Going to London - Sightseeing advice?

“I have found over the years that TTers are a wealth of information on almost any topic, (if you don't mind a little carefully prepared sarcasm along with it, of course)

My wife and I are going to Europe for the first time ever in September. We will start with 3 days in London. Does anyone have any sightseeing suggestions or tourist tips? We are on our own...not part of a tour. Our hotel is apparently centrally located and we do not plan to rent a car.

After that we are going to the Netherlands for 4 days, but have those activities mostly planned out as part of the 60th anniversary of some WWII events.

Thanks!”

“There used to be a guidebooks for just about every city in Europe and other parts by "Tudor(sp?)" I can't locate them in new books, so they may be out of date. Any library should have self guided tour books that will help you. Also, many libraries have a collection of city street maps that may help. For such a short duration, a guided tour will probably get you to the most places possible. That way you will not have to worry about transportation.

Watch your wallet/
purse.”

“Fodors.com

London”

“Get a guidebook, get a street map, and get a public transit map and you'll do fine.

Lucky you didn't rent a car, cause you don't need one. Most of the tourist sites are in central London where the city developed in the middle ages. The 'underground' or 'tube' subway system is great for getting around London; see if you can find a map of it before you go and compare to a city map to find out the names of the stations you'll want to use. Taxis are also abundant and the drivers are VERY knowledgeable about the City (they have to take a knowledge test to be licensed).

IMHO the best modern site is the British museum(s) - VERY big and comprehensive, so just take in a part of it to wet your appetite for your next visit.

Also, if you're a literature fan, see the poets corner in the Parliament/Westminster abbey complex. Many famous British writers are buried there.

Don't bother with 10 Downing (the PM's official residence). Its security is VERY high since 9/11 and the Iraq War, and not much to see except a black door on a townhouse with two bobbies guarding it.

Also might want to take in a theater performance at night,

Have fun. Its a great city to explore and a place I'd love to live in.”

“Check your local community library for a Fodor guidebood.

Contact you London Hotel for sightseeing information. Mention entertainment, too. They put on lots of plays and have many musical events. There could be a great football match(soccer). There could be something real special happening. They may even have some special rates for guided tours.

Forget all the about! Take me with you. You'll have a fantastic three days with me as your guide. I'll get you to all the great places, which are a must on anyone's list, and I'll get you to all the action spots. Included on places to see is the British Museum. Would you like to meet the Queen? I'll see what I can do.

Theatre Top 5
1 Phantom of the Opera
2 Les Miserables
3 Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
4 Mamma Mia!
5 Chicago”

“
Click on image

"London Events in September - London

* London Open House - where public access is given free of charge to buildings of architectural and community interest across the capital, including The Royal Courts of Justice, The Guards Museum, Royal Opera House, Royal Court Theatre and many more
* Covent Garden Festival of Street Theatre - over two weeks in September, this street theatre in Covent Garden features many plays, all of which are unique and of a high quality
* Chelsea Antiques Fair - mid-September, something for everyone no matter what they are looking for or what their budget is, many large antiques shops have a stall at the fair that runs for over a week
* Thames Festival - celebrating the river that has made London so prosperous and popular - the festival takes place between Waterloo Bridge and Blackfriars Bridge and includes a fanfare, river displays, face painting, craft and food stalls"”

“nowslimmer! Wow! Thanks for all the info and effort! We have lots to help us now.

Both my wife and I have always wanted to visit England. This should be great.”

“Two of my favorite places are the Tate Gallery and Kew (sp?) Gardens. You can spend an entire day roaming through there. Love them!”

“Just a little more, than you're on your own.


Click above

London Events - Daily

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For a fantastic outing in one day you might cross the channel on Dover-Calais: The World's Busiest Seaway?
and return through the Channel Tunnel!”

“i have never been, but i might want to stroll down Abbey Road if i ever did go to london

y'all have a wonderful time!”

“Wow...even more. Thanks!!!!!”

“I highly recommend you check out the St. Andrews Pub. The Chelsea Pensioners hang out there. You can't miss them, because they wear their long red military coats when they go out in public. These men are WWII veterans who are very hornery, very friendly, and have many a tale to tell. They seemed genuinely glad to meet us Yanks. It was the highlight of my trip to London.”

“Dunadan - Cool! My uncle was in England for 5 months between Anzio in Italy and Operation Market Garden in Holland. Maybe it would be nice to drop into St. Andrews Pub and listen to the goings on!”

“I wish I wuz going to London.

:(((”

“Fodur's isn't bad but...

Let's go Europe, (orange cover)
now there's a book to get your hands on. I would send you mine but it is over 10 years old.

remember the Chevy Chase scene....
look kids, Big Ben, parliment..
as he is driving around the square.
London war great. There is definitely a lot to see. As well the surrounding areas. Hope you have a great time. And oh by the way if you fly into Gatwick and take the train into Victoria station keep an eye to the right and you will see the Famous factory ruins that are on the cover of Pink Floyd animals.”

“Didn't they reconstruct the Globe Theatre? That would be on my list.”

“The Westminister cathedral was pretty cool. They have a who shiit load of statues and plaques of all the famous dead english people.

My fav was all the pubs”

“I've been told that the pubs are the places to go to eat. Cheaper than the restaurants. Anyone confirm that?”

“Pubs in the UK do serve sandwiches and some light meals. They are also more 'open' than bars here in the USA - picture windows, etc. The Brits don't have a hang-up with the 'demon alcohol,' and kids are also allowed in pubs - they just can't drink booze.

Add to my earlier post about skipping 10 Downing Street. A better door for a photo (especially if you're a James Bond fan) is the entrance to the MI-5 building just across the Thames from Parilment. Watch the building's security cameras focus in on you!”

“go to Abbeyroad and do the Beatle tour. I think Paul McCartney is recording at Abbey Road right now and you could get a chance to see him.”

“Great info.

In the Netherlands, we are probably going to see the Dutch queen at one of the events and Prince Charles may be there as well...we'll see!”

“the Netherlands:
now there's a whole nother story...

we cruised into Amsterdam on Friday and crawled out on Monday...

but really.. there some really awesome museums there and the canals and bicycles were totally cool.


My most favorite places we visited on our trip,
Belgium and all it's glory,
the train ride through the Alps and around the northern tier of the Med
and Nice France by far the most excellent place I have ever been. If I were to ever go back I would start my trip there and then decide if I want to go anywhere else.”

“I just interviewed three high school kids who went on a school trip there, as well as their teacher, who's into Shakespeare.

They liked Bath really well. Stonehenge hardly seemedreal, cuz it sits so close to a highway. I guess there are plans to put the highway in a tunnel somewhere under the area. Of course, these are outside London.

They went to the Globe. They went to other theaters as well and saw something, I think, with "Brothers" in the title. It's not in the U.S. yet, but they loved it. Said everyone was crying at the end.

They were disappointed that there was remodeling going on at the cathedral where Princess Di was married. They were also disappointed to find out that original manuscripts from the famous English authors were no longer at -- I can't think of it offhand (maybe Tower of London???) -- anyway they were moved to what I think is a new British Museum.

They were impressed to see the site where the English poets and authors were buried, actually in the building. It was called the "Poets Corner." Maybe it was at Oxford???? Can't recall for sure without the article in front of me.

But those are some ideas from recent London visitors.”

“Poets' Corner and much more is at Westminster Abbey

Find the best things to do.”

“More great stuff. Thanks!

This is going to be great. (My wife is having knee trouble...don't know how that will affect us on the trip yet. Doctors suggest she have any procedures AFTER the trip.)”

“Westminster Abby is great, especially if you love history. Take a tour of the Tower of London. It is guided by actual military men, who are considered "on duty" as they guide you through the tour and dramatize some of the goings on that occured there throughout the centuries.”

“One thing I don't believe I saw mentioned was the Imperial War Museum. I've been to both, London and Duxford. If you're a war buff,,you should check out the London location. J/M .02

Was Harrod's mentioned??? Gotta check that place out and St. Paul's Cathedral,,to see some Christopher Wren's work.

Ditto on some of those other touristy location. Some are drive by's and others will require more time. Spend it wisely,,,London in three days is no easy task.”

“I think St. Paul's is where Princess Di was married? If so, it's undergoing remodeling, but yes, is open.”

“ok, I guess I should offer some help on this.
Make sure you sign up for a trip on the London Eye, great way to see the city from up high. The tate modern is supposed to be a gallery worth seeing. Maybe a trip to Camden market would be a good idea, fairly young trendy place, but great of a weekend. Also go look at Covent Garden, you can pick up lots of touristy things there. Hempden Court is Henry VIII palace and worth a look.
As for pub food, can be great, but is of a very random standard, check out some reviews before you go. Like lizs said, Globe Theatre is worth a night out. It's a rebuild of the original on the South Bank and does lots of Shakespeare plays. They used to do it in the summer, but there's also Shakespeare in the Park in Regents park, with open air plays.
Look here
http://www.thisislondon.com/insiders/guides/articles/10745373?source=TiL it's a guide by the Evening Standard, London's evening paper.”

“Hampton court even”

“Lizs - It's the new British Library, that's moved from the site of the British Musuem. The grand court there (museum), new roof for that, is fantastic. The reading room of the Old British library is spectacular too.”

“ooohhhh! lucky you! have a great time and take lots of pictures for us stuck here in the states :)”

“I hope you and your wife have a great time Phil, say hi to my Mother who is going to be flying over to England next week, she is going to be staying for 3 weeks. GEEZ, what is that woman going to be doing for 3 whole weeks.... I think it could get BORING!”

“Tourist tips.... when you hear the last bell ringing in the pub, immediately rush to the bar and order three beers to last until they throw you out.”

“thanks again for all the advice. I will print this off and start sorting things out sometime soon! I'm on information overload!”

“I listened to the BBC on my shortwave radio as a kid. "This is London." So, when I went to London, I wanted to see where all that great radio came from.

So, I ended up at several BBC studios and a place called Bush house. Finally, I did something called the "BBC Experience." They had a little museum and played a cool video of great moments in BBC history - lots of Coronation footage.

But the coolest thing was when they brought us into a radio studio and had us recreate a British radio drama. I was the only American in a roomful of Brits. We made sound effects and I spoke my parts with my best British accent:)

Then at the end, they replayed the whole thing. It was actually a whole lot of fun.

Oh, and I would also get in touch with the American Embassy and get tickets to the Prime Minister's questions in the House of Commons.”

“Other recommendations:

Go shopping at a grocery store.
Go to church on Sunday.

I would pick the most normal thing that you do and then try to do it there and see how it is different.”

“Reformed Lurker - Interesting suggestions! Thanks!”

“While you're in the store if you could pick me up some Branston Pickle and a bottle of Ribena that would be great.”