In a nation where Gordon Ramsey is more famous for his food than his temper, his eateries are often

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The London Summer Olympics airline flights cheap begin July 27, and it's not too late to go. But with only one week remaining until the Opening airline flights cheap Ceremonies, you'll have to game the system a bit to get the full experience. We asked Londoners, concierges, travel agents, and still-hung-over-from-Sydney-2008 Olympic veterans airline flights cheap for the best advice. Our seven-part guide:
"There are plenty of tickets left," says Simon Venison, general manager of the Jumeirah Grosvenor House Apartments off Hyde Park. How is that possible? Well, the official Olympic agent in the U.S. is cosport.com , but its inventory is low. The finals of boxing and beach volleyball are about $600 per person. Weight-lifting tickets are about half that, and there's not much else for sale. ThomasCook.uk is the retailer for Brits, and it has tons of tickets left. There's a $225 package that offers tickets to men's volleyball and women's water polo, plus two nights at a hotel. Diving-final tickets run about $800 with one night in a hotel; swimming semifinals, also with a room, are $750. At Thomas Cook, however, booking through airline flights cheap the Web site requires a valid United Kingdom or European Union credit card, as well as a valid "local" address. airline flights cheap That means you'll have to either buy through a British friend whose ID you'll need or buy through your hotel. (We checked—some airline flights cheap hotels are willing to arrange tickets while others aren't, so call ahead.) "We will be able to provide guests with tickets from authorized dealers," promises Venison. But these so-called luxury airline flights cheap hospitality packages start at about $1,000 per person. (For really big spenders willing to part with a few thousand, there are still tickets available for both the track-and-field finals and the Closing Ceremonies.) Avoid resale airline flights cheap or scalper sites: London's Metropolitan Police have already busted numerous ticket scammers and fake Internet sites.
Insider's tip: For some events, you don't have to have tickets at all. Events such as the marathon, cycling, and rowing will be viewable riverside or roadside without a ticket. Among the most picturesque of these is the men's eight—rowing's prestige event—held August 1 on the campus of Eton College's Dorney Lake, adjacent to Windsor Castle.
According to TravelClick, an online booking firm, the London hotels it tracks have a 77 percent occupancy rate during the Games (higher airline flights cheap on weekends). The Sanderson Hotel does have availability, but at $700 a night; airline flights cheap the classic Brown's Hotel has children's rooms at half-price if parents book two rooms; prices are circling $600 a night. For savings, the keys are opting for midweek bookings, using airport hotels, or trying new hotels that have just opened. When we checked, the Renaissance Heathrow airline flights cheap was about $279 a night, while Heathrow Hilton was $317. The Grosvenor airline flights cheap House Apartments, which opened earlier this year, have their large studios with kitchens starting at $450; two other Jumeirah London hotels have a few rooms but cost a third more. And you may not need to stay in London at all. Olympic events will be taking place as far away as Wales, Glasgow, and Weymouth.
Insider's Tip: The outdoorsy can pitch a tent at various venues set aside for campers, and wimdu.com offers rooms in local homes—or, for a truly offbeat experience, a night in a tricked-out London cab that can be parked anywhere for $78.
Want to be pretty much guaranteed finding a good party filled with gorgeous people? Each nation sponsors a house where its Olympians hang out, and many of these are open to the public free or for a small fee. The German House will be based on the cruise liner M.S. Deutschland, moored at the West India Docks. The Africa Village in Kensington Gardens represents more than 50 nations of that continent and has free admission. Holland House, sponsored by Heineken, will be headquartered at Alexandra Palace and open until two a.m. Entrance tickets are $19.
Insider's tip: The wildest and most lavish parties are usually thrown by the city that will next host the Summer Games, which in this case, happily, is Rio, in 2016. The revelry at Casa Brasil, based at Somerset House, begins on July 21.
Directions are simple: head East of Central London for most of the Olympic events, and head West to get out of the crowds. British transport authority is suggesting that people don't drive anywhere, but Tube service will be fully operational. (Warning: it shuts down from about 1:30 a.m. to five a.m. most days.) Three weeks ago, Emirates Airlines opened a cable car across the Thames that's not well known yet, so it may not be crammed with tourists. "People forget that London is a city built on a river" and that you can get regular ferries, says Simon Talling-Smith, executive vice president of the Americas for British Airways, who plans to attend the swimming events with American friends.
Insider's tip: Security will be tight, airline flights cheap so don't expect to get into the Olympic Village. But it's adjacent to the Westfeld mega-mall, and the top floor of the John Lewis department store in it has a bird's-eye view of the Village. Stock up on Olympic pins in the souvenir shop there—these are informally used as currency at the Games, and can usually get you a free drink.
London is a museum city, and, for summer, they're cranking it up. The Victoria airline flights cheap Albert Museum is doing a lush show on ball gowns and British glamour; the Tate Modern is saluting Damien Hirst. Even Über- dealer Larry Gagosian is getting into the act: on display at his Davies Street gallery is the giant Olympic airline flights cheap Rings, a 1985 painting by Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat.
In a nation where Gordon Ramsey is more famous for his food than his temper, his eateries are often booked and pricey. But his Plane Food, in Terminal Five of Heathrow, offers three tasty courses for $31. Celebrity chefs and brothers Chris and Jeff Garvin—each was separately Michelin-starred—just teamed up to open Demoiselle in Harrod's department store. Or forget the name eateries and head to Brick Lane, the London neighborhood of richly flavored Indian food.
Insider's tip: The yawning Food Hall at Harrod's has a branch of the cult macaroon-maker Ladurée, but without the long lines of the patisserie's Madison Avenue and Paris branches. At Belgraves Hotel, where the rooms still available start at $420, concierge Maxence De La Motte's picks are Peggy Porschen, "for the best cupcake in the world," and the Dove, the 17th-century pub in Hammersmith, for a terrace view of the River Thames.
Ah, there had to be a catch! Most round-trip flights from the East Coast to London during the Games are about $900, while it's about $1,200 from the Midwest or the West Coast. Not cheap. But British Air is offering a "London airline flights cheap Calling" promotion, only bookable airline flights cheap through July 25, that includes a hotel night free with airfare—two nights free with the purchase of two tickets.
Insider's tip: Not in a hurry? The just refurbished Queen Mary 2 sails out of Brooklyn on August 3 for a seven-night trans-Atlantic cruise; discounters have cabins airline flights cheap starting at less than most flights.