Headed to London in Oct/Nov 2005

[code11]

am planning a trip to London at the end of the year and have never been. I am looking to shop, maybe do some touristy stuff and of course hit a few clubs. I don't want to spend a ton of money on a hotel room and I want to stay somewhere that will be centrally located. Where should I stay? Would it be cheaper to go in October or November? And what are some "can't miss" things to do?

[futura]

Re: Headed to London in Oct/Nov 2005

I am from the States but lived in London for 2 years. There is so many amazing things to do and places to visit.

I am nostalgic for the place nearly daily!

I'm not sure what you're necessarily keen on, but you should definitely check out shopping in Soho and Oxford St.

There's some really interesting stuff happening in London's East End with art galleries, installations, etc. Cool designer shops are tucked away around in Shoreditch - near Brick Lane (Aldgate East/Liverpool tubes). Clerkenwell/Farington is a neat area to see too, cool urban redevelopments and there are some great clubs around here - Fabric, etc.

Further out, there may be some interesting things happening out in Hackney these days as the yuppies take over. And there's Camden, Islington, and other north London areas that have stuff going on. It's everywhere. You'll have to check more locally when you get there.

You can probably find a lot of stuff on the web, but you can also find some interesting goings-on with the flyers in the record shops, pubs, and shops.

Make sure you buy a TimeOut which has a decent listing of all the gigs and happenings for the week. It comes out on a Tuesday for the week ahead.

I know that I'm not thinking of everything as I'm writing this off-the-cuff. I'm sure others can chime in, especially those living in the Big Smoke with greater detail info. If I think of more I'll post again...

You have plenty of time to prep.

[hypoluxxa]

We like staying in the West End. I believe that Westminster is a great area; it's close to everything. You can get to anywhere from the Victoria station. Covent Garden has great shops, Soho is a world all it's own. Don't miss Fabric, if you're there the first Thursday of the month you can go to Bedrock too. I love that city... I wasn't lucky enough to live there for 2 years, but I've been 4 times in 5 years. Definitely get a Timeout Magazine; you can also get a Mix Mag as far as your other clubbing nights. Most of the people are friendly, unlike Paris.

[xeb]

don't see any reason there'd be a price difference between october and november

go in october you'll probably get a bedrock though - now seem to be bi-annual only, easter and birthday in october

[Roderik_London]

The current exchange rate will not do you many good.

www.travelinn.co.uk for good price quality relation hotels