Being a bit of a bumpkin I’ve managed to get to nearly 30 years old without ‘properly’ visiting London. I have secured a weeks course through work, so I was looking for some ideas for things to see and do in the evenings. The course is centrally placed (‘the city’), and should finish about 5:30pm each day. What sights and attractions are still open?

Is it worth taking a hack bike to get about?

Wear a suit, go to the bars near to the tower after the course and get so blind drunk that you can’t walk.

Go home with some random student then play the ‘where am I and how do I get to work from here’ game with a hangover at 7am 😀

boris bike to gerrard street for a chinese before a theater show then wander soho before heading back

don’t bother with the hack bike – just use the boris/ken bikes.

where are you staying?

Dave

“What sights and attractions are still open?”

Dude … you’re staying in the greatest city on earth… It doesn’t close.

Hack bike… not worth it just use the Boris bikes

When are you down there? Are you staying in the City as well?

I’m down every fortnight and tend to just hire a Boris bike and head off towards the West End or thereabouts and eat wherever I arrive. The walk along the South Bank is worth it from a touristy perspective. Late opening on certain museums – The British Museum used to be Thursdays but is now Friday. So many restaurants to visit as well, so I make a point of avoiding anything in a chain so you get more variety. Pick a country and chances are London has a restaurant for it.

Look out for late opening events at the museums- not just standard late opening, though that’s good too, but sometimes they make a night of it- science museum ones are great, live djs, bars, no kids, and everyone messing around on the kid’s stuff like you wish you could do during the day.

And just have a wander. Awesome place.

Staying in Southwark BTW.

Lol @ Binners!

Good guide here for late-opening museums (the Science Museum one is well worth going to).

Lots of evening/night walking tours, either self-guided or with a group, which can show all the interesting stuff – there’s plenty of it around the City. South Bank (Waterloo to Tower Bridge) is good for a general wander with a nice view all lit up at night.

As said, you get rent a bike for £1 a day (for 30 mins at a time) just on a credit/debit card from anywhere you see them, so no need at all to bring your own.

Would second the city walking tours – we did it self guided and well worth it. Free on interweb

Lol at binners.

If you’re in southwark gate crash the Southwark uni bar evening club nights where there’s penty of hungarian girls and cheap drinks.

don’t go to peckam, its not like Only Fools and horses make you believe it is. Visit the area around Waterloo and the various bars, which’ll take you up to the wheel / embankment and all its tourism. The musuems are brilliant and free.

we did it self guided and well worth it. Free on interweb

There’s always the Circle Line Challenge 🙂

There’s always the Circle Line Challenge

Or…. http://monopolypubcrawl.org.uk/

Go eat at Wonkees, food isnt bad and the experience should be good.

Bottom of Wardour Street.

Southark…..make sure you have a bite and a couple of drinks in Borough Market. +1 Boris bike, its a beautiful city to ride in. A good wander round Soho is fun, loads to do.

As said there’s Borough Market, the South bank and Waterloo all in and around the Southwark area. There’s a great cafe on Union St near the junction with Southwark Bridge road, La Palma it’s called. Only open mornings to lunchtimes I think though. You could get an overground train from London Bridge to Greenwich, which has lots of nice pubs and restaurants and the royal Naval College and Maritime Museum, as well as the famous Cutty sark ship. Canary Wharf isn’t far by DLR but there’s not really much there that’s worth the trip really.

I think the best thing to do is think of your own interests and then work out what’s available to suit you. Whatever you’re into, London surely has something to offer!

Why did it post twice?

Oh yes, and one thing you must make sure to do, is bring some comfortable walking shoes. Best tip for visiting any city.

what I did when I first moved to London and didn’t know anyone was get in my car on an evening and just drive round looking at all the famous buildings, monuments, streets and other things I’d seen and heard about. you could do the same on a bike – in fact it would be better.

other than that all you’ve got on an evening is bars, cafes, restaurants, clubs, shops and theatre (which aren’t that much fun on your own) and the odd museum.

I’d get a map, look where things like Tower Bridge, Tower of London, St. Pauls, Westminster, Downing St., Marble Arch, Buckingham Palace, etc. are and just ride around and check them out.

@the00 – As @Ro5ey says the London doesn’t close. You can everything and anything you want to do, such a hard question to answer.

Do the “sights” – either bus tour or just by walking around. If you are city based over lunch take a walk to St Pauls (great view from a free terrace or expensive bar at the top of One New Change shopping centre at top of Cheapside), go to Bank to see The Bank/Royal Exchange/walk down to Monument. Walk over the bridge to Tate Modern then to Borough Market/London Bridge.

You should definitely get over to the West End, I imagine there is a bit of scene outside the Ecuadorian Embassy at the moment ! Also the West End girls are a step above those in the City.

You can do a walk to take in Picadilly/Mall/Buckingham Palace.

Buy a copy of Time Out – comedy clubs, shows, bands, see a film at one of the big Leicester Square cinemas

Best bus tour in town – the Number 11 from the City all the way through to Chelsea. Past all sorts of sights!

You should definitely get over to the West End, I imagine there is a bit of scene outside the Ecuadorian Embassy at the moment !

Have they moved the Embassy from next door to Harrods then? 🙂 There wasn’t much happening there when I went past it on Saturday!

Pigface – Member
Go eat at Wonkees, food isnt bad and the experience should be good.

😆

If you have a bit of folding and some workmates to drink with, go to De Hems for a beer or two – nice stuff.

I always say this on these threads but if its nice weather get your comfortable shoes on and walk the length of South Bank from Borough Market to Waterloo. Loads going on, all the theatres, and amazing views of Victoria Embankment, Somerset House, all the way to Parliament. There’s a great foodie market behind the National, dont know if its open in the evenings right now. Do that then Boris bike back to Southark.

Get yourself to the Hawksmoor for dinner at least once.

Get yourself to the Hawksmoor for dinner at least once

I’m going for lunch tomorrow…….slurp.

You should try the breakfast!

joolsburger – Member
You should try the breakfast!

what is it with bone marrow? I thought it went out of fashion a few years ago because it’s just rank.

Grab some coffee from Monmouth at Borough Market.

If you head out to the West End, the restaurants are quite varied in quality. Loads of cheap Italian places of little imagination, so head up to Soho for a good feed. Avoid Angus Steak House like the plague – see above posts about Hawksmoor instead.

Borough market is always nice

Go for a drink at Paramount, amazing views across the city.

Dont eat where the chavs up from croydon or tourists eat, try pulled pork or burger and slaw at pit cue club, Italian at polpo, gelato from gelupo (all central) plenty of god eating round borough and lots of great beer from around the world at the rake/market porter.

http://www.caskpubandkitchen.com/
and
http://thecraftbeerco.com/

Beer. Sorted.