My husband and I are headed to London in May on a land based trip. It will be our first time in the city. I was wondering if any of you experienced travelers who have been there have any suggestions as to "must see" or "must do" activities? We will be with a group for part of our stay, but we also have some free time.

Sue

Go see the Crown Jewels! Pretty impressive. Also I really enjoyed seeing Windsor Castle.....not too far outside of London. Oh and Harrod's is a must!

Other than the usual stuff (which I won't go into e.g. Tudor England, the V&A, HOuses of Parlament, etc.):

IF you are a Beatles Fan, you have to go to Abbey Road (and cross the street...if you are Paul Fan, take your shoes off!)

The two times I've been in London, I've done walks with the following outfit http://www.walks.com/ I've done the WEstminster Nobody Knows Tour and the Saturday Explorer. They have seemed to have added a lot more in the last couple of years! I've always wanted to to the Jack the Ripper ones and the ghost ones (these happen at night and stop at a few pubs) but never got the chance! Next time!!

Depends what you like. I usually head for the Tate Gallery, for instance. Then there's the British Museum, and the National Gallery. I've always wanted to take the boat to Greenwich, but haven't yet managed it.

The Big Bus Company (and some others) have "hop-on, hop off" deals. It's about $25 or so for a 24 hour pass, and it's a great way to get around. The initial tour is worth that cost alone. First, make sure your bus has a live guide, and sit near him/her. They're often hilarious, and banter with the nearby passengers in between "talks". Take the entire (90 minute or so) tour, where they give you all the highlights of the city, interesting historical tidbits, after which you can decide where you want to return to explore. Your pass is good for 24 hours of this "hopping on, hopping off". The buses are in abudance, run about every 10-15 minutes, so you're never waiting. It's a great deal, you get a little history lesson, a lot of laughs, a great view from the top deck, and you really make the most of a day in the city!

I've done this twice in the past few years, and will be doing it again in September!

Charlene

I'm posting again only because London is my favourite city, and I can't help myself. I wanted to add that if you are into museums, most of the top museums in London are, unbelievably, free!! The National Gallery, the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the National Portrait Gallery (which is in Trafalgar Square), all open to the public gratis. Having said that, I'm NOT a "museum" person, but popped into the aforementioned National Portrait Gallery last time, while waiting for my "Big Bus", and I was blown away! I've never seen portraits that size, unreal!

Everything else costs a fortune, mind you, and you should do yourself a favour: do NOT mentally convert pounds to dollars while spending money in London, or you'll feel faint! Pretend, in the theatre of your mind, that it's an actual rate of one dollar for one pound, and carry this illusion through 'til you're home, and receive your AMEX bill. This will save heart palpitations when you realize a pound doesn't buy much more in London than a dollar does at home!

I would be remiss in not emphasizing, as well, to be very careful crossing roads. The "right hand drive" really does throw you, and those black cabs and double deckers RACE around corners, it's very easy to be hit (you'll see what I mean!) For this reason (tourists) a lot of the corners have "look right" painted there!

My favourite of the tours? The Tower of London. The guides make you feel as though you could be beheaded yourself any time. And "The Changing of the Guard" at Buckingham Palace is, of course, fabulous.

And finally, if you find yourself near Leicester Square at noon any day, line up at the "Half Price Ticket Booth" and buy a ticket for any of the advertised performances that evening, half price.


Charlene

I just read the funniest account yesterday about a group of women who went to Europe together, starting out in London.
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2&tid=84973

Olivia: Isn't she just the funniest person and a great writer!!!! Joanna

Thanks to all of you for the great suggestions! We will get to visit some of the attractions with our group such as Windsor Castle, the Tower of London, and private shopping time at Harrod's (hurray!!!). Charlene you have relieved my shopping worries about the exchange rate. I will just pretend that every pound is equal to a dollar and spend away! We do want to tour some of the museums and it is nice to know that they are free. I love the Beatles and certainly want to say I've been to Abbey Road. It sounds like the walking tours and the bus provide a good way to see the sights. I really enjoyed reading that trip report from Fodor's Olivia, so glad you shared it.

Sue

Olivia - that was a really funny travel report! Thanks for posting it!

Masaki

I would like to add some comments. I agree with the above totally.

I understand, that on a clear day, you must do the London Eye. It looked boring to us, but my London friends say it is a marvelous experience.

Doug and I took a day trip to Bath. It is wonderful.

Other nice day trips are to Leeds Castle (Kent) and to Stratford/Cotwalds.

You can see Buckingham Palace. Call ahead for tickets.

The London bus tours are excellent and a good value..they include a boat trip.

Twofers for the theater are very doable. See above.

Airport to London. We took a cab and this past weekend, the Heathrow Express. It runs every 15 minutes and only takes 15 minutes to Paddington Station. It is 22 pounds round trip. Don't buy first class..it's a waste of money and is double. Just follow signs to Heathrow Express and buy the EXPRESS ticket from the machine with a credit card. Once at Paddington Station go to Track 1 and under the clock and you can pick up a cab from there. VERY efficient and just as good as a direct cab from the airport...faster, in fact.

Nobu at the Four Seasons Hotel is great.

John Frieda hair salons do a nice job of cut and color, if you need your hair done. They are fairly priced versus US.

I understand that the Jack the Ripper walking tour is wonderful.

Very funny post re: the Loons - thanks, O!

WHY IS ELVIRA NOT CRUISING! she would be great fun!Macy

For any WWII history buffs like me, Churchill's war rooms are a must, along with the suggestions above. These are underground facilities from which England ran their operations in WWII. They are surprisingly small and surprisingly detailed. From them, I could see maps of where the German subs were that my father was hunting off the coast of Florida. And the War Rooms are not a large facility. To think a major WWII power ran their part of the war from their boggles the mind.

Should you go to Harrods (and you surely will) go to the furniture department, where they have a section called "American style Furniture." I looked at it and started laughing, and a salesman came up and asked why. I told him (truthfully) that we have the same style of furniture in America, but have a different name for it. He asked what the name was. I told him "English Country!"

In Rome, we got a good limo driver and feel we saw the whole thing in nine hours. That won't happen in London. We'd like to spend two weeks there, even though we've been there before. There is more to see in that city than in any other in the world.

Hope this helps,
Richard :) :) :)

London is one of my favorite cities. Where do I start? By seconding everyting that has already been said.

There was a book reviewed in the paper, called
Secret London, by Andrew Duncan. That might give you some ideas off the beaten path.

Many years ago I went to the Sherlock Holmes Pub, as I am a fan. Nice display of his study.

Bath is great, or you could do Stonehenge. It isn't that much farther.

Have a good time!

Frances

Thanks to all who have added their suggestions. We leave next week and you have given me some excellent ideas. We'll be going to Bath and Churchill's war rooms with our group as well as having cocktails on the London Eye. It doesn't sound like we will ever run out of things to see and do there!

Sue

PS Loved your comment on the furniture at Harrod's, Richard!

Sue:

What is wrong with me? I gave you good suggestions but forgot (as others did not) to mention my favorite place in the world, which is Stonehenge. If you can fit it in with the Churchill War Rooms, forget about Harrods, and go to Stonehenge!

Thanks,
Richard :) :) :)

If you are going as far as Stonehenge, see if you can get to Avebury as well. They have different tall rock formations and (as of last visit) you can walk directly among the stones. It's a great addition to the Stonehenge experience and is the same general area.

The other thing to do in either Bath or if you're outside of central London is get a recommendation for a good pub for lunch (preferably on a Sunday). The good ones have excellent food at reasonable prices and give you a great flavor for the English lifestyle. My favorite is in Wimbledon off the green called The Fox and Grapes. You can get there on the district tube line and take a cab from the station, or it's about a 1-1/2 mile decent walk if the weather's good.

Cheers, Anne

If you do shop, don't forget to take a copy of your passport with you since you can get a refund of the VAT (17.5%). Most of the larger stores have this service, however, there is a processing charge of 5 Pounds so combine all your receipts from that store.

I actually don't find London to be horrendously expensive. Meals certainly aren't if you stick with the more average places (dinner is usually around $15-20 per person). Hotels are quite expensive but not nearly as much as Paris, Rome, Venice.

If you do look for the 1/2 price theater tickets, make sure you go to the "official" one which is in a concrete building in Leicester Square itself since all of the other ones are commercial ticket agents.

We're off tomorrow to try out all your wonderful tips and suggestions! It is nice to be able to post this question and get such helpful responses even when it is not cruise related.

Sue

Here are some of my favorites:

Greenwich (take a Thames boat there and the Docklands Light Rail/tube back for an extra treat). All kinds of great stuff in a very small area. Go up to the observatory for sure - nice view of all of London, outdoor market, etc.

British Library - where else are you going to see the original Magna Carta, Gutenberg Bible, and a number of the Beatles original scores?

British Museum - must do at least once.

London Eye - worth the wait on a nice day.

Recent terrific restaurant - Red Fort in Soho. Soho is great to walk around in day or night.

Other great neighborhoods - Chelsea (check out Sloane St. for amazing windowshopping), Marylebone and others

We're back from our London trip and had a great time! We didn't get to try out all of your suggestions, but we saw most of the major attractions in the city and went out to Bath, Windsor, and Hampton Court. We found the tube to be an excellent way to get around the city and we rode some double decker buses with our group who arrived a few days after we did. Didn't get to Stonehenge this trip, but we'll just have to go back! The weather was surprisingly warm and dry. I appreciated all the help I received on this board.

Sue

Sundial: Please tell us which attractions you especially enjoyed in London - also neighborhoods, restaurants, etc etc - Joanna

Yes, Sue, let us know what you enjoyed the most. And "bonus" with the weather, it's quite unpredictable, so having it warm and dry surely enhanced everything!

Glad you had a great time, and that you're home safely.

Charlene

Yes the pleasant weather was an unexpected bonus. There are some great museums in London and, as you had said Charlene, they were free which was nice given that the exchange rate for Americans makes everything so expensive. My favorite was the British Museum and my husband loved the Imperial War Museum and Churchill's War Rooms. The London Eye gives you an incredible view of the city. We loved touring Windsor Castle and the village of Windsor, taking the Orient Express train to Bath, seeing the Tower of London and the Crown Jewels, and going to the theater (although it was a little warm with no air conditioning). We stayed at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park which I believe is one of the hotels Radisson uses and thought that it was very nice. You could watch the Queen's horse guard ride by in the park from the restaurant at breakfast. Our favorite places to eat were an Italian restaurant called Scalini located a couple of blocks behind Harrod's and Mirabelle which is a French restaurant. Good fish and chips at Dicken's Inn.

Sue

Welcome back! I'm glad you so enjoyed your visit. The exchange rate is less favorable right now, but I've found something new to enjoy everytime I've been lucky enough to visit. Cheers, Anne