London/Hertford Trip
 

I am travelling to Hertford(just north of London) a couple of times in the next couple of months for work... tentatively. The first trip is booked already for Sept 8-Sept 15th. I will have Saturday in London to check things out so what would you check out if you had one day in London and where would you stay to make that easily accessible without paying a ton? The second time I go will be for about a week and half and I plan on staying the rest of the second week and flying my wife up to check it all out so would like to have an idea of things for her to check out as well. I am considering just doing a quick flight over to Amsterdam if we are able to.

I know one day isn't going to get me much but it is what it is. Hopefully the second trip comes through and I am able to see a little more and do so with my wife. These would be my 2nd and 3rd trip to the UK(Ireland and Scotland on first trip) in a little over a year and the first one was without the wife as well. If I don't get her over there soon I may have to pay some sort of penance.

Air travel within Europe is expensive and a waste.

Trains are your friend. :thumb:

Try and get some candid photos of the two princesses.

I agree if you are in mainland Europe. However, you would have to take the chunnel then a train to get to Amsterdam from London, and flights from Heathrow to Amsterdam are only about 70 pounds.

go to a "football" game

I don't know if I will be able to get my wife in a train that goes underground. She definitely has a case of claustrophobia. Getting her on a flight is even a bit of an issue but she manages with a visit from the pharmacy fairy.

Any particular things you're interested in generally? Asking "What should I do in London?" is kind of like asking "What should I do in NYC?" There are a zillion things to do, so it all just depends on what you're into. A few ideas:

1. If you just want to see the sights and sounds, I actually think hop on hop off bus tours are a good way to do it quickly. Yeah, they're touristy, but you're a tourist.
2. Kind of in the same vein, the London Eye can be a good way of just being able to look over the whole city. Much shorter experience, though.
3. If you do it on your own, the main sights that come to mind are Buckingham Palace, the Tower Bridge, the Tower of London, Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey. Depending on the lines, the Abbey and Tower of London are worth going through in my opinion.
4. In terms of museums, the British Museum is free and worth the trip if you're into all the ancient stuff the Brits stole from the places they conquered. The Natural History Museum is good and free, as well if you're into dead animals.
5. Like NYC, theatre is a big deal if that's your thing. Tons of shows to see every night. Ask if you want recommendations.

If you're trying to stay affordably, the biggest thing to me is getting out of the central city a bit, but stay on a tube (subway) line. Once you're in the central city, getting from place to place isn't bad if you can walk a bit, and you can always do taxis if you need to (though the costs add up after a while).

Again, it all really just depends on what you like to do, so ask if you have specific questions.

Churchill War Rooms.

Cocktails at Lyaness.

Theater isn't really mine or the wife's thing. The tourist bus thing might be the avenue to go. I do love history stuff so the museum might be a cool thing. I think someone else mentioned the Churchill War Rooms or something like that just below your post. I believe a doctor I used to work with mentioned that as well and said it was really cool.

I took a group of eight (me, my wife, my parents, my brother, his wife, and his two adult children) to Europe last summer. The thing I like about the bus tours is that you can cover everything in only a few hours, and you don't have to do a ton of walking (my parents are in their upper 60s and in below average shape). It's a great way of seeing everything at a glance. Then, once you have your bearings, you can decide what to go back to later (or you can stop off at a couple places during the day if you know certain things you want to do for sure).

(But bring a hat and sunscreen.)

Tower of London and the crown jewels was quick and cool. Not every day you see a diamond the size of an extra large hen's egg. Went there with 2 female friends and about had to peel them off the glass. Can't remember the name of the place but went to dinner in one of the places that had knights jousting, a court jester and serving wenches bringing you ale and food.

The bus ( or van) type tours can get you around to the main sites in a day. You'll miss plenty but you'll see a lot too. You could spend a couple of hours in the War Room, wouldn't recommend a stop like that if you only have a day. Definitely go there if you have a longer stay.

Are you thinking of Vegas? :evil:

As long as it isn't Ryanair, the World's WORST airline. :spock:

Direct train service from London to Amsterdam

Channel Tunnel train operator Eurostar is launching direct services between London and Amsterdam.

Trains will run twice daily from 4 April, with the journey from St Pancras to Amsterdam taking three hours and 41 minutes.

But for an initial period, the Eurostar service will only run direct one-way, from London to the Dutch city.

A lot less crowded and a fun trip. You could take the train one way direct from London to Amsterdam and then fly back from Amsterdam to London.

There are one-way tickets for about $50 US per person

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