AboutEmoor Expertise I have been traveling almost annually in England or Scotland as a tourist for the last 25 years, so I know quite a bit about train travel, car rental, B&Bs, tourist discounts, standard tourist sites, good places to eat, pubs, prices, and things to do off
Question QUESTION: Hi my cousin and I are coming to London in July '08. We are staying at the Hilton Olympia and were wondering if there is decent shopping nearby or walking distance because we are not familiar with the transportation there. We don't need to shop on Oxford as I hear it is high end shops but just nice British shops, vintage shops or souvenir shops nearby. Another question I had was if I wanted to go to Birmingham in one of the trains, do they offer service like that? How long does it take in a train or bus to go to Birmingham? One last question...are the taxi's overpriced or decently priced? I know a lot of questions....thanks though!
ANSWER: The Hilton Olympia is in Kensington High Street which is a decent neighborhood with some shops but not truly charming shopping. Oxford Street is not really "high end", and is a street absolutely full of shops. Really "high end" is the St. James area and also Harrods, a high-end department store which is not far from your hotel.
Learn to take the tube, which is easy to do. You can get to many neighborhoods quickly. Go to a tube station, labeled "London Underground" and tell the man how long you will be in London, and that you want an Oyster Card for that many days. He will help.
The train takes about 1 1/2 to 2 hours to get to Birmingham, usually from Euston Station.
The taxis cost much more money than the tube, so if you are worried about price, use the tube to travel around London. You might try a taxicab occasionally, like when you arrive with luggage, or some other time just for the fun of it.
Is this your first trip? You will have a great time, but learn as much as you can before you go.
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QUESTION: Two last questions...is the hotel walking distance to Oxford Street in your opinion and Do you know of any decently priced hotels in around Oxford Street? Thanks again!
Answer Your hotel, the Hilton Olympia, is not really within walking distance of Oxford Street. However, there are a number of low-priced hotels in the Bayswater area. Bayswater is located on the north side of Hyde Park which borders on Oxford Street at its northeast corner.
The Lancaster Hall Hotel is a low-priced hotel in Bayswater, and is not far from Oxford Street.
The nicest big department store in Oxford Street is Selfridges. That store also has a hotel on its premises, but the hotel is much more high-end and expensive than the hotels in Bayswater. Next door to Selfridges is Marks & Spencers which is a much less expensive store, but they do not have their own hotel -- most stores do not.
