Is there a London expert here?

[mimi]

Thanks to the new non stop flights to London by Norwegian Air, I have the chance of a trip of a lifetime.
We are going to London in Late September, and hope to take the train to Paris.
But the portion of the trip I am asking you about is the part in London.

It looks like the best thing to do after landing at Gatwick at 7am is to take a bus (or train?) into London. I am sure I will be exhausted, I have flown to Italy several times, but I always stayed with friends the day I arrived, so the problem is;
where can I go in the morning and be able to nap? Sounds like an Inn or an inexpensive hotel would be the best thing, at least for the first night. Where to stay? I have no intention of driving a car, am happy to take trains, buses, and trolleys everywhere; but I also don't want to be so far out that it's a 2 mile hike to get a meal.
I am thinking, after the first night, I would then try to find an AirBnB for the rest of my time in London, as costs are a huge consideration. If you could suggest some neighborhoods, then I could at least begin to investigate.

Thank you to anyone with experience that cares to respond.

 

[Ian Sutton]

Hi Mimi
Welcome to the forum!
If wanting to grab a bed straight away, then worth seeing what is on offer with Gatwick airport hotels, as they appear to do 'day rate' options for ~ £50-80. Whilst it is feasible that an ordinary hotel may not have been fully booked and could thus let you check in and take your room on arrival, but that's always open to the vagaries of their bookings. At worst you'll normally be able to do the check-in paperwork & drop bags off, but then it can be difficult finding things for a tired mind to do. In warmer weather, the parks could be an option, though the end of September can be variable.

In terms of neighborhoods, I'm not really in a good position to advise and it does change over time and I've never been that aware of what's good / not good. Are there any key attractions that would naturally steer to a particular area of London? Presumably if nothing else, being within easy reach of the St Pancras Eurostar Station would be useful.

regards
Ian

 

[Eleanor]

Day lets are available at the Bloc Hotel in the south terminal at Gatwick airport - available from 7am - 4pm but they do have to be booked and paid for in advance. Email bookingslgw@blochotels.com or call +44 (0)203 051 0101.

Use the train to get to London. Gatwick station is right next to the south terminal. You can catch either the Gatwick Express to London Victoria. These run every 15 minutes and take 30 minutes. However they do get busy. The other alternative is to catch the Gatwick to St Pancras service which runs every 30 minutes. It tends to be a lot quieter with few people with luggage. There are several stops and it takes around an hour.

There are several Travelodges close to St Pancras Station which can provide cheap basic accommodation. Check in time is usually 3pm but you can book a 12 o'clock check in for an extra £10. There is also a Premier Inn which works out a bit more expensive. Check in is from 2pm.

There is a Premier Inn close to Victoria station, but the Travelodges are a bit further away and not quite so convenient.

 

[mimi]

Hi Mimi
Welcome to the forum!
If wanting to grab a bed straight away, then worth seeing what is on offer with Gatwick airport hotels, as they appear to do 'day rate' options for ~ £50-80. Whilst it is feasible that an ordinary hotel may not have been fully booked and could thus let you check in and take your room on arrival, but that's always open to the vagaries of their bookings. At worst you'll normally be able to do the check-in paperwork & drop bags off, but then it can be difficult finding things for a tired mind to do. In warmer weather, the parks could be an option, though the end of September can be variable.

In terms of neighborhoods, I'm not really in a good position to advise and it does change over time and I've never been that aware of what's good / not good. Are there any key attractions that would naturally steer to a particular area of London? Presumably if nothing else, being within easy reach of the St Pancras Eurostar Station would be useful.

regards
Ian

Yes, St Pancras is where I'd like to be!

 

[mimi]

Day lets are available at the Bloc Hotel in the south terminal at Gatwick airport - available from 7am - 4pm but they do have to be booked and paid for in advance. Email bookingslgw@blochotels.com or call +44 (0)203 051 0101.

Use the train to get to London. Gatwick station is right next to the south terminal. You can catch either the Gatwick Express to London Victoria. These run every 15 minutes and take 30 minutes. However they do get busy. The other alternative is to catch the Gatwick to St Pancras service which runs every 30 minutes. It tends to be a lot quieter with few people with luggage. There are several stops and it takes around an hour.

There are several Travelodges close to St Pancras Station which can provide cheap basic accommodation. Check in time is usually 3pm but you can book a 12 o'clock check in for an extra £10. There is also a Premier Inn which works out a bit more expensive. Check in is from 2pm.

There is a Premier Inn close to Victoria station, but the Travelodges are a bit further away and not quite so convenient.

oh thank you, this is most helpful!!

 

[Eleanor]

My pleasure. I caught a train from Gatwick a couple of weeks ago. At 9.30am passengers were pushing and shoving trying to fit into the Gatwick Express and the doors could hardly close. The St Pancras train arrived a few minutes later (from Brighton) and was nearly empty. There weren't many wanting to get on and it was much more civilised.

I'd booked into the Bloc hotel and you can read my review here. I've not used the hotels around St Pancras. Daughter has and says they are fine.

 

[mimi]

My pleasure. I caught a train from Gatwick a couple of weeks ago. At 9.30am passengers were pushing and shoving trying to fit into the Gatwick Express and the doors could hardly close. The St Pancras train arrived a few minutes later (from Brighton) and was nearly empty. There weren't many wanting to get on and it was much more civilised.

I'd booked into the Bloc hotel and you can read my review here. I've not used the hotels around St Pancras. Daughter has and says they are fine.

boy, that is really valuable information about the trains, thank you.

 

[artnbarb]

We stayed in THIS Air B&B room - ensuite, INCREDIBLE location - highly recommended!!! It's just a few minutes from Waterloo Station, or if you took the Gatwick Express to Victoria it would be a short cab ride away.

 

[mimi]

We stayed in THIS Air B&B room - ensuite, INCREDIBLE location - highly recommended!!! It's just a few minutes from Waterloo Station, or if you took the Gatwick Express to Victoria it would be a short cab ride away.

thanks so much for the recommendation, but they're all full for our visit. :-(

 

[artnbarb]

thanks so much for the recommendation, but they're all full for our visit. :-(

Too bad! I'd love to stay there again!

 

[Ian Sutton]

This may be an odd suggestion, but if you want a taste of home whilst in the UK, the 'Scandi Kitchen' at 61 Great Titchfield Street, London W1W 7PP is a café plus food shop that I've bought from before (mostly online, but I did visit a couple of months ago). A bit more Swedish focused but with few Norwegian specialities. It's about 30 mins walk from St Pancras.

Assuming you're staying up in this part of London, then I'll put in a good word for Regent's park - great for a stroll / picnic.

 

[mimi]

This may be an odd suggestion, but if you want a taste of home whilst in the UK, the 'Scandi Kitchen' at 61 Great Titchfield Street, London W1W 7PP is a café plus food shop that I've bought from before (mostly online, but I did visit a couple of months ago). A bit more Swedish focused but with few Norwegian specialities. It's about 30 mins walk from St Pancras.

Assuming you're staying up in this part of London, then I'll put in a good word for Regent's park - great for a stroll / picnic.

Thank you, Ian, but why would Scandinavian food be a taste of home? I very well might check the place out though, I need all the recommendations I can get.

 

[Ian Sutton]

Ah, I must have mis-interpreted the clue in the airline!

 

[Cameron]

I'm not a London expert, but my son attended University College London for his masters degree in archaeology and so I visited him a few times, as well as staying in London on other trips. With this B&B guide, you select a neighborhood (for the example, I used the UCL area), and it returns B&B's and prices. Not having used this website for booking, I would then Google your choices and go directly to the B&B websites to check availability, costs, etc.

http://www.bedandbreakfastsguide.co...niversities/university-college-london/?page=1

The UCL neighborhood is around the British Museum, so that gives you perspective on the location.

 

[Rome Addict]

Check out the Oyster card for transportation in London.

 

[Rome Addict]

Ian Norwegian has some incredible fares from the US starting this fall. I have seen less than $200 RT quoted. A friend couldn't find them but bid that on Priceline and got a flight.

 

[Ian Sutton]

Cool - that is a really cheap price!