London (Fodor's 2012) - Fodor's [201]
Getting Around | Station Tips | What it Costs in Pounds
Updated by Ellin Stein
Londoners are undeniably lucky. Few urban populations enjoy such glorious—and easily accessible—options for day-tripping. Even if vacationers or travelers have only one day to spare, head out of the city. A train ride past hills dotted with sheep, a stroll through a medieval town, or a visit to one of England’s great castles could make you feel as though you’ve added another week to your vacation.
Not only is England extremely compact, the train and bus networks, although somewhat inefficient and expensive compared with their European counterparts, are extensive and user-friendly, making “a brilliant country holiday” an easy thing to accomplish.
Although you could tackle any one of the towns in this chapter on a frenzied day trip—heavy summer crowds make it difficult to cover the sights in a relaxed manner—consider staying for a day or two. You’d then have time to explore a very different England—one blessed with quiet country pubs, tree-lined lanes, and neatly trimmed farms. No matter where you go, lodging reservations are a good idea from June through September, when foreign visitors saturate the English countryside.
Top of Chapter | London Maps Contents
Top of Chapter | London Maps Contents
GETTING AROUND
Normally the towns covered in this chapter are best reached by train. Bus travel costs less, but can take twice as long. Wherever you’re going, plan ahead: check the latest timetables before you set off, and try to get an early start.
STATION TIPS
You can reach any of London’s main-line train stations by Tube. London’s bus stations can be confusing for the uninitiated. Here’s a quick breakdown:
Green Line Coach Station is on Bulleid Way (in front of the Colonnades Shopping Centre on Buckingham Palace Road) and is the departure point for most Green Line and Megabus services.
Victoria Coach Station is on Buckingham Palace Road: it’s a five-minute walk from Victoria Tube station. This is where to go for coach departures; arrivals are at a different location, a short walk from here.
Victoria Bus Station is where many of the local London bus services arrive and depart, and is directly outside the main exits of the train and Tube stations.
WHAT IT COSTS IN POUNDS
What it Costs
Restaurants
£
under £10
££ £10–£14
£££ £15–£19
££££ £20–£25
£££££ over £25
Price per person for an average main course or equivalent combination of smaller dishes at dinner.
To Get To ...
Take the Train From ...
Take the Bus From …
Canterbury
Victoria (85–100 minutes; every 20 minutes)
Victoria Coach (about 2 hours; hourly)
Oxford
Paddington (55–100 minutes; every 20 minutes)
Victoria Coach (1 hour, 50 minutes; hourly)
Victoria Coach (1 hour, 40 minutes; every 15–20 minutes)
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Exploring Cambridge | Where to Eat in Cambridge
60 mi (97 km) north of London.
With the spires of its university buildings framed by towering trees and expansive meadows, its medieval streets and passages enhanced by gardens and riverbanks, the city of Cambridge is among the loveliest in England. The city predates the Roman occupation of Britain, but the university was not founded until the 13th century. There’s disagreement about the birth of the university: one story attributes its founding to impoverished students from Oxford, who came in search of eels—a cheap source of nourishment. Today a healthy rivalry persists between the two schools.
This university town may be beautiful, but it’s no museum. Even when the students are on vacation, there’s a cultural and intellectual buzz here. It’s a preserved medieval city of some 109,000 souls and growing, dominated culturally and architecturally by its famous university (whose students make up around one-fifth of the inhabitants), and beautified by parks, gardens, and the quietly flowing River Cam. A quintessential Cambridge pursuit is punting on