And 3 boys (16, 20, and 22). Any suggestions for non-touristy restaurants and must-sees? Doing some of the usual...Tower of London, Harry Potter Studios, Westminster Abbey, etc. The Churchill War Rooms was suggested by several people, and we are doing that as well. We are a soccer family and will be at the Brentford vs. Frankfurt friendly tomorrow and then the Brentford vs. Tottenham Premier League season opener on August 22. A bucket list item for sure... beyond excited. Thanks in advance!
OT: Headed to London for the first time with my wife...
- Thread starter MSUUGADawg
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Never been, but it is at the very top of my wife's and my bucket list, along with Scotland.
It’s been a long time since I was there and didn’t do anything fancy. I had fun going into random restaurants and pubs. I stayed near Charing Cross and remember Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square being fun, but I mostly did the touristy stuff you mentioned. Looks like The British Museum has kind of bad reviews online, but I thought it was cool
Tottenham stadium is incredible. Have fun. That said, post when you get back and let us know if you see any Anglo/Saxon folks in London. I didn’t.
I haven’t been yet and I don’t know if this would interest you, but the Kew Botanic Gardens would be high on my list.
Basically the largest repository of global plant and fungal life on the planet…
en.wikipedia.org
Basically the largest repository of global plant and fungal life on the planet…
Kew Gardens - Wikipedia
If you get a chance catch a show or musical (Starlight Express is awesome), very similar to New York. Windsor castle, fish and chips, Stonehnge is Ok if you have time, St Paul cathedral is cool too. A boat tour on the Thames is nice, Picadilly Circus., If youve never been is like Vegas, sensory overload. Have a a great time. I am headed back next summer for the 3rd time. And be sure to do the crown jewels and the tour of the actual bridge!
invest time in the city bus tour. it'll tell you things you will decide you want to go back and see. maybe covered already...
London museum, the London eye, fish and chips at any non touristy looking place. bar entry signs, the Horse Guards, cutting sark on the walk to Greenwich
it's a good walking town once you get direction down. you'll need to use the tube a lot.
London museum, the London eye, fish and chips at any non touristy looking place. bar entry signs, the Horse Guards, cutting sark on the walk to Greenwich
it's a good walking town once you get direction down. you'll need to use the tube a lot.
In London besides what you mentioned I’d recommend the Imperial War Museum and a boat ride on the Thames. The Hop on Hop off buses are good way to see the city. I’d also get out of London at least one day. Top of my list would be a bus or private tour out to Wiltshire to see Stonehenge, Avebury, and Salisbury Cathedral. If not that then take the train out to Cambridge and wander around the colleges.
Just walk around in Westminster and the City. It’s fun and there is something cool around every corner. London is a fantastic city.
As for soccer, go find a lower league or non-league game to go to. Dont just stick to the EPL. I’ve been to games at the Abbey Stadium in Cambridge and at Roots Hall in Southend. Thise are both quintessential lower tier grounds.
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Just curious but are you a Tottenham fan or is that just the match that lines up with your trip?
My wife and I want to go to London and a Premier League game is on the list. I don't have a team in particular so probably just going to see when and where to fit it in.
Some practical advice:
Been to London a number of times and it is a great city, well, that was until the muslim hoards descended on the city. But, still a great city. Remember that it is a tourist city so the tourist masses will be there and queuing in lines so allow for waits especially for the Tower of London, Windsor, etc. Once, we waited in line at the Tower for 1.5 hours and discovered when we got in that the Crown Jewel display was closed for maintenance, bummer. We walked or used the underground for transportation. Don't get me started on pub food and restaurants, not our "cup of tea" (no pun intended). Even Mickey D's is different. I believe they are going through a heat wave right now (80s F) and with very little A/C and ice it will be hot and sweaty. Enjoy.
Been to London a number of times and it is a great city, well, that was until the muslim hoards descended on the city. But, still a great city. Remember that it is a tourist city so the tourist masses will be there and queuing in lines so allow for waits especially for the Tower of London, Windsor, etc. Once, we waited in line at the Tower for 1.5 hours and discovered when we got in that the Crown Jewel display was closed for maintenance, bummer. We walked or used the underground for transportation. Don't get me started on pub food and restaurants, not our "cup of tea" (no pun intended). Even Mickey D's is different. I believe they are going through a heat wave right now (80s F) and with very little A/C and ice it will be hot and sweaty. Enjoy.
No dog in the fight. We enjoy soccer and just the way the schedule fell on opening day. The game is at Brentford.
It is one of my favorite cities despite its troubles, and it is just emanating history in every direction. If you have a chance for a side trip to Windsor, take it. Many Viator day-trip options available. But in London, you just won't have time to see everything even in a week-long visit. You're doing the right thing to start with the big standards: the Palace, the Abbey, Parliament, Tower of London/Crown Jewels. Walk through Covent Garden, grab lunch and watch some of the street performers. Trafalgar Square. Look in Harrod's. See if you can get tickets to a West End show -- usually much more reasonable than Broadway tickets. You can take the train to Greenwich Village and see the prime meridian. There's just no way to see it all in a single visit, so go in knowing that.
Pay close attention when you cross a street. They drive on the wrong side of the road over there.
We went last October. The Churchill War Room was my favorite London museum, hands down. The British Museum was just behind it. We went to the Tottenham/Aston Villa game in North London and it was awesome (despite my Spurs losing 1-2 and and rain)! We also did the Dare Skywalk at Tottenham Stadium which was a must from the wife. Tower Bridge was fun . . . I told my wife to book the Tower of London, and she "misheard me." Luckily, they were right next to each other (still didn't get to do the Tower of London, so that's for next time).
We enjoyed going early to the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace to see the inspection at Wellington Barracks and St. James’s Palace.
Unless you are going out of London, do not rent a car. We walked and "tubed" everywhere and would not have changed that.
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Any idea by chance if she needs "fixing", is she "on the market", or maybe a professional lesbian athlete/cricket player? Strictly asking for a friend?
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Another vote for the on/off tour bus. Efficient way to see and hear a bit about all of the highlights and get a feel for the city and your bearings. Tour guides can be really funny and entertaining so if you get a good one, just stay on the bus for the full loop. From there you can continue on the bus back to what you want to get on/off to see or tube it or walk back using your "free map" (assuming they still give you one).
Great town and tons of stuff you've seen or heard about but is now in front of you. My answer when asked where to go in Europe for the first time is always London.
Great town and tons of stuff you've seen or heard about but is now in front of you. My answer when asked where to go in Europe for the first time is always London.
We did the Churchill War Rooms in 2012, that's very cool. Also, do Westminster Abbey, the history there is amazing. My favorite thing either day that we spent in London on our trips was climbing to the top of St. Paul's Cathedral. Beautiful views from there, and a cool look inside some incredible architecture.
Do the bus tour. Go to Burrough market from the Tower of London tour. Eat at Burrough and after for desert get the strawberries and chocolate Covent garages is fun as well and lots of places to eat there. . I like to eat at Butlers Wharf chop house. Sit outside has great view of Tower Bridge at night
churchills war room is a must
churchills war room is a must
Great city. You can visit the Central Mosque in the morning, then go to the Aziziye Mosque in the afternoon. Just kidding. It really is a cool city. Already some good recommendations and you have good ideas. The British Museum is free, well all museums are free, but not the Churchill War Rooms that got a makeover some time ago. Go there. Big Bus hop-on-hop-off is great. Buses and the Tube are easy to use and your phone is sufficient for a ticket. You might want to hire someone to do a walking tour or see if you can get in with a group that's already booked. Get a meal at a good pub and if you're there on a Sunday, get the Sunday roast lunch. For Indian I recommend Dishoom. The food is great (black daal, Chicken Ruby, Chicken Berry Biriyani) and the atmosphere is cool. It's a hip place for Indian food. Get some appetizers too but you need reservations. Viator can get you a day trip to Stonehenge and Bath (or they used to) and to Oxford and Cambridge. Kids are old enough to see a play or musical (you can get cheap tix for a few shows at kiosks at Leicester Square). Go to Covent Garden, shops and restaurants, and try one of the markets for food: Borough or Camden. Lots to do and I'll be back there for like the 8th time in a decade next year. Walk around the main sites and don't worry if something gets called a touristy area or tourist trap. Those are often fun places to go which is why tourists go there.
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The Rose and Crown Pub is great. Mary poppins is usually over by the hedge maze for meet and great. Winnie the Pooh is around the corner hidden away.
We couldn't book a tour (all sold out), but they have the Evensong (choir) nightly service that you can attend for free. That was great and let us see inside and at least wet the appetite to say we've been to Westminster Abbey.
I'll second the recommendation on the Imperial War Museum. Visited there last month. Great history on WWI and WWII.
I'm doing a Euro Disney Cruise in Sept. Flying into London a couple days early before making our way down to Southampton to board the ship.
it has port stops in:
Liverpool
Cork, Ireland
Greenock, Scotland
Portland, England
it has port stops in:
Liverpool
Cork, Ireland
Greenock, Scotland
Portland, England
Been a couple times in the past 20 years, and it’s such a beautiful area. I loved the cool, gloomy weather. It is much closer to a melting pot American city than jolly old England, though.
Harrod’s is very cool to see. We went to the east end and went to The Prospect of Whitby pub and I highly recommend it. The patio is right on the Thames. It was near a Jack the Ripper tour which was fun! East end was undergoing extensive renovations then, so I’d bet the place is lit now.
Traditional English food is about the worst on the planet, but thankfully it’s not abundant from what I could tell. We went to a place called The Harp, which was a cider/traditional English place. Cider was good, the food is just so weird. There are so many American restaurants over there…. Kinda disappointing.
We saw Spamalot at one of the west end theaters. Couldn’t even get seats together, and I sat in the balcony in an obstructed view seat. Was a great show, and we got tickets from a kiosk…. Probably a much more digital experience these days.
Be prepared for TINY accommodations. And, at least 20 years ago, London goes to bed early. So, if you are a night owl you may have to search a little bit. The tube is fun to ride, but it closes pretty early as well. I think the even got rid of the double decker buses, and that’s a real shame…
Harrod’s is very cool to see. We went to the east end and went to The Prospect of Whitby pub and I highly recommend it. The patio is right on the Thames. It was near a Jack the Ripper tour which was fun! East end was undergoing extensive renovations then, so I’d bet the place is lit now.
Traditional English food is about the worst on the planet, but thankfully it’s not abundant from what I could tell. We went to a place called The Harp, which was a cider/traditional English place. Cider was good, the food is just so weird. There are so many American restaurants over there…. Kinda disappointing.
We saw Spamalot at one of the west end theaters. Couldn’t even get seats together, and I sat in the balcony in an obstructed view seat. Was a great show, and we got tickets from a kiosk…. Probably a much more digital experience these days.
Be prepared for TINY accommodations. And, at least 20 years ago, London goes to bed early. So, if you are a night owl you may have to search a little bit. The tube is fun to ride, but it closes pretty early as well. I think the even got rid of the double decker buses, and that’s a real shame…
Wife and I liked the British Museum too. Great idea to take in Churchill’s War Room. Really interesting. Find a dive for fish and chips and a pint or three. All the restaurants you find online are pretty touristy.
Your kids will enjoy the London Eye and you really should tour London Tower for the history.
Pickpockets will be in tourist areas.
Yep, they love twin and full-sized beds. And King-sized apparently insults the monarchy.
They still have lots of double-decker buses, so no worries.
Last time I was in the UK, most places didn't supply wash cloths. I stayed at a Hilton in London and they supplied them, but none of the BNBs.
Lol, going for work the last week of the month (The last time i was there the Concord took its final flight over buckingham palace). When free time does present itself i'll definitely be in Soho/ Berwick st. area. tricky part'll be bringing back vinyl
Agree - I’ve been nearly everywhere and doing the hop on off bus on day 1 is the best way to adjust to a new city
British museum is by far my favorite part of the city. 2nd is day trip to Stonehenge
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