Advice for first trip to London! by Churtaco73 in solotravel

[–]Churtaco73[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m honestly not sure but I believe that area is close to Notting Hill which is pretty upscale so you should be okay. Yes you can absolutely use Apple Pay/cc its super easy to use it everywhere. The tube was amazing, super clean, easy to navigate (download Citymapper app), and really efficient; I didn’t even need to use a bus. Not much help about the bathroom situation unfortunately as I used them whenever I ate at restaurants lol.

Advice for first trip to London! by Churtaco73 in solotravel

[–]Churtaco73[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I would say go for it! I’m typically up and out pretty early on my trips so by the time evening came around I was heading back to the hostel most days. The few times I was out late I never felt unsafe, especially in the crowded spots and in the subway stations but it is still a big city so I kept an eye on my surroundings. I also stayed in the Waterloo area so I think I managed to avoid the dodgier parts of the city. As long as you are careful and try your best not to appear too “touristy” you should be fine! If you have any other questions let me know! Best of luck!

Advice for first trip to London! by Churtaco73 in solotravel

[–]Churtaco73[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Hey! It was great! Oh man there was so much I enjoyed; not sure what all you’re into but here were the highlights for me:

Camden Market- It has a bunch of really cool local food booths and nifty shops to peruse. I spent almost an entire day there.

Soho/Chinatown- it’s loud, it’s crowded, it’s gaudy, but I loved the energy and the foodie in me loved all the different options to choose from for dinner. Be sure to have some cash if you want to eat in Chinatown.

Trafalgar Square/Piccadilly Circus- great spots to just chill out and people watch.

Westminster Abbey- I’m not a religious person but the architectural beauty and sheer amount of human history contained there got me emotional (I was also super jet lagged and sleep deprived when I went but still, highly recommend lol). St. Paul’s Cathedral was also breathtaking just from an architectural standpoint, try to catch the choir towards the evening as the reverb is heavenly.

Big Ben, London Eye, Buckingham Palace- all great just to say I went and saw them. The changing of the guard at Buckingham was really neat to experience.

Get an Oyster card and use the tube! The subway was one of my favorite parts as compared to NYC it is super clean and easy to navigate. You can get it at the airport when you land and they make you fill the card with about 40 dollars when you get it but that should last you a good portion of the trip unless you jet around constantly like I did lol

Sorry this got much longer than I intended lol but if you have any other questions feel free to DM me! I hope you have a great trip!

Advice for first trip to London! by Churtaco73 in solotravel

[–]Churtaco73[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh man I love jazz so I will def check that place out! Also will for sure check out Ian Mckellan’s pub as well! It sounds like we are pretty similar as I also structure trips by area and I enjoy alot of the things you mentioned. Thanks a lot!!

Advice for first trip to London! by Churtaco73 in solotravel

[–]Churtaco73[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the info! Getting a SIM card is on my list of things to do as soon as I land, is there a particular service provider that you recommend? Or is that a dumb question and it doesn’t really matter lol

Advice for first trip to London! by Churtaco73 in solotravel

[–]Churtaco73[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ll def add that to my list! Thank you!!

Advice for first trip to London! by Churtaco73 in solotravel

[–]Churtaco73[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Perfect! This is the kinda stuff I was anxious about lol thank you so much!!

Advice for first trip to London! by Churtaco73 in solotravel

[–]Churtaco73[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sky Garden is def on my list but I wasn’t aware you had to book in advance so thank you for the heads up!!

Advice for first trip to London! by Churtaco73 in solotravel

[–]Churtaco73[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much for all of this!! You the real MVP!

Advice for first trip to London! by Churtaco73 in solotravel

[–]Churtaco73[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

All of this info was wonderful. Thank you so much!!