Day 1. A weekend in London

On By Little Miss TravellerIn London, London February 2016, United Kingdom

Although I live in the north of England I’ve been fortunate to spend countless weekends in London over the years.  There’s always something happening and I never tire of a visit to the capital.   Hopefully on this four day visit I can introduce some lesser known attractions in addition to the city’s famous sights.

If a man is tired of London he is tired of life, for there is in London all that life can afford

Samuel Johnson

King's Cross Station Concourse
King’s Cross Station Concourse

To keep costs down we booked our train tickets 12 weeks in advance when tickets are first released and at their lowest prices.  My train arrived into King’s Cross station promptly at 7.15 pm.  It’s almost four years to the day since the new western concourse was opened and I still marvel at its magnificent roof structure when passing through the station.

For travelling around London its best to use an Oyster Card, these can either be ordered in advance on-line or purchased on arrival at a ticket office.  Its much easier and cheaper than buying individual tickets for the underground and there is a daily ‘cap’ limit which is especially useful if you plan to make several journeys.  Off peak fares are available any time at weekends but only after 9.30 am on weekdays so if you can delay making your first tube journey further savings can be made.  The Oyster card can also be used on buses and some main line trains, London buses are now ‘cash free’ so it’s necessary to pay with either an Oyster or a contactless bank card when travelling by bus.  Details and journey planning are available on Transport for London’s website.

The London Eye
The London Eye

We’d booked accommodation for the weekend at the Vauxhall Travelodge.  We often stay in Travelodges whilst in London as apart from sleeping we are rarely in the hotel and they offer good value for money in comfortable rooms.  Vauxhall is a central location and has the added bonus of having a main line station as well as being on the Victoria Line.  After checking in, we walked along the Thames Path as far as Westminster Bridge, approximately one mile away.  This section of the riverside walk is always very quiet as people don’t seem to notice that the path continues beneath Westminster Bridge.  Along here is actually the best place to take photographs of the Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament and Big Ben) as you are directly opposite with the Thames in the foreground.

Houses of Parliament, London
The Houses of Parliament

We had a snack near the London Eye and wandered along the vibrant South Bank with its attractive shops and restaurants before walking back to the hotel for the night.

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Other posts in this series:

A weekend in London

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The Woolwich Foot Tunnel and a walk along the Thames Path

Exploring London’s East End

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56 thoughts on “Day 1. A weekend in London”

  1. Pingback: Day 2. A walk through central London – Love Travelling Blog

            1. It’s hard to choose between Venice and Amsterdam – they both have canals but are totally different. Venice is quite an expensive city but one everyone should visit at least once. How awesome ro work near Times Square – we were in NYC in January this year for our very first visit and we loved every minute of it. I’ve visited quite a number of Nat Parks in the west some years ago.

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              1. Yes, Venice is definitely more expensive, based on my research. I’m discussing with my travel companion. 🙂 I love NYC. I was born and raised in Brooklyn so it’s pretty much what I know! It’s just so vibrant and the energy is different than any I’ve encountered elsewhere. I haven’t done much west coast traveling except for Las Vegas and San Francisco, but I intend to see more.

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  5. I just took a quick look at this post and love the pics! I will return to take a closer look at your posts, probably when we get home from our travels and have more time. I did a European tour in 1972 and am anxious to see, through your posts, what it’s like now.

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      1. Aah London!! I miss it so much. Lovely post.
        Would you be keen on sharing your travel stories at the #BlogAlong link up I host? This would be a great addition to this months Travel theme :). Feel free to share any other posts if you want to.

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  19. London is always exciting. I’m a northerner myself (although I live in Colorado now) and can’t wait to go back to London to celebrate the New Year. Have a lovely trip, and keep traveling. Great photo!

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  23. I lived in Vauxhall for 5 years before moving to Stevenage and l used to walk towards Westminster Bridge often, especially when the weather was nice. I do miss London sometimes, as now l don’t go there that often, as travelling with a baby in a pram on trains and tube is not quite easy. There is so much to see and do in London, it’s so true that one can’t possibly get tired of it.

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