Kelvin38

Hi all,

I will be travelling for business and be in London in the beginning of December. From what I know, I will be west of Central London in the Chelsea and Kensington area (hopefully this makes sense).

I was wondering if there were any Porsche related recommendations, or places that I should check out?

I found the Porsche Experience Center website and inquired whether my Canadian Driver's License would allow me to hire a car from them.

Any/all suggestions will be greatly appreciated. I've cross posted this in the UK regional section but haven't had much luck.

Thank you!

RealityGT

Check out the Eye.. along the Thames there are several dealerships (Almost certain a Porsche ) .. It's been awhile since I've been, so I forget the specifics..
Piccadilly circus for sure (your in west end)..St Peters Basilica .. Gherkin..
If your staying in London and it's your first time forget the rental...

Enjoy a Pint in some of the oldest pubs you can find.. always interesting.

Kelvin38

Thank you, RealityGT - will check out your recommendations. The Eye is on my list for sure!

Tj40

So if you are in Kensington/Chelsea area there's loads to do depending on how much time you have :-)

Forget renting a car, you're in inner city traffic and there is a congestion charge you have to go online on your phone to pay - forget and you get hit with a 60 pound fine (ask me how I know....) Plus there is no parking :-(

If you want to go to the eye and don't mind walking you can go through Hyde Park across to Buckingham Palace,

If you have time and you want to go car spotting, veer North after Buckingham Palace into Mayfair - ignore the common Mercedes and see if you can spot the Chauffeured Maybach in its natural environment.

Wander across to Whiitehall, take in the WW2 air raid bunkers Churchill used during the war, go through Trafalgar Square and the Westminster Abbey/Palace of Westminster/Big Ben. (Can be queues to get into the Abbey)

Walk across the river to find the London Eye and get a birds eye view and find a good pub for lunch.

If you have the time further west (quick taxi ride) is the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, if you go over here one underrated attraction is The Monument to the Great Fire, 6 pounds to climb to the top for some nice views.

That's some highlights - there's loads I've left out but you could spend 2-3 days there and spend lots of time or do the highlight tour in a day.

Have a great time!!

Kelvin38

Thank you, Tj40! I’ll take all of your recommendations and I won’t be driving there and it sounds like that’s a good idea.

Gregster

I consider London my second home.

The mistake people make in London is the same as Paris.. They try to see too much in too little time. December in London means the busy tourist season will be over but you could expect it to be crowded at most popular tourist sites, the weather will be meh. You can see Buckingham Palace, Westminster Palace, Abbey etc all in a few hours it's also possible to walk to all these. Big Ben won't chime as Elizabeth tower is under renovation. Remember the iconic bridge is Tower Bridge and not London Bridge.. London Bridge is a normal looking bridge.. Piccadilly Circus just got a new screen installed FYI

The eye is only worth it if it's a clear day and if the line is small. I rather go to London Fire Monument.. Churchill War Rooms is £20 entry and IMO not worth it. You can visit the Imperial War Museum in Lambeth for free, National Army Musuem etc. Actually all of British Museums are free entry unless it's a special exhibit or such


Knowing how long you will be there for will help..


Pubs- I have many people ask me "Gregster, what is the best pub in London" First off most pubs in zone 1 and zone 2 are pretty much the same. A good chunk of them are owned by local brewer Fullers so they'll be pretty much all the same. I can tell you where not to drink.. Anywhere near Covent Garden or Leicester Square(Also don't take the tube between those two places, its the highest fare on the network) A pint in central London at most pubs shouldn't run you more than £4.50.. Anything more than that and you are in a hipster locale or other gentrified area.. London has a bunch of craft breweries and they will have a tap house where you can drink. Camden Town Brewery makes a great Pale Ale btw but the brewery is in a hipster/gentrified area but you can get bottles... BTW Most breweries offer tours, Fullers is a great tour and tasting afterwards. Beefeater has tours as well..

My personal favorite pubs are the following

The Victoria-Paddington
The Albert- Westminster
Warwick Castle- Little Venice
Skinner Arms- Kings Cross
The Dove- Hammersmith

Lots of Pubs will serve a full english breakfast. Pubs will start getting busy around 3:30-4pm, peak will be around id say 5:30-6. It depends on area though but figure those times. Pubs also have really good food that will be inexpensive by London standards. All ordering is done directly at the bar for drinks/food. It's very rare you will be seated/served by someone. Get a barmans attention at the bar and stick with them all night, this is very traditional. Don't be shy to wander outside the door with a pint as well unless it's otherwise noted but very rare. Having a pint outside the pub on the sidewalk is perfectly fine. As for tipping well it's up to you, I just round my tab up.

If you wish to dine in a Michelin Star resto, find one that offers a lunch menu. It will be much cheaper. Last time we where there we had lunch at a Ramsay resto and it was total let down. So be warned


Since you'll be in Chelsea area I suggest paying a visit to H.R Owen Ferrari and Ferrari London down the road. Dinner at The Tommy Tucker should be had, it's one of my favorite restos in London. Not a bad place for a drink either. Even if you aren't a football fan a tour of Stamford Bridge is damn good. There are lots of good pubs on Fulham Broadway.. I believe the Fox and Pheasant is undergoing renovations. If there is a Chelsea match on a day you are there sadly you won't be able to get in unless you area a supporter. Not a problem for me


Car stuff.. Well for the interesting things such as Brooklands (Weybridge) etc you will need a car. The Station Pub in West Byfleet is good if you do decide to go. The reason why I say drive there is because National Rail is garbage and Southern Rail always seems to be on strike. McLaren isn't too far away either.. Congestion charge in London is 11.50gbp and is charged in the inner circular ring road in central London. You have 24hr to pay it from entering. After 6pm there is no congestion charge and on weekends.. Avis at LHR rents some cool stuff, if you fancy a McLaren or SVR Jaguar.

If you wish to do some car spotting take the tube to Knightsbridge, this is where most of the interesting stuff will be but in December it might be a tad boring as most of the nice cars have been shipped back to Kuwait, Qatar and UAE. The McLaren dealer isn't too far from the tube station. Take a stroll through Harrods, but Selfridges is the better store. Speaking of Oxford street you will be there for the Christmas Decorations. Visit Oxford street at night it's stunning lit up. The Porsche Dealer in Mayfair is worth a trip you can also pop by BMW Park Lane

If you do take the tube at peak hours it's a **** show. The system is way over capacity and don't stand on the left. The left side of the escalator is for walking. An Oyster card is 5GBP and you can load it with whatever you want. 20GBP is enough. The card and balance can be refunded when you leave at LHR FYI. They offer tourist passes but I am unfamiliar with them.. Black cabs are expensive but sometimes worth the ride as the drivers could be interesting to speak with.

Things I like to do? Stroll through Notting Hill, grab a coffee and pastry from Gail's Bakery. Either sit outside or just walk around. Portobello Rd and surrounding area is nice. The Pizza at Luna Rossa is great the cheese place across the street is pretty good as well.

I hope this helps...

Cheers...

Loess

I don’t have any car recommendations but one of my favourites things was riding the tube and wandering around. Easy to get around from Westminster Abbey to Tower Bridge or elsewhere on one of the central lines. Maybe a bit strange but you really get a feel for a place on such a historic public transit.

If you like mechanical/historic stuff you can tour the Tower bridge and see the inner workings.

Ronan

f you want a truly unchanged pub that looks like it did a century ago , the Grenadier in Belgravia is lovely. Quiet place for an afternoon pint

9964runner

The high-level walkways of Tower bridge have glass floors, if you can time the opening of the bridge its an interesting perspective to view it from. The opening schedule is online.

creaturecat

Tate Modern and the British Royal Museum are more interesting than any Porsche dealership. by a country mile. : )

Kelvin38

Thank you to everyone who provided suggestions. I’ve compiled a list and will report back if anyone else visits in the future.