From: simon@cs.city.ac.uk (Simon Brock-Gunn)
Newsgroups: rec.travel
Subject: Re: London, Information wanted
Date: 27 Jul 92 10:45:10 GMT
Organization: City University, London

In article <1992Jul23.204944.22771@wpi.WPI.EDU> rberi@encore.WPI.EDU
 (Rajesh Beri) writes:
>I have around ten hours to kill in London.  Could someone
>send me the following information :

I know these are specific questions, but since they seem to get asked so
often I thought I would post instead of e-mailing.

>1) How long does it take from Heathrow to the city ? Best form
>   of transportation ? Schedule, fare etc.

It depends where in London you want to end up, of course.  The quickest
way is by tube - the Picadilly line runs directly from all the terminals
to central london and you can change to other lines there.  It takes about
an hour and a one day travelcard from here will cost you 3.40 pounds and
will also let you travel around for the rest of the day - a single ticket
is about 50p less if you aren't going to be going anywhere else on your
day of arrival.

>2) Can't miss sights ?

See some of the places mentioned below in answer to your next question.
My biggest piece of advice in sightseeing is *TAKE THE BUS* or you end up
missing most of London.  Get a bus map from tourist offices - they are
easy to use, and a one day travelcard lets you use buses as well as tubes
and trains.  If you sit upstairs you see so much that most tourists miss
by travelling on the hot, overcrowded tube.

>3) Will I be able to see Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square
>   Hyde Park, Tower of London, Lords within a span of 10 hours ?

You can do it in cosiderably less time!
Since I had nothing better to do, I thought up a route to cover this lot:

Start at Victoria station (Circle, District, Victoria lines).  Walk along
Buckingham Palace Road then Buckinghan Gate to get to Buckingham Palace.

Walk along The Mall (leads directly away from Buckingham Palace), past St
James's Park on the right, to Trafalgar Square.

Take a number 15 bus from the top of Trafalgar Square, outside the
National Gallery, to the Tower of London.  You will pass along the Strand,
around Alwych, along the length of Fleet Street, past St Paul's Cathedral
on the left, past the Monument on your right, before arriving at the
Tower.

Take a number 25 bus from Minories (this is the road that leads northbound
from Tower Bridge).  This will take you to Hyde Park, after passing the
Lloyd's Building, the Royal Exchange, the Bank of England, the Old
Bailey, Holborn, Oxford Street, Berkeley Square, Picadilly and Green
Park.  Get off the bus at Wellington Arch, and Hyde Park will be on your
right ahead of you.

After going through Hyde Park, walk up to Marble Arch and turn right down
Oxford Street.  From the bus stop *opposite* Selfridges, catch a number 13
or 159 which will take you to Lord's.

>4) How much cash would I need ? This includes transportation,
>   entrance fees, food and a couple of pints of the best ale
>   in the world. 

2.50 pounds for a one-day travelcard that lets you go anywhere within
central london on bus, tube or train for a day.  The only place I
mentioned above that charges for admission is the Tower of London - I
don't know how much it is, probably a fiver.  Food costs as much as you
want (ie it depends where you go) and if you wanted the best ale in the
world then the experts would advise you against coming to London!
Seriously, a pint of something ordinary in a London pub will probably be
about 2 pounds.

>5) Last but not the least, WEATHER at this time of the year.

At the moment it is very hot and sunny and humid.  Always, always, always
carry an umbrella, but don't worry about it getting too cold.

==============================================================================
|| Simon A. Brock-Gunn | Computer Science Dept. | You can't have everything ||
|| simon@cs.city.ac.uk | City University, Nort- | - where would you put it? ||
|| Tel +44 71 477 8000 | hampton Square, London |---------------------------||
|| Fax +44 71 477 8587 | EC1V 0HB, England, UK. |   (THIS SPACE FOR RENT)   ||
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Newsgroups: rec.travel