Extravagant City Break in London

London is so vast that would require a lot of time to explore it in-depth given the richness and diversity it has to offer. But there are some good news for a traveller wishing to spend a brief holiday, or a city break during the week end.

Firstly you can count on valid public transportations. Secondly get the LONDON A-Z, a pocket-sized map book available at any newsagent. You can find anything from events, night life, hot spots for young travellers, backpackers information, choice of entertainment from drag acts to comedy from dance clubs to classical music. There are some other informative magazines you can usually find for free in the hotels halls. If you are in London but don’t know where to go sleeping or you still don’t have an accommodation do not expect to find it cheap. London, with its Pounds can be very expensive even to a European citizen! Apart from hotels which can have 3 to 5 starts but still don’t reach that standard, there is an unlimited numbers of Bed and breakfast ( see for the B&B sign) at private homes. It has been a long tradition and London is the capital of BandB accommodation providers! Usually they are run by families that guest travellers in their own house to get an extra income. It’s a good option in order to get an insight of how a real Londoner lives. In this way it is also very easy to contract the price especially if you ask for continental breakfast and not English breakfast ( bacon and eggs…which can be quite strong at 8 am…): there could be a difference of 2-3 pound per person…And if you sum it all up, well, you might save enough for a dinner out!

There are many possible ways for you to book a B&B in London. Either you go to a tourist office at the very last minute while in London but you may not wish to risk for a last minute accommodation… or find online your perfect accommodation solution. There are quite a lot booking and informative sites: some of them only list the London BB and provide you with phone number but then you have to spend quite a fortune in international calls; some others allow you to book online directly and get your confirmation straight away (ex. Flashbooking.com) some others offer accommodation on request and it could take longer then expected. A list of cheap Bed and breakfast in London is provided by the mentioned website that is specialized in budget accommodation or lodging for families, international students and backpackers. Apart from B&B there are also youth hostels listed. Prices range very from 15 euros in a hostel to 33 euros per person in a double private room in a London B&B. The choice is up to you.

So, you got in London-UK, you got the A-Z map and some good city magazines, you got a cheap accommodation ( which will probably serve you only as a base to explore the city), now it’s time to get out and have fun!!! You might not want to spend the whole day in a museum especially if the day offer a sun beam through the fog… right? Here 3 nice things to do.

You can visit the Kew gardens with their historic green-houses. Very relaxing and interesting. Nice for kids as well and for photographers!! There is a vast assortment of flora gathered from around the world to admire and they often organize many special activities and tours for children ( ex: the ‘Cactus Trail, ‘Climbers and creepers’, etc. ) To get there use the Tube; stop: Kew Bridge. The Gardens are open every day EXCEPT Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. ( www.rbgkew.org.uk; email: info@kew.org or ph: +44 (20) 8332 5655 ) .

Another quite and typical area of London where you can have lunch and do shopping is Covent Gardens. Events and celebrations are hold all through the year and the daily routine includes street entertainment performances seven days a week. Also, Covent Garden is the right place to find the hippest clothes shops! In the area there are many famous European theatres, museums, galleries too. So that in and around Covent Gardens there is always a lot to see and do!! Another fun thing and not too classic tour in Lodnon would be a visit to the London Zoo in Regent’s Park, NW1 (ph: +44 (20) 772233 33; www.londonzoo.co.uk) reachable with the Tube and stop at Camden Town. You will need to walk for 10 minutes only then to reach the entrance. Or the Natural History Museum ( Cromwell Road, SW7, ph. +44 (20) 794 250 00 www.nhm.ac.uk) Tube stop: South Kensington on District, Circle and Piccadilly lines.