London transportation

The hotel is just a short walk from Pimlico tube station. You have a really easy journey. Come into London on the Piccadilly Line, change to the Victoria Line at Victoria Station and you are one stop away from Pimlico. You could also walk from Victoria, but that looks a tiny bit longer. All tube carriages have tube maps on the walls so you can keep an eye on where you are. http://www.lunasimonehotel.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3&Itemid=3 With the tube stations so near I am not sure that you really need to worry too much about buses.

Deborah, Google "Transport for London". The first site in the list is the official site detailing pretty much everything you might want to know about buses, the Tube, etc., in London. As for what Tube stop to sue for the Luna Simone, I'd check their web site, or plug their address into the trip planner section of the Transport for London site. Can't help you with bus times. I always use the Tube or walk. There's much to be said for walking, and using the Tube to cover greater distances than you'd be comfortable walking. Be aware that many (most?) Tube stations are reasonably complex, with stairs and a bit of walking. After all, the system is well over 100 years old. Hauling luggage on and off trains and around stations is a pain. If you have more than a carryon, you might want to consider alternative ways to get from the airport into the city. Express trains run from Heathrow and Gatwick to Paddington and Victoria stations, respectively. From there, you can easily grab a taxi to the hotel. (Follow the signs to the "Taxi Rank" (or ask). There, you'll probably stand in line until you are at the top of the queue. Even in peak times it moves fast. Presumably, you are arriving at Heathrow since the Tube does not serve Gatwick. Once you clear passport control and enter the main part of the terminal, just look for signs to the Underground. Don't be shy about asking strangers for help. It's an airport: Almost everyone is there for the first time. If you don't buy pounds before you leave the States, it doesn't hurt to find an ATM and grab a minimal amount at Heathrow, so you can pay for the Tube and survive until after breakfast the next day.

Deborah, you can use this site http://www.tfl.gov.uk/ to help you plan your transportation in London. You put in your starting point and your destination, and the site will work out the route for you. I really doubt that you will need to use the buses. If you arrange your itinerary correctly, you can make good use of the tube and your own two feet. The Tube is really easy to use. Check out the route map before you go. The color coding of lines really makes it easy. You will need to decide what type of "ticket" will be most cost effective/convenient. There are some 2 for 1 admission deals with a paper travel card purchased at a NATIONAL RAIL station- it must have the national rail logo on it and must be valid for the day you use the deals. Check out this site for info http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/ Then there is the Oyster Card. It is not a ticket itself, but a non-paper way of paying for London Transport. You can load various travel cards or just load a sum of money for pay-as-you-go -sometimes called PAYGO- and the card will calculate the cheapest rate for all the transport you use on a given day. You can also put both a zone 1-2 travel card and some paygo money on the card and use paygo for when you travel outside zones 1 & 2. There is a small deposit for the Oyster card, but it is returned when you return the card at the end of your trip, or keep it for next trip. Oyster is also good on ALL buses in any zone in London and some train travel - only in the zones covered. London is a very walkable city. Many of the sites you will want to visit will be within a 10-30 min. easy walk of each other. The Luna Simone is in the general area of Victoria Station which is actually close behind Buckingham Palace. From the Palace you can stroll down Pall Mall to Trafalgar Square/Westminster/Parliament area. Then on to Leicester Square, China Town, Covent Garden, Piccadilly Circus areas. And all those also have 1 or more Tube stations.

I am not familiar with Luna Simone, however we frequently stay in Apartments closer to Pimlico Station. Per Google the hotel is half a mile from Victoria Staion (a little closer to Pimlico) on Belgrave Road. On first arriving with luggage, i would taxi to the hotel from Victoria (tons of taxis available). There after you could bus up Belgrave or Vauxhall bridge road (next block over) but it is a lot easier for visitors to take the Tube. They go to all the tourist sites/sights. If the weather is good you can walk South on Belgrave to Pimlico and then sideways (east) to the tate, Westminster etc. The sideways part is a very nice generally green walk, the Southward part goes past some very interesting pubs. So you are in a good location. (Oh yes- after you find your hotel, its easy to walk to Victoria train/tube. Not a big deal.) From arrival at Heathrow there are signs to the Underground- it could be a long walk- take the line (piccadilly) toward London, change at Hammersmith (easy just across the platform) to District Line which will take you to Victoria Tube. Victoria Tube station is convenient as it does District/Circle lines as well as Victoria line. We occasionally take the bus in good weather, just by looking at the bus stop notices when we find a bus (front seats upper deck for the view)going in the general direction of where we want to go. but I think you have to be born there to be really comfortable with the busses Conclusion: use the Tube, not busses. We enjoy walking in London when we arent in a hurry. How far we walk depends on the scenery and sights surrounding us. (usually we Tube to th sights, and maybe walk part way back

Bus 24 will take you from Victoria Underground Station to your hotel in about the same time it takes you to walk. Bus 24 in the opposite direction will take you to Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square and beyond. While most tourists prefer the tube, London buses allow you to see what you are going past and eliminate a lot of walking, steps, and escalators. Your feet will thank you for taking the bus. This bus map will help you plan your journeys: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/gettingaround/maps/buses/ . Use the Luna Simone's post code, SW1V 2BB, to plan your route. This visitor bus map is also handy: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/visitor-bus-route-map.pdf . Bus stops are clearly signposted with route number and route details. Ask at your hotel for the local perspective.

Wow, thanks for all the info. Helps alot.