London in December

Xon

Xon

Xon

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Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
1,056
Location
Malta
Hi all

I'm planning a trip to London in December, probably in the second week ... any special tips ?

Were also planning to go to some shows ... is there a website where I can safely buy ticket from? Or is it better to buy them on site?

Last question .. we are booking a pretty central hotel but I'm not sure its safe to take up my slr camera. Is it?

Thanks all
 
Lastminute.com is a good place to go for cheap show tickets. Of course it's safe to take a camera! Lol, london is as safe as any other city.

As for an itenerary, there are always lots of london threads about, search for them or ask closer to the time...

Have fun:)
 
I tend to go London every Christmas with the girlfriend. It's not bad but you end up paying £70-100 a night for a hotel unless you want to stay in a dive that isn't central. Plenty to see and do, usual sightseeing, wouldnt worry about taking the camera, its safe.
 
Also... back to theatre, usual west end stuff is all good and you're guaranteed a good night out, but if you want something really special go to the royal opera house and see some ballet/opera (I'm not gay!). There's a few things on in december, just be aware that tickets sell out fast unlike the musicals.
 
When I went we tried to buy tickets in London for the Lion King and they were sold out - if it's something you particularly want to see, then I wouldn't gamble with buying them down there. We ended up going to see Oliver which was very good.

BF took me for my Xmas present last year to see Cirque du Soleil (wanted to see it for years) - they were coming to Manchester MEN arena and I was hinting... Turns out he'd already bought me tickets for the Albert blooming Hall! Had a fab weekend.
Don't worry about your camera.
I'd get a day pass for the tube, then you can hop on and off to see the sights and you'll save a lot of time, money and hassle.
 
Stupot_ said:
Lastminute.com is a good place to go for cheap show tickets. Of course it's safe to take a camera! Lol, london is as safe as any other city.

As for an itenerary, there are always lots of london threads about, search for them or ask closer to the time...

Have fun:)
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DO NOT use lastminute.com. They are horrible. They will sell you absolutely crappy seats and they do not do refunds or anything else. Customer service is somewhere in the depths of India or elsewhere and they charge you a boatload of money just to call them.

Most horrible website ever. Just call the venue and ask where you can buy tickets online from if you want to be 100% sure.
 
Xon said:
I'm planning a trip to London in December, probably in the second week ... any special tips ?
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Hopefully it won't affect you but be aware that with a bit of snow London can sometimes grind to a halt if last years experience is anything to go by. It wasn't even much snow, bunch of wusses.

Xon said:
Last question .. we are booking a pretty central hotel but I'm not sure its safe to take up my slr camera. Is it?
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Like any big city there's a chance you'll run into trouble but as long as you're not waving it around all the time and are reasonably conscious of your possessions it shouldn't be a problem.

It's not exactly unknown of course but Ticketmaster is always an option if you don't find anywhere better.
 
Jonny69 said:
And it'll cost you more as an added bonus!
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No it wont. On days when you dont max out a travelcard, i.e. only a couple of tube journeys, you save. On days when you use it to it's fullest it limits to the price of a travelcard. You pay a £3 deposit on the card which you can get back, there's no way it can cost more than buying a travelcard every day!

kgi said:
DO NOT use lastminute.com. They are horrible. They will sell you absolutely crappy seats and they do not do refunds or anything else. Customer service is somewhere in the depths of India or elsewhere and they charge you a boatload of money just to call them.

Most horrible website ever. Just call the venue and ask where you can buy tickets online from if you want to be 100% sure.
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Never had any problems with lastminute. Used them about three times, one was a free when its gone its gone deal for the sound of music, ended up in the stalls in the middle. Other times we had good seats in the dress circle, for £10-20 each. Yeah ok it's a bit of a lottery but if you want to see a couple of shows i think its worth it.
 
Stupot_ said:
No it wont. On days when you dont max out a travelcard, i.e. only a couple of tube journeys, you save. On days when you use it to it's fullest it limits to the price of a travelcard. You pay a £3 deposit on the card which you can get back, there's no way it can cost more than buying a travelcard every day!
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I didn't know you could get the deposit back but I always have to top it up more than I need and it ends up sitting on my card forever, unused. Travelcards are so adequate, why complicate things?

I hate Oyster as a system. Just charge everyone the same and be done with, like it used to be.
 
Jonny69 said:
I didn't know you could get the deposit back but I always have to top it up more than I need and it ends up sitting on my card forever, unused. Travelcards are so adequate, why complicate things?
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What can be simpler than simply touching a card? It's a great system because it automatically ensures you are paying the least amount possible.

Travelcards are expensive, especially when you find you've not made enough journeys for it to represent a saving! This doesnt happen with Oyster.
 
Thanks for all the replies! I tend not to take my slr to cities as I see it as a bit of a hassle but I think London would offer the possibility of taking some great shots hence the question :)

I'll be there for 9 days so I'm guessing a week pass for the tube is worth it?


MisChief said:
Coming from Malta? Wrap up warm!
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I plan on! Last year we went to Paris and we froze half way to death!! Didn't help that it was one of the most snowy Decembers Paris has seen.
 
You live in Malta?

Don't bother then - seriously. London is good for a day out from somewhere in the UK but really it isnt worth the effort from Malta. There are many far better cities to visit which are closer or just as far.
 
[TW]Fox;17445542 said:
You live in Malta?

Don't bother then - seriously. London is good for a day out from somewhere in the UK but really it isnt worth the effort from Malta. There are many far better cities to visit which are closer or just as far.
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Got to visit it some day right? Might as well make it this year! It's also one of the most expensive cities for me and this year I'm better off than I'll be next year so now's the time :)
 
[TW]Fox;17445542 said:
You live in Malta?

Don't bother then - seriously. London is good for a day out from somewhere in the UK but really it isnt worth the effort from Malta. There are many far better cities to visit which are closer or just as far.
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Are you serious? Londons great! just gotta stay away from the crowds.

Xon said:
Got to visit it some day right? Might as well make it this year! It's also one of the most expensive cities for me and this year I'm better off than I'll be next year so now's the time :)
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It's not as expensive as you think, you can eat out for £10-15 each, drinks will be £2.50-4.00 a pint and there are loads of free attractions, galleries etc.

However... Don't stay in london for 9 days. That's pushing it a bit for one trip! Spend 3 days in london then go exploring some other parts of England.
 
Xon said:
Got to visit it some day right? Might as well make it this year! It's also one of the most expensive cities for me and this year I'm better off than I'll be next year so now's the time :)
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Quite right, its the second most visited city in the world for good reason.
 
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