London

Looks like I'm taking the wife and kids (14 and 11.5) to London for a week in a couple months. Query to the GRM collective knowledge - where is the best area to stay in for the touristy stuff we want to do? I'm looking at vacation rentals rather than hotels as it seems I get more for my pounds but I'm stumped on where to concentrate my search. Also, any recommendations on things to be sure not to miss especially off the beaten path would be appreciated, as well as any recommendations for a good guidebook or two.

Hyde park, it's near where all the museums and a lot of other interesting stuff is in London

Usually north of the Thames is considered a better area, especially if you stay West of the City of London. East of it is Tower Hamlets, which is one of the poorest areas in town (and has great Indian food on Brick Lane).

Public transport is great if you stay near a tube line and pretty decent if you're near a bus stop. I'd look for the former, though.

My personal preference for lower budget would be either around Hampstead Heath or out towards Finchley. In both cases you'll be in the centre in around 1/2 hour. Hammersmith is pretty good, too. I'd suggest that if you find a rental you think you like, PM me and can probably tell you if it's a good idea or not (I've lived in London for five years and continued working there until 2010). Any sort of accomodation will be fairly expensive though. Heck, if my house in the UK wasn't rented out at the moment you could stay there, although it's a probably too cramped for 4 people.

For the touristy stuff you'll have to see Buckingham Palace (outside only unless you're there in summer when part of it is open), the Tower of London, have a stroll through the City of London, visit the various cathedrals (St Paul's and Westminster Abbey, for starters). I'd also check out some of the galleries like the Tate and of course the British Museum. That alone is probably worth a vacation :). Don't forget to visit Hampstead Heath on a clear day for the spectacular view. The Royal Observatory in Greenwich is probably worth a visit, too.

For touristy Olde Tyme stuff outside London, I'd visit Canterbury (well, I did frequently, I lived near there and have friends there). Fairly easy by train. If you want to take a couple of days and go outside of London, Ely and its cathedral is pretty spectacular (and you'll go through Cambridge on the way there, but doing both in one day is too much IMHO). Plus if you like flying objects, Duxford's Imperial War museum is out that way, too.

There is a hotel right across the Thames from parliament. It is a Marriott and one of the cheaper hotels which is owned by the same people and is right by the Eye of London. It is in a real nice location

Back in the 80s my folks had a flat off of St. James Place - cool area just to walk around - close to a couple underground stops, buckingham palace, museums...If things are remotely similar, there were lots of flats around for vacation or business rentals.

London, the way it was meant to be...

20 years ago, we stayed in some dismal B&B, which sucked donkey balls, but we figured out the tube pretty quick. Its certainly the best way to get around, if its too far to walk.

The buses have got a lot better in the last 5-6 years with the introduction of a lot more bus lanes, so it's far less of a gamble as to when the bus will arrive where it's supposed to.

The big advantage of the bus is that you can look at the outside world :).

Re the touristy destinations, I forgot to mention Hampton Court and Kew Gardens if you like botanical gardens with exotic flowers.

We stayed in Covent Gardens, which seemed pretty convenient to a lot of stuff, and not to hard to get on the motorway out of town when we wanted.

We skipped Buckingham Palace as too touristy, but in retrospect I wish I hadn't suggested / insisted that. We also did not tour the Tower though we did walk all around that area and across Tower Bridge.

Have fun! I would love to go back.