Brought to you by TripAdvisor and the participants of #TripAdvisorChat

This week Tripadvisor took to Twitter to engage with fellow London-lovers and get a discussion going about how wonderful and exciting visiting the city can be. We’ve rounded up some of the best responses (and thrown a few of our own in!)

Q1: Describe London in one sentence. (We know—it’s hard!) #TripAdvisorChat pic.twitter.com/x2AKhPlVk9

— TripAdvisor (@TripAdvisor) April 6, 2016

Question 1. Tripadvisor began with an obvious question, yet surprisingly hard depending on your definition of how long a sentence can be. Our answer was “Exhausting with so much choice.” Others gave suggestions such as “The most vibrant, addictive and iconic cities in the world” and “Quintessentially British, yet modernly cosmopolitan – both at the same time.” We think the top Answer to sum up London was the following:

And we totally agree! Everyone should and CAN visit London with ease this year, by planning ahead and making wise money-saving choices such as cheap low-cost car hire from Easirent.

Q2: What is it about London to you that makes it a top world destination? #TripAdvisorChat — TripAdvisor (@TripAdvisor) April 6, 2016

Question 2. Now if you’re planning a trip to the UK and considering whether it’s worth visiting London, listen up! Our fellow tweeters gave plenty of reasons for why London is an absolute must. “London has some of the best food, history, shopping, music & art on the planet. It’s enchanting!”, “It’s modern, historical, beautiful, fun, and the perfect hub for European travel!” not to mention “Culture, vibe, history, diversity, a huge cross-section of interesting people.”

We believe it is the easiness of getting around and seeing so much in one place. Summed up perfectly by this tweet:

Q3: What’s your favorite area of London, and why?#TripAdvisorChat pic.twitter.com/PSo6XVvBXq

— TripAdvisor (@TripAdvisor) April 6, 2016

  Question 3. Pretty self-explanatory really, people jumped in with their own ideas of the perfect place in London. We learnt that a lot of people find busy Camden a really relaxing place to eat and drink (who knew!?) and that a lot of you have a soft spot for walking down by the river Thames. But we got the best feeling about this tweet:
Wherever you land or arrive in London, the action is never far away thanks to the great transport links. You can jump in a car or jump on the tube and get off at a popular station to find yourself immersed in everything the city has to offer.

Q4: What are your best money-saving tips for visiting London? #TripAdvisorChat pic.twitter.com/LymjfxtAQ5 — TripAdvisor (@TripAdvisor) April 6, 2016

Question 4. The wisest way to explore London is with recommendations and some simple planning.

Obviously we know driving around town is not always practical for everyone which is why we’ve recently launched our Electric Cars in London and surrounding branches. By hiring an Electric Drive you no longer have to pay the congestion charge (charge for entering the busier roads) you don’t have to pay anything for petrol and our hire prices are still as cheap as a normal car! It’s a win-win for cruising the city in style, especially with our Mercedes Benz B-Class luxury models. Find out more here.

Q5: One great thing about London is its proximity to other great UK spots. What’s your favorite day trip from London? #TripAdvisorChat

— TripAdvisor (@TripAdvisor) April 6, 2016

Question 5. We loved this question as it opened up the forum for other towns to get involved. Some of the popular choices were Bath, Brighton and Windsor. It’s hard to get tired of the big city but the borough of London holds many exciting visitor attractions, castles, historic sites, nature walks (if you know where to look!), and plenty of top-rated eateries.

To make a real day of it, you can hire a car for less than £20 for the day and it’s much more comfortable being able to drive yourself and not worry about time-constraints. For areas you are unfamiliar with we always suggest choose a car that has a built-in GPS system or hire a Sat Nav for an extra £5. You’d be surprised how handy they can be when reaching the outer countryside rural areas.

Q6: London is chock-full of excellent restaurants and pubs. Name a favorite that travelers shouldn’t miss! #TripAdvisorChat — TripAdvisor (@TripAdvisor) April 6, 2016

Question 6. This one is really subjective, we recommend it’s best to click the embedded tweet above and read the many, many replies for yourself. Of course you can’t beat Fish & Chips or a traditional pub dinner in London but the locals will have great recommendations and often following your nose can be the best way!

Q7: What’s a must-see for people traveling to London for the first time? #TripAdvisorChat pic.twitter.com/YhFK47IPxq

— TripAdvisor (@TripAdvisor) April 6, 2016

Question 7. Next, Tripadvisor asked Twitter what they thought the ‘Must-See’ places were in London. Of which where are of course too many to list! The most popular answers are “London Eye”, “Hyde Park” and “Big Ben, St Paul’s, Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, Tower of London, Fleet St, Greenwich & Cutty Sark.” tweeted by fellow tourists and locals. Our own suggestion was to visit the Tate Modern, a huge art gallery down by the River Thames as there is always something interesting to see there and it’s accessible by foot.

A7: Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace #TripAdvisorChat https://t.co/1aV238q1cE pic.twitter.com/aSe6yA8FLl — VisitBritain (@VisitBritain) April 6, 2016

Q8: Are there any hidden London gems that visitors shouldn’t miss? #TripAdvisorChat pic.twitter.com/Eb5afYVYMI

— TripAdvisor (@TripAdvisor) April 6, 2016

Question 8. Question 8 revealed quite a few secrets for us! Places we hadn’t thought to visit or looked over in our haste to see the big monuments. Definitely worth a read through the answers on this one and perhaps making a ‘hidden gems’ list for when you get a day of downtime.

Our King’s Cross branch had the great suggestion of Kings Cross Station for any Harry Potter fans. Did you know about any of these?

.@TripAdvisor A9: Brolly (translation: Umbrella), comfy shoes, and @AZmaps of London for street and tube navigation #TripAdvisorChat — Virgin Hotels (@virginhotels) April 6, 2016

Question 9. On a more practical note, for travelers coming to the UK it might be daunting to have an entire sprawling city to explore and only your own knowledge to help you. We found that knowing what to pack and what to buy when you are there is the most important tool to equip yourself with for enjoying your visit. And to avoid being ripped off!

The essentials are: somewhere to carry your money, a map to help you find everything, a charged camera and mobile phone, comfortable shoes for walking or driving and plenty of layers to keep warm. Seeing as the British weather isn’t always predictable(!)

Although one of our favourite suggestions, albeit slightly ironic was La Rectoria’s tweet “Time, patience, money”.

Q10: Share a pic of your most memorable moment while visiting London! #TripAdvisorChat pic.twitter.com/J1SmVaAyzK

— TripAdvisor (@TripAdvisor) April 6, 2016

Question 10. Again this is a tweet better seen and not described. Click the tweet above to view all the wonderful, inspirational snaps from other #TripAdvisorChat participants. And if you have one of your own memorable moments captured in London, please feel free to share it with us. Customers visiting our London King’s Cross branch are always happily snapping away at our buildings and sights (and sometimes the cars!) and we love to see you getting involved with your hire.


 (We added our own snap, of course. A customer hired one of our Electric cars and photographed their beautiful blue Mercedes charging up whilst they do their shopping.)