anyone been to london and manchester?


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Isaiahfortythirtyone

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Jul 17, 2005
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heya, will be going to london and manchester for a holiday with my mom in june, and also to check out the universities there. anyone been there before? got any recommended places to see or visit? i've been reading all the tourism websites, but it's different hearing from the experiences of those who have been there before. i will have about 7-10 days for both places. :) thanks guys
 

1st impression....everything is expensive!!!

2nd impression....they charge entrance fee for almost all the tourist spots, even churches!!!

3rd impression....I feel the best way to see London is to take their bus.

Manchester is still quite walkable. Both cities have quite a sizeable chinatown. And their club scene is not bad. Tourist attraction wise, there should be enough in London to keep you occupied for at least 2 days. You can try some of their museum also.

If you are a Man U fan, then Manchester should be a must go place. For me, I was dragged to Old Trafford by my wife;p Or if you are an Arsenal or Tottenham fan, you should feel at home in London.
 

Isaiahfortythirtyone said:
heya, will be going to london and manchester for a holiday with my mom in june, and also to check out the universities there. anyone been there before? got any recommended places to see or visit? i've been reading all the tourism websites, but it's different hearing from the experiences of those who have been there before. i will have about 7-10 days for both places. :) thanks guys


cambridge is absolutely beautiful !

london.. hm... when i went there, i didnt have a good time.. long story .. but i would love to go back again soon.
 

Which universities are you visiting? Some UK universities are a small city on their own, and some universities are just a few apartment blocks, there are a lot of difference.
 

ive been accepted to uni of manchester. :) will go there if NUS rejects me. will def want to visit the uni.

wah entrance fee for everything? sigh. i've got the impression that london and manchester have a lot of historical sites, museums and relics. is that true?

also, any must-visits?
 

trlnlty said:
cambridge is absolutely beautiful !

london.. hm... when i went there, i didnt have a good time.. long story .. but i would love to go back again soon.


sorry my geography of england aint that good. but cambridge is in manchester meh? :think:
 

Isaiahfortythirtyone said:
ive been accepted to uni of manchester. :) will go there if NUS rejects me. will def want to visit the uni.

wah entrance fee for everything? sigh. i've got the impression that london and manchester have a lot of historical sites, museums and relics. is that true?

also, any must-visits?
Then no rush, when u start yr undergrad in Uni Manchester, u will have lotsa photo opportunities.
 

Isaiahfortythirtyone said:
wah entrance fee for everything? sigh. i've got the impression that london and manchester have a lot of historical sites, museums and relics. is that true?

also, any must-visits?

Old Trafford! :devil: :bsmilie:
 

Hi,

Me lovely wife and myself did a 10 day thingy to London and 'Greater' London last June.

What can I say...though expensive, it was like a home-coming to us since so much of our country's legal, admin, education system stems from that small but great country. It's sure worth every penny spent.

See our photos @
http://www.worldisround.com/home/dimsim/index.html?

Do leave a kind comment or two.

or read my wife's review of our trip

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g186338-We_re_back_here_s_our_Trip_Report_Part_1_London_in_Summer_-k175498-i17-London_England.html

and our review of this fabulous hotel we stayed in:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g186338-d193102-r3559952-Bonnington_in_Bloomsbury-London_England.html


Then there's our Stonehenge & Bath review:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g186412-d188527-r3564125-Stonehenge-Wiltshire_England.html

Cheers!

Isaiahfortythirtyone said:
heya, will be going to london and manchester for a holiday with my mom in june, and also to check out the universities there. anyone been there before? got any recommended places to see or visit? i've been reading all the tourism websites, but it's different hearing from the experiences of those who have been there before. i will have about 7-10 days for both places. :) thanks guys
 

dimsim said:
Hi,

Me lovely wife and myself did a 10 day thingy to London and 'Greater' London last June.

What can I say...though expensive, it was like a home-coming to us since so much of our country's legal, admin, education system stems from that small but great country. It's sure worth every penny spent.

See our photos @
http://www.worldisround.com/home/dimsim/index.html?

Do leave a kind comment or two.

or read my wife's review of our trip

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g186338-We_re_back_here_s_our_Trip_Report_Part_1_London_in_Summer_-k175498-i17-London_England.html

and our review of this fabulous hotel we stayed in:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g186338-d193102-r3559952-Bonnington_in_Bloomsbury-London_England.html


Then there's our Stonehenge & Bath review:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g186412-d188527-r3564125-Stonehenge-Wiltshire_England.html

Cheers!


heya..thanks a lot. :) enjoyed the photos. did u use tele zoom alot? i actualyl have offered for a sigma 70-300 apo. but im inclined towards getting the 85 f/1.8 instead. whcih lens do you think would be most useful in london? would a tele zoom be of much use?
 

trlnlty said:
cambridge is absolutely beautiful !

My home for 2 years :)

Isaiahfortythirtyone said:
sorry my geography of england aint that good. but cambridge is in manchester meh? :think:

North east of London (1 hr but train WAGN (From King's Cross)

Since you are going in summer, do stop by cambridge and do some punting ;) (My School is just opposite the engineering faculty :sticktong )
 

Well, if you're planning to study there, get the young person's travel card (or something like that) - can't remember exactly - there is the young person's one (for ppl under 26) and the student one. It does give you great discounts on admission fees to loads of places and some discount on travel I think.

Well, places to go in London:
1) since you're going with your mom, go to the usual Buckingham Palace, Tower of London, Tower bridge (can see Big Ben there as well and take pics), Marble Arch, Madame Tussauds etc.
2) If you're a soccer fan, visit all the footie grounds. There're loads in London. (You can do that in Manchester as well)
3) Go to Camden Market - it's Peninsular Plaza/Queensway shopping centre in a town format.
4) Portobello Road. If you're in London over the weekend, you'll catch the Portobello Market.
5) Go to Leichester Square - catch a play, go to Chinatown
6) Go to Bayswater - eat Lobster noodles at Royal China (may as well, since you mom's around) or eat the 烧腊 there. It just tastes better.
7) Go shopping - go down Oxford Street, go to Harvey Nichols, pop by Harrods.
If you manage to catch the summer sales, great discounts. The pound might be high, but you can get 50% off current season stuff and it still works out pretty good and it's made even better when you can collect back the VAT at the airport. Next (the Brit equivalent of Zara I guess) is also pretty good to go. Bring your mom to M&S, she'll have a field day there. You'll also discover that Top Shop/Top Man is very much like our Giordano/Hang Ten and we're really overpaying in SG.
8) Go to Hyde Park, spend at least a couple of hours there. It's lovely in the summer.
9) Go look for weekend flea markets, it's interesting to see what people sell there.
10) Take the London Eye - I'm not too keen about it, but if you want to get a panoramic view of London and have 15 quid to spare (thereabouts), go for it!
11) ***This is only if you like looking at Museums and natural history - The Natural History Museum, London. It's at South Kensington and it's FREE (mostly). Personally love it and think it's really good to go.

Manchester? Hmmm.... only been there briefly for a few days... all I did was walk around the Chinatown, the city centre, visit Old Trafford (ah... the folly of youth) - now prepare to be fleeced to get a view of anything inside the stadium, eat Indian food (loads there), so that's about all I can recommend. :)
 

Ah... Manchester .... fond memories :thumbsup:

Places to visit:
1. Either a fan or not, Old Trafford is a must go. Its a history itself!
2. Trafford Centre for shopping
3. The Lowry. Beautiful esplanade and walk.
4. Manchester City Council for its architectural buildings

Cheers
 

If you are visiting universities, Imperial College is right opposite hyde park and *RIGHT* next to royal albert hall and *RIGHT* next to the natural history museum and science museum.

all museums are free as far as I remember. NHM and the Science museum are amazing... the british musuem is even more amazing. you could spend 1 entire day in there and not see everything.

don't forget to grab a pint and some vinegar fish and chips while ok the UK :)

cheers
 

Isaiahfortythirtyone said:
heya..thanks a lot. :) enjoyed the photos. did u use tele zoom alot? i actualyl have offered for a sigma 70-300 apo. but im inclined towards getting the 85 f/1.8 instead. whcih lens do you think would be most useful in london? would a tele zoom be of much use?

Most of the time I was using my trusty Nikkor 18-70mm and occasionally changed to my 180mm prime but mostly the 18-70mm. You really don't have much time to change lenses or the opportunity to i.e. dust, traffic, people and also your own deadline.

The 85 might me too close for comfort. If you are not for those kinds of long zoom lenses then perhaps a 12-24 with 50mm and 105mm/180mm.

But really...changing lenses would be the last time you'd wanna do.

And...do use the Trip Advisor site...really got a lot of research done from there and don't believe people who say that you have to pay for a lot of things there because some of the sites are FREE like the museums, you'd have to pay for some exhibits but the general exhibits are free. We had a great time particularly at the NAtural History Museum. Some of the cathedrals you'd have to pay a small fee but really...for such a beautiful and historical site my goodness...let's not be penny wise and pound foolish. Better than paying $10< Singapore Dollars for our man-made attractions in Sentosa etc...

Really..."London, when one is sick of it, one is sick of life " - Samuel Johnson.

We will return.
 

wahh...brilliant. thanks a lot guys! i must print out this thread :p will prob be spending 3 days in manc and 4 days in london. haha. cant wait.

dimsim: i usually like getting up close as that's my personal style. hehe.
 

The best way to go around London is to walk. It is truly a walker's paradise.
 

Just a point to note, spend some time trawling the web for deals on places to stay while you are on this vist, as the savings can be HUGE.

Was in Manchester last year, booked a bed and breakfast deal for a 3 star hotel online. For room and Breakfast for 2, it was 49 pounds, for 50 pounds, it included dinner. Was expecting something crappy, but ended up with this offer, each of us could order anything up to 12 pounds worth per head. So essentially got 24 pounds value for 1 pound. Saved more than S$75 per day. You may not be able to get that good a deal as you are going in summer, which is peak season, but if you try, can easily save S$50-100 per day.

Good luck
 

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