe one is currently closed); going for South Asian food at either Lahori Kebab House, Needo, or Tayyab's (Tayyab's tends to be the most crowded- and note these are all BYOB); seeing all the oldest parts of London, including sections of the Roman city wall in the City around Bank (tho note on the weekends this area gets very quiet); climbing the Monument to the great fire of London at Monument; and of course the Tower of London which is very close by (in my opinion the best historic site in London)
• Manchester is quite far for a day trip in my opinion but I understand when you're short on time. Train bookings open something like 90 days ahead and I would definitely book in advance for that one to ensure you get seats. In terms of things to do there that kids might like there's a great Science and Industry Museum, and the National Football Museum.
• There's not a whole lot I can think of to do near White Hart Lane so I would probably just head back into town.
• You can just walk up and see the changing of the guard. Just be there a bit early to beat the crowds. For Trooping the Colour, even if you don't get a ticket for the ceremony you can still watch the parade for free.
• London Dungeon is a little silly but can be fun. I think it would be scary for an 11 year old but in a fun way.
• For Wimbledon you can queue for ground tickets on the day but I think it's quite popular and you're not guaranteed to get anything. I wouldn't bother unless I was a really big tennis fan.

Hope this was helpful and safe travels!

Thanks for the feedback - Tower of London is on the list. And we may end up staying in central London that one night - but we're in the "need 2 rooms" category, and this will be our 22nd night of our trip, so not sure I will be wanting to drop Central London rates for one night (Staying at Hyatt for main London leg as they have a program where your 2nd room is 50% off for families).

Thanks again for the suggestions on the restaurants!

I’ve never been to Trooping the Colour but I believe that the audience needs to be in place well before the ceremony starts (11am from memory) and you will have to go through a security check. I don’t know when you’ll be able to leave but would expect not before 1230. Tube trains in the area will probably be quite busy. If you want to, you can walk from the parade ground up the Mall to Buckingham Palace where the King and the Royal family will come out onto the balcony for a fly past by the air force at 1pm. However, you’d be right at the back of the large crowd outside Buckingham Palace.

Changing of the Guard is a vastly smaller and much quicker (15 mins plus marching to Buckingham Palace and back??) ceremony which takes place 3 or 4 times a week. There’s a website giving dates if you google Changing of the Guard. There are no stands or bookable places, it is just turn up and watch. The best places by the palace railings go first. Note, unlike Trooping of the Colour, this will be cancelled in rainy weather as rain damages the musical instruments.

Regarding the visit to the Tottenham Hotspur stadium, the nearest station is White Hart Lane on the “Weaver” line of the London overground. It goes from Liverpool Street. Or, you could get the tube to Seven Sisters and a bus from there. It’s not well served by public transport and I would aim to avoid going there on any day when the stadium is hosting an event.

There isn’t anything else to see in the area, indeed the stadium looks totally out of place ( very big and shiny glass and concrete ) in an otherwise not very prosperous area of north London.

I would suggest that you don’t book anything the afternoon of the Harry Potter studio tour. I am not a huge HP fan and I spent 4 hours there. It is a huge site and it would be easy to spend much more time there.

I went to the HP studio last June. The easiest way was to take the London Northwestern Railway from Euston to Watford Junction. The train ride was about 20 minutes. The HP bus was right outside the station. You show them your ticket to tour the studio and the bus is free.

If you go to the London Northwestern Railway website and click on the dropdown menu for destinations, you will find HP Studio.

Enjoy your time at the studio & happy travels!

Thanks all for the recent posts and information on the stadium (sounds like not the best area) and the HP Tour information. The family are all huge HP fans, so we'll plan to spend at least half the day there with no rush to get back.

I also recommend you take the (really cool!) HP bus at Watford Junction. It picks you up right outside the station and whisks you off to an amazing adventure! Super easy. Have fun! Sounds like a great trip!
Sara

Paddington is a massive building that's set up as two different parts, and not loaded with signs, you may need to seek out a building map to find out how to transfer. And it's good to ask lots of questions if you're not sure. Never assume anything in London :)

The direct bus for Harry Potter Studios leaves from Victoria Station.
https://www.goldentours.com/warner-bros-harry-potter-studio-tour-london/warner-bros-studio-tour-london-transport-only
Be VERY careful of what your travel options are during a Sunday.
Very often schedules can be limited, especially getting back later in the day. Be sure you'll have a cell phone that works there and it can dial a taxi.

I can't find a train from King's Cross to Watford, I can only find ones from Euston Station. It's not far from King's Cross, about 1.5 miles down the same road.

Realistically, you have way too many trips out of London planned, especially with kids. Looks like you only have a few days and will barely stay in London at all. I'd keep the HP Studios tour, and get it to ONE stadium tour within London. Manchester is 4 hours each way plus travel time to and from the train stations, plus time for the tour, maybe doable for someone staying in London for 2 weeks, but not reasonable for a 4-day stay. Maybe the other option would be to change to a hotel right near a train station, but you'll all leave London feeling like you never saw any of it if you try to get to Manchester and Watford and Tottenham.

It looks like Tottenham is 20 miles+ from anywhere. Would probably be best to let the 20 year old make his own plans for that. Plus the tour is expensive. Might be best for him to have his own adventure.

I've found my Google Fi cell phone worked great in London, and for the same price as home. Just be sure you have some working mobile phones so you can all keep in touch with each other.
When I lived and worked at a hostel in London for a couple of months, the teenagers said a resounding "no" about London Dungeon Museum. They spent their time in Camden, shopping and pubs. But we were in Hampstead, so that was nearby.

If you get a rain day, you might want to consider the Imax https://www.bfi.org.uk/bfi-imax
(the trick to get in to it is there's an underground walkway, called a "subway" off to the left of the bus stop out front of Waterloo Station as you look at the Imax, wondering how to get across that traffic circle :) Yes, that comes from personal experience.

Changing of the Guard is something yes, you can walk up and see, in theory, IF you get there an hour early and try to get a visible space. My plan next time is to bring a periscope: Realistically, if you go to the Trooping of the Colour, then Changing of the Guard will be a let down :) You may want to lighten your schedule.

Just getting back from Paris and being ready to go from London back home will be way enough to do, Wimbledon won't be a reasonable thing.

These plans sound like it might be the first time any of you have been in London. It's a massive place, you may want to lighten up your schedule.

The direct bus for Harry Potter Studios leaves from Victoria Station.

Only if you are paying for a Golden Tours package. If you are make your own way to HP You need to book tickets yesterday. Trains to Watford leave from Euston not Kings Cross.

Sorry, but there are a lot of mistakes in Aly's response.

Euston is just under 3/4 of a mile from Kings Cross. Not 1.5 miles.

Tottenham Stadium is 6 miles from Kings Cross and can be reached in around 45 minutes by bus from Aldgate East. Forget about going the day of a concert. You won't get near the place with the extra security.

It will take about two hours and 15 minutes by direct train from London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly. not four hours. (I've done this trip numerous times.)

The bus noted in her response from Victoria Station to Harry Potter is a private transfer at 44 GBP per person for adults and 39 GBP for kids. The walk up rate for the train journey from London Euston to Watford Juncion is just under 15 GBP per person round trip. For your family of six that would be a saving of over 130 GBP. (Around $165)

Be wary of Sunday schedules as some lines might be shut for maintenance. This could be both for the London area as well as out of town trains. I couldn't find any information on planned closures for June. They may not be out yet.

If you haven't already done so, look into downloading the "Citymapper" app for your phone. It gives directions and journey planning for cities around the world including live timings for public transportation. Most major cities in Europe are available.

Tottenham Stadium is 6 miles from Kings Cross and can be reached in around 45 minutes by bus from Aldgate East.

That is also not the obvious route. Take the London Overground (Enfield Town or Cheshunt trains) from Liverpool Street to White Hart Lane in 20 minutes every 15 minutes. Tube (Circle or Hammersmith and City) one stop Aldgate East to Liverpool Street.
From the hotel it is almost faster to walk to Liverpool Street.

Trains to Watford Junction (where you want to be) leave from Euston, trains to Watford (a good mile away) are Metropolitan line tube trains and leave from Aldgate and Kings Cross.

The tube trains from Aldgate East or Aldgate serve Euston Square (a short walk from Euston).

It is also not true that you take a bus from Seven Sisters Tube Station to White Hart Lane- you change onto the London Overground Weaver Line trains there (the ones above from Liverpool Street)

isn31c - I was brought up in Tottenham, and still go back occasionally for matches. Yes, you can get the 'Weaver Line' overgound train from Seven Sisters to White Hart Lane but White Hart Lane station is about 5 minutes walk from the stadium and the trains run every 15 mins or so. Although the old Spurs stadium was always called 'White Hart Lane' (and many of us Spurs supporters call the new stadium that too) the ground is actually in Tottenham High Road, not White Hart Lane, which is a road off the high road close to the ground. I presume WHL sounds a bit more glamorous, although it isn't.

My preference would be to simply exit Seven Sisters tube station (the exit signposted to the High Road) and get a bus on one of the several bus routes that run along Tottenham High Road that stop directly outside the stadium. Much of the route is a bus lane, so the buses run reasonably fast.

Thanks all for the various replies. For HP, we're planning on taking the train from Euston to Watford Junction for the short 15 minute HP bus (not the longer bus from Victoria Station). Tottenham will ultimately be a game-time decision for us on what else we have going on, and I'm understanding from all of this that it's not easy to get to necessarily, is a bit outside of the normal London tourist areas, and given Beyonce is in concert that entire time, it's unlikely they are giving tours during that time. And downloaded the Citymapper app - so all good there.

Appreciate all the responses!