London (Fodor's 2012) - Fodor's [234]
Canal Tour Operators Canal Cruises (0208/440–8962 | www.londoncanalcruises.com). Jason’s Trip (020/7286–3428 | www.jasons.co.uk). London Waterbus Company (020/7482–2550 | www.londonwaterbus.co.uk).
EXCURSIONS
Evan Evans, Green Line, and National Express all offer day excursions by bus to places within easy reach of London, such as Hampton Court, Oxford, Stratford, and Bath.
Tour Operators Evan Evans (020/7950–1777, 800/422–9022 in U.S. | www.evanevanstours.co.uk). Green Line (0844/801–7261 | www.greenline.co.uk). National Express (0871/781–8181 | www.nationalexpress.com).
WALKING TOURS
One of the best ways to get to know London is on foot, and there are many guided and themed walking tours from which to choose. Richard Jones’s London Walking Tours includes the Jack the Ripper Walk following in the footsteps of the titular killer, as does the Blood and Tears Walk. Other tours include Secret London, The West End with Dickens, and Hampstead—A Country Village. Context London’s expert docents lead small groups on walks with art, architecture, and similar themes. The London Walks Company hosts more than 100 walks every week on a variety of themes, including a Thames pub walk, Literary Bloomsbury, and Spies and Spycatchers. For more options, pick up a copy of Time Out magazine and check the weekly listings for upcoming one-off tours.
Walking Tour Operators Blood and Tears Walk (07905/746–733 | www.shockinglondon.com). Blue Badge (020/7403–1115 | www.blue-badge-guides.com). Context London (0207/193–9158, 800/691–6036 in U.S. | www.contexttravel.com/london). London Walks (020/7624–3978 | www.walks.com). Richard Jones’s London Walking Tours (0208/530–8443 | www.walksoflondon.co.uk). Shakespeare City Walk (07905/746–733 | www.shakespeareguide.com).
VISITOR INFORMATION
When you arrive in London, you can get good information at the Travel Information Centre near the Eurostar arrivals area at St. Pancras International train station and at Victoria and Liverpool Street Stations. These are helpful if you’re looking for brochures for London sights, or if something’s gone horribly wrong with your hotel reservation—if, for example, you don’t have one—as they have a useful reservations service. The Victoria Station center, opposite Platform 8, is open Monday–Saturday 7:15 am–9:15 pm, Sunday 8:15 am–8:15 pm, as are the St. Pancras and Liverpool Street centers. A Travel Information Centre at Euston station has the same hours but closes Saturday at 6:15 pm, while one at the Piccadilly Circus Tube station is open daily 9:15 am–7 pm. The Travel Information Centre at Heathrow is open daily 7:15 am–9 pm, while the Britain and London Visitor Centre on Lower Regent Street is a worthwhile stop for travel, hotel, and entertainment information; it’s open Monday 9:30–6 during October–March and 9:30–6:30 during April–September, Tuesday–Saturday 9–6 during October–March and 9–6:30 during April–September, and weekends and public holidays 10–4. There are also London Tourist Information Centres in Greenwich and some other Outer London locations.
Official Web Sites | www.visitbritain.com, | www.visitlondon.com.
Other Web sites | www.londontown.com, the Evening Standard’s online | www.thisislondon.com, No. 10 Downing Street (www.number-10.gov.uk), and the BBC (www.bbc.co.uk).
Entertainment Information | www.timeout.com/london, | www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk, and | www.kidslovelondon.com.
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ABOUT OUR WRITERS
Astrid deRidder grew up in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado but came to love the urban bustle of New York City. A passionate Anglophile, she packed up her cats and books (and husband) in 2009 and moved across the ocean. She