London calling - 50th birthday trip/1st time in UK - Kensington base?

How long will you be in London? Will you be making any day trips outside of London? Or will you be visiting any other area of England on your trip? To detemine whether or not the London Pass will be a good buy you really need to map out what you think you will be able to see on your trip and how many days you will be in London. Then check the admission fees for those sites, add up their totals and compare that total to cost of the London Pass. I made my 1st trip to London last October and had a GREAT time. The 1st thing we did was to take the Hop On/Hop Off tour to get a good feel for where things were and to get the lay of the land. I would recommend taking the complete loop at least twice - once during the day and once at night to see the city with all the lights. You also get a Thames river crusie w/ the price of the HOHO tour, we enjoyed that too and it was nice to see the landmarks from the river instead of from street level. We stayed near Victoria station last year, but as I plan my trip for spring of 2012 I think I'll stay near to Convent Garden or the British Museum. This location will also put me nearer the theatre district. Good luck with your planning - it really is half the fun!

You didn't say how long your were going to be in London. A daily pass is probably best for a day or two but you need to know what zones you'll be traveling in. Most (but not all) tourist sites are in Zone 1 & 2. If you are going to be there three or more days, the Oyster Card will be more convenient. With the Oyster Card, you won't pay more than what you would have paid if you bought a daily pass and you can cross into other zones. The downside with the Oyster is you end up with a pass with money left on it when you leave. You specifically wrote "London Pass." That's a card you can buy that gets you admitted into select London sites. They also sell a "travel pass" with it. I've never bought their travel pass and I haven't heard anyone recommend them over the daily pass and Oyster Card. Kensington is a swanky part of London. It's convenient to the circle tube line around London. I'm not familiar with any places to stay in Kensington so maybe someone else will have some suggestions.

Thanks for your replies, Stevies. We will be there from November 4-11. So is the Oyster card a plastic card that's good on all lines? I think I saw it's not good for the LHR express train which I think we will take b/c I've read that the tube has little room for baggage? Love the idea of a HOHO tour - thanks.

Marie, an Oyster Card is a plastic card used on the London Underground (Tube). You buy them at Tube stations. You might, for example, put 40 pounds on an Oyster Card. You slap them on a big yellow circle at Tube turnstiles. A discounted fare is subtracted from the value of the card. You can add more cash if you need to. A TravelCard is another variation of this scheme. Oyster Cards and TravelCards can also be used on some other transport besides the Tube. The rules and regulation are many, though, so I recommend visitors just buy anOyster Card to keep things simple. For a 7-day visit, two 20 pound Oyster Cards ought to be fine for you and your husband. For the official scoop on the Tube, Oyster Cards, etc., check the Transport for London site (http://www.tfl.gov.uk/).

My husband and I really like the Kensington/Earls Court area. Try the London Lodge Hotel (www.londonlodgehotel.com) It's a very short walk from the Earls Court tube stop, has A/C and an elevator, lots of restaurants nearby, and you can hop on the tube and get to most attractions with minimal hassle. Also, if you're taking the tube in from Heathrow, it's a straight shot. That area is also pretty quiet at night. Regarding the London Pass; on our first trip to London, my husband and I compared entry fees for all the sights we planned to see with the cost of the London Pass to see which was the better value. For that trip the Pass worked out slightly cheaper, and I liked the idea of not having to wait in long lines for tickets. We're going back again this fall, and with what we plan on seeing this time, individual entry fees will be alot cheaper for us, and the lines aren't really that bad. As for the travel portion, you'll probably do better with a pay-as-you-go Oyster card, or separate travelcards (see www.tfl.gov.uk). If you're staying in London for at least 5 days, the 7-day travelcard for Zones 1 and 2 at £27.60 is a pretty good value since you can travel the tube and/or buses anytime of day, and just pay a little additional for the trip into the city from Heathrow. It is true that neither the Oyster nor travelcard is good on the Heathrow Express. If your concerned about navigating the tube with your luggage, you might want to look at justairports.com, which is a car service from Heathrow that alot of other posters have mentioned. We've never used it, but it seems to cost about the same as the HEX depending on where your staying.

Thank you for posting - I think Travelers Helpline is such a great resource!

Marie, we actually prefer to stay in the Kensington area of London. It is a little less "touristy" and you will find local restaurants and pubs. The area is beautiful and close to parks and museums. We took a "little black taxi" in the evening to the theater district which is always fun.

I agree the black cabs are fun, but if you are going into the central special zone they are very costly. I too took a cab from a play one evening back to hotel, across this area and paid at least 60 pounds, I believe. If you are concerned with transportation cost, I suggest that you do not plan to depend on cabs to get around the special zone in central London.

I agree the black cabs are fun, but if you are going into the central special zone they are very costly. I too took a cab from a play one evening back to hotel, across this area and paid at least 60 pounds, I believe. If you are concerned with transportation cost, I suggest that you do not plan to depend on cabs to get around the special zone in central London.

I don't take cabs much in London but I keep up with things pretty well including watching London local news. I've never heard of a central special zone. And Sixty Quid for a cab ride from a London theatre to a London hotel? You must have really taken the scenic route, or you have been sold a pup. Last time I went from Waterloo to Islington it was under a tenner.

Marie, I posted some information in answer to your question about the Travelcard. I also did the math on the London Pass, and with everything we're doing we're still spending less on admissions than the cost of one London Pass, so that didn't make any sense for us. I also posted a link to someone else's question from March that talks a lot about the transportation options. I recommend it to you. We're not staying in the Kensington area but are not too far away where we've reserved at the Lime Tree Hotel. We haven't stayed there, but it looks nice, is in a good location, and they've been very prompt at responding to emails. It's just a few minutes from the Victoria Coach Station. Planning is such fun!

Thank you all so much. I think my only assignment moving forward will be to figure out if I can buy a flat fee TravelCard for unlimited usage (what I want) or if I need to buy the Oyster card and keep "topping it off". Here in Chicago we have monthly transportation passes that allow you unlimited rides on the train or train/bus. From my American perspective, that's what I am looking for so I don't need to worry about topping off. Hopefully they have a 7 day option. But, here again, part of travelling is to be like a London local so we would do what they do. So excited! Thanks again.

3) Yes; we've stayed in Kensington and loved it. If you don't have a hotel yet, I would recommend the Bailey's Millenium (110-150 GBP). Very nice hotel in a remodeled 19th Century Victorian mansion. The Gloucester tube station is across the street (straight shot to/from Heathrow). There are plenty of eateries around, and we walked to the Science Museum, Natural History Museum and Hyde Park. Happy Birthday!

Marie, you can get a 7-day travelcard. But the question you need to answer is whether to buy it from the London Underground or the National Rail. Both cards cost the same and are good for the same types of transportation, but the National Rail qualifies you for the 2-for-1 deals. See www.daysoutguide.co.uk

To redeem the 2for1 deals you need to either make them well in advance at home, and print them out, or have a printer at your hotel or flat. I don't like planning what I will do on what day so far in advance, and we didn't have a printer at our flat in London, so we bought our one-week pass at Paddington and attached it to an Oyster Card. I find the Oyster Card to be very easy, just tap it and walk through the turnstile (vs. having to the card into the slot and take it when you are through the turnstile). Also on buses you just tap it when you get on.

Actually you don't have to print out vouchers ahead of time. You can pick-up a brochure at the train station, and there are blank vouchers in the back of it.

If you don't want to use the paper travel card's 2-for-1 deals, you can load a travel card on an Oyster card. Then you just do the tap in-tap out routine. If you are planning any day trips out of London you might find this helpful (I wrote this article for AAA a few years ago after we had been traveling to London twice a year for more than 20 years). http://www.aaacarolinas.com/Magazine/2008/Jan-Feb/britain.htm?zip=28105&stateprov=nc&city=matthews

We always stay in Kensington - have stayed at the Quality Crown Kensington quite a number of times and will be doing so again in August. It too is close to the Gloucester tube station. We've had very good luck with this hotel, though I notice on Trip Advisor there are some people who have not liked it. It's been 3 years since we stayed there, but it was good at the time.

I stayed at the Kensington Base2Stay Hotel and I loved the location, and the rooms had tiny kitchenette( sink, mini fridge and microwave), a/c and nice duvets instead of scratchy or pilly blankets. It is right between the Earls Court and Gloucester Tube stations, within walking to Victoria and Albert and Natural History Museums( I love the VA) , and there are two good grocers within a block or two. Felt safe walking alone at night in that area too. Rooms are small. but very clean, and staff were great.

Another vote for the Kensington area. We stayed in an apartment in South Kensington a short walk to the Glouchester Road tube station and really liked the location. As others have said, close to Kensington Gardens, the Natural History, Science and V&A museums. And it feels somewhat residential, which can be relaxing after a long day of sightseeing. Re the 2 for 1 deals, Mary is correct. There is no need to print the coupons out ahead of time. You can pick up a brochure with the coupons at the train station. Or you can print them out at home before you leave and then bring them with you. They don't tie you down to any particular time or date. You can use them or not as you desire once you get to London.

Thank you all so much for taking the time to post. I am more comfortable with our decision to base in Kensington after reading your suggestions. As I have said before on this webpage - I think this is a great resource for those of us who like to travel. In the old days you could ask your school teacher aunt or someone about their trips - this is so much better! Thanks!