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Visiting London by Car
AndyGT - 3/8/12 at 02:02 PM

Obviously not during the Olympic games, but I am looking at visiting London by car in 2 or 3 weeks just after the Olympics. It will be a Saturday and I am just looking for any personal experiences or advice people have.

I wanted to park the car and visit by open top bus but looking at NCP prices it is 45 quid for 5 hours parking. Is this right? So any advice on safe places to park as car will have semi visable from kerbside valuables (my old racing tandem etc) inside.

btw, there will be 2 cars and 7 people so taking the tandem isn't a viable option!!!

Thanks
Andy

loggyboy - 3/8/12 at 02:10 PM

http://www.parkatmyhouse.com/index.php?com=search&q=london&type=&coords=

whitestu - 3/8/12 at 02:25 PM

Depends wher you want to be but I normally pay aound £25 for the day to park, though this tends to be West London around Olympia or Westminster.

You could always park for free a bit further out like near Colindale Station on the Northern Line and get the tube in.

Stu

MakeEverything - 3/8/12 at 02:37 PM

I would park outside london and get the train in. NCP's are ridiculously expensive, but to Park at Stevenage station is £6, and return travel card peak times is £28. £34 all in and parked safely isnt too bad IMO. Same can be said for other places such as Kent, if youre coming in from France. Look for a train map, and work out from there which trains will get you straight in. This will tell you where you can park. Be early though, as the mainline station carparks fill quickly.

hicost - 3/8/12 at 02:49 PM

There is a parking spot in Harrington Road SW1

Private parking with onsite persons so safe. About half the price of NCP I have used it many a time and even Tuesday this week.

James

AndyW - 3/8/12 at 03:01 PM

I regularly park at Cockfosters £4.50 for all day, then travel card £8.50

Mind you I drove into London on Monday and it was something like a Zombie film, the roads were dead. Went from Shepherds Bush to Stratford and at one stage over the Marylebone Flyover there was only me and 1 other car. Think I will give the train a miss until the Olympics is over!!!

James - 3/8/12 at 03:46 PM

About 8/9 years ago my girlfriend was living on Oxford street while at uni.

I found the cheapest place nearby to park was, believe it or not, Park Lane underground car park!

IIRC back then it was around £15/£20 for 24 hours.

Google... eh voila!
http://www.parkbcp.co.uk/london-parking/marble-arch.html

Now £24 for 24 hours apparently!


One of the great things about it was all the amazing cars that were owned by nearby super-rich residents that are just stuck in there and left! It was like a free sports car show down there! A few had car covers on and it was fun to play 'Guess the car' when it was under a cover!



I know it's still a lot of money but the price of trains now is so ridiculous that if you park outside the city and get the train in, it'll easily cost you £24 between the 3/4 of you!
I live about 35mins from Waterloo, a return ticket is about £20... each!


If you park there then you'd only need a underground ticket each.

Cheers,
James

theconrodkid - 3/8/12 at 05:13 PM

london is like a ghost town at the mo so maybe the best time to visit if you can ?.
as for parking,depends on where you are staying,most stations in the suberbs have roads where you can park.
i liveand drive here every day so if you need any more info feel free to u2u me

snapper - 3/8/12 at 05:52 PM

Plus congestion charge
I would look at the east end well before docklands and use the docklands light railway to get in

coozer - 3/8/12 at 06:41 PM

Take the train, its the cheapest way. Leave the car at home and save the fuel..

London is 280 miles away from me and it costs £15 each way on the train, down to Kings cross and £5? a day for the underground.

lsdweb - 3/8/12 at 07:59 PM

Parkopedia -

http://en.parkopedia.co.uk/parking/london/

David Jenkins - 3/8/12 at 09:23 PM

You might save money by booking train journeys in advance... have a play with these sites:

TheTrainLine
RedSpottedHanky

The second one can be cheaper as they don't sneak extra charges on the final cost. Also, make sure you look at the cost of 2 single tickets instead of a return - for some reason the cost is often far less... never worked out why that happens...

ashg - 3/8/12 at 09:34 PM

here is another option. why bother going there. i have to go into london now and then and all i can say is that it is an overpriced poo hole

AndyGT - 4/8/12 at 03:43 AM

Thanks chaps for all the constructive responses,

I like the poo-hole comment too!!! It made me laugh. I would normally agree but it is my nieces 12th birthday whilst I'm up north visiting family so London will be a drive-by visit on our way back to France. She is studying English in school and we think she will see more reason to study at school.

Anyway, thanks agin!! Being a northerner I've no idea when it comes to visiting our capital by car!!!

morcus - 4/8/12 at 04:43 AM

As alot of other people said, train in, it's about 25 minutes from here in Ashford on the fast train and it stops at some kind of shopping centre, that presumably has parking, and is like 10 minutes on the rest of the train ride. If you can find a decent deal on the tickets, might even be cheaper to get on the train in france.

David Jenkins - 4/8/12 at 03:21 PM

quote:
Originally posted by ashg
here is another option. why bother going there. i have to go into london now and then and all i can say is that it is an overpriced poo hole


It's not a bad place to visit, as long as you avoid Oxford Street and Regent Street - they're full of tourists and the people who prey on them! You don't have to go too far away to find interesting places: lots of good museums and art galleries (free!) around Trafalgar Square, and when my wife and I go there we have Dim Sum for lunch in Soho (China Town), visit Covent Garden, then wander into Trafalgar Square for the museums and galleries, stroll down to the Thames, cross the river and walk back on the South Bank to Tower Bridge. A short walk through the City to Liverpool St Station and catch a train home. We rarely catch the tube, as it's easy enough to walk through the back streets of central London. You can get a ride on the catamaran 'buses' that go up and down the river (better than the tour boats) to Greenwich, and other stuff like that.

Also, if you get away from the tourist traps, you can find a decent meal for a sensible price in most areas - they're very competitive as they normally serve the office workers rather than the tourists!

RK - 4/8/12 at 05:46 PM

My wife doesn't get London either. It depends on what you like to do. If it's shows, museums etc, you want, London is THE place in the world. If the weather is good, it's not so appealing; better to go somewhere you can do one of those English walks on a deserted trail through the countryside, ending at a nice pub. Nobody ever on them nowadays.

AntonUK - 4/8/12 at 06:28 PM

Free parking at park royal then tube it in


Alternatively park at shepards bush or kings cross

Acc8braman - 22/8/12 at 11:20 AM

Park at the O2 arena, then get a tube into the Centre

pajsh - 22/8/12 at 11:53 AM

I used to park at Stanmore just off the M1 and end of the Jubilee line then tube in.

Was only about £5 parking and £9 tube day ticket but that was a few years back now.

Also used Q-Park at Butlers Wharf near Tower Bridge. Didn't have to go in the congestion charge zone either.

http://www.q-park.co.uk/parking/london/q-park-butlers-wharf

Or what my mate does it jump on the train at the new East Midlands Parkway station at Ratcliffe on Sour just of J24 M1 and it's only about 80 mins in. Quicker than you can drive and save all the hassle of the M1 round Luton. Free parking I think but don't hold me to it.

stevebubs - 22/8/12 at 11:57 AM

I normally park at the Westfield and get the tube...