The City of Westminster in the UKs capital city speads over an area so teeming with tourist spots, shopping opportunities and cultural heritage it is a borough that completely deserves its title of being a City!
Visitors can opt from a range of transport options for finding the sights around this famous borough, but the transport you decide upon, needs to be framed around the amount of time you have available to move around town.
First Time Visitors (with plenty of time on their hands):
For first-time visitors expect to find a continual flow of buses that run from Marble Arch through to Holborn (passing close to Covent Garden en-route) and this is the most scenic of routes to take. Oxford Street is one of the most prized shopping zones in the UK's busy capital, where all the primary UK brands have their flagship stores. You'll find HMV, C&A, H&M among others. alight the bus at key points (Bond Street) and you'll find the chic designer label high-street stores, as well as historic stores (Regent's Street) such as Liberty and Hamleys Toys (who supply toys to the Royal Family, an absolute essential for families...there is no Toy store quite the same as Hamleys).
1st Time Visitors (on a limited time schedule):
If you're on a flying visit or have seen the main tourist sites before, the best method of transport is going to be the London Underground. The City of Westminster has a couple of lines that dice up the main focal points very well. It means that Instead of taking a bus from Marble Arch through to Holborn, which could take in excess of 40minutes if there's traffic, the tube will provide the same journey in less than ten minutes. The London Underground Central line is one of the main arteries in Westminster, cutting over from Queensway/Lancaster Gate through to Holborn. While the Piccadilly line with a service from from Kings Cross (Borough of Camden) through to Knightsbridge (where you can find Harrods) takes in Covent Garden, Piccadilly Circus (the very famous advertising signage you see in historic films of London, it's also where you can find the statue of Eros).
Making it cheaper:
London isn't cheap, but at least, at the present time the strength of the Euro against the Pound makes it, for the first time in the Euro's history a very attractive exchange rate for taking the plunge into this great city. The economics of ticket pricing combined and with the desire by authorities to keep Londoners through the turnstiles, means that, the cost of buying individual tickets makes no sense at all. For example a single stop may cost upwards of 2.00, but a one-day rover card that can be used across all the buses and tube's (Londoners popular slang name for the Underground) may cost as little a 5.00. Tourists may also find unique travel option deals for longer trips to the city. Either ask your hotel concierge or directly at an Underground Station. Note, it is now exceptionally rare to be able to buy a ticket for a bus onboard, at most bus stops there are ticket machines where you can purchase single or a travel-card directly. Once you have this ticket you can speed around the Underground network to the points of interest you are interested in seeing.
What about Taxi's?
In London's iconic archive along with the old Routemaster Bus, rarely seen in circulation, The London Black Cab is an icon to Londoners. The training that a cabbie (taxi-driver) needs to go through in order to be granted a taxi-licence to drive, comes in the form of a strict course, affectionately known as "The Knowledge". In order to pass and proceed this course, a cab driver needs to be able to pinpoint every single street in London. If they fail to identify the route they would need to take in order to complete a journey defined by the examiner, they don't pass. Unfortunately traffic is the problem in Westminster, so the only time that a cab journey is really worth it, is when you've done all your shopping and are totally exhausted. At that point stumbling into a black cab is the best sensation in the World.
If you're visiting to the great capital city, Hyde Park is a superb base from which to explore the City of Westminster. According to Trip Advisor, one of London's most exclusive 4 Star Hotels can also be found overlooking Hyde Park itself. But there is no lack of choice of hotels in London so whatever you choose, you're sure to find something appropriate.
The fundamental thing to remember when travelling around London, is that if you want to get their quickly, take the Subway, and if you want to enjoy the scenary, take the bus. But choose your transport wisely, and plan your time well, because London is a city best explored completely.
Visitors can opt from a range of transport options for finding the sights around this famous borough, but the transport you decide upon, needs to be framed around the amount of time you have available to move around town.
First Time Visitors (with plenty of time on their hands):
For first-time visitors expect to find a continual flow of buses that run from Marble Arch through to Holborn (passing close to Covent Garden en-route) and this is the most scenic of routes to take. Oxford Street is one of the most prized shopping zones in the UK's busy capital, where all the primary UK brands have their flagship stores. You'll find HMV, C&A, H&M among others. alight the bus at key points (Bond Street) and you'll find the chic designer label high-street stores, as well as historic stores (Regent's Street) such as Liberty and Hamleys Toys (who supply toys to the Royal Family, an absolute essential for families...there is no Toy store quite the same as Hamleys).
1st Time Visitors (on a limited time schedule):
If you're on a flying visit or have seen the main tourist sites before, the best method of transport is going to be the London Underground. The City of Westminster has a couple of lines that dice up the main focal points very well. It means that Instead of taking a bus from Marble Arch through to Holborn, which could take in excess of 40minutes if there's traffic, the tube will provide the same journey in less than ten minutes. The London Underground Central line is one of the main arteries in Westminster, cutting over from Queensway/Lancaster Gate through to Holborn. While the Piccadilly line with a service from from Kings Cross (Borough of Camden) through to Knightsbridge (where you can find Harrods) takes in Covent Garden, Piccadilly Circus (the very famous advertising signage you see in historic films of London, it's also where you can find the statue of Eros).
Making it cheaper:
London isn't cheap, but at least, at the present time the strength of the Euro against the Pound makes it, for the first time in the Euro's history a very attractive exchange rate for taking the plunge into this great city. The economics of ticket pricing combined and with the desire by authorities to keep Londoners through the turnstiles, means that, the cost of buying individual tickets makes no sense at all. For example a single stop may cost upwards of 2.00, but a one-day rover card that can be used across all the buses and tube's (Londoners popular slang name for the Underground) may cost as little a 5.00. Tourists may also find unique travel option deals for longer trips to the city. Either ask your hotel concierge or directly at an Underground Station. Note, it is now exceptionally rare to be able to buy a ticket for a bus onboard, at most bus stops there are ticket machines where you can purchase single or a travel-card directly. Once you have this ticket you can speed around the Underground network to the points of interest you are interested in seeing.
What about Taxi's?
In London's iconic archive along with the old Routemaster Bus, rarely seen in circulation, The London Black Cab is an icon to Londoners. The training that a cabbie (taxi-driver) needs to go through in order to be granted a taxi-licence to drive, comes in the form of a strict course, affectionately known as "The Knowledge". In order to pass and proceed this course, a cab driver needs to be able to pinpoint every single street in London. If they fail to identify the route they would need to take in order to complete a journey defined by the examiner, they don't pass. Unfortunately traffic is the problem in Westminster, so the only time that a cab journey is really worth it, is when you've done all your shopping and are totally exhausted. At that point stumbling into a black cab is the best sensation in the World.
If you're visiting to the great capital city, Hyde Park is a superb base from which to explore the City of Westminster. According to Trip Advisor, one of London's most exclusive 4 Star Hotels can also be found overlooking Hyde Park itself. But there is no lack of choice of hotels in London so whatever you choose, you're sure to find something appropriate.
The fundamental thing to remember when travelling around London, is that if you want to get their quickly, take the Subway, and if you want to enjoy the scenary, take the bus. But choose your transport wisely, and plan your time well, because London is a city best explored completely.
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