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5th-9th December 2008 -
When in London I prefer to stay near Oxford Street, the hub of London's activity. Oxford Street gets you nearly everywhere by bus or by tube. There are four tube stations along Oxford Street, starting at Marble Arch at one point, Bond Street and Oxford Circus in the middle and Tottenham Court Road at the other end. Extending a bit further to the east one may also include Holborn.
As for buses, Oxford Street is served by most red bus lines taking you to different destinations across London. For example, it is very easy to reach Piccadilly or the West End by buses no 6, 15, 23 and 159.
London is an experience. With the hustle bustle of the crowds, the decorations of the shops, the smart appearance of uniformed guards, the grandeur of historic monuments, landmarks all around and last but not least the famous West End for the Theatre. All of this makes London an enjoyable place to visit again and again. 
So considering the advantages of staying near Oxford Street, this time I decided to stay at the Hotel Best Western Mostyn, at Bryanston Street. This is a three star hotel great for its location and its service. I got a good deal from bookinhotels.com. The Hotel staff was very friendly and I would mention in particular Mr Maroun, the concierge. I also have to mention Ms Anna from Reservations who very efficiently confirmed my booking after she contacted the agent directly.
Bryanston Street is parallel to Oxford Street, and the hotel is just one corner away from department stores such as Next, Primark and New Look.
The flight to Gatwick by Air Malta departed at 8.40am and arrived at 10.55am local time. London is 1 hour behind Malta time so one could practically earn an hour and have more time for the first day of visit. The hotel room is available at 2.00pm but one can leave the luggage at the hotel and then return later.
It is easier to reach central London from Heathrow Airport because in 40 minutes one could easily get there by tube through the Piccadilly Line. Getting to central London from Gatwick Airport is a bit more intriguing depending on which part of central London you would like to reach.
If you are staying around Victoria, then the Victoria Express gets you there directly from Gatwick train station in just 30 minutes for the price of 16 GBP one way. Trains depart every 15 minutes. However one can travel to central London for half the price in the same journey time by using the First Capital Connect (FCC) trains which depart every 15 or 20 minutes to London Bridge Station. From there one can proceed by tube through the Jubilee line. There is also the possibility to combine the one way train trip with a one day off-peak travelcard for the price of 10.30 GBP. This is very convenient as you can use the ticket for the whole day on all london transport (i.e. tube, buses and Docklands Light Railway[DLR]) for unlimited travel.
Having to arrive at Marble Arch station (around 150m far from the hotel) I had to change for the Central line at Bond Street.
For those preferring to pay more for a taxi from Gatwick Airport to central London, a one way trip costs approximately 70 GBP but this can be cheaper if you book ahead. Alternatively one could travel by train to London Bridge train station and take taxi from there. I did this on my way back on a Tuesday at 7.45am and the journey from the hotel to London Bridge station took around 20 minutes at a cost of just over 12 GBP. Obviously journey times depend on the time of the day.
London West End is famous for its theatres. I love musicals. This time I booked online to watch Blood Brothers (on Saturday 6th December at 7.45pm) and Mamma Mia! (on Monday 8th December at 7.30pm).
Sightseeing
A good way to explore London is by using the tube and/or the red buses. One may purchase an off-peak day travel card for unlimited travel (after 9.30am on Monday to Friday and any time on Saturday and Sunday) on the tube, buses and the Docklands Light Railway (DLR). This travelcard costs 5.30GBP.
Having visited London many times, I decided to do something else instead of sightseeing. I took the first bus that came along. This happened to be the number 23 to Liverpool Station, which for some unknown reason stopped short of its destination at Mansion House. But I soon got on
board the number 15 bus to Tower Hill and in ten minutes arrived in front of the Tower of London, right outside the Tower Hill tube station. Well, I could have easily got on the number 15 directly from Oxford Street but I had no idea where I was going to end up, and thus I enjoyed the thrills of this new adventure.
If this is your first time in London and you would like to see the most you can in less time, then I have some suggestions.
First, if you are staying near Marble Arch or Oxford Street, board any of the buses to Piccadilly Circus (6, 15, 23, and 159). From Piccadilly walk along Regent Street or Haymarket towards Trafalgar Square. This is a landmark for London. Here you are surrounded by the National Gallery to the North and the church of St Martin in the Fields to its right, Nelson’s column in the centre of the square
, Admiralty Arch to the South West and Whitehall to the South. From Admiralty Arch one could go towards the Mall, the long road leading towards Buckingham Palace, the Queen’s official residence. The Mall was built also to be used as a make-shift runway in case of emergency or catastrophic events that may endanger the monarch or senior members of the government.
Opposite Nelson’s column, to the South, lies Whitehall, the half a mile road leading to Parliament Square. Along this road there are many important government buildings such as The Treasury, the
Foreign, Commonwealth and Home Offices, the Horseguards (where two mounted soldiers stand in their traditional dress) and leading off to Downing Street, the official residence of the British Prime Minister.
Reaching Parliament Square one can see, to the right, Westminster Cathedral and visit the famous Chapels. To the left the Houses of Parliament with the famous Big Ben Tower.
Continue to walk to the left towards Westminster Bridge and cross the Thames river to the other bank where the now popular attraction London Eye stands. The London Eye is a giant wheel with capsules
which takes you to a height of 135 metres from where, especially on a clear day, you can enjoy a splendid view of London . The price of the ticket is 15.40 GBP and it can take you as long as 30 minutes in the queue to buy the ticket and another 30 minutes on the attraction itself.
You may perform another tour starting from St Paul’s Cathedral,
proceed to Tower Hill to visit the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge. From Tower Bridge take the DLR to London Docklands. These trains depart from Bank.
At the Docklands stop at Canary Wharf to visit the popular
shopping centre. One can also visit Greenwich where at the Royal Observatory you may take a picture on the meridian line that divides the eastern and western hemispheres.
Back to central London, I suggest a combined visit to Covent Garden and Leicester Square to complete the tour of the west end.
Finally, London is full of Museums. Visiting these museums takes time. For example, the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum need days to be visited properly. The same applies for the British Museum and the National Gallery at Trafalgar Square. There are other popular attractions worth a visit such as Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum.
For further information one can visit the website http://www.londontown.com/
Places to Eat
London has a variety of restaurants offering good food. For those who like me prefer Italian cuisine, I would recommend:
- Spaghetti House Ristorante Pizzeria http://www.spaghettihouse.co.uk/
- Strada http://www.strada.co.uk/
As for buses, Oxford Street is served by most red bus lines taking you to different destinations across London. For example, it is very easy to reach Piccadilly or the West End by buses no 6, 15, 23 and 159.
London is an experience. With the hustle bustle of the crowds, the decorations of the shops, the smart appearance of uniformed guards, the grandeur of historic monuments, landmarks all around and last but not least the famous West End for the Theatre. All of this makes London an enjoyable place to visit again and again. 
So considering the advantages of staying near Oxford Street, this time I decided to stay at the Hotel Best Western Mostyn, at Bryanston Street. This is a three star hotel great for its location and its service. I got a good deal from bookinhotels.com. The Hotel staff was very friendly and I would mention in particular Mr Maroun, the concierge. I also have to mention Ms Anna from Reservations who very efficiently confirmed my booking after she contacted the agent directly.
Bryanston Street is parallel to Oxford Street, and the hotel is just one corner away from department stores such as Next, Primark and New Look.
The flight to Gatwick by Air Malta departed at 8.40am and arrived at 10.55am local time. London is 1 hour behind Malta time so one could practically earn an hour and have more time for the first day of visit. The hotel room is available at 2.00pm but one can leave the luggage at the hotel and then return later.
It is easier to reach central London from Heathrow Airport because in 40 minutes one could easily get there by tube through the Piccadilly Line. Getting to central London from Gatwick Airport is a bit more intriguing depending on which part of central London you would like to reach.
If you are staying around Victoria, then the Victoria Express gets you there directly from Gatwick train station in just 30 minutes for the price of 16 GBP one way. Trains depart every 15 minutes. However one can travel to central London for half the price in the same journey time by using the First Capital Connect (FCC) trains which depart every 15 or 20 minutes to London Bridge Station. From there one can proceed by tube through the Jubilee line. There is also the possibility to combine the one way train trip with a one day off-peak travelcard for the price of 10.30 GBP. This is very convenient as you can use the ticket for the whole day on all london transport (i.e. tube, buses and Docklands Light Railway[DLR]) for unlimited travel.
Having to arrive at Marble Arch station (around 150m far from the hotel) I had to change for the Central line at Bond Street.
For those preferring to pay more for a taxi from Gatwick Airport to central London, a one way trip costs approximately 70 GBP but this can be cheaper if you book ahead. Alternatively one could travel by train to London Bridge train station and take taxi from there. I did this on my way back on a Tuesday at 7.45am and the journey from the hotel to London Bridge station took around 20 minutes at a cost of just over 12 GBP. Obviously journey times depend on the time of the day.
London West End is famous for its theatres. I love musicals. This time I booked online to watch Blood Brothers (on Saturday 6th December at 7.45pm) and Mamma Mia! (on Monday 8th December at 7.30pm).
Sightseeing
A good way to explore London is by using the tube and/or the red buses. One may purchase an off-peak day travel card for unlimited travel (after 9.30am on Monday to Friday and any time on Saturday and Sunday) on the tube, buses and the Docklands Light Railway (DLR). This travelcard costs 5.30GBP.
Having visited London many times, I decided to do something else instead of sightseeing. I took the first bus that came along. This happened to be the number 23 to Liverpool Station, which for some unknown reason stopped short of its destination at Mansion House. But I soon got on
board the number 15 bus to Tower Hill and in ten minutes arrived in front of the Tower of London, right outside the Tower Hill tube station. Well, I could have easily got on the number 15 directly from Oxford Street but I had no idea where I was going to end up, and thus I enjoyed the thrills of this new adventure.If this is your first time in London and you would like to see the most you can in less time, then I have some suggestions.
First, if you are staying near Marble Arch or Oxford Street, board any of the buses to Piccadilly Circus (6, 15, 23, and 159). From Piccadilly walk along Regent Street or Haymarket towards Trafalgar Square. This is a landmark for London. Here you are surrounded by the National Gallery to the North and the church of St Martin in the Fields to its right, Nelson’s column in the centre of the square
, Admiralty Arch to the South West and Whitehall to the South. From Admiralty Arch one could go towards the Mall, the long road leading towards Buckingham Palace, the Queen’s official residence. The Mall was built also to be used as a make-shift runway in case of emergency or catastrophic events that may endanger the monarch or senior members of the government.Opposite Nelson’s column, to the South, lies Whitehall, the half a mile road leading to Parliament Square. Along this road there are many important government buildings such as The Treasury, the
Foreign, Commonwealth and Home Offices, the Horseguards (where two mounted soldiers stand in their traditional dress) and leading off to Downing Street, the official residence of the British Prime Minister.Reaching Parliament Square one can see, to the right, Westminster Cathedral and visit the famous Chapels. To the left the Houses of Parliament with the famous Big Ben Tower.
Continue to walk to the left towards Westminster Bridge and cross the Thames river to the other bank where the now popular attraction London Eye stands. The London Eye is a giant wheel with capsules
which takes you to a height of 135 metres from where, especially on a clear day, you can enjoy a splendid view of London . The price of the ticket is 15.40 GBP and it can take you as long as 30 minutes in the queue to buy the ticket and another 30 minutes on the attraction itself.You may perform another tour starting from St Paul’s Cathedral,
proceed to Tower Hill to visit the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge. From Tower Bridge take the DLR to London Docklands. These trains depart from Bank.At the Docklands stop at Canary Wharf to visit the popular
shopping centre. One can also visit Greenwich where at the Royal Observatory you may take a picture on the meridian line that divides the eastern and western hemispheres. Back to central London, I suggest a combined visit to Covent Garden and Leicester Square to complete the tour of the west end.
Finally, London is full of Museums. Visiting these museums takes time. For example, the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum need days to be visited properly. The same applies for the British Museum and the National Gallery at Trafalgar Square. There are other popular attractions worth a visit such as Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum.
For further information one can visit the website http://www.londontown.com/
Places to Eat
London has a variety of restaurants offering good food. For those who like me prefer Italian cuisine, I would recommend:
- Spaghetti House Ristorante Pizzeria http://www.spaghettihouse.co.uk/
- Strada http://www.strada.co.uk/
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