If you were going to London England....

Lisa Fishman · #1 08-08-2002, 07:33 PM

If you were going to London, England what you want to go see and visit sightseeing wise. I'd like a response from those of you who live over there in the UK, if possible. Of course, I'd like to hear responses from those whom have gone and come back to the US as well.
Please feel free to suggest stores, shopping areas, resteraunts and of course, attractions.
I've been to London once before breifly and tried to hit the high points of the city. Tower of London, Royal Jewels, Parliment, Westminster Abby and of course Harrods.
What would you suggest? Also, I'm only going to be there 5 days. Thanks.

aephi alum · #2 08-08-2002, 07:46 PM

London is one of the most amazing cities in the world.

Go shopping at Fortnum & Mason and at Liberty. Go by Buckingham Palace (see the changing of the guard if possible) and take a walk through St. James Park. If you have the $, go to the Ritz for afternoon tea (you will have to make a reservation, and dress up - men need jacket and tie).

Enjoy!

DeltaSigStan · #3 08-08-2002, 08:12 PM

Well, I'd go to a soccer game, but that's just me.

SoCalGirl · #4 08-08-2002, 08:35 PM

I've only been to Mexico.
But these travel tips are from women that live in Europe. http://home.ix.netcom.com/~sigmakappaeurope/

United Kingdom

London:
make sure to a buy a TimeOut to find out everything that is happening in London.

Consider purchasing the London Pass before arriving - it offers discounts at almost all the attractions and gives you a discount on your tube fare - plan what you want to do, how long you'll be here and then see if the London Pass is worthwhile for you.

Go on the London Eye - book before you arrive because tickets can be hard to come by - it's a great thing to do at the beginning of your trip to get a feel for the city.

Take a London Bus Tour - there are three bus companies that provide a hop on, hop off service and point out all the sights in London - The Big Bus, The Original Tour and The Frog (which combines land and a boat trip on the Thames) - people say it's great for a quick trip to take in all the sights

See The Tower of London and Crown Jewels - the queues can be long and the price is about £12 ($18), but the Beefeaters tours are fantastic - when you get into the main gate, ask when the next tour is; they're free and you'll enjoy the Tower much more having a tour with them.

Go on the Jack the Ripper Walk - this commences outside Tower Hill tube station, where you get off for the Tower of London, and is run by The Original London Walks - the guy doing the walks is usually the author of a book all about Jack the Ripper; the critics say his theories are the most plausible. It's great to take the walk at dusk, or as it gets dark, as it enhances the experience - check TimeOut for the times

St. Paul's Cathedral - This is where Princess Diana and Prince Charles got married - it's a massive church and very pretty inside - Tube stop: St. Paul's

St. Martin's in the Fields Church - located in Trafalgar Square - pick up a brochure on your way in for the self-guided tour - You may also want to pick up a list of their upcoming chamber music concerts and come back in the evening - Downstairs in the crypt they have an amazing gift shop, a fun stone brass rubbing centre and a fantastic café with reasonable prices for the amount and quality of food

Dennis Sever's House - 18 Folgate Street, E1 - near Spitalfields Market - Dennis wanted to create a house from the 18th century, complete with antiques and furniture, as well as food! Entering it is just like the family ran out for a pint of milk down the street - it's amazing, but it's not always open, so check out the web site for times and book in advance

Buckingham Palace - no trip is complete without seeing the palace - you can enter the palace in August, but it's like any other palace, if not more ordinary, and way too expensive - to see the changing of the guards, you'll need to walk to Whitehall, through St. James Park - while at the palace, go to the middle of the round about and face northeast away from the palace for a spectacular view of Big Ben

Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and Parliament - Coming from the palace and walking through the horse guards where the changing of the guards takes place puts you on Whitehall. Take a right and you'll run smack dab into Big Ben - from there you can walk along the outside of Parliament and go into Westminster Abbey (Tube: Westminster)

head to Tate Modern, and then enjoy lunch or dinner at Tas (a nearby Turkish restaurant)

wander through the Egyptian rooms at the British Museum

see daffodils welcoming spring in St James' Park

go to the Borough Food Market - Friday and Saturday - located at London Bridge Tube Station off Southwark Street under the train railways - if you have access to a kitchen, pick up dinner here, otherwise just nibble all the samples, such as boar sausages filled with Chianti and shallots, fresh fruit and veg, cheese, ostrich steaks, homemade breads and pies, and gourmet delicacies from around Europe - keep an eye out for Jamie Oliver - the celebrity chef

wander through Spitalfields Market, one of London's largest, on a Sunday (underground: Liverpool Street) and when you are done, wander up to Brick Lane and the Colombia Road flower market (but the flower market is only open until 2 pm)

go to St James' Church, place of William Blake's baptism, designed by Christopher Wren - there is also a cute market in the courtyard, and you can follow a visit with afternoon tea at Fortnum and Mason (underground: Piccadilly Circus or Green Park)

for a really special meal when you don't mind spending about $130 each, head to Gordon Ramsey's at Claridges

for more restaurant recommendations, pick up the TimeOut guide to eating and drinking

Around the UK:

Hampton Court - well worth a visit, especially in the summer or on a sunny day when you can spend the afternoon walking through the gardens and labyrinth - this was Henry VIII's residence and they've left it just as he would have lived in it at that time - to get there, it's best to take the train (check the train timetables - departs from Waterloo) - you can also take a boat from Richmond, but it costs more and needs to be pre-arranged because it takes about 2 hours to get there

ride a hot air balloon over the British beach town of Bournemouth

head to eastern England to the town of Aldeburgh for the Benjamin Britten festival

be surprised by how small the stones at Stonehenge are in reality!

A good general website to visit about the UK: www.visitbritain.com

bcdphie · #5 08-08-2002, 09:22 PM

Madam Tussauds
The Tower
Hampton Court
Buckingham Palace
Hyde Park
The Natural History Museum
The Royal Albert and Victoria Musuem
Picadilly Circus
The Globe Theatre

If you are going elsewhere:
WestCountry (Devon and Cornwall - there you will find Stonehenge and Tintagel)
Isle of Wight
Portsmouth

Lisa Fishman · #6 08-08-2002, 09:23 PM

Thank you everyone! Those were great sugestions and I will try to see at least some of them. I'm getting excited my upcoming trip!!!!!

KarenC725 · #7 08-08-2002, 09:55 PM

Great topic! I leave Sept. 30 for London

DeltAlum · #8 08-08-2002, 11:46 PM

Take the bus tour and get off and on a lot! Also, catch a musical in the West End.

Peaches-n-Cream · #9 08-09-2002, 12:05 AM

Everyone took my suggestions. Oxford is another good place to visit.

UKAXO · #10 08-09-2002, 07:20 AM

Lisa,

I don't know how long you'll be in London (you may have said, but I don't have a lot of time to read on the 'net these days!) - but PLEASE, if possible try to get OUT of London for at least a day or two - yes, it IS a great place, but the countryside and small towns/villages here are breathtaking, too!

Here are some sites to check out:

www.astraltravels.co.uk - I highly recommend the "Culture Vulture" tour (Castle Combe is soooooo gorgeous!!) and also the "Stonehenge Special Access" tour - the one that lets you in AFTER the tourists have gone home. I really didn't understand the big deal about Stonehenge until I went on this tour last year.

www.walks.com - this is the site for London Walks and the Jack the Ripper walk. Their pub walks are great, too, and an interesting way to meet people!

www.timeout.com/london

www.bigbus.co.uk - I really think that this company is, by far, the best to offer the "double decker bus tours" - it's a "hop-on, hop-off" service too. When I worked at the US Embassy, these buses would drive past all the time, and the guides actually looked like they enjoyed their job. They offer live commentary, whereas a lot of the other companies just have a taped commentary with headphones (kind of boring).

I don't have time to post anymore at the moment. If you want more ideas about restaurants etc etc then PM me and I'll see what I can come up with (be patient - I don't have a computer at home, so may not see any message until next week!).

HAVE A WONDERFUL TIME!

Caroline

SigmaChiCard · #11 08-09-2002, 07:38 AM

Go to "Church", but at this church there is no praying, no preaching.,..only beer drinking. I didn't get to go because we drank the night before and were told that because we already drank, that there was no way we could survive church as it is quite a sunday morning festival in an old, abandoned church. Everyone I met that lived there loved doing it.

There's an area around Oxford Circus that reminds me of what I envision SoHo to be like, it was a really cool area with cool ass little shops and even more cool people.

Go to the Eye of London because they have exhibitions there from time to time, I got to see a Salvador Dali exhibit while I was there.

You have to hang out some in Regents Park, and there are generally performances in the small playhouse there.

Visit the Brittish Museum...you can take photos inside and that's where the rosetta stone is, countless mummies from Egypt, a truly great museum....I went there with this Spanish girl whom I met there and had gone to Egypt earlier last summer who said their museums had nothing and that it was obviously all in the Brittish Museum....also you can see the Magna Carta, tons of stuff.

I had to go to Lillywhites, but you'd only enjoy that if you're a sports fan.

If you go pubbing, try "The Volunteer" by Regents Park...I had family and some friends working there and it was a cool place to go......if you're going out though, go to "Backpackers", it was a really fun, really cool place with a band and all that jazz...and killer snakebites that will put you and all your friends on your asses pronto.

Thrillhouse · #12 08-09-2002, 09:10 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by SoCalGirl
I've only been to Mexico.
But these travel tips are from women that live in Europe. http://home.ix.netcom.com/~sigmakappaeurope/

United Kingdom

London:
make sure to a buy a TimeOut to find out everything that is happening in London.

Consider purchasing the London Pass before arriving - it offers discounts at almost all the attractions and gives you a discount on your tube fare - plan what you want to do, how long you'll be here and then see if the London Pass is worthwhile for you.

Go on the London Eye - book before you arrive because tickets can be hard to come by - it's a great thing to do at the beginning of your trip to get a feel for the city.

Take a London Bus Tour - there are three bus companies that provide a hop on, hop off service and point out all the sights in London - The Big Bus, The Original Tour and The Frog (which combines land and a boat trip on the Thames) - people say it's great for a quick trip to take in all the sights

See The Tower of London and Crown Jewels - the queues can be long and the price is about £12 ($18), but the Beefeaters tours are fantastic - when you get into the main gate, ask when the next tour is; they're free and you'll enjoy the Tower much more having a tour with them.

Go on the Jack the Ripper Walk - this commences outside Tower Hill tube station, where you get off for the Tower of London, and is run by The Original London Walks - the guy doing the walks is usually the author of a book all about Jack the Ripper; the critics say his theories are the most plausible. It's great to take the walk at dusk, or as it gets dark, as it enhances the experience - check TimeOut for the times

St. Paul's Cathedral - This is where Princess Diana and Prince Charles got married - it's a massive church and very pretty inside - Tube stop: St. Paul's

St. Martin's in the Fields Church - located in Trafalgar Square - pick up a brochure on your way in for the self-guided tour - You may also want to pick up a list of their upcoming chamber music concerts and come back in the evening - Downstairs in the crypt they have an amazing gift shop, a fun stone brass rubbing centre and a fantastic café with reasonable prices for the amount and quality of food

Dennis Sever's House - 18 Folgate Street, E1 - near Spitalfields Market - Dennis wanted to create a house from the 18th century, complete with antiques and furniture, as well as food! Entering it is just like the family ran out for a pint of milk down the street - it's amazing, but it's not always open, so check out the web site for times and book in advance

Buckingham Palace - no trip is complete without seeing the palace - you can enter the palace in August, but it's like any other palace, if not more ordinary, and way too expensive - to see the changing of the guards, you'll need to walk to Whitehall, through St. James Park - while at the palace, go to the middle of the round about and face northeast away from the palace for a spectacular view of Big Ben

Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and Parliament - Coming from the palace and walking through the horse guards where the changing of the guards takes place puts you on Whitehall. Take a right and you'll run smack dab into Big Ben - from there you can walk along the outside of Parliament and go into Westminster Abbey (Tube: Westminster)

head to Tate Modern, and then enjoy lunch or dinner at Tas (a nearby Turkish restaurant)

wander through the Egyptian rooms at the British Museum

see daffodils welcoming spring in St James' Park

go to the Borough Food Market - Friday and Saturday - located at London Bridge Tube Station off Southwark Street under the train railways - if you have access to a kitchen, pick up dinner here, otherwise just nibble all the samples, such as boar sausages filled with Chianti and shallots, fresh fruit and veg, cheese, ostrich steaks, homemade breads and pies, and gourmet delicacies from around Europe - keep an eye out for Jamie Oliver - the celebrity chef

wander through Spitalfields Market, one of London's largest, on a Sunday (underground: Liverpool Street) and when you are done, wander up to Brick Lane and the Colombia Road flower market (but the flower market is only open until 2 pm)

go to St James' Church, place of William Blake's baptism, designed by Christopher Wren - there is also a cute market in the courtyard, and you can follow a visit with afternoon tea at Fortnum and Mason (underground: Piccadilly Circus or Green Park)

for a really special meal when you don't mind spending about $130 each, head to Gordon Ramsey's at Claridges

for more restaurant recommendations, pick up the TimeOut guide to eating and drinking

Around the UK:

Hampton Court - well worth a visit, especially in the summer or on a sunny day when you can spend the afternoon walking through the gardens and labyrinth - this was Henry VIII's residence and they've left it just as he would have lived in it at that time - to get there, it's best to take the train (check the train timetables - departs from Waterloo) - you can also take a boat from Richmond, but it costs more and needs to be pre-arranged because it takes about 2 hours to get there

ride a hot air balloon over the British beach town of Bournemouth

head to eastern England to the town of Aldeburgh for the Benjamin Britten festival

be surprised by how small the stones at Stonehenge are in reality!

A good general website to visit about the UK: www.visitbritain.com

What she said, lol. Also, take your time there and enjoy the sites, its a nice town.

Bamboozled · #13 08-09-2002, 10:20 AM

Well, everyone mentioned everything there is to do in London, but I just wanted to add The London Dungeon (pretty scary stuff)and Madam Tussaud's Wax Museum (you'll swear some of those statues are real!).

Also, if you're into vintage clothing or antiques, Oxford Circus and Picadilly Circus both have really nice shops. I got some of my best pieces there.

And last but not least, how could you guys leave out Harrods??? You just can't go to London without doing a little shopping at Harrods!

SigmaChiCard · #14 08-09-2002, 11:44 AM

Harrods wasn't left out, it was mentioned by thr threadstarter.

Kevlar281 · #15 08-09-2002, 12:28 PM

I would go to the North End and check out Championship Vinyl.