Landmarks, Attractions & Events
State Opening of Parliament 5comments HK Brian Thanks Craig. I will be tourist just arrive London in the morning of 2024/7/17. By chance knowing the day is State Opening of Parliament (11 am) + Gun salutes for Queen’s Birthday at Tower of London (1pm). That’s why I’d learn from your experience if I can leave early around 11:30 from the fenced area and then take the tube from Westminster to London Bridge area to witness the Gun salutes around Tower Bridge. Thanks again for your valuable sharing.
Changing the Guard at Horse Guards 6comments Staff Hi Julia. You can see the two horses in the sentry boxes enter the stables in Horse Guards courtyard during the Dismounting Ceremony at 4 PM – londondrum.com/events/?p=18009
Horse Guards 9comments Janet macdonald-jarrett Is the pavement outside Horseguards (where the mounted guards stand) still M.O.D. property?
West End Walk 4comments Staff Hi Roger. The book has photographs and reviews of the all the landmarks and attractions. It doesn’t have any maps
Chinatown 9comments Staff Hi. Just walk down Charing Cross Road, turn right into Shaftesbury Avenue, and then left when you get to Gerrard Place. It’s not very far
The Colonel’s Review 4comments Lisa What are the blue ’circles’ on the browband of Prince William’s horse?
St. Martin-in-the-Fields 8comments Nadia Cowen On my trips in the 70s, 80s, and possibly later than that, I remember the bells of St. Martin’s, which certain times of day, rang for maybe 5-10 minutes and it was so beautiful, I would stop everything to stand and listen. But I haven’t heard them in at least 15 years. Are they still ringing but only once a day? Or not at all? The bells were quite loud and I’ve been thinking maybe they’re now considered too intrusive or annoying. I truly hope not!
Buses, Taxis & Tube Trains
Canada Water station 9comments Ellen Dear Station Staff, What time in the morning does the station’s main entrance gate open?
West Ham station 9comments Gill I am travelling from benfleet to gatwick soon and will have to change to the underground Jubillee line at West Ham. Are there stairs to get from main line to Jubillee line please? Thank you
Underground tube map 3comments marry william This is a fantastic explanation of how to read the London Underground map—really useful for both locals and tourists! Understanding the color-coding and interchange symbols definitely makes navigating the Tube easier, especially when the map isn’t to scale.
Pudding Mill Lane station 4comments Staff Hi Paddy. No, you have to go to one of the big overground stations – londondrum.com/transport/left-luggage-bag-storage.php
Oyster, contactless or travelcard? 61comments Staff Hi Rachael. There are different types of Railcard, but they usually only give a discount on ’Anytime Day Travelcards for zones 1-9, when bought as part of a ticket to London from outside of London’. So if you’ve already bought the national rail tickets then it won’t apply – familyandfriends-railcard.co.uk/about-railcard/travel-times-tickets/ Some Railcards also give you a 33% discount on Oyster fares, but only for the off-peak daily price cap. To get that you’d have to get a member of TFL staff load the Railcard onto an existing Oyster card, and then just tap down on the gate like normal
Child bus fares 12comments Staff Hi Tayo. If it’s just a day trip then it’s not worth getting an Oyster card for them. Presumably they don’t have contactless cards. So the best you can do is buy them an adult 1-day travelcard just for the buses – londondrum.com/transport/travelcards.php. You can’t buy family tickets
Senior bus fares 24comments Staff Hi Roger. If you mean the 60+ London Oyster photocard, then no. But if you mean a Freedom Pass with a red rose symbol on it then you should be able to use it on most local buses – londoncouncils.gov.uk/services/freedom-pass/how-use-your-freedom-pass
Hotels, Hostels & B&Bs
Strand Palace Hotel 6comments Staff Hi Pam. i would definitely get the piccadilly line and walk from Covent Garden. Its only a five minute walk, and you can walk through the centre of the piazza which will be nice. embankment is just as close, but changing trains would be a hassle. Although you would get a quick look at trafalgar square and nelsons column as you walk past charing cross
Hotels near Aldwych 2comments Staff Hi Sherrie. It’s close to some of the attractions. You can have a nice walk to Bank and the Royal Exchange, and across the Millennium Bridge to the Tate Modern and Shakespeares Globe, but the areas around the West End, Trafalgar Square and Tower Bridge are about 1 and a half miles away. Big Ben and Buckingham Palace about 2 miles. All easy enough to walk, but you’ll probably end up getting buses to most places. there are loads of buses going down Fleet Street and up towards the City. I would happily stay there if it was me
The Ritz 6comments Staff Hi Maggie. Don’t worry, you’ll enjoy it. I stayed there for a couple of nights on my own and I tried the Rivoli Bar, breakfast in the morning, meal in the evening… all by myself. All the staff are super polite and treat everyone like they’re the most important person there. You will be spoiled… and everyone dresses up for breakfast
Premier Inn Leicester Square 3comments Staff Thanks Vicky. I definitely recommend the hotel for the price so you should like it. It’s in the perfect spot
Thistle Holborn 1comments S Mulholland We certainly recommend this hotel based on our experience. The inside is lovely and the staff were wonderful and couldn’t have been more friendly to us. Thank you