Posts Tagged ‘London hotels’

The Oyster smart card system has significantly changed the way London’s “tube” operates.

An Oyster card lets you make use of the majority of the London transport system (even though some places choose to stay outside the scheme).

It lets you bag discounts on the standard fare as well as allowing you to avoid the inconvenience of queueing for tickets.

The system automatically saves you money by calculating the lowest fare at the end of each day based on your exact travel that day.

If you travel more than you expected to initially, it only charges you the lowest fare instead of pricey singles and returns.

So does the Oyster scheme have any downside?

It can feel a bit complex to start with, as you need to buy an Oyster card which costs a small deposit. You should however make this back in money saved very fast.

You also need to “touch in and touch out” your Oyster card throughout your journey. But you should get used to this quickly by copying the many Londoners who use the system.

Unless your trip to London is an extremely short visit, you are well-advised to get yourself an Oyster card. As far as we are aware, Oyster cards do not expire: you should be free to use them on future visits to London.

If you don’t expect to return soon, you should be able to get your deposit returned (though you should check at the London Underground ticket office before buying).

There is a “Visitor Oyster” card which you can buy from some outlets but it’s not 100% clear at the moment what its benefits are to tourists.

If you really don’t want an Oyster card, you should at least make sure that you buy the cheapest London travelcard for unlimited access to the tube and buses for the entire day. But you may need to wait until after 9.30am on weekdays to access the cheapest fares.

You could also grab a weekly travelcard for an even bigger discount in case you’re in London for longer, but this does mean that you need some sort of photo.

Do recall that Oyster cards and travelcards may be used on the tube and buses, though they are not valid at all rail stations. It’s important to confirm before travelling.

For more information about Oyster and public transport in London, do visit the official Transport for London website.

Finally, please make sure you wait until after 9.30am on weekdays to avoid London’s extremely high peak-time prices.

The writer provides expert advice on the best of London including real-time London hotel tips on Twitter.

My business partner invited be for a business discussions and completion of a business deal in London. Holland and France have already been visited in the previous years. I was very anxious to visit the Capital of England to see some of the things that I have read in books during my school days. Bookings were made for two hotels in the Russell square and then in the Victoria area. I spent one week each in both areas to visit the places of interet in all areas.

I got to Tavistock hotel by Taxi from the airport after going through all formalities at the airport. The journey to the hotel took more than an hour. The Russell square is home to many good hotels.

Although it was my first day in the area, I happen to like the the place. I just rushed to town the very day i arrived through the help of my street map. I was really not disappointed. In Russell Square on my first day, I visited the British library and the British Museum. I moved from the British Museum to the Covent garden and found a lot of street performers as I have read in books.

For the rest of the week at Tavistock hotel London, I visited the West end area. I paid a visit to Oxford Circus and the Marble Arch areas within that first week. I went to the Theatreland or the Leicester square where there were a lot of Theatres. I also visited Piccadilly Circus. It was in fact another busy area of London because it is very close to Leicester Square. I paid a visit to the shopping streets in the West End area on my 5^th day and was surprised to see that the place was so dense with shoppers and other tourists. I found out that the Oxford Street was the busiest, then the Bond Street and the Regent Street in that order. The China Town and Soho were next on my list and I paid a fleet visit to the area.

I went to stay in Victoria area in my second week as booked through Cheap London hotels agency. This is where I have been itching to be because it is most of the landmarks in this area that I have read about. My interest was in the changing of the Guard so I went to Buckingham Palace the first day in London Victoria. I would be forgiven for being anxious to visit the Big Ben because I have seen pictures of it and read about it in my school days. The Big Ben is just at the same location as the Houses of Parliament. I also grabbed the opportunity to visit the Westminster Abbey. The London Eye’s location was the last place of interest I visited in the Victoria neighbourhood. It is a piece of are which will always attract tourists. It no longer surprises my why the structure is one of the most visited attrctions in London. I enjoyed my stay in Central London and I would like to stay in the cheap hotels in Russell square as they have good accommodation standard but lower rates.

London is one of the most fashionable short break destinations in Europe and is possibly in the top ten of the most popula international destinations.

London offers everything any tourist could desire. If you are searching for a extensive assortment of shopping options as a matter of fact London has the largest number of retail premises in Britain. Shopping ranges from designer stores to second hand deals on a market stall. There are large famous department shops in the bustling principal streets.

During a busy days shopping you could have a break in one of the numerous coffee shops or a glass of wine in one of the umpteen pubs. After you have finished browsing you can enjoy some food in one of the many eating places. In London you will find a restaurant providing nearly every kind of food you could imagine from each part of the world. London has a very contrasting multi-ethnic population and this enables visitors to try out contrasting types of food.

After your evening meal why not enjoy one of the many world class performances in London’s West End. There you will find many renowned actors and actresses performing in the newest shows. There are many travel companies that offer special theatre breaks packages, which include a great seat at a show of your choice and a hotel.

London has a huge amount of accommodation choices of varied criteria from a basic youth hostel to five star plus luxurious hotels. The price of the property you select can be costlier if you choose a hotel in a busy part of London close to the main shops or theatres. A good solution for some people is to stay a bit away out of the middle of the city. This could save you cash and you can use the tremendous subway network to get you about London.

Getting to London is easy as there are London flights departing from most major cities. You can ordinarily get to London non-stop or by journeying via another major airport. Within Europe London is serviced by the numerous cheap airlines offering flights as low as one pound or less plus airport taxes. A quick search on the net will help you discover them.