Anyone stayed at Lexham Gardens by Cheval Maison? It’s in Kensington, near Gloucester Road tube station. Is this a good area for tourists?

I am flying from Texas to London November 9th - 24th. The only things I have on my itinerary are the typical tourist things such as Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Tower Bridge etc. I would like to see some Christmas markets as well. What else is there to do? I also had it in mind to take the train to Edinburgh from London at some point.
**Edit — I did happen to see there is a “Wine” Cruise on the Thames River? Would that be worth the money? I enjoy sightseeing, good food and drinks, music and art

Hello, my family is traveling to the UK over the Christmas / New Years week this year from the US. We are a family of 4, traveling for my parents' 30th anniversary (and to watch Man Utd - Sunderland on 12/30). We will be in London for the majority of our trip, including on New Year's Eve.

I am requesting recommendations for a restaurant / bar reservation for NYE. We are looking for something where we can first sit down for dinner, then join in a "party" of sorts afterwards to watch the countdown (my brother and I are both over 21 y/o). We don't have any dietary restrictions or food preferences. So far, I've only been able to find options with views of the fireworks at the London Eye, like the Sky Garden, Aviary, Radio Rooftop, Lucky Cat Bishopsgate, etc.

We are looking for something nice, but we're not super fancy people. A rooftop / view of the fireworks would be cool, but it's definitely not a requirement. Mainly, we are looking to have a nice meal, then enjoy the celebration / countdown, and we'd like to keep the cost per person below £200 per person.

Any recommendations would be much appreciated.

Thank you!!!

Hi everyone!
My boyfriend and I are visiting London next week and I’d love to hear some recommendations!
We’re interested in traditional pubs, good food (especially British food!), and somewhere nice to watch football with the locals.
We’d also love suggestions for things to do or places worth checking out that we might not come across as tourists.

We’ll be staying near Westbourne Park/Notting Hill. We already have a few touristy things planned, but we’d also love to experience a bit more of the local side of London.

Thanks in advance!!

Hi everyone!

I’m visiting London for two days (7th–8th November) with my almost 3-year-old son. He is absolutely obsessed with London’s red buses, so I imagine we could spend most of our time riding around on buses and the Tube and he’d be delighted!

I’m already planning to take him to the London Transport Museum and the London Eye, both of which he’s very excited about. Unfortunately, the Acton Depot isn’t open on the weekend we’re visiting.

I’d love to hear any recommendations for other museums, interactive experiences or live shows that would be suitable for his age. He loves anything involving vehicles, but I’m open to all suggestions!

Thanks so much in advance!

I had a disappointing time at the F&T Museum. Did my research before hand but I misunderstood what was available and thought there was a lot more standing collections and curation on explaining textiles, history of British fashion design and manufacturing, etc. No. But in its wake, I discovered the London museum has all this in its collections - but its opening its new location next month (Nov 2026) so the only location now is the Docklands…

I can’t confirm online if the Docklands is also temporarily housing the London Museum’s other standing collections as well - does anyone know? - or is it just the history of the intra-maritime waterways and dockland activity

I’ve been in London for a few days now and have a question about sidewalk etiquette. At the airport and in a few places around the neighborhood I’m staying in (Barbican) there are dividers for which side of the sidewalk to walk on. That said, no one seems to pay attention to the right or left. In my mind, since driving is on the left, keeping to the left on the sidewalks makes sense. That’s how most pedestrians operate in Japan as well. Is it considered rude to walk on the right or does it even matter here and just go with the flow ?

looking for opinions on good day trips from London for early December. My initial thoughts are Brighton or Bath. Really just looking for a spots that are <2 hours from central London by train for a day outside the city, to see nice things/shops/good walking. Thanks in advance for suggestions/opinions!

Im planning a trip to London on march with 3 other people and want to watch a game while we are there if possible. Ive been looking at Chelsea vs Coventry. I found some VIP packages on livefootballtickets, is that a reliable reseller? The tickets were about $200 less than the Chelsea or vivid list price. Is there a certain package that has the best value? I was looking at the gold package. Anything else I should be aware of before attending? Any advice appreciated. Thank you.

Heading to london for the first time in November. Which hotel would you choose and why?

shangri la shard
langham london
londoner
hotel cafe royal

I am wanting to spend a day going to beautiful departmental stores and get things for myself and my family. I have already visited Harrods so any other recs for it. I am thinking of Liberty but I am not sure apart from that. I am also want to visit some local markets; I will be in Notting hill for a stroll and richmond for a play. Any markets near those areas that I can visit?

Hey,

I have been to London twice and seen all the touristy places. Objective for this visit is seeing a playing at Richmond theatre, adore the halloween displays at Notting hill and do some shopping at Oxford street. Also want to experience some fall in London. I am not able to decide which area I should stay in. I have a budget of 250-270 for 2 nights. And I am travelling solo and would like a safe neighbourhood. Pls suggest hotels only.

Visiting London weekend before Christmas with mother in law (75) and teenage daughters (15 & 16)
Everyone is keen to see the Regent Street & Oxford Street festive lights but I am apprehensive about crowds and overwhelm. One of my daughters is autistic and can struggle with crowded places.

We have visited London before and she is able to cope if we plan ahead and have breaks.

Are there any times of day which are likely to be less crowded, or is this area best avoided completely?

Hi yall! I posted a few weeks ago looking for recommendations and yall were so helpful! With all your help on recommendations for things to see/do, I’ve just pretty much finished my daily itinerary and wondering what y’all think. Does it seem do-able? Should I change anything? A lot of evenings are pretty free, considering going to a show of some sort one night, and just random exploring, maybe some pubs and etc. But if you have any idea what areas are best for evenings and nightlife, I’d love to hear them! Otherwise I’m going to just roam around and find things as I go. I’m a night owl so unless I’m SUPER exhausted, I’ll probably be out pretty late most nights, especially so I can get pictures because there will be less people and I get shy 😅

Arriving October 18th, leaving October 25th- solo trip
Staying in Notting Hill

Day 1: (Sunday)
Noon-3pm: arrive, check in Airbnb
Local grocery for snacks
Get food
Explore walk-by sights: Big Ben, London eye, Westminister Abbey, Tower Bridge, Kensington Palace
Open evening

Day 2:
930am: Buckingham palace
11:00: changing of the guards
12:00: St James Park, Duck Island cottage
(Undecided on touring inside Westminister Abbey)
Afternoon tea at Sanderson
Airbnb to rest for an hour-ish
5:00/6:00: Piccadilly Circus, China Town
Food
Evening exploring SoHo and/or Covent Garden

Day 3:
9:00 Tower of London
12:00 quick stops to see All Hallows by the Tower, St Dunsten in the East
1:00/1:30: Leadenhall market, food
2:30: St Paul’s Cathedral
St Bartholomew the Great if time allows.
Airbnb to rest for an hour-ish
Night open— explore Camden or soho

Day 4:
10:00: national gallery
12:00 Covent garden, Neal’s yard, food
3:00 British museum
Airbnb for an hour-ish
Night free- maybe soho, china town, Camden
Food

Day 5:
10:00 Kyoto garden
11:00 afternoon tea
4:00 Airbnb rest
5:30– open evening

Day 6:
10:00: highgate cemetery
12:30 St Pancras Old Church
3:00 kings cross area
Airbnb to rest
Open evening

Day 7:
10:00 Portobello market
1:00 Airbnb rest
3:00 shoreditch, whitechapel, self guided Jack the Ripper walk
Food
Open evening

Day 8 leaving

Is it worth it to pay for a tour that bypasses the line?

Going to the Darkness in the O2 in December and staying in best western Highbury

I want to do the post show Uber Boat as it looks amazing but what is the best pier for me regarding getting back to my hotel (near Finsbury Park Station)

Seeing the lights turned on outside the 'Churchill Arms' is sadly out of my reach given ill be in Ally Pally for the afternoon

Hey everyone,

I'm looking to book the Zedwell Capsule Hotel at Leicester Place (7 Leicester Place), but recent online reviews claim it’s still an active construction site and completely closed, despite accepting bookings.

Please note: I am not talking about the nearby Zedwell Piccadilly Circus, which is fully open.

Has anyone been to the Leicester Place location recently? Can anyone confirm if it is actually open and hosting guests now?

Hi all, me and my kid are staying at the A&O London Docklands Riverside in November, and just looking for advice about transport while down there!

We have a gig at the O2 one night, and wasn’t sure if it would be easiest for us to use the boat to get to/from or just use the tube etc? Citymapper is usually great, but doesn’t seem to be very clear on this when looking at the boat options etc!

Also what is it like realistically for getting in and out of the centre for theatre shows etc at night, let alone for getting to/from the O2 arena?!

Any hints and tips are greatly appreciated as we normally just get the tube pretty much anywhere when we are down normally, but not been in this neck of the woods when staying before!!

Thanks!

or can I get away with a solid umbrella and water resistant shoes + a trench? What outerwear is best?

FWIW the TikTok girlies in London seem to wear loafers and leather boots but i hear that waterproof shoes and a rain jacket are a must?

I live in LA so Id have to buy these things and wondering if I really have to.

TYIA!

hello ! I am hoping for a recommendation from those in the London know. My daughter turns 25 on Dec 3, Thursday, and we are celebrating in London from the States ! While we have done a good bit of traveling, neither of us has made it to London somehow. She lives in Manhattan, NYC and I am in Florida. We are meeting there. Staying at a hotel that straddles Soho & Mayfair on Regent St. On the day of her birthday, I am taking to a day spa but am completely overwhelmed with the number of restaurants and clubs to choose from for the evening. I envision a quite nice dinner and then finding a place to go dancing together for a little bit. That said, I am over 50 and have no interest in standing in a line waiting to get "picked". She is quite attractive but we are a team. Perhaps I can reserve something or sneak in early? The dinner part will not be as difficult as the dancing part, esp on a Thursday. Any suggestions on either, esp not too far from eachother, are greatly appreciated!!

⚠️ WARNING: Don't Buy Football Tickets from Hellotickets – Use Official Sellers Instead!

I strongly recommend NOT buying football tickets through Hellotickets, especially for Manchester United games at Old Trafford.

Here's why:

I purchased two tickets for a lotof money through Hellotickets, only to discover afterwards that the company is officially listed by the Premier League as an unauthorised ticket website.

Official Premier League warning:
https://www.premierleague.com/en/tickets/unauthorised-ticket-websites

Hellotickets is just a third-party reseller, not an official ticket provider.

For Old Trafford, valid NFC mobile tickets are required. I sent Hellotickets approximately 30 emails asking them to confirm one simple thing:

Can you guarantee IN WRITING that I will receive genuine NFC tickets accepted at Old Trafford?

After weeks of almost complete silence, I finally received one response. But even then, they refused to explicitly confirm the NFC ticket format!

Instead, they repeated their vague "entry guarantee" and explained that tickets might only arrive on the day of the match.

And here's what makes this even more frustrating:

Hellotickets isn't necessarily cheaper than authorised ticket providers such as P1 Travel!

So why take the risk of buying from an unauthorised reseller when you can purchase tickets through an official provider for a similar price?

I have requested a full refund, but my request remains unanswered.

My advice: Avoid Hellotickets for football tickets. Buy directly from the club or an officially authorised ticket provider instead.

I cannot say whether the tickets Hellotickets eventually supplies will work. But I certainly wouldn't risk spending money on flights and hotels based on their vague promises.

If you're planning to attend a football match abroad, check the club's official ticket partners BEFORE buying anything.

Has anyone else had similar experiences with Football Hellotickets?

My GF and I are traveling from LA to London for two weeks in mid-May 2027, and taking the Eurostar to visit Paris while we’re out there.

Would you recommend traveling round-trip to/from London or flying back to LA from Paris?

Neither of have been to either city before, so obviously we want an adequate amount of time to explore each and are considering just flying out of Paris at the end of our trip, but I know it’ll also likely be cheaper/easier to book a round-trip flight.

I’m not sure what my budget is yet, as I’ll most likely redeem my travel credit card points to book the flight(s), which should cover most (if not all) of the airfare.

Heyy, so I’m going to london in january, I’m a 19 yo female who is a huge rock fan, I was wondering where I can find stores that sell rock related stuff, specially tees, I found out ab camdem town and it looks like a cool place, but if anyone knows ab somewhere less “touristic” pls let me know. Also, what are the cool places young people go to hang out? I don’t wanna be stuck only at the touristic places, I’d like to go where londoners go and if possible make some friends (Idk if londoners are friendly, are u guys friendly? lol), whenever I travel I like to go to and do what the locals usually do, so if anyone can help me pls let me know!!

Hey everyone!

We'll be in London for the first time this Christmas, landing at Heathrow around 1 PM on Dec 25th and flying out to the US the following day (Dec 26th) at 12:30 PM. We'll also have a 2-year-old toddler with us.

I know Christmas Day isn't exactly the best time to visit with most places closed and limited public transport, but figured it'd be nice to get out and explore a little rather than spend the entire layover at the airport.

We're not looking to cram too much in, especially with a toddler. Just hoping to see some iconic sights from the outside, walk around, enjoy the Christmas lights and markets, grab some good food, and get a feel for the city.

Any suggestions on what would be worth seeing or doing given the limited time and Christmas closures? Also, would appreciate recommendations on where to stay, places that might be open for food, and the best way to get around.

Would love to hear what you'd recommend for a short Christmas stopover.