Topic Wiki

Trip Reports
A Week in London for 2 TR by Davidmal
100,000 Steps by Yuguy
6 Hours in London by Something Fishy
London + Scotland Trip Report by jshelton
London TR by Yehoshua
Mrs. Hvaces42's Surprise London Birthday Adventure by hvaces42
A Trip to See the Queen's Place: dpk4588 Takes on London by dpk4588


Suggested 1 Day Itineraries
1 Day In London by Davidmal
12 Hour Layover by Aaaron
11 Hour Layover by Mootkim

Drivers
Yitzchok: +44 (0) 20 7101 3535 - 8 Seater New VW Transporter (spacious).
Heathrow Drop-off 75GBP Pick up: 85GBP (plus 25GBP and he brings 8 Danishes to the airport too)
Hourly 65GBP
Daily 475GBP
Very Reliable, very nice and funny guy. Frum, professional and has taken very good care of my client - RCARentals (FlightBlitz).
Emmes Car Service (Stamford Hill) +44 20 8809 4444
Darkei Noam Car Share +44 20 8800 5566
Hotels
General Hotels
NameAreaWebsite          Review
Andaz Liverpool StreetCity               Link
Hyatt Regency London - The Churchill              West EndLinkmguy
Marriott - Grosvenor SquareWest End               Link
Marriott Marble ArchWest End               Link5 minute walk to Western Marble Arch Synagogue

Hotels in Jewish Areas
NameAreaWebsite          Review     Notes
Croft Court Hotel                                   Golders Green          Link
Holiday Inn Brent Cross                                  Golders Green          Link
Holiday Inn Express                                   Golders Green          LinkKosher breakfast, Shabbos meals. Contact hotel for more info.
King Solomon Hotel          Golders GreenLink
Nox HotelGolders GreenLinklocated near Shuls/kosher restaurants/underground station
KipAccomGolders GreenLinkrun by a frum guy. Individual rooms for rent.
Park Avenue HotelStamford HillLinkFormerly Kadimah
The Pillar HotelHendonLink

Restaurants
NameLocationTypeHechsher     Notes
86 BistroHendonMeatLBDCLOSED
AsadoStamford HillMeatKED'Mediterranean bistro'
AvivEdgwareMeatKF
Ayelets Catering and DelicatessenHendonDeli/Takeout/ShabbosLBDMoroccan Style
Balady AlaeshGolders Green+High BarnetFalafel/ShawarmaSKA
BalaganBorehamwoodMeatLBDMiddle Eastern
Bagel BarHendonCafèLBD
Bagel Bar GrillHendonMeatLBD
Beit CafeGolders GreenDairyLBDNEW
BooyaGolders GreenIce CreamNEW
Bread BakeryGolders GreenBakery/CaféLBDGreat salad selection!
Burger BarGolders GreenMeatLBD
Cafe AromeEdgwareDairyRESCLOSED
Dagim - Fish&ChipsStamford HillFresh fried fishKEDTake away only - No seating
DarnaGolders GreenMeatKFIsraeli inspired. Formerly Soyo Diner.
DelicatessenHampsteadMeatKFMediterranean & regular options
Deli98Stamford HillDeli/Takeout/ShabbosKEDGreat pulled beef sandwich
FlipsideGolders GreenCLOSED
Eli’s Pizza Borehamwood+EdgwarePizzaLBD
Habiba’s DeliGolders Green+HampsteadMeatLBD
Head RoomGolders GreenCaféKFsocial enterprise café by mental health charity Jami
Hot CutGolders GreenMeatKFMeat Sandwiches etc
Hummus BarGolders Green+HendonMeatLBDHighly reccomended - reserve well in advance.
Isola BellaGolders GreenDairy/Fish/ThaiLBDCLOSED
KaifengHendonChineseLBD
KanteenGolders Green/HendonDairy/FishKFInside Brent Cross Shopping Center
La FiestaGolders GreenMeatLBDArgentinian steakhouse.
MaximGolders GreenDairyKED
MazalCamden TownMiddle Eastern MeatKF NEW
Met-Su-YanGolders Green+EdgwareAsianKF
Mr BakerHendonCafé/BakeryLBDSame location as Mr Falafel and Mr Neapolitan
Mr FalafelHendonLBDNextdoor Mr Baker - uses their seating
Mr NeapolitanHendonPizza/PastaLBDInside Mr Baker. Best artisanal pizza in town!
NovellinoGolders GreenDairyLBD
Novellino BistroGolders GreenMeatLBD
One AshbourneGolders GreenMeatKF50% off steaks on Sundays & Tuesdays
PitaGolders GreenMiddle Eastern MeatKFShawarma/Falafel/Schnitzel etc
PizazaGolders GreenPizzaKFCool on screen ordering at table. Delicious foodSee inside the shop!
PizazaHendonPizzaKFNo screens, and smaller than GG.
PizazaEdgwarePizzaKFHas a playroom for kids
Pizza ShaiHendonPizzaSKA
PortoberryHendonHealth Food/DairyLBDAcai bowls, Poke bowls, Bubble tea, Frozen yogurt etcNEW
Reich'sGolders GreenDeli/Takeout/ShabbosKED
Reuben'sWest EndMeatSKADeli upstairs-Restaurant downstairs
SababaBorehamwoodDairyLBD
SliceGolders GreenPizzaLBDNew York style pizza
SoYoGolders Green+EdgwareDairy/FishKFGood breakfast selection
Sami'sGolders GreenSchwarmaLBDThere are Hendon & Edgware locations as well.
Satmar DeliStamford HillDeli/Takeout/ShabbosKED
Shefa MehadrinGolders GreenDeli/Takeout/ShabbosVarious
Sushi HavenGolders GreenSushiLBDAlso have counter inside Kosher Kingdom
TaboonGolders GreenFalafelLBD
The KitchenEdgwareMeatKFCLOSED
TishBelsize ParkMeatLBDOpen for Shabbos meals
Tony PageWesminsterMeatLBDFine Dining - near  Hyde Park
Tuk TukGolders GreenPan-AsianLBD
White FishHendonFishLBD CLOSED
White House ExpressHendonMeatLBD

London food instagram account for pictures of the food click here!



CLICK HERE for many more bakeries, groceries etc.

Hechsherim Key - As always, AYLOR.

KF - Federation of Synagogues

KED - Kedassia - Local "Heimish" Hechsher

LBD - London Beth Din

SKA - Sephardi Kashrut Authority

RES - Rabbi Eliezer Schneebalg - Machzikei Hadas Edgware





Landmarks & Attractions
You can get 2 for 1 entrance on many of the top attractions by using a railway ticket for travel. (Or just by buying a cheap railway ticket and not traveling). See all the details here: http://www.toptiplondon.com/places-to-visit/2-for-1-offers
AttractionURLNotes
Abbey RoadLink     Famous Abbey Road crossing for Beatles fans.
British LibraryLinkBritain's national library, which houses some fascinating collections including these.
Buckingham PalaceLinkPalace tours only in Aug-Sep. Details for Changing of the Guard here. This tour walks along with the guards from the beginning of their march to the palace and then will get you a nice view of the actual ceremony. 10% off code: FUNGUARD10PC
City CruisesLinkSightseeing cruise on the River Thames.
Harrods of KnightsbridgeLinkLargest department store in Europe, with some really cool (expensive!) stuff on display.
HMS BelfastLinkMuseum on a former battleship.
Horse Guards ParadeLink
Imperial War MuseumLinkHighlights: Holocaust Exhibition, Trench Experience
London EyeLink
Old BaileyLinkWatch criminal trials taking place.
Shakespeare TheatreLink
The ShardLinkView London from the viewing gallery or have drinks at the bar on the 52nd floor. Best time to go is twilight/evening. Possibly a better alternative to the London Eye.
StonehengeLinkPrehistoric monument.
Thames RibLinkHigh-speed RIB boat tour.
Tower of London                             Link     Historic fortress where the Crown Jewels can be viewed.
WB Harry Potter Studio Tour      LinkSee Hogwarts, Diagon Alley etc. See here for a tip on finding last-minute availability
Windsor CastleLinkHistorical castle, and the Queen's weekend home.



General Information

Emergency Numbers
Police/Fire/Amb - 999
Hatzolah NW - 0300 999 4 999 (Golders Green/Hendon)
Shomrim - 0300-999-0123

-If you plan on using public transportation, get an Oyster card. They are much cheaper and easier to use than conventional travel cards, and never expire. They can be bought in many stores in London, or online. These days one can use contactless credit cards instead of Oyster.(Check here to see if your foreign contactless card will work.)

-Here is a handy planner for the public transport system.

-DD's Kosher Sandwiches can be bought in most major airports and stations and at some supermarkets around London.  Check here for a list of locations.

-Kosher in the West End/City -
Selfridges food hall has a variety of kosher groceries and prepackaged ready food by 1701.
Hermolis  also have a deli counter there.  The range includes schnitzels, spring rolls, kebabs, breaded lamb chops, chicken wings, fish products and salads. Traditional Shabbat dishes will be on sale on Thursdays and Fridays. Supervision is provided by the Kashrut Division London Beth Din
In the City Munch'n'Crunch have a stand in Hatton Garden with kosher meals, sandwiches, sushi and coffee. It is located at 32 Hatton Garden, on the lower-ground floor of Jewellery Emporium. There is also Mincha there at 1:30.

-Kosher food at non-kosher hotels, restaurants etc. can be ordered from the following kosher caterers in London. They provide double-wrapped meals to any location and could also match the menu of your location.
Hermolis (KED/LBD)
Royal Cuisine (KED/LBD)
1701/Adafina (LBD)

Zmanim - MyZmanim London

Minyanim - There are many shuls all over London, however there are a couple of places that have more constant Minyanim throughout the day.

Golders Green
General Golders Green Mincha/Maariv times
Hagers (Beth Yisochor Dov Beth Hamedrash)
R' Chuna's (Beth Shmuel Synagogue)

Stamford Hill
Satmar 26 (Clapton Common)
Pinters
Biala Shul (47 Moundfield Rd, London N16 6DT, UK)
Here is a list of addresses and zmanim for the above, and other places.

-Minyan in the West End could be found at the Marble Arch Synagogue. Shacharis during the week is followed by breakfast, and a kiddush on Shabbos.

-Most food products in general stores do not have a hechsher on them. This does not necessarily mean they are not kosher. For example, Coca-Cola does not have a hechsher, but it is kosher. Here is an online kosher product search that could help. Link to Android app.

« Last edited by yitzy93 on December 27, 2023, 09:02:39 PM »

Author Topic: London Master Thread  (Read 747611 times)

Offline MeirS

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Re: London Master Thread
« Reply #380 on: November 03, 2014, 02:04:46 AM »
American off peak is just 40K RT in coach.
+ taxes

Offline Yaalili

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Re: London Master Thread
« Reply #381 on: November 03, 2014, 02:14:46 AM »
American off peak is just 40K RT in coach.

US Airways off peak is just 30k RT in coach, if you are a cardholder.

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: London Master Thread
« Reply #382 on: November 05, 2014, 05:40:08 PM »
I'm debating between spending Sun night-Thursday morning or Thursday afternoon-Sunday evening in London (in the summer).

I've been before and seen the main city sites (Buckingham palace, Parliament, Big Ben, London Eye, Tower of London, etc). My wife doesn't really care to see those but would love to see Stonehenge and the Harry Potter sets mentioned in the wiki. She also has a friend she'd like to be with for shabbos. The other time will be spent in Paris.

Any recommendations? Is Stonehenge doable on a Friday when shkia is at 9:15pm?

Offline Ergel

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Re: London Master Thread
« Reply #383 on: November 05, 2014, 06:00:33 PM »
Seems like you can easily do a Stonhenge tour on a Friday (through a tour company they take 6 hours, can even do a sunrise tour if you desire...).

If you only want to do Stonehenge and Harry Potter, seems like both your options are too long
Life isn't about checking the boxes. Nobody cares.

Offline @Yehuda

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Re: London Master Thread
« Reply #384 on: November 05, 2014, 06:06:35 PM »
Seems like you can easily do a Stonhenge tour on a Friday (through a tour company they take 6 hours, can even do a sunrise tour if you desire...).

If you only want to do Stonehenge and Harry Potter, seems like both your options are too long
Yeah, you just need to see those tour's times, but it could be done. Golden Tours was good. They add in other stops, depending on the option you pick, which makes it a bit longer, but still probably could be done in a day.

Why does he have too much time? Stonehenge on Friday, HP on Sunday.

Offline Ergel

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Re: London Master Thread
« Reply #385 on: November 05, 2014, 06:10:55 PM »
Yeah, you just need to see those tour's times, but it could be done. Golden Tours was good. They add in other stops, depending on the option you pick, which makes it a bit longer, but still probably could be done in a day.

Why does he have too much time? Stonehenge on Friday, HP on Sunday.
HP is a full day?
THU afternoon-sounds like a wasted travel day to me
Life isn't about checking the boxes. Nobody cares.

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: London Master Thread
« Reply #386 on: November 05, 2014, 07:04:13 PM »
Seems like you can easily do a Stonhenge tour on a Friday (through a tour company they take 6 hours, can even do a sunrise tour if you desire...).

If you only want to do Stonehenge and Harry Potter, seems like both your options are too long
Well, my wife wants some time to see the sites in town....

HP is a full day?
THU afternoon-sounds like a wasted travel day to me
...Which is why I thought we could do them Thursday afternoon. Even if we just went to a few of them or did one of those hop on/hop off bus tours (I did one already) she'd be happy.

Doe that make sense?

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: London Master Thread
« Reply #387 on: November 05, 2014, 07:05:26 PM »
Yeah, you just need to see those tour's times, but it could be done. Golden Tours was good. They add in other stops, depending on the option you pick, which makes it a bit longer, but still probably could be done in a day.

Why does he have too much time? Stonehenge on Friday, HP on Sunday.
It seems like both you and Ergel think Paris during the week and London on the weekend is better. I know Dan thinks shabbos in Paris is nice though.

Offline Ergel

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Re: London Master Thread
« Reply #388 on: November 05, 2014, 07:25:04 PM »
Only because 1. You want to spend more time sightseeing in Paris than London 2. Your wife wants to stay by someone for shabbos
Life isn't about checking the boxes. Nobody cares.

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: London Master Thread
« Reply #389 on: November 05, 2014, 07:33:25 PM »
Only because 1. You want to spend more time sightseeing in Paris than London 2. Your wife wants to stay by someone for shabbos
Valid points. That's also assuming her friend can will be in town, but it's too far out to plan now. I just want to set the flights, hotels, and car (for Spain) now while they're cheap.  Thanks for your input.

Offline @Yehuda

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Re: London Master Thread
« Reply #390 on: November 05, 2014, 07:52:27 PM »
HP is a full day?
THU afternoon-sounds like a wasted travel day to me
It's more than half a day. It's quite a far trip whether you use their buses or take public transportation. (I used the bus, my brother did trains a week before I went.) Plus, IIRC, the tour takes 3-4 hours, making the whole shebang a 5-7 hour activity.

Only because 1. You want to spend more time sightseeing in Paris than London 2. Your wife wants to stay by someone for shabbos
Yeah the sightseeing thing makes this an easy choice in my mind (and I didn't know that when we were discussing Paris).
« Last Edit: November 05, 2014, 07:56:11 PM by @Yehuda »

Offline Ergel

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Re: London Master Thread
« Reply #391 on: November 05, 2014, 08:38:39 PM »
It's more than half a day. It's quite a far trip whether you use their buses or take public transportation. (I used the bus, my brother did trains a week before I went.) Plus, IIRC, the tour takes 3-4 hours, making the whole shebang a 5-7 hour activity.
A lot of effort for an adult for a Harry Potter your :P
Life isn't about checking the boxes. Nobody cares.

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: London Master Thread
« Reply #392 on: November 05, 2014, 08:41:01 PM »
It's more than half a day. It's quite a far trip whether you use their buses or take public transportation. (I used the bus, my brother did trains a week before I went.) Plus, IIRC, the tour takes 3-4 hours, making the whole shebang a 5-7 hour activity.
I saw on their website they have evening tours at 5:00 and 6:30pm for only £50 including transportation on their bus making it 1-cheaper and 2-doable Thursday night.
Yeah the sightseeing thing makes this an easy choice in my mind (and I didn't know that when we were discussing Paris).
[/quote]Sunday we could tour the city when there will be less traffic before heading back to MAD.

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: London Master Thread
« Reply #393 on: November 05, 2014, 08:41:39 PM »
A lot of effort for an adult for a Harry Potter your :P
My wife would probably hate me if we couldn't go.

Offline @Yehuda

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Re: London Master Thread
« Reply #394 on: November 05, 2014, 08:53:29 PM »
A lot of effort for an adult for a Harry Potter your :P
And it was well worth it!

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: London Master Thread
« Reply #395 on: November 07, 2014, 02:38:19 PM »
I'm looking at taking a tour of Stonehenge, Windsor Castle and Oxford on a Friday in the summer. They tour says it will be back by 6:30pm. If we spend shabbos in one of the Jewish communities, are there places that take shabbos in regular time (Shkia is 9:15p)?

What is a reasonable amount of time we would need to be able to make it from the bus station back to our hotel, get ready for shabbos, and go to one of the Jewish communities?

Offline Dan

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Re: London Master Thread
« Reply #396 on: November 07, 2014, 03:11:11 PM »
I'm looking at taking a tour of Stonehenge, Windsor Castle and Oxford on a Friday in the summer. They tour says it will be back by 6:30pm. If we spend shabbos in one of the Jewish communities, are there places that take shabbos in regular time (Shkia is 9:15p)?

What is a reasonable amount of time we would need to be able to make it from the bus station back to our hotel, get ready for shabbos, and go to one of the Jewish communities?
Most Chabad shuls take in shabbos at shkia.
Save your time, I don't answer PM. Post it in the forum and a dedicated DDF'er will get back to you as soon as possible.

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: London Master Thread
« Reply #397 on: November 07, 2014, 03:21:10 PM »
Most Chabad shuls take in shabbos at shkia.
True, but I was kinda wondering about the non-Chabad shuls. I guess if there's no other option we could do that.

Offline ChAiM'l

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Re: London Master Thread
« Reply #398 on: November 07, 2014, 03:24:12 PM »
True, but I was kinda wondering about the non-Chabad shuls. I guess if there's no other option we could do that.
Most local shuls do early shabbos in the summer due to the late zman, but depending on your area and host, you may be able to find a later minyan.

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: London Master Thread
« Reply #399 on: November 07, 2014, 03:40:43 PM »
Most local shuls do early shabbos in the summer due to the late zman, but depending on your area and host, you may be able to find a later minyan.
When do most shuls make early shabbos? Is it an arbitrary time, like 7:30/8:00, or does it vary? I'd want to know we'd be able to go on the tour and not miss shabbos.