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Besides UNESCO World Heritage Sites, London has many world famous museums and landmarks. We had 3 full-days at London and almost half the time were taken up by museums visits because my colleague is a museum-lover. The other remaining full-day was taken up by a tour out of London. Nevertheless we still tried to squeeze in many attractions into our itinerary as possible.
Leisure trip at a glance
Country: England – The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Period: 21 May to 25 May 2010
Flight timings:
21 May: EZY 8579, GVA–LGW, ETD 2130 ETA 2200
25 May: EZY 8570, LGW–GVA, ETD 0815 ETA 1050
Air tickets: Return tickets at CHF 252.83 per person (inclusive of airport taxes)
Accommodation:
Paddington Hotel (21 to 25 May)
Currency exchange rate: GBP £ 1.00 = SGD 2.06 (May '10 period)
There is time difference of one hour between Switzerland (Central Europe time) and United Kingdom (Western Europe time). Total damage was about SGD 450 including flight tickets, airport taxes, transport, food and hotel, excluding personal expenses.
Here's the overview of the trip itinerary:
Day 1 – Evening flight EZY 8579 from Geneva International Airport (Switzerland) to London Gatwick Airport (UK). Took Gatwick Express to Victoria Train Station followed by a 24-hour Bus to Paddington. Checked-in the hotel and had a good rest.
Day 2 – Visited The British Museum. Went to Chinatown for dinner, followed by visit to Harrods Departmental Store and Hard Rock Café.
Day 3 – Took pictures of the famous landmarks: St. Paul's Cathedral, Tower Bridge, and Tower of London. Then rushed to Buckingham Palace to watch the changing of guards. Had a quick lunch and visited the Natural History Museum. Took pictures of London Eye, Westminster Abbey and the Palace of Westminster, including the Big Ben and Houses of Parliament. Had dinner at Chinatown again. Shopped along Paddington street before heading back to hotel.
Day 4 – Shuttled by mini-coach to Victoria Dispatch Center and boarded our tour coach to Winsor Castle, followed by Stonehenge and Bath. Had dinner at Chinatown for the last time before our departure the next day.
Day 5 – Woke up early in the morning and took 24-hour Bus no. 148 from hotel to Victoria Train Station. Took Gatwick Express back to Gatwick Airport and boarded the flight EZY 8570 to Geneva International Airport.
Geneva International Airport
The Geneva International Airport is located 4-km from the Geneva City centre and has direct connections to trains, bus-lines and motorways. To me the most convenient advantage is a direct train from Neuchâtel can stop at the train station located below the airport. The IATA code for this airport is GVA.
The airport is a major hub for EasyJet and Baboo airlines. Since I took EasyJet for most of my overseas travels, this airport had become my most familiar airport in Switzerland. There are a number of shops inside the transit hall selling from café, chocolates, souvenirs to watches, definitely able to satisfy most travelers (photos below). Best of all, there's free WiFi for one hour to all passengers.
London Gatwick Airport
The London Gatwick Airport is located about 46-km south of London city center. This airport is the second largest and busiest airport in United Kingdom after Heathrow Airport. The IATA code for this airport is LGW.
Gatwick Airport has two terminals: North and South. During the period of my visit, I had to take a free shuttle bus that travels from North to South Terminal upon arrival. Likewise, we took the same route back during departure. Just like Geneva Airport, there are many shops (photos below) inside the transit hall of both terminals for passengers to make full use of their waiting time. I also had my last minute shopping at Harrods at North Terminal and bought a shopping bag.
Getting in/out from the Airport
Gatwick Express
Gatwick Express is a rail shuttle service that operates between Victoria station in London (left photo below) and South Terminal of Gatwick Airport. The train operates daily from 0435 to 0135 hours at a frequency of every 15-mins and the journey takes 30-mins non-stop.
There are 2 types of cabin, namely Express and First Class. Tickets can be bought on-line, at the train platform (right photo below) or if there's no time, the tickets can even be bought from the ticket officers on board.
The Express Class is good enough for me with comfortable seats and quiet cabin (left photo below). The cost of single trip for Express class is £ 16.90 (right photo below) while return trip cost £ 28.70 (about 15% discount). The best value is the return trip is valid within 1 month. For child ticket, it is half the price of adult. One saving tip is to book the tickets online as there is further 10% to 15% discount.
Transportation
Oyster Card
Oyster Card is a standard stored value card that can be used on a number of different travel systems across London including London Underground, buses, the Docklands Light Railway (DLR), London Overground, trams, some river boat services and most National Rail services within the London Fare Zones.
Just like Singapore's EZ-link card or Hong Kong's Octopus card, the Oyster card just need to be tapped on the yellow circular reader when entering / exiting. The Oyster card can be purchased from various outlets, such as London Underground or London Overground ticket windows, about 4,000 Oyster Ticket Stop agents (usually newsagent shops) or Travel Information Centers. All new Oyster cards charge an additional £ 3 of refundable deposit, whereas the top up value will depend on individual. During my stay, I only paid £ 20 for the stored value which was sufficient for me to travel in London for 3 full days. There was a balance of about £ 6 left in the card after all my trips. Without the oyster card, each single trip in London Underground can cost a hefty £ 4.
London Underground
The London Underground is also known as the 'Tube' or the 'Underground'. This metro system is the oldest rapid transit system in the world where a section of it has been operating since 1863. Now there are 270 stations with 402-km of tracks, making it the second longest metro system in the world, after Shanghai Metro.
The Underground consists of 11 lines and each can be differentiated by its unique color. The Underground map may seem to be complex at first but once you have determined the departure and destination stations, then traveling will be a breeze. Click on the map below to enlarge. However do note that everyday, especially during the weekends; one or two lines / partial sections are down for maintenance. Therefore it is useful to get an Underground map to know how to avoid those affected areas.
For visitors who are first time taking the Underground may wonder why the station walkways (left photo below) and the platform (right photo below) seems narrow and space-restricted compared to other metro systems in most cities. Not too sure which is the real reason but I'm convinced by the reason that the station structure is more stable than a spacious one.
In some underground lines, trains aren't rectangular but rather slanted at both lateral sides of the trains (left photo below). As a result, the interior of the trains have a oval shape which to me seems rather crammed with passengers (right photo below).
Well, not all trains are in circular. Some trains of the Underground still have the rectangular shape (left photo below) and in comparison are more spacious and airy (right photo below).
Following is a video taken during one of my trips:
Besides the London telephone booth, the iconic symbol of London probably is the 'Roundel' – logo of the London Underground. Innovatively the name of each station is contained in each blue bar of the roundel. Here're some photos taken from various stations.
London Buses
Took the London Buses only on the first and last day of my entire trip, and each with a slightly different experience.
On my first day after arrived at Victoria Station, there was no Underground service as it had already passed mid-night at about 2 am. After checked with the train counter, we got to know that there was an 24-hour bus service available outside the station. Thus bought our tickets from the machine (left photo below) at the bus stop and waited for our Bus no. 36 to Paddington area. A small ticket (right photo below) was issued from the ticket machine which indicated the cost of the single ride to be £ 2.
The bus trip from hotel to Victoria Station was much stress-free as we already knew what to expect. From the service board (left photo below) at the bus stop near our hotel, we identified that Bus no. 148 is the one to take to Victoria Station. Waiting time was within our control from the due time indication at the bus stop (right photo below). This time we just need to tap our Oyster card at the card reader.
Accommodation
The Paddington Hotel
Booked this hotel before our trip via the internet at SGD 527.08 per standard double room for 3 nights. The price paid also included daily Continental Breakfast. Initially wanted to save up one night's stay but we decided to extend another night for £ 80 per room.
Located at 28 Gloucester Terrace, the Paddington Hotel (left photo below) is just 5-mins walk from Lancaster Gate station. The hotel just occupied a corner of the building and guests have to walk up the spiral steps (right photo below) to reach the room at higher floors. There is no reception at Paddington Hotel, the joint 24-hour reception is located opposite the road inside the Royal Court Apartments (No. 51 of Gluocester Terrace).
The room we booked was really small, almost comparable to those in Hong Kong. Also I noticed probably only in UK that tea / coffee making facilities are provided in the hotel rooms (left photo below) compared to other hotels in Europe. The breakfast area (right photo below) is located at the basement of the hotel with limited choices of bread and cereals (bottom left photo). Thus the choice of my breakfast (bottom right photo) was similar throughout my stay.
Interesting Observations:
- How can City of London without the iconic red telephone booth? These telephone booths (left photo below), also known as Red Telephone Box, has been installed throughout London since 1926. These phone booths definitely will make good portrait photos. Photo was taken outside The British Museum.
- Though not unique to England, these mounted police officers (right photo below) are impressive and iconic. Probably is the News on riots or the England soccer matches that make me associate these mounted police with England. Photo was taken during the changing of guards at Buckingham Palace.
Travel Tips:
If you're a museum lover, then a London Pass definitely will help to save a considerable amount. The Pass allows holder to enter many London tourist attractions with a set fee paid in advance. The computer chip inside the card will only be activated when holder enters any attraction or service. Besides saving on admission price and dinning at designated restaurants, the card also allows holder to cut the queue at most attractions.
The Pass is differentiated into two types: Admission Only or Admission plus London Travel. The adult price ranged from £ 39 a day to £ 89 for six days. For example it cost £ 46.70 for 1-day Adult Pass with travel.
Useful Links:
Visit London:
http://visit-londoncity.com/
London Visitor Guide:
http://www.londonvisitorguide.net/
Travellers Point - London:
http://www.travellerspoint.com/guide/London/