I will be traveling to Manchester for a few days in October and will spend one day in London on the way home for a whirlwind 1st visit. Any recommendations for a Heathrow hotel?
Also, anyone have good things to say about London Walks? I had a good Marais walking tour this Spring with Paris Walks.
Thanks in advance.
Craig
I did a nice walk with London Walks in 2003 - the theme was related to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. Knowledgeable guide was on time and informative (and
a fast walker - in high heels no less!). I've looked at their online schedule and it appears they've added quite a few new tours - you should have plenty to pick from.
Side note - if you're only in London one day, you might consider a hop-on-hop-off bus - they will give you a great overview of the city and you'll at least be able to say you've seen Big Ben, etc.
http://www.cityoflondonguide.co.uk/index.htm
The above web link relates to an outstanding guide called Keith Bates. If you want the very best try and get on one of Keith's walks. You won't be disapointed.
If you do join one of his walks - please feel free to mention my name in full
Alan Bishop
Craig,
We did Westminster Abbey and a Shakespeare walk with London Walks last April; both very enjoyable, and the LW tour gets you in to Westminster without waiting on line. In 2006, we spent 2 nights in the Jury's Inn near Heathrow, fine room at a reasonable price and a short walk from the Hatton Cross tube station. Have a great time in London!
Just make sure that you get "The Original London Walks" because there are some competitors, who are not as good, who call themselves "London Walks" or something similar. That being said, Original London Walks is a great great company.
I sometimes think that I have taken every London walk that there is (I lived in London for a while and visit there about once a year). I think that they are almost always very good, but they have gotten crowded over the years. If you see a walk led by Emily, take it. She is fantastic ... an RSC actress who always gives a very fun tour. The pub walks in the evening are also very enjoyable.
Regarding Heathrow hotels, how late will you arrive or how early will you leave to go back to the U.S.? My question is do you need to stay at Heathrow? If not, another option would be to take the tube from Heathrow to Earls Court or Gloucester Road. Both of these stations are on the Picadilly Line and are about 45 minutes from Heathrow. There are a fair number of reasonably priced (for London) hotels within close walking distance of these stations. Unless I had a very early morning flight out of Heathrow, I would probably choose to stay in London.
