London - Croydon

Croydon is a town and borough in London. It is refered to as London's Third City and attracts well-known businesses with the amount of offices it offers. Known to some as the "Dallas of the South" due to the density of shiny glass and steel high rise office blocks. Croydon also boasts a cross-section of British history: Among its famous residents were author Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle, journalist Emile Zola and punk rocker Captain Sensible of The Damned.

Culture and History

Croydon boasts a tram network, which runs from Beckenham through Croydon to Wimbledon. Despite this relatively new system however the area can often feel somewhat run down and lacking in investment. Although a new major re-generation plan has been announced, called Croydon Vision 2020, which includes the new shopping centre and Croydon Gateway site (which includes a arena, park, offices and bars).

Travel to London - Croydon - Visa Requirements

Croydon is not linked to the tube network at the moment, but by 2010 the East London Line will be extended to West Croydon station as part of the London Overground scheme by Transport for London. Croydon is relatively close in proximity to Central London even though the borough it's in (Croydon) is the southern most in Greater London.

By tram

Tramlink, opened in 2000, is the first modern tram system to operate in London. Trams at the moment have destinations at Beckenham, Wimbledon, Elmers End and New Addington with all lines traveling through Croydon, on the Croydon Loop. It can also be used to reach the Underground in Wimbledon. Tramlink also has planned extensions to the M25 motorway (Park & Ride system), Sutton, Bromley, Lewisham with a planned extension to Crystal Palace[1]

By train

East Croydon station, is the second busiest station in London, and the main station for Croydon. Most services that head to the South Coast stop here. Fast trains run into Victoria or London Bridge stations in about 15-20 minutes. Services are provided by Southern, Southeastern, First Capital Connect and CrossCountry. West Croydon station is a interchange station for train, tram and bus. Services generally terminate at Sutton but some continue to Guildford, Dorking and Epsom Downs.

Buses to London - Croydon

Croydon is well served by the London bus network, with a major bus station at West Croydon and a new one opening on the eastern side of Croydon next to the Croydon clocktower and Park Place shopping centre soon. Bus services in the centre of Croydon include, but are not limited to:

• London Buses route 50
• London Buses route 60
• London Buses route 75
• London Buses route 109
• London Buses route 119
• London Buses route 157
• London Buses route 197
• London Buses route 250
• London Buses route 264
• London Buses route 289
• London Buses route 312
• London Buses route 407
• London Buses route 410
• London Buses route 450
• London Buses route 455
• London Buses route 466. But don't use this route - it is unreliable.
• London Buses route 468

Tours and Getting around London - Croydon

Croydon is mostly pedestrian friendly, North End the main shopping parade was closed for traffic over 10 years ago and most places can be easily reached on foot.

• Taxi - There is a large taxi stand, served by black cabs outside the main entrance to East Croydon Station.

• Buses - Buses leave at West Croydon station, with most buses leaving Croydon stopping at the bus station next to West Croydon station. The other bus station is opposite East Croydon station on George street, although not all buses going past it stop.

London - Croydon tourist attractions and sightseeing

Because it was heavily bombed in WW2, Croydon features a patchwork of old and new architecture.

• The Whitgift Almshouses form a fine Tudor courtyard
• The Town Hall is very impressive with a huge clock tower.
• Surrey Street Market is a bustling traditional market well worth visiting.

Plus you can also:

• Find out about the gifted black composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875 - 1912) who lived most of his life in Croydon. His works include The Song of Hiawatha, a great favourite (before World War II) at the Royal Albert Hall conducted by Sir Malcolm Sargent. (exhibits in the Clock Tower Museum about him)

• Visit Woodside Green for a "villagy" experience and go to the Joiner's Arms or Beehive pubs for a pleasant drink or meal.

London - Croydon city tours

There are a large number of attractions across the borough of Croydon, these include:

• Croydon Airport - London's former main airport, now disused and is now a tourist attraction
• Museum of Croydon - A museum highlighting Croydon in the past and present includes the Riesco Gallery
• Shirley Windmill - a restored and the only surviving windmill in Shirley
• Addington Palace - an 18th century mansion in Addington
• Croydon Clocktower - an arts venue in Croydon, opened by Queen Elizabeth II
• North End - the shopping road in Croydon, host of Centrale and *Whitgift Centre
• Warehouse Theatre - Large and well-known theatre for (mostly) young performers
• Nestle Tower - the famous European headquarters of Nestle, one of the tallest towers in England
• Fairfield Halls - an arts centre in Croydon which opened in 1962, frequently used for BBC recordings
• Croydon Palace - summer residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury for over 500 years
• Croydon Cemetery - Most famous for the gravestone of Derek Bentley, wrongly hanged in 1953
• Mitcham Common - Partly in the borough, shared with Sutton and Merton
• David Lean Cinema - a cinema built in memory of David Lean
• BRIT School - Performing Arts & Technology school owned by the BRIT Trust (known for the BRIT Awards)
• Croydon Grants - entertainment venue, includes cinema and desirable nightclub Tiger Tiger
• Taberner House - the main offices of Croydon Council
• Central Croydon - the largest office space in South East England outside Central London
• Surrey Street Market - Market which has a Royal Charter dating back to 1276 linking it to the Archbishop of Canterbury
• Beanos, a collectors record store that has been in Croydon for over three decades. It is Europe's largest second-hand record store.
• Selhurst Park - Home of Crystal Palace Football Club

London - Croydon souvenirs and shopping

Croydon is one of the top 20 retail destinations in the United Kingdom, it has two large shopping centers, Centrale [2] and the Whitgift Centre [3], with a third one called Park Place [4] planned. All the major chain stores can be found in Croydon, along with most department stores (including the only Allders left in the UK and a John Lewis planned).

• Centrale Shopping Centre, shopping centre opened in 2004, on North End close to West Croydon station, situated on 4 floors. Shops include House of Fraser, Debenhams, Next, Zara, H&M, French Connection and Aldo. The Food Gallery is on the top floor of centre and includes Papa John's Pizza, Spud U Like, The Real Pastry Company and Quiznos Subs. Open Monday - Sunday (Mon - Sat, 9:30 - 7:00 - Thurs, 9:30 - 9:00 - Sun, 11:00 - 5:00)

• Whitgift Centre, main shopping centre, on North End close to West Croydon bus station, situated on 3 floors and used to be biggest shopping centre in Europe. Shops include Marks & Spencer, Bhs, Allders, Boots, Woolworths, WHSmith, Sainsbury's Central, Mothercare and Books Etc. Various restaurants and cafes throughout the centre. Monday - Saturday 9am - 7pm, Thursday 9am - 9pm, Sunday 11am - 5pm, Bank holidays 10am - 6pm.

• Park Place, shopping centre due to open in 2011, will be one of the largest in the UK. Shops expected to be included are Habitat, Gap, John Lewis and Allders.

• Supermarkets include, in Croydon, Sainsbury's, Tesco - no there isn't!, Somerfield, Lidl, M&S, Co-operative food and a Waitrose due to open on Croydon Gateway site in 2012

Music lovers may also find it worth seeking out "Beano's", a second-hand CD and LP store with kitsch, cool styling which claims to be the largest in Europe.

• Purley Way, is a large retail area to the south west of Central Croydon, but still in the borough. It includes large stores such as one of the four IKEA's in London, a B&Q warehouse, the frst Homebase, TK Maxx, Vue, Megabowl, Mothercare World, Argos Extra, Sainsbury's, City Limits and more. There are various retail parks there aswell, Valley Park, Purley Way retail park, Croydon Colonades, Waddon Goods Park, Croydon Fiveways.

London - Croydon Restaurants: cheap, moderate and expensive

• Addington Village Inn Various. 36 Addington Village Road, Telephone 01689842057.

• Aphrodite Greek Taverna Greek. 19 Westow Street, Telephone 020 8653 9895

• Auberge French. Units 2153 - 2156 Whitgift Centre, Telephone 020 8680 8337.

• Beefeater English family pub chain. 419 Streatham High Road, Telephone 020 8764 1671.

• Cafe Giardino Italian. Centrale Shopping Centre. Telephone 020 8680 8852

• Cafe Giardino Italian. Whitgift Centre, Telephone 020 8680 8852.

• Cafe Santa Fe Cafe. 201 High Street, Telephone 020 8688 6717.

• Chat House Tandoori14-16 Brighton Road, Telephone 020 8680 5719.

• Chicken Cottage Fast-food chicken and ribs. 263 London Road, Telephone 0208 689 1666.

• Chiquitos Restaurant & Bar Mexican. Unit 3 Valley Park, Telephone 020 8686 8341.

• Croydon Steak House English. 31 South End, Telephone 020 8688 8422.

• Fatty Arbuckles American Diner. Valley Park, Telephone 020 8680 4717

• Frankie & Benny's Authentic Italian and American. Valley Leisure Park, Telephone 020 8760 5021.

• Harvester English. 270 Coulsdon Road, Telephone 01737 553368. Been changed to a family un-friendly restuarant.

• IKEA Restauarant Sweedish. Valley Park, Telephone 0845 355 1144.

• La Brasa Argentinian. 108a High Street, Telephone 020 8760 9610.

• Nandos Peri Peri Chicken. 26 High Street, Telephone 0208 681 3505.

• Nandos Peri-Peri Chicken. Hesterman Way, Telephone 0208 688 9545.

• Noodle Time Noodle Bar 56 - 58 George Street, Telephone 020 8681 6598.

• Ocean Fish Restaurant Seafood. 56 Lower Addiscombe Road, Telephone 020 8406 3634.

• Old Orleans American. City Limits Colonades Leisure Park, Telephone 020 8225 1900.

• Papa John's Pizza Pizza Restaurant. 85 Lower Addiscombe Road, Telephone 020 8656 5995.

• Papa John's Pizza Pizza Restaurant. Centrale Shopping Centre, Telephone 020 8681 5841.

• Papa John's Pizza Pizza Restaurant. 323 - 325 Brighton Road, Telephone 020 8688 6886.

• Paradise Island Seafood. 67 South End, Telephone 020 8688 9848.

• Pizza Express Italian. 960 Brighton Road, Telephone 020 8668 9547.

• Pizza Express Italian. 3 South End, Telephone 020 8680 0123.

• Pizza Hut Chain restaurant. 30 London Road, Telephone 020 8688 7771.

• Pizza Hut Chain restaurant. 59/61 North End, Telephone 020 8680 1086.

• Pizza Hut Chain restaurant. The Colonnades Leisure Park, Telephone 0871 332 0612.

• Polka Bistro Polish. 20a Lower Addiscombe Road, Telephone 020 8686 2633.

• Rockwell's Diner American. 48-50 South End, Telephone 020 8688 6132. Been shut for ages.

• TGI Friday's American. 702/704 Purley Way, Telephone 020 8681 1313.

• Tiger Tiger English. 16 High Street, Telephone 020 8662 4949.

• Yo! Sushi Japanese Sushi bar. 21 North End, Telephone 020 8760 0479.

London - Croydon nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs

• Bar Red Square Wine Bar. 63 - 67 High Street, Telephone 020 8688 1020.

• TGI Friday's Also serves food, Bar. Specializes in cocktails. 702/704 Purley Way, Telephone 020 8681 1313

London - Croydon cheap and luxurious hotels, youth hostels and lodging

There is a wide range of accommodation for visitors to the London Borough of Croydon. The Tourist Information Centre promotes establishments which are members of the National Quality Assurance Standards Scheme. Each establishment is inspected annually by trained assessors from the AA, RAC or English Tourism Council (ETC). Members of the Quality Assurance Scheme are graded according to quality, facilities and level of service. The grading is denoted by stars (H) or diamonds (¨). Any establishment which has no grading is not part of the Scheme, therefore quality cannot be assured.

Accommodation Gradings

The AA, RAC and English Tourism Council (ETC) have joint grading schemes for hotels, guest accommodation and self catering.

Hotels

Hotels are graded from one to five stars. These indicate the quality, facilities and level of service. The more stars the higher the quality, level of service and range of facilities offered.

Guest Accommodation

Guest accommodation includes guest houses, bed & breakfasts and some hotels. They are graded from one to five diamonds. All establishments must meet minimum standards for facilities and services. More diamonds are awarded for higher standards of quality and customer care.

• Aerodrome Hotel - Purley Way, Telephone 020 8680 1999. Luxury hotel, South, recently re-fited to become a luxury hotel, situated next to Croydon Airport
• Express by Holiday Inn - 1 Priddys Yard, Telephone 44-208-2531200. Central Croydon, built in 2003, new and modern
• Jury's Inn - Wellesley Road, Telephone (+44 20) 8448 6000. Central Croydon, a modern hotel on Wellseley Road, which is the split of Central Croydon.
• Premier Inn - The Colonnades Leisure Park, Telephone 0870 990 6554. West Croydon, hotel which offer warm and cosy rooms for as low as £40
• Premier Inn - 104 Coombe Road, Telephone 08701 977 069. South Croydon, hotel which offer warm and cosy rooms for as low as £40
• Travelodge - Norfolk House, Wellesley Road, Telephone 0871 984 6318. Central Croydon, cheap and modest, basically the same price and structure as Premier Inn, located next to Jury's Inn.

Get Out

• City Limits Entertainment Venue. Includes bowling, restaurants, nightclubs all in the same building. Inside the Colonades Leisure Park, Purley Way.

• Croydon Grants Entertainment Venue. Includes a large 11-screen Vue Cinema, Reflex 80's Bar and Disco, Nandos and Tiger Tiger restaurant and nightclub.

Contact

• Croydon Council
• Croydon Online
• Virtual Tourist Travel Guide

• More pictures of Croydon at Wikimedia Commons

This page was last edited by Rob. Based on work by Simon Wentworth, Colin Jensen and Jordan, Wikitravel user(s) Morph, Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel and others. - Content on this page is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0 license