Excellent transport links from London’s many railway stations ensure that there is a very wide choice of day trips that can be taken from London. Close to south east London is Greenwich, which is home to the Cutty Sark, the famous tea clipper that is currently being restored, and the Greenwich observatory. It is possible to stand astride the Greenwich Meridian and have one foot in the eastern hemisphere and another in the western. Greenwich Park is massive and there are plans afoot to hold the three-day eventing equestrian competition in the park when the Olympics are hosted by London in the summer of 2012.Charing Cross is the true centre of London and all measurements to the capital are taken from there. Thirty minutes by train from Charing Cross station is the market town of Sevenoaks, once voted as the most pleasant town in which to live in England. At the top end of the town is Knoll House, which was home to the Sackville-West family and resides in one of the most stunning deer parks in the UK. If you are travelling by car, there are other historic houses to visit in the area including Penshurst Place and Hever ...

Here at Holiday Velvet we often get asked about where you can leave your luggage whilst you are waiting to 'check in' to your apartment or after you have 'checked-out'. Whilst you can always ask the owner directly if they are able to look after your bags for a few hours, left luggage facilities still exist at many major train stations and other transport hubs. These days, most of these facilities run on an automated locker system (gone are the days when you checked in your bag in as you would a coat in a nightclub). Remember that they may fill up at peak periods. Rome When arriving at Termini Station on the Leonardo Express train from Fiumicino airport, you can leave your baggage in the ‘piazza’ on the lower-ground floor (follow the ‘Deposito bagagli’ signs). It’s open 6am-midnight, 7 days a week. Venice ‘Deposito bagagli’ is available at Santa Lucia Train Station (open 6am-midnight daily). Cooperative Trasbagagli is a private company that will not only store you luggage for you, but take it by boat to your place of accommodation, saving you schlepping bags over the bridges and canals. They have two offices in Venice; one at the Piazzale Roma (open 6am to ...

London has no less than five international airports and although three of them are quite far from the city centre, they all offer good transport links.HEATHROWHeathrow is London’s largest and most important airport and there are four ways of getting into London from the airport. The simplest way is to take a black taxi cab which has a priority route on the main arterial road, the M4. Black taxi cabs are spacious inside and offer plenty of room for luggage and will take you to the entrance of your hotel.The Heathrow Express is the quickest way into central London and starts operating at about 5am and stops at about midnight. The Heathrow Express will take you to Paddington Station from where you can easily get a taxi cab, a bus or go on the London Underground. A cheaper way of getting into London from Heathrow but not as convenient as going by taxi, is the Piccadilly Line on the London Underground which serves Terminals 1-3 and also Terminals 4 and 5. This is a fast and efficient way of getting into the heart of the city but, if carrying heavy bags, it can be a problem for some people.National ...