London 2012 Guidebook
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Can't think of any! We won our trip to London in early December 2011 with a January 5 2012 departure date....never having been there before, we had to do some quick planning. Your guide was all we needed and then some. The daysoutguide.co.uk 2-for-1 vouchers mentioned on page 66 were great, as well as your recommendation for the Big Bus Tours.
Jimmie Tatum in Hendersonville, NC USA 01/30/2012
The maps are hard to read in the Kindle edition. I wonder how you fix something like that?? (But it was nice to have so handy, including on my cell phone.)
Stacy DeKeyser in Simsbury, CT USA 10/06/2011
Rick is usually right on the money with everything, all the time. E.g., Westminster Abbey was crowded on Monday, just as predicted. My main gripe would be that unless you are spending hundreds of dollars or more on purchases (in one location), the VAT refund process is not worth the hassle. It is an unbelievable bureaucratic runaround. For one thing, a lot of the clerks who work in these stores don't even know how it works, and misinform you that all you have to do is present your receipts to the agents at Heathrow. That is false. You need a special printout from their register. Unless retailers educate their staffs about it, this "refund" right is useless. And if your total spent at each retailer is under L100, they won't give you cash at the airport, you have to mail something in with your bank account number to get a credit. Of course, since you have to get this printout stamped at the airport, you end up having to mail it from the States and pay expensive postage. This is way too much of a hassle for a few bucks. I just gave up.
Katherine Hutchison in Chicago, IL USA 09/03/2011
The London guide was a great source of information for our 3 days in the city.
One of our best experiences was our visit to the British Library on August 29, a bank holiday in the UK. We decided to take the tour, although Rick did not say much about it in the book. We expected the tour to take 1 hour based on info at time of purchase. Instead we were treated to 1 3/4 hr behind the scenes tour for the 3 of us on the tour. Stephen, from the Rare Books dept. was our guide. We learned about the King George III special collection, saw many other special collections, visited numerous reading rooms, and learned about artwork at the museum. Highlights include:
Insider information on how rare and valuable books were moved from the British Museum to the new British Library building in 1997.
Finding the 1880 home of the other visitor on our tour, from a detailed multi-volume set of city maps from 1894.
Seeing the treasures in the Asian reading room and learning about the various Indian documents held there - including birth certificates of British citizens born in India.
Viewing a video of how books are moved from shelf to reader in the library - imagine something like the tube.
A 3 dimensional piece of art that looks like a 2 dimensional painting of books in stacks. The stacks appear to move as you move towards the painting.
For librarians - unusual ways that books are cataloged and organized on shelves - particular to collection.
Janet in San Diego, CA USA 09/01/2011
I can't think of anything; I love this book! I used it as part of my pre-planning all three times I've been to London (along with several other books) and found this to be hands down the best. It is the only one I actually brought with me on the trip all three times. It has also been invaluable as I've labelled my photos and looked for just the right fact to add to each. Thanks, Rick and company!!
Allison Britting in Milford, CT USA 08/30/2011
We had a little problem with our tube travels. A couple times we ended up on an overground train, which apparently is charged differently. For instance, our nine year old was free on the underground, but children over five are not free on the overground. We had to pay to get out of a couple stations, even though we had travelcards. It was ok and the people who worked at stations were very kind and considerate and helpful, so it wasn't really a problem, but we were somewhat confused by the trains which run on the same tracks and go to the same stations. This happened when we went to Kew Botanic Gardens. We also strayed out of our zone, and we did know that and had to pay extra.
You didn't really recommend Hampton Court Palace. My husband and I wondered why, since we thoroughly enjoyed the Palace, the history and the gardens. However, we found getting there and getting back to be very challenging. If that is the reason that you do not strongly recommend H.C.P., we agree. But if there is actually some easy way to get there and back that we didn't find, then I think you should recommend it as a fabulous part of outer London. We took the tube to Kew and then tried to find a taxi, as you mentioned in the book. Well, there are no taxis at Kew and no one at Kew had any suggestions as to how to get one. But someone suggested that we take the tube on to Richmond and then take a taxi. That's what we did (that's also where we accidentally got on an overground train). But, when we were done at the Palace, we couldn't find a taxi. We ended up taking a bus (45 minutes) back to the Richmond stop and got on a train (express) back to Waterloo station (again, accidentally on a train, instead of the tube). It worked out, but was not all that convenient. If you could suggest a way to get out to Hampton Court and back it would be great.
We went to the Tower of London and Hampton Court Palace and apparently they are connected and if we had known to buy the tickets together we would have saved quite a bit on the cost of tickets--the people at the TI office did not mention it and we did not know.
I would recommend buying tickets to Windsor with cash at a machine when you get to the train station. I remember that you mentioned that our credit cards might not work and that was true. The line to get tickets was very long, so we had to find a machine that took cash. They are there, just not easy to find. It was definitely the best way. Also, I would recommend that when you get off a train, ask what the schedule is for going back--it's useful to know.
Laura Zimmermann in Hagerstown, MD USA 08/21/2011
We had a little problem with our tube travels. A couple times we ended up on an overground train, which apparently is charged differently. For instance, our nine year old was free on the underground, but children over five are not free on the overground. We had to pay to get out of a couple stations, even though we had travelcards. It was ok and the people who worked at stations were very kind and considerate and helpful, so it wasn't really a problem, but we were somewhat confused by the trains which run on the same tracks and go to the same stations. This happened when we went to Kew Botanic Gardens. We also strayed out of our zone, and we did know that and had to pay extra.
You didn't really recommend Hampton Court Palace. My husband and I wondered why, since we thoroughly enjoyed the Palace, the history and the gardens. However, we found getting there and getting back to be very challenging. If that is the reason that you do not strongly recommend H.C.P., we agree. But if there is actually some easy way to get there and back that we didn't find, then I think you should recommend it as a fabulous part of outer London. We took the tube to Kew and then tried to find a taxi, as you mentioned in the book. Well, there are no taxis at Kew and no one at Kew had any suggestions as to how to get one. But someone suggested that we take the tube on to Richmond and then take a taxi. That's what we did (that's also where we accidentally got on an overground train). But, when we were done at the Palace, we couldn't find a taxi. We ended up taking a bus (45 minutes) back to the Richmond stop and got on a train (express) back to Waterloo station (again, accidentally on a train, instead of the tube). It worked out, but was not all that convenient. If you could suggest a way to get out to Hampton Court and back it would be great.
We went to the Tower of London and Hampton Court Palace and apparently they are connected and if we had known to buy the tickets together we would have saved quite a bit on the cost of tickets--the people at the TI office did not mention it and we did not know.
I would recommend buying tickets to Windsor with cash at a machine when you get to the train station. I remember that you mentioned that our credit cards might not work and that was true. The line to get tickets was very long, so we had to find a machine that took cash. They are there, just not easy to find. It was definitely the best way. Also, I would recommend that when you get off a train, ask what the schedule is for going back--it's useful to know.
Laura Zimmermann in Hagerstown, MD USA 08/21/2011
I feel as though I have been traveling with you since 1998. I never go to Europe with out one (usually more) of your books. Recently, we completed the walking tour in London. One of my recommendations is to add Buckingham Palace to the city walk. It would be very easy to have the tour continue through the Horse Guard Building, take a right up the path to the mall past Victoria's statue to Buckingham Palace. I would continue the walk through St. James Garden back to the Horse Guard Building. The gardens and duck pond were beautiful and it would also be a great place to enjoy the scenery and have a picnic. On a side note, I want to thank you for all the information you have provided me over the years. I have thoroughly enjoyed your books and the experiences they have allowed me to have.
robin in walker, Md USA 07/22/2011
please double-check the walking tours; sometimes your instructions are a little bit too vague. For instance, your City Walk says to get your back to the Mansion House, but gives no guidance about identifying it.
Craig in Cherry Hill, NJ USA 06/26/2011
Have the big london book 2011- but bought the new small version to actually take with us.
Sue Fritz in Bethel, mn USA 05/22/2011
I loved the London book, where you call things like they are and are not afraid to make recommendations. My only problem occurred when my wife, daughter (13) and I wanted to have lunch near Covent Garden. I wanted to eat in a traditional pub. We walked to the pub recommended at Holborn (I think the Victoria), which was beautiful as described. Unfortunately, I was immediately told my daughter could not be served as they did not allow children. I know some pubs do and some don't. I would include in your pub recs which pubs do and don't allow children so others can avoid such issues. Thanks!
Matt Lantz in Seattle, WA USA 05/03/2011
The West End walk & podcast is great. The tour passes so close to the site of the 1854 London cholera outbreak, it is a shame that this is not included. This outbreak was significant for proving that a bacteria was carried in water instead of the "bad humors" theory. The pump & plaque are at the corner of Broadwick & Poland street. Here is a link with more history: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broad_Street_cholera_outbreak
Chris Anderson in Portland, OR USA 04/03/2011
More walking tours. They were better than the audioguides.
Tom French in Hermosa Beach, CA USA 08/17/2010
Rick I loved your book it was easy and extremely useful. I found that the GPS system in the car used postal codes to track the destination route. Perhaps this is something that could be added to future books. I realize that not everyone will take on the challenge of driving. I was fortunate to have some family living in England who did all the driving.
Debbie in Fort Lauderdale, FL USA 07/31/2010
More detailed maps.
John in Fort Worth, TX USA 07/18/2010
Consider showing the Tube lines on your color maps. Many New York City maps show the geographic layout of subway lines and I find it helpful. Now I spend time before I go somewhere new, transcribing the subway map lines onto the geographic map that I will be using, connecting the right stops with the right color line. I did this recently in London (on your color map) and in Paris and it really helped me. Or does this make me a true travel dork?
I was disappointed when wandering around Belgravia that some of the parks that showed up on your map were private (closed to non-residents.) Maybe indicate that somehow on the map? or mention it somewhere, I don't remember any comments to that effect. (minor point I know)
Patricia Cargill in West Chester, OH USA 07/08/2010
Add a section for Teens in London, including the best shopping for teens which is currently on pg 341 of London 2010. The only other mention of teens was to avoid the London Dungeon (agree wholeheartedly!) -- but what about what TO do/see?
C. Halsey in APO, AE USA 06/02/2010
You might add a sentence or two about the ferry from Ramsgate to Oostende. It was a piece of cake from Victoria to Ramsgate, but when we got there found that they didn't take walk-ons. Never saw this info in any guide. We had to "hitch-hike" and it turned out alright, but was momentary panic. We picked Ramsgate because we were going to Bruges, and it was only 15 min. from there.
Jan in Rhodes, CA USA 06/01/2010
As money is of great importance when traveling I took Rick's advice and traveled with cash in a money belt. But on a 5 week European vacation I also needed cash. Each time I had to scamble to try to find a place that would offer me a fair value on my exchange. Rick should list THE BEST places to cash money in each of his tour books. Each ATM, bank, Post office, travel bureau, and money exchange charges differently. And most have a FEE each time you cash or exchange money. So you should change LARGE sums of money instead of several small sums. This money exchange section of the tour book should be an prominant section in his tour books as this service ir required of EVERY traveler and is even MORE vital than listing a close by resturant that offers a fair valued meal.
John C in Portland, Ma USA 05/24/2010
Ooh! I don't recall a mention of two travel options that were hugely helpful: the Heathrow Connect and Heathrow Express services from the airport are easy to use and a good value. I didn't realize I could pre-order an Oyster card until the day before my trip - too late! I definitely would have used this. Buying a card in the station wasn't a hassle per se, but it would have been nice to get one more task out of the way.
[Editor's Note: Information about the Heathrow Connect and Heathrow Express trains has long been located in our London Connections chapter (previously called Transportation), toward the back of the London guidebook. It's included with the rest of the information about Heathrow Airport. Oyster information is found in the Orientation chapter near the front of the book.]
Lauren in Cleveland, OH USA 05/23/2010
Vancouver Studio room very comfy (except for the unheated kitchen). Reception staff all friendly. Some even speak good English and some even know something about the neighborhood. Bayswater is a good “bedroom” for exploring. Whiteley’s Mall/Marks & Spencer is a good way to stock up on breakfast and snack items.
For those travelling over the Christmas holiday, most of London closes down for 3 days (Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and “Boxing Day” on Dec 26). On the 24th, we went to the Tower of London, and were told very matter of factly that “we always close for 3 days”. I called around, and was told that The British Museum, National Gallery, and all of Greenwich would likewise be closed for 3 days, so needless to say my plans went out the window. Fortunately, the ever-reliable London Walks (and some great Indian food) provided about the only entertainment to be found on Christmas Day.
The Stockpot Restaurant is just as reliable and filling as the last time I ate there (probably 10 years ago). Y Ming Restaurant was inexplicably closed, at least the day I went there. The Prince Edward Pub was good pub grub as promised.
Graf Hilgenhurst in Brentwood, TN USA 02/01/2010
Consider adding additional color map pages with recommended hotels and restaurants in green to the maps already in the front of the book.
Roe Buchanan in Reston, VA USA 11/28/2009
I used in on a three day jaunt in London, loved the walking tours. Maps could be better. don
Donald Smullen in Oreland, PA USA 11/10/2009
The guidebook was some of the best money we spent on this trip. The Tower of London advice to see the Crown Jewels first was price less.
Leon in Colorado Springs, USA 11/06/2009
Put the major bus route map up front with the other maps. Make it clear that the London Pass only allows one entry to each attraction. (We made a mistake by going to the Tower of London too late in the afternoon and didn't see the crown jewels, thinking we could catch it first thing the next morning.) In the London Pass guidebook, the information is in fine print on the "Welcome" page and I'd read the "How to use the pass" section, so didn't see it.
Janelle Sanda in Fargo, ND USA 11/01/2009
The Camden Town market was really something -- we weren't prepared for how much was there. Perhaps include more about these types of markets?
Laralyn Sasaki in Columbus, Oh USA 10/09/2009
I have the 2009 version (and haven't even left on my trip yet), and I must say the indexing is not very good. Example: Portobello Road Market. No reference under "Portobello Road Market," and no inclusion under the "market" list, but it is referenced on page 292 and there is a paragraph devoted to it page 332.
This is just one of many examples I have run across.
JC in San Jose, CA USA 09/15/2009
Book just great otherwise----went to London with my 12 year old grandson and he virtually took the book and followed it line by line!
Penny Brown in Chicago, Il USA 09/09/2009
I realize if you put in everything, the book would be unusable. I found out that you can save significantly on booking trains if you do it online, ahead of time and pick up your tickets at the rail station when you get to England. We went to Bath for 18 pounds return!
Vic S. in Idyllwild, CA USA 08/05/2009
No suggestions Looking forward to getting Rick's book for our next trip.
Eric Sykes in Vancouver, . Canada 07/20/2009
Would like to see guidebooks make recommendations for different types of families--it was hard to plan a trip that older kids (12 and 17) would really enjoy without relying too heavily on 'standard' sights, museums.
Susan Hebble in Western Springs, IL USA 07/20/2009
Overall, a very good guidebook.
Marina in St. Paul, MN USA 05/27/2009
I would have liked to have more chain hotel information listed such as Hilton. There are several Hiltons throughout London with varying price ranges. I have Hilton Honors points as do many travelers and wanted to use those points for our stay. Unfortunately no travel book I looked at on London reviewed any of the Hilton properties and several never even mentioned them. We were actually able to stay 8 nights at the Hilton Park Lane, which was in an awesome location, for free using my HiltonHonors points. I feel there are lots of folks that are now trying to save money by traveling on hotel points whether its through Hilton or Sheraton or even Holiday Inn that it would be worthwhile to include information on specific chain hotels.
Holly Nunn in Raleigh , NC USA 05/09/2009
Take another look at other inexpensive accomodations in London. I think you've got some better options - particularly in Kensingston
Andrew Goldman in Crystal Lake, IL USA 03/29/2009
The book is excellent.
Jack M. Potter in Olympia, WA USA 02/16/2009
Add Master's Superfish near Waterloo for Fish and Chips -- it was on the list of London Cab Drivers' favorites and was fabulous. We went after Vinopolis and grabbed a taxi.
Also Tayyabs in East London for Indian food. The best I have ever had and it's not in the middle of brick lane so it's less touristy. 10 minute walk from Liverpool Street Station.
Also add more options for late night dining. There's a restaurant in Chelsea called vingt-quatre that's open all night (they even do 24 hour champagne breakfasts). Some of us are hungry after 10 pm and would rather not be wandering around the city late at night.
lm in Goleta, CA USA 02/12/2009
Not many...you all did great and this was the best investment we could have made for our trip! Thanks so much!!
Randy Lynch in Stuttgart, Germany 01/01/2009