Hello fellow travellers

My mom and I will be arriving in London on October 30 and will be taking Insights Easy Pace London and Countryside tour. We will be staying at the Thistle Marble Arch. I am hoping someone can answer the following questions for me.

Upon our arrival we plan on going to Kensington Palace. Are we able to walk from the hotel or would you recommend taking the Tube?

I am interesting in seeing Hampton Court. Can anyone verify how far it is from London to Hampton Court and what station you depart from? I have read numerous travel books and I get a different answer so I am looking for some clarification.

If you have recently stayed at the Thistle Marble Arch are there any restaurants you would recommend that are close to the hotel?

Thanks,

Heather

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Healyn:
.... seeing Hampton Court ....

Hampton Court is the name of the station I seem to recall but the following website may be of greater assistance to you ....

www.hrp.org.uk

they have a 'contact us' facility and will be able to provide up to date info. Haven't checked but there is usually a Google type mapping facility available as well.

Hi Heather,
Walking from the Marble Arch to Kensington is doable, but depends on how much you like to walk. I don't know the exact distance but the hotel is about 2/3 blocks from Hyde Park. It would have to be two or three miles to Kensington. I would suggest you do the hop-on-hop-off bus. You will see alot more and you can get off and on to see the sites you want. There is a hop on stop close to the hotel. As far as restaurants are concerned, you have a wide and varied choice as you are backing onto Oxford street. If you go to the left on Oxford you will find a good selection.
Have fun

The train to Hampton Court goes from Waterloo station to Hampton Court. A nice alternative to just going by train, if you are not in a hurry and it's a nice day, is to take the river ferry from Westminster Bridge. This takes from memory about 3 hours but you will be taking the same basic route as Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, who went by royal barge to Hampton Court (unfortunately the ferry is not quite so handsome, nor are there hordes of flunkeys to cater for your every whim, you'll just have to use your imagination for those!). You will also usually get some commentary on the things you see on the way. As it takes so long, it will be best to return by train to Waterloo.

Healyn-You can really see the sights if you choose to walk but make sure you have your favorite walking shoes on! The bus and the tube are also great alternatives and if you're in doubt(or have trouble with your map) there are always friendly people who are more than happy to steer you in the right direction. The Three Tuns is right outside the Thistle Marble Arch to your right across the street and has great, inexpensive food and good service.

Hi Healyn, I have just returned from the UK where I visited Hampton Court Palace. As has been said you catch South West Trains from Waterloo station. Here is a link to plan your trip.
South West Trains

The Thames River Cruise does not go all the way to Hampton Court in October.

I loved Hampton Court Palace, you get an audio guide included in the entrance cost and there are many rooms to visit. The gardens are very beautiful too and you may be lucky enough to see a swan on a pond in the grounds.

London,_Scandinavia___Europe_2009_309.JPG (62 KB, 7 downloads) Swan at Hampton Court Palace

Hello Healyn
I did this tour four years ago, but I go back every year and stay at the Thistle Hotel in Marble Arch as it is in a fantastic location. If you are fit and able you can walk to Kensington Palace it is really not that far, and you can also see the Royal Albert Hall. Marble Arch tube station is just around the corner and is on the central line, which is very handy. I found it very easy to get around London on the underground. There are restaurants all over the place. Don't forget the pubs either. The Three Tuns is just across the street and you can get a great meal there. Also James St is not so far away and there are lots of restaurants along this street. I take the tube to Lancaster Gate and I think the Street is called Lancaster St, but there is a fantastic Greek restaurant there. The best meals I have ever had have been at this restaurant. Also Covent Garden, there are some wonderful restaurants there. Also, if you want something quick to eat, Pret a Manger is great. I had a few lunches there, sitting up at at the window looking across at Marble Arch, people watching. It is not so far from the Thistle, right opposite the Marble Arch.

You will love the Thistle at Marble Arch, they have the BEST breakfast!! Make sure when you book in that you ask for an inside room, as the rooms on the streetside are rather noisy.

Hampton Court Palace is not really that close but you can get a train from Waterloo I think. Other than that there is an Evan Evans tour that does Blenheim Palace, the Cotswolds and Hampton Court Palace. It is a great day out, I think it would cost aroun 70 pounds and you could do this on one of your London at leisure days.
Gen

quote:

Originally posted by Gennevive:
Hampton Court Palace is not really that close but you can get a train from Waterloo I think. Other than that there is an Evan Evans tour that does Blenheim Palace, the Cotswolds and Hampton Court Palace. Gen

If you read my post above you will see I have given you a link to the trains to Hampton Court Palace. The journey takes 30 minutes and in summer a train leaves every 30 minutes. If you do an Evan Evans tour you do not get to go inside the Palace but just see the gardens as there is not time.

I did an Evan Evans tour of just Blenheim Palace and the Cotswolds, it was fantastic as you saw 3 beautiful towns in the Cotswolds and I had the best ever lunch there too !!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Langers,

Langers
I did the Evan Evans tour and we did go inside Hampton Court Palace and had an extensive tour inside, our guide was very informative. We also spent time in the beautiful gardens.
On the same tour we went to Blenheim Palace first, but we only got to see the gardens there. In the Cotswolds we only went to Burford and had our lunch there in a lovley pub called the Mermaid.
This year I went back to Blenheim Palace on a different tour, I think it was a Golden Tour, we had much more time at Blenheim Palace and had the guided tour inside the palace as well as plenty of time in the gardens. We also visited Boughton on Water, a stunning little village they call the Venice of the Cotswolds.

Gen

Hi Gennevive,

Many Evan Evans tours have changed and they do more "select tours" now. They offer a tour just to Hampton Court Palace on its own or another one combined with a visit to Windsor Castle,where you decide if you want to pay extra for a visit inside the Palace.

In September I did an Evan Evans select tour to the Cotswolds and Blenheim Palace. We had plenty of time at Blenheim Palace to visit inside and the lovely gardens too. Then we went to three beautiful Cotswolds villages - Bibury then lunch in Burford (on your own or pay extra) and then time in Bourton-on-the-water. The villages were just perfect and it was a wonderful day with blue skies too