The West End
Shopping in the West End is more student-oriented than most areas in London. Filled with cool independent stores, most of them selling books, CDs, vinyls and more vintage clothes than the Motown stars ever wore, the West End is a fun shopping district that tends to emphasize the cheap. Break out the chucks, Ray-Bans, and tight black jeans—your wallet must lighten.
SISTER RAY
34-35 Berwick St.
INDEPENDENT RECORDS AND CDS
020 7734 3297 www.sisterray.co.uk
An old school record shop of the best kind, Sister Ray has every sort of genre, from constant chart-toppers to one-hit wonders. The stellar staff is adept at creating musical matches-made-in-Heaven, directing listeners to artists. Hip, cheap books about music line the check-out counter, and listening stations are throughout the store.
Tottenham Court Rd., left on Oxford St. left on Wardour St., left on Berwick St. Wheelchair access at the top of the store, ramp available on request. Open M-Sa 10am-8pm, Su noon-6pm. M-W, Sa 11am-7pm, Th-F 11am-8pm, Su noon-6pm.
ESSENTIALS
Practicalities
• TOURS: Big Bus Company (48 Buckingham Palace Rd. Victoria. 020 7233 9533 www.bigbustours.com Buses leave every 15min. 8:30am-6pm.) offers a Red Tour (history) which stops at the Green Park Underground, Hyde Park Corner, Trafalgar Square, Whitehall, Westminster Bridge, London Eye, Tower of London, Buckingham Palace and Victoria. Original London Walks (020 7624 9255 £8, 65+ and students £6) has themed walks like “Jack the Ripper Walk” and “Alfred Hitchcock’s London.” Check the website for schedules. Britain Visitor Centres (1 Regent St. Piccadilly Circus. www.visitbritain.com Open M 9:30am-6:30pm, Tu-F 9am-6pm, Sa 9am-5pm, Su and bank holidays 10am-4pm.) London Information Centre (Leicester Sq. Leicester Sq. 020 7292 2333 Open daily 8am-midnight.)
• US EMBASSY: (24 Grosvenor Sq. Bond St. 020 7499 9000 www.usembassy.org.uk.).
• CREDIT CARD SERVICES: American Express (www.amextravelresources.com) locations at (78 Brompton Rd. Knightsbridge. 084 4406 0046 Open M-T 9am-5:30pm, W 9:30am-5:30pm, Th-F 9am-5:30pm, Sa 9am-4:00pm) and (30-31 Haymarket. Piccadilly Circus. 084 4406 0044 Open M-F 9:00am-5:30pm.).
• GLBT RESOURCES: Boyz (www.boyz.co.uk) lists gay events in London as well as an online version of its magazine. Gingerbeer (www.gingerbeer.co.uk) is a guide for lesbian and bisexual women with events listings.
• POST OFFICE: Trafalgar Square Post Office. (24-28 William IV St., Westminster. Charing Cross. 0207 484 9305 Open M 8:30am-6:30pm, Tu 9:15am-6:30pm, W-F 8:30am-6:30pm, Sa 9am-5:30pm.)
Emergency!
• POLICE: Call City of London Police (020 7601 2000) or Metropolitan Police (030 0123 1212).
• HOSPITAL: St. Thomas’ Hospital. (Westminster Bridge Rd. Westminster. 020 7188 7188.) Royal Free Hospital. (Pond St. Hampstead Heath. 020 7794 0500.) Charing Cross Hospital. (Fulham Palace Rd. Hammersmith. 020 3311 1234.) University College Hospital. (235 Euston Rd. Warren Street. 0845 155 5000.)
• PHARMACY: Boots (www.boots.com) and Superdrug (www.superdrug.com), the most popular drugstores in London, are scattered throughout the city. Zafash Pharmacy. (233-235 Old Brompton Rd. Earl’s Court. 020 7373 2798 www.zafash.com.) Bliss Pharmacy. (107-109 Gloucester Rd. Gloucester Rd. 020 7373 4445.)
Getting There
By Plane
The main airport in London is Heathrow (084 4335 1801 www.heathrowairport.com). There are five terminals at Heathrow, which is commonly regarded as one of the busiest international airports in the world. Terminal 2 is closed, and there are exceptions to the rules concerning the location of airlines. The best way to find your terminal is through the “Which terminal?” function on the Heathrow website. This tool enables you to search via airline and destination as well as specific flight number.
The cheapest way to get from London Heathrow to Central London is on the Tube. The two Tube stations servicing the four terminals of Heathrow form a distressing looking loop at the end of the Piccadilly line which runs between Central London and the Heathrow terminals ( 1hr. every 5min. M-Sa 5am-11:54pm, Su 5:46am-10:37pm.)
Heathrow Express (084 5600 1515 www.heathrowexpress.com) runs between Heathrow and Paddington four times an hour. The trip is significantly shorter than many of the alternatives, clocking in at around 15-20min. ( M-Sa 1st train from terminals 1, 2 and 3 5:12am; Su 5:08am. M-Su first train from Terminal 5 5:07am), but the £16.50 (when purchased online; £18 from station; £23 on board) makes it a little less enticing. The Heathrow Connect also runs to Paddington but is both cheaper and longer because it stops at five places on the way to and from Heathrow. There are two trains per hour, and the trip takes about 25min.
The National Express bus runs between Victoria Coach Station and Heathrow three times an hour. Though cheap and often simpler than convoluted Underground trips, the buses are subject to that great parasite of the Queen’s country: traffic. There are naysayers roaming the halls of Heathrow moaning terrifying tales about people spending vacations on buses, but if you’re looking for a cheap thrill and you’re from anywhere with normal driving laws, you can look forward to that first time when they pull onto the highway and your travel-addled mind instructs you to wrench the steering wheel from the driver’s mad hands. (08717 818 178 www.nationalexpress.com). Posing a similar traffic threat, taxis from the airport to Victoria cost around £60 and take around 45min. In short, they aren’t worth it.
Getting to Gatwick Airport (084 4335 1802 www.gatwickairport.com) takes around 30min., making it less convenient than Heathrow but less hectic too. The swift and affordable train services that connect Gatwick to the city make the trip a little easier. The Gatwick Express train (084 5850 1530 www.gatwickexpress.com 1-way £15.20; roundtrip £25.80 and valid for a month) runs non-stop service to Victoria station (35min., every 15min., 5:50am-12:35am). Buy tickets in terminals, at the station, or on the train itself.
National Express runs services from the North and South terminals of Gatwick to London. The National Express bus (08717 818 178 www.nationalexpress.com) takes approximately 85min., and buses depart for London Victoria hourly. Taxis take about 1hr. to reach central London. easyBus (084 4800 4411 www.easybus.co.uk) runs every 15min. from North and South terminals to Earls Court and West Brompton. ( Tickets from £20. 65min., every 15min.)
The Europeans are far ahead of Americans in terms of train travel, and London offers several ways to easily reach other European destinations. Eurolines (08717 818 181 www.eurolines.co.uk Open 8am-8pm) is Europe’s largest coach network, providing service to 500 destinations throughout Europe. Many buses leave from Victoria Coach Station, which is at the mouth of Elizabeth St. just off of Buckingham Palace Road. Many coach companies, including National Express, Eurolines, and Megabus operate from Victoria Coach. National Express (087 1781 8178 www.nationalexpress.com) is the only scheduled coach network in Britain and can be used for most intercity travel and for travel to and from various airports. It can also be used to reach Scotland and Wales. Greenline (087 1200 2233 www.greenline.co.uk) provides services throughout London. One of its stops is by Eccleston Bridge, right next to Victoria, but it also reaches such convenient areas as Hyde Park Corner and Baker Street.
Getting Around
Though there are daily interruptions to service in the Tube (that’s right, not the metro, not the subway, but the Tube, or Underground), the controlling network, Transport of London does a good job of keeping travelers aware of these disruptions to service. Each station will have posters listing interruptions to service, and you can check service online at www.tfl.gov.uk or the 24hr. travel information service at 0843 222 1234. Most stations also have ticket booths and informed TFL employees who can help you and guide you to the proper pamphlets.
Though many people in the city stay out past midnight, the Tube doesn’t have the same sort of stamina. When it closes around midnight, night owls have two choices: a cab or nightbuses. Most nightbus lines are prefixed with an N (N 13, for instance) and some stops even have 24hr. buses
.
Travel Passes
Travel Passes are almost guaranteed to save you money. The passes are priced based on the number of zones they serve (the more zones, the more expensive), but zone 1 encompasses central London and you will not likely need to get past zone 2. If someone offers you a secondhand ticket, don’t take it. There’s no real way to verify whether it’s valid—plus, it’s illegal. Those under 16 get free travel on buses and trams. Children under 5 rule the public transportation system, getting free travel on the Tube, trams, Docklands Lights Railway (DLR), overground, and National Rail services (though they must be accompanied by someone with a valid pass). Passengers ages 11-15 enjoy reduced fares on the Tube with an Oyster photocard. Students eighteen and older must study full-time (at least 15hr. per week over 14 weeks) in London to qualify for the Student Photocard, which enables users to save 30% on adult travel cards and bus and tram passes. You can apply for one online but you need a passport-sized digital photo and an enrollment ID from your school. It’s worth it if you’re staying for an extended period of time. (Study abroad kids, we’re looking at you...)
Oyster Cards store everything you need and enable you to pay in a variety of ways. Fares come in peak (M-F 4:30am-9:29am) and off-peak (any other time) varieties and are, again, distinguished by zone. In addition to letting you add Travelcards, Oysters enable users to “pay as you go,” meaning that you can store credit on an as-needed basis. The cards have price capping that will allow you to travel as much as you want, while ensuring that you don’t pay above the cost of the day Travelcard you would otherwise have purchased. Register your card, especially if you put a lot of money on it. That way, you can recover everything if it’s lost.
Weekly, monthly, and annual Travelcards can be purchased at any time from Tube stations. They yield unlimited (within zone) use for their duration ( Weekly rates for zones 1-2 £25.80. Monthly £99.10. Day off-peak £5.60, day anytime is £7.20).
By Underground
Most stations have Tube maps on the walls as well as free pocket maps. Please note that the Tube map barely reflects an above-ground scale, and should not be used for even the roughest of walking directions. Platforms are organized by line, and will have the colors of the lines serviced and their names on the wall. The colors of the poles inside the trains correspond with the line, and trains will often have their end destination displayed on the front. This is an essential service when your line splits. Many platforms will have a digital panel indicating ETAs for the trains and sometimes type and final destination. When transferring in stations, just follow the clearly marked routes. Yellow “WAY OUT” signs point toward exits.
The Tube runs Monday to Saturday from approximately 5:30am (though it depends on which station and line) to around midnight. If you’re taking a train within 30min. of these times (before or after), you’ll want to check the signs in the ticket hall for times of the first and last train. The Tube runs less frequently on Sunday, with many lines starting service after 6am. Around 6pm on weekdays, many of the trains running out of central London become packed with the after-work crowd. It’s best to avoid the service at this time.
You can buy tickets from ticket counters (though these often have lines at bigger stations) or at machines in the stations. You need a ticket to swipe in at the beginning of the journey, and also to exit the Tube. If your train is randomly selected, you will need to present a valid ticket to avoid the £50 penalty fee, which is reduced to £25 if you pay in under 21 days.
By Bus
While slower than the Tube for long journeys (traffic and more frequent stops), buses can be useful for traveling short distances covered by a few stops (and several transfers) on the Tube. For one-stop distances, your best bet may be walking.
Bus stops frequently have lists of buses servicing the stop as well as route maps and maps of the area indicating nearby stops. Buses display route numbers.
Every route and stop is different, but buses generally run every 5-15min. beginning around 5:30am and ending around midnight. After day bus routes have closed, Night Buses take over. These routes are typically prefixed with an N and operate similar routes to their daytime equivalents. Some buses run 24-hour services. If you’re staying out past the Tube closing time, you should plan your nightbus route or bring cab fare.
Singles for adults and students cost £2; fare is only £1.20 with Oyster pay-as-you-go. Sixteen and up Oyster Photocard users get £.60 rates on pay-as-you-go. Eleven- to fifteen-year-olds ride free with Oyster Photocards. Under 11s ride free regardless of Oyster photocard.
oxford
01865
Oxford has prestige written all over it. The renowned university has educated some of the most influential players in Western civilization, serving as a home to intellectual royalty, royal royalty, and at least a dozen saints. Students from all around Britain and the world aspire to join the ranks of Adam Smith, Oscar Wilde, and Bill Clinton...but if you can’t join ’em, visit ’em. Swarms of tourists descend on Oxford throughout the year, so don’t expect everybody you see to be a local (or a genius). Make room in your budget for some extra-credit college knowledge.
ORIENTATION
Cowley Road
If you’re looking for an interesting change of pace from blue-blood, tourist-crammed Oxford, take an excursion across Magdalen Bridge, then follow the roundabout to Cowley Road. It’s Oxford’s shopping hub that provides a glimpse into the rich diversity thriving outside the touristy High St. and Cornmarket shops. Cowley Rd. leads through inner-city East Oxford, and into the suburb of Cowley, which William Morris, the automobile tycoon, transformed into one of Britain’s most significant mass production plants à la Henry Ford. This industry brought a steady flow of immigrants from Wales from the early 1900s.
Today, Cowley Rd. reveals its diversity through its food: in just a quick stroll down the street, you’ll see everything from halal groceries to Chinese woks, from Italian dishes to Polish specialties, from tapas to shishas.
Jericho
Jericho is Oxford’s bohemian student neighborhood. Home to the Oxford Canal with its walking paths, the Oxford University Press, and a young, vibrant nightlife (mostly pubs and bars), this part of town is up-and-coming. Bikes and bike shops are everywhere and have become the favorite mode of transport for many Jericho residents. But never fear—Jericho is easy walking distance from Oxford’s city center. Walk north up Saint Giles (Cornmarket St. becomes Magdalen St., which leads into St. Giles) and make a left onto Little Clarendon. The main Jericho drag, Walton Street, runs off of Little Clarendon.
Carfax
Carfax is the pulsing heart of the city of Oxford, with both ancient and modern ties. The name comes from the French word carrefour, meaning “crossroads.” Today, Carfax is at the crossroads of Oxford’s main shopping district: High Street, Saint Aldate’s, Cornmarket Street, and Queen Street are the busiest thoroughfares of this tourist-mobbed district. (Cornmarket is pedestrian only, but that doesn’t mean its not equally packed.) Carfax Tower and Saxon Tower, two ancient structures in the city center, serve as convenient orientation points. Meanwhile, the magnificent looming spires of the most centrally-located colleges hover over Carfax, dominating the skyline.
ACCOMMODATIONS
Cowley Road
HEATHER HOUSE
192 Iffley Rd.
BED AND BREAKFAST
01865 249 757 www.heatherhouse.plus.com
This cozy home is a good value in otherwise pricey Oxford, with clean, comfortable rooms and a welcoming guest living room, with a homey couch and books about Britain and Oxford, plus the free advice of a local host. Heather House is located on a residential main street about a 10min. walk from the colleges. Tea lovers will be pleased that there’s a wide selection of herbal teas included with breakfast.
10-15min. walk from the Magdalen College, but a good 30min. from the train station. Walking: cross the Magdalen Bridge and bear right at the roundabout onto Iffley Rd. From train station, take bus # 4 (A, B, or C) from Ne
w Rd. bus stop. Get off opposite the Greyfriars Church bus stop. Full English breakfast included. Free internet use on a communal computer. Longer stays are cheaper per night. Single with private bath £38-£48; ensuite twins £68-80; doubles £70-80. Open 24hr.
Carfax
CENTRAL BACKPACKERS
13 Park End St.
HOSTEL
01865 24 22 88 www.centralbackpackers.co.uk
The relaxed rooftop garden with couches and a big screen is the perfect place to kick back and watch a game while throwin’ back a pint. The only drawback to a prime downtown location are the sounds of Beyoncé from nearby clubs at 10pm every night. Think of it as motivation, though—shouldn’t you be out enjoying Oxford? For those who don’t agree, the hostel handily provides free earplugs.
Short walk from Train station; Botley Rd. becomes Park End St. Continental breakfast included. Free luggage storage. Free lockers. Self-catering kitchen. Laundry £3.50. Beers on the terrace £1. 4-bed dorms £21, 8-bed £19, 6-bed female £20, 12-bed £18. £1 per debit/credit transaction. Reception open 8am-11pm.
YHA OXFORD
2A Botley Rd.
HOSTEL
01865 727 275 www.yha.org
Don’t let the less-than-stylish exterior deceive you: YHA Oxford is recently renovated, with modern facilities and spotlessly clean rooms. Special amenities include an intimate library perfect for cozying up to a good book, a “Boathouse” restaurant, an outdoor seating area, and snacks for sale at reception. Like at many YHAs, however, the guest list is made up of significant numbers of schoolkids and other large groups, so you might not find people kicking back and relaxing. If you’re lonely, try debating philosophy with the famous Oxfordians in picture frames on the walls. Still and lifeless as they are, they’ll give you a run for your money.
Let's Go Europe 2011: The Student Travel Guide Page 23