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From Wikitravel

Kingston upon Thames is a large town in south west London, England.

[edit] Get in

By car

Kingston has a Christmas Park and Ride service and is also planning to open a regular Park and Ride facility in November 2007, see National Park and Ride Directory [1]

By train

South West Trains [2] operates a regular service from London Waterloo station to Kingston.

There are more regular train services to Surbiton, which is around 10 minutes away from Kingston by bus. Travelling via Surbiton can also be quicker when coming from towns to the southwest of London such as Guildford, Portsmouth or Southampton.

[edit] Get around

[edit][add listing] See

The Coronation Stone

- Whilst not full of sights, an item of some interest is the coronation stone, on which seven English kings from Edward the Elder to Aethelred the Unready were crowned. The stone is located outside the Guildhall, and is close to the market.

The Thames

- Kingston borough has recently put a lot of effort into redeveloping the riverfront, and it is an extrememly pleasant way to spend a summer day. It can get very busy, and to avoid the crowds you can cross over Kingston bridge and walk along the quieter Richmond side.

Out of Order

- For a good photo opportunity seek out 'the phone boxes', a sculpture by artist David Mach featuring a number of disused red telephone box leaning against each other like dominoes.

[edit][add listing] Do

Take your bike along the riverside and follow the Thames path to Richmond upon Thames, Kew (home of the botanical gardens) and beyond into Barnes and Putney. In the opposite direction you will find Hampton Court, which has open air picnic concerts during the summer months.

Football (soccer) enthusiasts can catch two "non-league" clubs (i.e., clubs that play outside of England's four fully professional leagues—the Premier League and the three divisions of The Football League). Both teams play at Kingsmeadow, also known as The Cherry Red Records Fans' Stadium due to a commercial sponsorship deal.

• AFC Wimbledon — Founded in 2002 by former fans of Wimbledon F.C. when that club received approval to move from London to Milton Keynes, where the club is now known as Milton Keynes Dons. After three promotions, AFC Wimbledon will play the 2009–10 season in Conference National, the fifth level of English football and one promotion from The Football League. For general information, call 020 8547 3528 or visit afcwimbledon.co.uk [3]; for ordering match tickets by phone, call 020 8546 9582.
• Kingstonian F.C. — Formed in 1885; will play 2009–10 in the Ryman Premier Division, two promotions away from AFC Wimbledon. For more information, visit kingstonian.net [4].

[edit][add listing] Buy

The biggest shopping mall is the four-storey Bentall centre[5] on Clarence Street, which is anchored by a multi-level department store, Bentalls, which sells high-end fashion, homewares and some speciality food products. John Lewis is the other main department store in town and is noted for quality. It has a branch of Waitrose supermarket in the basement.

Kingston has the most extensive range of shops in the southeast of England outside central London, and is very popular, especially at weekends. Virtually all major chains have branches, as well as several independent shops and boutiques. Fife Road, between the Bentall Centre and the railway station, has several clothing boutiques.

The marketplace was historically at the heart of Kingston's prosperity, benefitting from a Royal Charter forbidding any other markets within seven miles. Today it mostly sells fruit and vegetables, although there are some other stalls. There are also occasional visiting markets from France and Germany that sell regional produce and takeaway food and drink.

Borders bookstore is built on the site of the old Empire department store. Its beautiful listed wooden staircase was maintained through recent renovations.

[edit][add listing] Eat

Korean food

The area of Kingston of New Malden has a sizeable Korean population, and there are a large number of restaurants along the High Street. Korean barbecue is delcious, such as Galbi or Samgyeopsal, and is available in numerous places. A healthier option is Bibimbap, a mixture of various vegetables, rice and chilli paste.

[edit][add listing] Drink

There are a large variety of pubs and bars from cheaper chain pubs such as Wetherspoons to the trendy riverside bars. The main club is Oceana which is always very popular and attracts a great number of people from surrounding areas.

[edit][add listing] Sleep

[edit] Get out