London 2013 Guidebook
Guidebook corrections:
Please note: The following corrections were submitted by readers and have not yet been confirmed by Rick. Check updates from Rick for the latest.
Please be more specific in the guidebook on how to find the changing of the Guard at St. James Palace. It was a great tip, but we walked by it twice because the location was not clearly marked and no one was there until the action started. We actually ended up being late, but could have been the first ones there. Thanks!
Megan Pritts in Tampa, FL USA 05/17/2013
London 2013 The Courtauld Gallery now charges £3 on Mondays...free no longer!
Susan in Bellevue, WA USA 05/01/2013
The mnemonic to remember the wives of King Henry VIII is: divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived.
John Stephen Strobel in Bloomington, IN USA 04/19/2013
The email address listed for Crown and Cushion in Windsor does not work. The email gets sent back immediately.
Alyssa B in Liberty, MO USA 03/24/2013
Major missing item on the transit map is that rail lines should be shown as well as tube lines. They are wholly integrated and make for the fastest travel. For example, the trip from New Cross Gate to London bridge by train is direct and about 7 minutes.
Gregory Frux in Brooklyn, NY USA 02/22/2013
Amazing blooper in 2013 London book, page 263, 3rd sentence in London Bridge section: "The Thames flows east to west..." How did that get through?
[Editor's Note: Oops! Thanks for catching this; we'll be sure and correct it for future editions.]
Larry Plotkin in Cheltenham, PA USA 01/25/2013
On page 53, under Houses of Parliament (Palace of Westminster), I believe the last word of the second-to-last sentence should read "in action". Though, it is much more fun the way it is currently written.
Amy in El Cajon, CA USA 01/20/2013
Cab fare seems to have gone up since the printing of the 2012 book. A cab from Heathrow to downtown London (Hyde Park-Kensington area) was 72GBP.
The Da Vinci paintings in the National Gallery have moved. The Virgin and the Child is now off of room 51 and is easy to miss as its in an alcove with the sign "Da Vinci Cartoon." The Virgin of the Rocks is in room 57 (if I remember correctly).
Anthony Jones in Seattle, WA USA 10/12/2012
Two historical notes:
Charles I, mentioned on page 149, was not actually a Roman Catholic, although he had some sympathies in that direction. His son, James II actually was a Catholic, a factor in his ouster in 1688.
Prince Henry, mentioned on page 233, was the son of James I, not Charles I. He was in fact the older brother of Charles I, and his early death made Charles the heir to the throne.
Larry in New York, , NY USA 07/15/2012
London 2012, p. 397 states that the Anglesea Arms pub is " turn right at Onslow Gardens," when it is actually LEFT at the gardens from Old Brompton Road, when approached from the tube station.
Robin Fingerson in Erie, Co USA 06/29/2012
How about how best way to get to Albert Hall, (tube and I find a walk from the tube station near EA museum is quickest. However if one stays for both Proms concerts the tube will be closed but night bus services is available. The stop I use is past the tube station and down (to the left). Also get a night bus schedule as the routs are different. The night bus I take goes right to Hammersmith.
Also More on Hammersmith; The tube lines from Hammersmith do go directly to Victoria station and to Covent Garden among others. In Hammersmith one can get inexpensive salads and sandwiches from the local Safeway on King street in Hammersmith. There is also a local theater and many pubs and restaurants along King street in Hammersmith
William Anderson in Cincinnati, OH USA 06/24/2012
Rail travel: need to emphasize that changing to a different return or departure time with advance tickets is difficult or very expensive even if the train is empty.
Henry Lew in Palo Alto, CA USA 05/18/2012
this isn't a correction, but it would have been helpful to have included a more detailed pull-out map (like i've seen in some of the other guidebooks). i ended up buying a nice map of the whole city so i could orient myself better. it was hard to do that with the maps in the book. otherwise, great book!
renee in oakville, on canada 04/29/2012
I cannot believe that you can claim that 'winter travelers find absolutely no crowds..." (London 2012, p 7) We found London in February 2012 to be very crowded. The south bank walk was just awful due to the crowds, plus the still in place construction in preparation for the Olympics. Hopefully, when that is done, there will be more sidewalk room. Walking across the Tower Bridge was in the midst of masses of people. At most tourist sites, it was difficult to stop and find a place to take pictures due to the crowds. I was considering going to London for the Olympics this summer, but this February experience is making me seriously reconsider this!
Joan in Fort Worth, TX USA 02/27/2012
Buckingham Palace is actually open for guided tours for a few weeks in January and April. These are not mentioned in the book. They must be booked online in advance and they sell out well ahead of time.
John in Austin, TX USA 02/10/2012
Page 66 you mention the daysoutguide 2-for-1 program by National Rail. If one purchases a return (roundtrip) ticket, then the 2-for-1 vouchers may be used anytime, not just on the date of the first journey. In the case of Gatwick Express, we left our return to Gatwick open, as it was not required to reserve the return date online.
We always had our rail tickets with us when using the 2-for-1 vouchers, but no one ever asked for them.
The only major attraction that we didn't find 2-for-1's for was Westminster Abbey.
One may print out as many vouchers as they wish before leaving home, and of course rail trips may be booked and ticketed online also.
Jimmie Tatum in Hendersonville, NC USA 01/30/2012
The Cherry Court Hotel will not honor the special room rates listed in the 2012 London guidebook. If you insist, they simply stop responding to your e-mails.
Mae Lum in Oakland, CA USA 01/11/2012
The Oyster card deposit is now 5 Pounds. Also, BEWARE if you use a credit card to pay any part of the Oyster card cost, deposit or top up, they WILL NOT refund your remainder
Robert Denton in Weems, VA USA 10/26/2011
Madame Tussaud's: The online "late in the day" cheap tickets are impossible to get in the summer unless you buy weeks in advance. They all sell out.
This isn't a "correction," but the closing times given in the book for some of the museums - Victoria & Albert, Museum of London just to name two - of 6 pm, are their official closing times but not their actual closing times. They start rounding people up and kicking them out of the galleries at 5:30 or 5:45. They should state this as their closing times, but in any case readers should know that you cannot browse these museums until 6:00.
Katherine Hutchison in Chicago, IL USA 09/03/2011
Only a comment: We were not impressed with Sir John Soane's Museum. Once we entered, we found it difficult to move around because of all the items and it was VERY dimly lit. My 70-year-old mother couldn't see a thing, and even I had so much trouble, we finally gave up and left before we finished the lower level. Really disappointed because it was one of the sites I was looking forward to since I'm an "off the beaten path" kind of girl!
Allison Britting in Milford, CT USA 08/30/2011
The map page 374 has the wrong location for Wolseley's. The description is also wrong, saying it is "right next to the Ritz." It is across the street from the Ritz.
Howard in Millwood, NY USA 08/17/2011
Oyster card deposit is 5GBP, but still worth it as the convenience can't be beat.
Robert in Jackson, MI USA 08/13/2011
The guidebook should explain a little more clearly that the Spitalfields Market is a modern, covered facility, and is not open every day.
Steve Macfarlane in Carmchael, CA USA 08/07/2011
No more 8 pound guided tours at the British Museum.
Granville in Durham, NC USA 08/06/2011
Currently, admission to St. Paul's Cathedral in London costs 14.50, which now includes an audio guide.
Ryan Gjerde in Decorah, Ia USA 06/24/2011
As of March 2011, Temple Church now charges 3 pounds entry.
Shelia Self in Van Buren, AR USA 06/23/2011
Beginning in March, 2011, they started charging (a lot! - 7 pounds) to enter the Royal Naval Observatory in Greenwich. That was a shock when your 2011 guidebook said it was free.
Cindy in Littleton, CO USA 06/21/2011
Platform 9 3/4 (Harry Potter) has been moved to near the entrance of King's Cross station, probably because of the extensive renovations that are going on at the station.
Al Prete in West Islip, NY USA 06/12/2011
Holly Villa Guest House - Bath, have retired. they are refering people to The Apple Tree Guest house 7 Pulteney Gardens- Bath
Sue Fritz in Bethel, mn USA 05/22/2011
I am searching for the London Travelcard online in March of 2011. Your 2011 book says the 7 day card costs 25.80. The site says it is 47.60. Has the price really gone up 21.80?
Amy in Nashville, IN USA 03/26/2011