Travel to London

We recently took our parents on a cruise of the Norwegian Fjords which left out of Southampton, England. We figured if we were going all the way across the pond, we might as well make the best of it, so we stayed a few nights in London before the cruise.

Vuong’s parents live in Washington State and my mom lives in South Carolina. We found direct flights for all of them! Vuong and I met my mom in Charlotte, as she had never flown across the ocean and was flying alone. We had arrival times at London Heathrow Airport (LHR) very close to one another but were arriving at separate terminals. This is a big deal at LHR, as this airport is massive and the terminals are around a 15-minute drive from each other.

Vuong’s parents flew in Premium Economy on British Airways and were very happy with the experience. Mom, Vuong, and I flew coach on American Airlines, but it was pleasant and the food was plentiful and tasty. Passport control was a breeze! They use electronic scanning at LHR, and there is no line.

We used Empire UK Chauffeur for our pickup and were happy with their professional, punctual service, although they were a bit pricey. They kept up with our flights, which turned out to be important, as we arrived at Terminal 3 and Vuong’s parents arrived at Terminal 5.

London

Travel and Accommodations

We booked a 4-bedroom Air BnB in the Marylebone area, at Hyde Park Mansions. This was a condo complex near Merchant Square, a hip, canal-side area with cool bars and restaurants. I had no idea that you could explore London by the canal! You can rent a personal boat here, at the Paddington Basin, and explore Little Venice, Regent’s Park, and more! Check out GoBoat UK! You can even rent a stand-up paddle board or take lessons here, at Active 360 UK! There is live music every week during the summer.

Several grocery stores are in the area, and it is a hub of Middle Eastern cuisine. We picked up Iranian food for takeout from Al Deyafah Palace, and it was delicious!

A London Underground station (Edgware) and a bus stop are right across the street. If you are able to navigate public transportation, this could be the perfect location for you. Public transportation would have been very stressful and difficult for my mom and her knee, so, we had to rely on automobiles… London traffic is horrendous! It was a bit of a journey to get to the major sites. The Tower of London was only 4-5 miles away, but it took us 45 minutes to get there.

I recommend using the Black Taxis rather than Uber in London. They can hold up to 6 passengers and are a fun experience. Taxi drivers in London are extensively trained and know the city like the back of their hands. They go through 3 years of training and very difficult oral and written examinations and the ones we met were fun, knowledgeable, and knew all the back roads to avoid traffic. Read about their training here. The Uber rides we experienced were not nearly as pleasant.

Thames River Cruise for High Tea

We arrived early in the morning on a Thursday, and I didn’t want to plan too much for that day, since I knew we would all be tired from the trip. I thought a 1.5-hour Thames River Cruise with high tea would be a quick, easy, fun activity in celebration of Mother’s Day… boy was I wrong! We took an Uber from our AirBnB to the Tower Millenium Pier, which took almost an hour!

The cruise was nice, and they provided a variety of teas, little sandwiches, and yummy, cute, sweet treats like macarons and scones with clotted cream and jam. I definitely recommend the activity, even though it was a bit touristy. We got a nice view of Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, the Tower of London, the Tower Bridge, and the City of London, all while enjoying a British tradition. Book your tickets here.

We walked around by the river for a bit afterward and summoned another Uber to take us back. The drivers kept canceling on us, so we ended up waiting about 30 minutes for another 45-minute ride through traffic. In all, this experience lasted about 5 hours! The parents were troopers, but I felt terrible and we were exhausted. Should’ve hailed a black taxi!

London Half-Day Tour

We booked the “Half Day London Highlights Taxi Tour with a Blue Badge Guide” with Alex Davy through Tours by Locals, and I highly recommend this tour for an orientation to the city. We zipped around in his little cab as he told stories of the city and showed us significant sites in rock and roll history, as well as the major tourist sites. Some of our favorites were Abbey Road and the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace.

London to Southampton Transfer

Our cruise departed from the Port of Southampton in the UK. If this port sounds familiar, it is the port from which the Titanic left for its tragic transatlantic sailing. We were taking a left, though, through the English Channel up into the North Sea.

Southampton is around a 1.5-hour drive from London, and there are several interesting sites between the two. We booked a transfer with Empire UK Chauffeur, with stops at two of them- Windsor Castle and Stonehenge. Turns out this was too ambitious.

We took a private transfer, but other options include the train (1 hour and 16 minutes), the bus (2 hours 35 minutes), and a flight. In my opinion, the train or a private vehicle is the best way to go. Flights can be expensive and getting to the airport early tacks on a good bit of time. If your schedule is tight, you might go ahead and book your international flight to Southampton and skip London. I like to use Rome2Rio to research my transportation options.

Our driver picked us up at 10:00 AM and we were off! He picked us up in a very comfortable van with plenty of room and provided water for us. We drove through cute villages and pastoral English countryside.

Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle is only about 24 miles from London, but it takes about an hour and a half to get there because of traffic. It has been a royal home and fortress for over 900 years and is the largest occupied castle in the world! State visits are held here, and the royal family spends much of their time here. If a royal is in residence, the Union Jack flag which flies above the castle is replaced by the Royal Flag. When we visited, the Union Jack was in place, so there was no danger of seeing the new King Charles!

St. George’s Chapel

The highlight of the visit for me was St. George Chapel. Lots of royal weddings were held here, including Harry and Meghan, but it is best known as a funerary chapel. Several important people are buried here, including the recently deceased Queen Elizabeth II and her husband.

The grounds were beautiful, and the Royal Apartments were basically a museum containing state gifts, knights’ weapons and armor, and numerous works of art, mostly in the form of royal portraits. You can see sitting rooms, offices, and even a bed fit for a king! Everything was gilded, ornate, or floral. Over the top!

Apparently, there is a really cool dollhouse, but the line was insanely long, we were tired, and it was hot. If you want to see this, grab an ice cream at the ice cream stand nearby and pack your patience!

We were visiting just after the coronation, so there was a ton of commemorative kitsch on offer in the gift shops.

Windsor Town

When we visited, there was a ton of construction. Many of the streets were blocked off, making it difficult to get the van close to the castle. We had to walk 10-15 minutes uphill to get to the entrance, which was on the opposite side of the castle from our parking lot.

This attraction is not great for the mobility-impaired, and there is a ton of walking (uphill both ways). The streets surrounding the castle are lined by cute shops and restaurants and when we visited, were absolutely flooded with people. It felt like Mardi Gras in New Orleans. We had budgeted for 2 hours here, but ended up spending 4! Not because we were enthralled by royal life, but because it was difficult to get anywhere!

While it was pretty cool to see this side of British life and walk in the spaces where kings and queens live, it was not my favorite attraction. If you are into castles or royals, then it is a must-see. If not… you might give this one a pass.

Wear comfy shoes, buy tickets ahead of time, and go early. The audio guide is a great idea to give you information and context, and you can pick it up after entering the castle grounds. If you are REALLY into this sort of thing, hire a private tour guide at Getyourguide.com.

Stonehenge

I would have rather seen Stonehenge, given a choice. But, I thought we could do both. So I bought our tickets ahead of time here. Please check the hours of operation when planning your day! We did that, and the closing time was listed as 5:00 pm. We thought arriving at 4:00 pm would give us time to take a look at this mysterious stone circle, but the last admission was 4:00! So we showed up at the gate, tickets in hand, at 4:02 pm and were denied admission!

We saw it from the road… it was in the middle of a huge field on a rolling hillside and looked smaller than I expected. Here is a photo of it, so you don’t feel cheated. This is courtesy of our friends, Jean and Kurt, whom we met in Olden, Norway on our excursion over Norwegian pancakes.

Southampton

Southampton is a major port city about 80 miles from London. It was the departure point for the ill-fated Titanic, a major embarkation point for the troops on D-Day, and was heavily bombed during WWII. Jane Austen lived here for a while. The area has been inhabited since the Stone Age. Southampton Castle was built in the 12th century, and you can still see remnants of the castle and the city wall incorporated into the modern architecture of the town.

There were lots of restaurants in the downtown area, many of which were Indian. We tried out the #1 restaurant in Southampton, Kesarum. It turned out to be vegetarian and I was not a fan, but if you are vegan this could be perfect for you! We finished our appetizers, and then moved on to Coriander Lounge, which had a fun, vibrant atmosphere and delicious Indian food. I highly recommend the latter!

Southampton has its own airport, so you could fly into here for your cruise. It would be a great place to spend a couple of days! We stayed at the Moxy by Marriott, which was a fantastic location close to the port and had lots of dining and shopping nearby. They do not have a port shuttle, and I recommend arranging a taxi to the port the night before your cruise departure.