Hi netters,

A lady friend will be travelling to London for a two-weeks training
programme. Would appreciate comments on how much she should budget for
based on following info :

a) will fly into UK around July-August timeframe
b) probably take train from/to airport to/from London city centre to
save cost
c) training venue is University College of London (for
"histology-related work". Not sure which campus at this stage)
d) she is not a frequent traveller, so preferably staying at somewhere
close to UCL

Some transport-related questions :
1) what is the mean of getting around in London, as well as to/from
the airport?
2) how much will it cost? (assuming not taking taxi which I was told
is prohibitively expensive - she does have budget constraints)

Some probably off-topic questions :
3) how much for accommodation which is close to UCL? (to minimize
travelling effort for her safety)
4) how much for meals?

Please bear with me since I have never been to London before, hence
all these detail questions. TIA.

On Tue, 18 May 2004 06:56:08 -0700, Chan WK wrote:


Some probably off-topic questions :
3) how much for accommodation which is close to UCL? (to minimize
travelling effort for her safety)

She could look at renting a room in the student halls of residence:

http://housing.lon.ac.uk/site7/Bloomsbury.htm

In message , Chan WK
writes
Hi netters,

A lady friend will be travelling to London for a two-weeks training
programme. Would appreciate comments on how much she should budget for
based on following info :

a) will fly into UK around July-August timeframe

That will be expensive, but this isn't an air travel newsgroup, so let
us move on...

b) probably take train from/to airport to/from London city centre to
save cost

Depending on the airport and the exact type of train, the train fare
will be between five and fifteen pounds. This is trivial compared to all
the other costs of the trip!

c) training venue is University College of London (for
"histology-related work". Not sure which campus at this stage)
d) she is not a frequent traveller, so preferably staying at somewhere
close to UCL

"Bloomsbury" is the best way to describe the area.

http://abacus.gene.ucl.ac.uk/paul/ucl-guide.html

Some transport-related questions :
1) what is the mean of getting around in London, as well as to/from
the airport?

Airport travel is well covered in airline seat-back magazines, and is
well signed. Inside London, use the tube or buses.

http://www.transportforlondon.gov.uk/tfl/

2) how much will it cost? (assuming not taking taxi which I was told
is prohibitively expensive - she does have budget constraints)

You'll have difficulty spending more than five pounds a day for public
transport inside London.

Some probably off-topic questions :
3) how much for accommodation which is close to UCL? (to minimize
travelling effort for her safety)

Safety is not an issue.

I agree with the advice to try using a student Hall. Otherwise, you may
well be paying at least fifty pounds a night in a conventional
downmarket hotel:

http://www.london-hotels-guide.co.uk...bury/index.cfm

4) how much for meals?

How long is a piece of string? McDonalds for five pounds, tourist-trap
bistro for forty pounds. Poor quality sandwich from a convenience store
one pound. Better sandwich from a specialist shop three pounds.

If someone is staying for two weeks it might be worth investigating a
room with some self-catering facilities. Also check to see if the
student halls have cafeteria facilities. UCL itself should (and
presumably will be running during the summer vacation).

For more adventurous types, here's an example of places to stay that are
meant for holiday lets, but are often within a five pound/half hour
commute:

http://www.cottageguide.co.uk/Jd/
--
Roland Perry

On 18 May 2004 06:56:08 -0700, (Chan WK)
wrote:

Hi netters,

A lady friend will be travelling to London for a two-weeks training
programme. Would appreciate comments on how much she should budget for
based on following info :

a) will fly into UK around July-August timeframe
b) probably take train from/to airport to/from London city centre to
save cost

Which Airpport, there are several she could be landing at

c) training venue is University College of London (for
"histology-related work". Not sure which campus at this stage)
d) she is not a frequent traveller, so preferably staying at somewhere
close to UCL

Some transport-related questions :
1) what is the mean of getting around in London, as well as to/from
the airport?

From the airport, see below.
Otherwise Underground Railway and busses.

2) how much will it cost? (assuming not taking taxi which I was told
is prohibitively expensive - she does have budget constraints)

Assuming that most days she will be on her course then a one day
travel card will suit for all busses and trains, varing in price from
a couple of pounds up, depending on how far out she wants to go.

Actually UCL is mainly in the centre of London and surrounded by the
Shops and 'tourist' places anyway, within walking distance


Some probably off-topic questions :
3) how much for accommodation which is close to UCL? (to minimize
travelling effort for her safety)

Someone else said try the Halls of Residence, if she can get one fine,
otherwise the Hotels I 'do' seem to charge between 50 and 350UKP per
night, that may not include breakfast. That is the walk in price.
Pre-booking via a suitable agency etc should be able to reduce that
quite considerably.

4) how much for meals?
From a couple of pounds (Say McD - if thats a meal) up depending on
where and what.

Please bear with me since I have never been to London before, hence
all these detail questions. TIA.

Shameless plug - have a look at unseenlondon, should give you some
ideas, has sections on transport, bus and tube (underground) and
various parts of London


Keith J Chesworth
www.unseenlondon.co.uk
www.blackpooltram.co.uk
www.happysnapper.com
www.boilerbill.com - main site
www.amerseyferry.co.uk

On 18 May 2004 06:56:08 -0700, (Chan WK)
wrote:

a) will fly into UK around July-August timeframe

From where?

b) probably take train from/to airport to/from London city centre to
save cost

Underground
http://www.thetube.com/
Zone 6 to zone 1 @ £3.80

Train
http://www.heathrowexpress.com/
Single £13.00 Return £25.00
Plus Zone 1 single tube fare @ £2.00

Coach
http://www.nationalexpress.com/nxairport/heathrow.cfm
Fares cost £15 return

c) training venue is University College of London (for
"histology-related work". Not sure which campus at this stage)

UCL really only has one main 'campus' (in the sense that UoL Colleges
don't really have campus structures), so she will probablty end up in
an area called Bloomsbury.

d) she is not a frequent traveller, so preferably staying at somewhere
close to UCL

To give a range of places near UCL - get her to check prices:

University of London Halls of Residence Vacation List
http://housing.lon.ac.uk/site7/Vacation.htm

Goodenough College
http://www.goodenough.ac.uk/frame.html

Holiday Inn Bloomsbury
http://www.london-bloomsbury.holiday-inn.com/

Some transport-related questions :
1) what is the mean of getting around in London,

Bus and Underground (Tube) will be most likely is she's near UCL.
Day Bus pas is £2.50
Day Travelcard (tube and bus) Zone 1 and 2 £4.30

as well as to/from the airport?

See
http://www.baa.com/main/airports/hea...ere_frame.html

2) how much will it cost? (assuming not taking taxi which I was told
is prohibitively expensive - she does have budget constraints)

See (b) above. for cheapest options.

Some probably off-topic questions :
3) how much for accommodation which is close to UCL? (to minimize
travelling effort for her safety)

Generally VERY expensive by the standards of people who don't live
here. You might have some luck with the options above.

If she wants cheap, she'll need to go further out.

4) how much for meals?

From a few pounds for take-away food, to whatever she can afford! This
is very difficult to answer.

If she's near UCL, I suggest she eats in the numerous College staff
catering outlets/dining rooms/Senior Common Rooms as these do lunch
for around £5 and dinner for betwen £5 and £10. They may have reduced
hours over summer though.

Otherwise, see http://www.visitlondon.com/inspiration/eat_london/
and http://www.squaremeal.co.uk/ which has prices.

Please bear with me since I have never been to London before, hence
all these detail questions. TIA.

The Official Website for London http://www.visitlondon.com/ for an
overview. Start there.

I suggest you do some reseach to start with. Much of the above is
pretty basic stuff that people ascertain everytime they go on
holiday...


Cheers,

Jason.

In message , Chan WK
writes
2) how much will it cost? (assuming not taking taxi which I was told
is prohibitively expensive - she does have budget constraints)


Be very careful in London when it comes to using 'cabs'.

There are a number of people who claim to be 'minicabs'. Whilst there
are some reputable companies who are no becoming licensed as 'private
hire' operators, there are (still) a number of people who offer 'cab'
services which are often more expensive than traditional 'black' taxis.

There have been over 160 REPORTED cases of sexual assault by 'minicab'
drivers in the last year alone. The true figure is probably much higher
than that (it has been claimed that less than 1 in 5 cases are
reported).

A traditional 'black' cab driver spends about 3 years learning the
'knowledge' and has to drive a purpose built vehicle which has a meter
for recording the fare.

If your friend needs to use a taxi at any time this is the only vehicle
to use.

Mike
(who drives a red coloured traditional 'black' taxi)


--
Mike Hughes
A Taxi driver licensed for London and Brighton
at home in Tarring, West Sussex, England

On Tue, 18 May 2004 at 06:56:08, Chan WK
wrote:

Hi netters,

A lady friend will be travelling to London for a two-weeks training
programme. Would appreciate comments on how much she should budget for
based on following info :

a) will fly into UK around July-August timeframe
b) probably take train from/to airport to/from London city centre to
save cost

Er - if she's flying into Heathrow, the Tube is infinitely cheaper
(although slower). If she's at UCL, she can get the Tube direct to
Russell Square from Heathrow Airport, a journey which will take probably
just over an hour (haven't got the exact timings here, and I don't think
average journey times are posted on the TFL website) and will cost
£3.80. At Gatwick the train is the best option, although coach services
(buses) are cheaper.

c) training venue is University College of London (for
"histology-related work". Not sure which campus at this stage)
d) she is not a frequent traveller, so preferably staying at somewhere
close to UCL

Some transport-related questions :
1) what is the mean of getting around in London, as well as to/from
the airport?
2) how much will it cost? (assuming not taking taxi which I was told
is prohibitively expensive - she does have budget constraints)

She will need to buy a one-week Travelcard for each week of her stay.
For zones 1 & 2, probably all she'll need, this will cost her £20.20
each week, and will allow her unlimited travel on buses all over London,
and all Tube, DLR and National Rail services within zones 1 and 2.

If money is more limited than time, she can buy a one-week bus pass,
valid on every bus in London, for only £9.50 per week, but that is only
valid on buses, and she would need to buy additional tickets for Tube,
DLR and national rail journeys.

I suggest you and she check out the Transport for London web page:

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/

Some probably off-topic questions :
3) how much for accommodation which is close to UCL? (to minimize
travelling effort for her safety)
4) how much for meals?

Depends on where she eats! McDonald's is ubiquitous and cheap, but who
wants to eat there?

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/europe/london/

http://www.timeout.com/london/

will probably be the most helpful.
--
Annabel Smyth
http://www.amsmyth.demon.co.uk/index.html
Website updated 9 May 2004

In article , Chan WK
writes
Hi netters,

A lady friend will be travelling to London for a two-weeks training
programme. Would appreciate comments on how much she should budget for
based on following info :


She is welcome to London.

a) will fly into UK around July-August timeframe
b) probably take train from/to airport to/from London city centre to
save cost

From Heathrow take the 'tube' (subway) into central London - cheap but
takes around an hour. An alternative is the Heathrow Express train which
is very fast but costs about 3 times as much as the tube (£15 IIRC)

c) training venue is University College of London (for
"histology-related work". Not sure which campus at this stage)
d) she is not a frequent traveller, so preferably staying at somewhere
close to UCL

UCL - main campus is on Gower Street - just off the Euston Road. Close
to a number of hotels. Obvious choices are the Hotel Ibis Euston (near
Euston train station so 10 min walk to UCL) or the Euston Road Travel
Lodge which is a couple of minutes further away. Both are clean, secure
and reasonably priced.


Some transport-related questions :
1) what is the mean of getting around in London, as well as to/from
the airport?

The tube is the cheapest and best method of transport but is crowded in
the peak periods in central London. If yoru friend is staying close to
UCL then walking is easy.

2) how much will it cost? (assuming not taking taxi which I was told
is prohibitively expensive - she does have budget constraints)


£4 buys you a central zones travelcard for travel after 9.30pm for the
whole day and includes the bus too.

Some probably off-topic questions :
3) how much for accommodation which is close to UCL? (to minimize
travelling effort for her safety)

Search the web but check the location of the hotel and what it is like
as there are some real dives in London.

4) how much for meals?


£3 for a McDonalds up to £300. Pubs do good food from £5 upwards -
plenty of snack shops for a sandwich at lunchtime.

Please bear with me since I have never been to London before, hence
all these detail questions. TIA.

--
Andrew
Electronic communications can be altered and therefore the integrity of this
communication can not be guaranteed.
Views expressed in this communication are those of the author and not
associations or companies I am involved with.

In message , Roland Perry
writes

If someone is staying for two weeks it might be worth investigating a
room with some self-catering facilities.

Apparently Citadines (http://www.citadines.com/), a French owned
hotel/apartment block on High Holborn offers this at about UKP100 a
night. However, a work colleague wasn't impressed - no room cleaning
(though there is a brush - perhaps you're expected to do it yourself), a
fold out bed (she was disappointed there wasn't a real bed at that
price) and a small kitchenette, which might be OK if you're there
constantly for two weeks, but not so useful if you're only there 2-3
days a week, as she was.

She hated it

--
congokid
Good restaurants in London? Number one on Google
http://congokid.com

In message , congokid
writes
Apparently Citadines (http://www.citadines.com/), a French owned
hotel/apartment block on High Holborn offers this at about UKP100 a
night.

Your colleague got a bad deal. Boo Hoo.
--
Roland Perry