Traveling to London

You really should purchase Rick Steves' London Guidebook, it will be of great help to you and answer all of your questions. I recommend the Premier Inn at County Hall. It is reasonable, and in a fantastic location that I am sure you and your family will enjoy (it is recommended by RS as well). the Premier Inn chain of hotels is good - I have stayed at several of them in London. If you chose the County Hall one, try to book a room on the outside, rather than one facing an inner courtyard.
Good luck, and I know you and your family will really enjoy London!

In addition to the Rick Steves London guidebook, buy the Lonely Planet London guidebook. Between the two of them you'll find lots of suggestions on where to stay and what kinds of hotels and B&Bs are in each area. If you stay anywhere in central London, you'll never be more than a short walk from a Tube station. If you pick up a car in Luxembourg and drop it off in Germany, you'll pay a stiff international drop off fee. It will be cheaper to take a train into Germany and pick up a car there.

My husband and I stayed at the Crowne Plaza, South Kensington area, three years in a row. It is directly across the street form the Gloucester tube station. The hotel and the area are top notch. We were right down the street from the Kensington Gardens. There weren't any rooms available this past June, do the the Olympics preparation. This past June we stayed at the Doubletree, Westminister area. We were right on the Thames. We were high up and could see the Thames, to the left, right outside of our window. We could walk a very short distance, along the Thames, to the Parliament, Big Ben, The Tower Bridge, Horseguards Parade, etc., etc. There was a tube station, but the bus were closer by the hotel. We took buses more this time than the tube. We have stayed in London for a total of two months during these past four trips and enjoyed London to the fullest. We loved both hotels. London, Bath, York, Cambridge, Oxford, Cotswolds, etc. are beyond fantastic. We enjoy just walking down the streets near the Crowne Plaza hotel, or by the garden adjacent to the Parliament bldg. It is called the "Dean's Courtyard". We even got to watch two Houses of Parliament in action.

My preferred location in London is the Kensington-Craven Hill area. This is just north of Kensington Palace/Park and due west of downtown London 3 miles. This is THE PLACE to be. And they have accommodations in every price range in this area. The Tube runs through both neighborhoods an exit apart, and connections are easy to everywhere. Train to Luxembourg? How about taking the train to the more interesting Amsterdam for the same time/price? The autobahn will take you due south down the Rhine River Valley to Cologne and points south. It's very easy drive from The Netherlands.

I like the Bloomsbury area, near the British Museum. It's close to Tottenham Court and Oxford Street, but there's also charming rowhouses and quiet pubs frequented by the academia type (a university is not far from there). Lots and lots of B & Bs and some boutique hotels are the norm there.
As far as crazy drunks go, it's London. The British drink. And drink a lot. You will probably see plenty of drunken fools in every neighborhood. However, partying seems to be more concentrated in some, like Soho or Brixton. Usually, the drunks are out after the tourists go to bed, so unless you are hanging out past pub closing time, you're not going to mingle with them too much.

I agree with BG; Premier Inn at County Hall. Great location. You are walking distance to the London Eye, all the South Bank attractions, walking distance (west) across the bridge to Westminster, and beyond that (if you keep on walking) Buckingham Palace. If you walk east from your hotel along the south bank of the Thames River, you can walk (across a bridge) to St. Paul's or walk farther to Tower Bridge and Tower of London. Quiet area at night, yet lots of pubs and restaurants nearby. Unlike the U.S., a pub is not a place for drunken brawls all night long. In London a pub is more family oriented, serving good meals like a plate of fish and chips, or sandwiches, and even small children are taken there to eat with their families. I agree once again with BG; you really should purchase Rick Steves' London Guidebook.

Just another thumbs up for BG's comments about the Premier Inn chain . Having followed Rick since the early 80's and learned a great deal from him , one point on which I am of a different opinion is chain hotels . On our first trip to Europe in 2010, we spent five weeks in England and Scotland and in London and throughout the country used the Premier chain to a great degree . Always found a clean , well maintained room at a reasonable price . We also make good use of Accor properties on the continent and I have really never been disappointed with quality and service there as well . We do use independent hotels and small family run places as well , but see nothing wrong with using chains . Having said this , when in London we stayed at the Premier Inn in Earl's Court . Ten to fifteen minutes on the tube to Trafalgar square and a quiet , convenient location

My main question is what kind of vehicle are you planning on renting that will accomodate all those people and luggage? You will defntely need a van and should start looking for that asap. Since the family has left all the planning to you, hopefully they will all be okay with what you choose and just go with it. If they are like some families or friends they will let you do a ton of work and then want to add their two cents to the mix, once they see what you have come up with:) Also, be aware of the car seat laws in Germany. Hopefully Jo will post as I think I have seen something from her about the laws...or you can do a search. Good luck! I just did the drive from Luxeombourg to Germany about a month ago...and while there were good roads I can't say it was a particularly scenic drive. Also, definitely be aware of the drop charges for your vehicle. You might be better off just taking the train directly to Germany, then rent there.