London Victoria station looks like a living illustration from the Sherlock Holmes books from the outside. There is nothing strange about it — it was built just when the stories about the famous detective were written. Of course, almost every area of London can be explored for hours. But if you have limited time, we suggest you left luggage Victoria Station and explore the surrounding area.
A Bit of History
In fact, the first station appeared here in 1860, but it quickly became overloaded and was constantly being expanded: first, new platforms were added, then new terminals, and finally, in 1906, the entire building was completely rebuilt. As a result, the design turned out to be a strange mixture — different facades of the building were designed by four different architects.
The main facade — the one with the main central entrance — was designed by Sir Charles Morgan, and this is the most remarkable part of the building, the most striking example of Edwardian Baroque. It is built of red brick, and everyone notices it — it looks very bright. Other parts of the building are no less unique, and there is also a lot of stuff there: Italian columns, French Renaissance roofs, and more. In general, the current appearance of the station is the result of a rebuild in 1906.
Modern Victoria Station and Trains from It
As a result, a considerable station was formed — the second largest in London, passing about 80 million people annually. It serves several important tourist destinations. The most popular is the Gatwick Express, which connects London with the budget city airport Gatwick, where low-cost airlines fly.
The second interesting direction is the south and south-west of England. Trains go from Victoria Station to Portsmouth, Brighton and other interesting and ancient cities on the coast. Trains travel quickly, and this is the most convenient transport option for a short (and especially for a one-day) trip outside of London.
Another important point is trains to ferries. Ferries across the English Channel are a convenient way to get from Britain to some neighboring country on the continent. Trains from Victoria Station connect London with ferry ports. This is relevant for those tourists who are traveling from Britain to France, Belgium or Holland.
And a separate point — a modern version of the “Orient Express” departs from Victoria Station. The real “Orient Express” — the one where one of Agatha Christie’s most famous novels takes place — no longer exists, but a modern version does. It goes on weekdays from London to Venice. This train is more of an expensive attraction than a real train, but it does exist, and it is quite possible to buy tickets for it.
Victoria Coach Station
There is also a large Victoria Coach Station nearby. It also has a beautiful old building built in the Art Deco style, but that is not the main thing. The main thing is that the bus is the most budget-friendly intercity transport in Britain. It is significantly cheaper than the train (though it also takes two to three times longer; you need to take this into account).
From Victoria Coach Station you can get to any part of the country and to many cities in other countries (Paris, for example) — the station is international. It is worth remembering that the departure and arrival terminals are divided into two different buildings that are not connected to each other.
In addition to transport needs, fans of Oscar Wilde or Arthur Conan Doyle should come here — they both mentioned this station in their books, and just all lovers of architectural eclecticism.
Despite the fact that the bus station is a bit cramped, this does not change the mood for the worse. After all, waiting is a temporary phenomenon, and a comfortable bus with comfortable, soft seats and a clean toilet awaits ahead. There is WI-FI on the bus because I prefer to look at the English expanses on the way. The seats on the bus are clean, comfortable with a high back, and can be made of leather or velour, but it is desirable to have a neck roll. The buses are equipped with several video cameras inside and outside the bus.
Hotels
You should also pay attention to this area if you are looking for a cheap hotel. There are a lot of them around Victoria Station. Usually, everyone looks for a hotel in advance via the Internet, but this area is good in cases when you need to stay in London longer than you expected: lost your passport, delayed plane, etc. People rarely spend more than a day near the stations, so you can just come here, go to the hotels — and you will find a room somewhere. The area is not very prosperous — there are a lot of homeless people, but the prices here are low for central London: a room can be found for 60-70 GBP.
Conclusion
Of course, there are many attractions near the station. For example, you can go and see Buckingham Palace. But at the station itself, you can also take a while away from the time before the train. There are snack bars inside the station, and in many shops, you can buy a sandwich or a chocolate bar. Small shops always have water, sandwiches, chocolate bars, newspapers, and souvenirs. There is a luggage storage room, an information desk with a friendly manager, and ticket offices for both intercity and international tickets.
