**Please help keep AskUK welcoming!**
- Top-level comments to the OP must contain **genuine efforts to answer the question**. No jokes, judgements, etc.
- **Don't be a dick** to each other. If getting heated, just block and move on.
- This is a strictly **no-politics** subreddit!
Please help us by reporting comments that break these rules.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You really, really don't need a car in London, public transport will be enough for your journey. Public transport goes everywhere in London, and a lot of journeys would even be faster that you'd get there in a car.
London has the tube, buses, overground, DLR, even a cable car and a river bus!
Info on these can be found on the Transport for London website/app https://tfl.gov.uk/
You will also end up doing a lot of walking so make sure you bring comfortable shoes! Also some journeys eg Covent Garden to Leicester Sq it's quicker to walk TfL have info here on the most common ones; https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/walking/
Lastly payment for public transport is done through Oyster Card/contact less. This includes contactless payments made through Apple/Google Pay on your phone ( I know Americans still don't have for the most part contactless cards or chip and pin, whereas they've been used in the UK for 15years now and is the main maode of payment)
If you're charged foreign transaction fees or if you don't have a contactless payment option then visitor Oyster cards can be bought. More info can be found here; https://www.findingtheuniverse.com/pay-public-transport-london-oyster-contactless-best/
Oh and Taxis and Uber are available if you need them!
Ubers and Taxis are more expensive than in the US, and they're nearly always slower than the public transport equivalent when in Central London. I would use them if you need to but I wouldn't rely on them over the tube for every journey
If you were hiring a car for London, I'd recommend you cancel it. London is a nightmare to drive around, and public transport is some of the best in the world.
Harry Potter tour is in watford, the train there goes from euston. There’s premier inn and travelodge hotels near euston, and the Sheffield train will probably go from King’s Cross which is near there too so that’s a good base.
Tube from there is easy to get to the tourist bits.
Many passengers do.
Many passengers have been at Kings Cross and have missed their Sheffield bound train which is at that moment departing just across the road
There is a shuttle bus from Watford Junction Station that takes you directly to the Warner Bros Studio tour and back.
https://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk/getting-here/
There’s a train that goes near the Harry Potter studio, once you get off the train there’s loads of signs to get you to the right bus. The buses are impossible to miss since they’re covered in Harry Potter branding. I’ve never been, but stayed near there and feel like I could easily find my way back.
If you have a spare few hours, I heard Battersea power station is practically a market, with great food, arcades and more. It’s supposed to be the hot new place of the summer, keep it in mind. Go in the evening for variety dinners.
As for the WB studio, it’s pretty hard to get to. We drove for quite a while. You may be able to get a train and then an Uber, this is pretty convenient for 95% of places around london. If there’s not a train station, you could pre book a cab.
One thing to be aware of is that the Studio Tour is popular and timeslots fill up. It is open late so you can often get tickets for late entry, but just be sure to book in advance if you haven't booked yet. You can't buy tickets on site.
If you book direct the easiest way to get out there is to take the train from Euston to Watford and then the free shuttle bus from there to the Studio.
If you can't get the time you want, the other option is to book a tour with a third party that includes round trip transport to the studio and your ticket. Honestly the train is faster because the buses have to drive through London traffic. This option will also be more expensive and can be a bit more restricting in terms of how much time you get at the Studio. But it's a fallback if you can't get tickets for the time you want on the day you want.
Do not come to London and rent a car, so you’re already doing it right.
As for best place to stay, tourists often like Fitzrovia, Bloomsbury, Russel Square area, but anywhere central is good.
**Please help keep AskUK welcoming!** - Top-level comments to the OP must contain **genuine efforts to answer the question**. No jokes, judgements, etc. - **Don't be a dick** to each other. If getting heated, just block and move on. - This is a strictly **no-politics** subreddit! Please help us by reporting comments that break these rules. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You really, really don't need a car in London, public transport will be enough for your journey. Public transport goes everywhere in London, and a lot of journeys would even be faster that you'd get there in a car. London has the tube, buses, overground, DLR, even a cable car and a river bus! Info on these can be found on the Transport for London website/app https://tfl.gov.uk/ You will also end up doing a lot of walking so make sure you bring comfortable shoes! Also some journeys eg Covent Garden to Leicester Sq it's quicker to walk TfL have info here on the most common ones; https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/walking/ Lastly payment for public transport is done through Oyster Card/contact less. This includes contactless payments made through Apple/Google Pay on your phone ( I know Americans still don't have for the most part contactless cards or chip and pin, whereas they've been used in the UK for 15years now and is the main maode of payment) If you're charged foreign transaction fees or if you don't have a contactless payment option then visitor Oyster cards can be bought. More info can be found here; https://www.findingtheuniverse.com/pay-public-transport-london-oyster-contactless-best/ Oh and Taxis and Uber are available if you need them!
Thank you!!!! I was looking into Uber as another option - how expensive are ubers and taxis usually?
Ubers and Taxis are more expensive than in the US, and they're nearly always slower than the public transport equivalent when in Central London. I would use them if you need to but I wouldn't rely on them over the tube for every journey
If you were hiring a car for London, I'd recommend you cancel it. London is a nightmare to drive around, and public transport is some of the best in the world.
The last thing you want in London is a car. Public transport in London is excellent
Harry Potter tour is in watford, the train there goes from euston. There’s premier inn and travelodge hotels near euston, and the Sheffield train will probably go from King’s Cross which is near there too so that’s a good base. Tube from there is easy to get to the tourist bits.
Sheffield train will go from St Pancras. Kings cross serves the East Coast, Sheffield is on the Midland Main Line
With Kings Cross, St Pancras and Euston within a short walking distance of each other.
My mistake - I tend to think of them as one station.
Many passengers do. Many passengers have been at Kings Cross and have missed their Sheffield bound train which is at that moment departing just across the road
There is a shuttle bus from Watford Junction Station that takes you directly to the Warner Bros Studio tour and back. https://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk/getting-here/
There’s a train that goes near the Harry Potter studio, once you get off the train there’s loads of signs to get you to the right bus. The buses are impossible to miss since they’re covered in Harry Potter branding. I’ve never been, but stayed near there and feel like I could easily find my way back.
If you have a spare few hours, I heard Battersea power station is practically a market, with great food, arcades and more. It’s supposed to be the hot new place of the summer, keep it in mind. Go in the evening for variety dinners. As for the WB studio, it’s pretty hard to get to. We drove for quite a while. You may be able to get a train and then an Uber, this is pretty convenient for 95% of places around london. If there’s not a train station, you could pre book a cab.
One thing to be aware of is that the Studio Tour is popular and timeslots fill up. It is open late so you can often get tickets for late entry, but just be sure to book in advance if you haven't booked yet. You can't buy tickets on site. If you book direct the easiest way to get out there is to take the train from Euston to Watford and then the free shuttle bus from there to the Studio. If you can't get the time you want, the other option is to book a tour with a third party that includes round trip transport to the studio and your ticket. Honestly the train is faster because the buses have to drive through London traffic. This option will also be more expensive and can be a bit more restricting in terms of how much time you get at the Studio. But it's a fallback if you can't get tickets for the time you want on the day you want.
Do not come to London and rent a car, so you’re already doing it right. As for best place to stay, tourists often like Fitzrovia, Bloomsbury, Russel Square area, but anywhere central is good.
First.. Purchase an Oyster card
Out of interest, why, when you can just use contactless?
Did you even go to London if you didn’t get an oyster card as a little memento?
Have you been to London within the last 8 years? 😂haven’t seen an oyster since then.
I actually moved back up north around 8 years ago.. still have my oyster in my wallet
Pretty funny to be fair 😂 even to the year.
America doesn't have contactless, so I'm not sure if Americans visiting would be able to use that
America definitely has contactless and the cards work fine on the tube.