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 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.
