Planning a first trip to London, what should we go and see?

Go to Cask and drink.
Go to Hunan and eat.
Go to the National Gallery, NPG and Tate and marvel.
Walk, get lost, ride a Boris bike, and, always look up every now and again. Some amazing things to be seen above your head, so don’t forget to look up!

Yesterday’s memo 🙂

laugh with your partner at all the funny looking people, going about with themselves thinking they’re cool.

Design and War museums are my favourites, I liked Tower Bridge also.

Walk everywhere you can. Go and see the main sights (I lived in London almost 20 years and still love the view down the Thames), find a good pub (Cask as CFH says or maybe the Union Tavern on the Great West road depending where you’re staying) , find good coffee, hit a museum or two. Vietnamese food on Kingsland Road, Beigel Bake at the top of Brick Lane, curry at Giftos in Southall (okay, that’s quite the journey) etc. Those are places I miss anyway.

Just enjoy the fact you’re in a city some people dream of being able to visit and don’t take yourself (or London) too seriously. It’s a great place and despite what chippy non-Londoners will tell you, locals are actually quite friendly if you can find any.

**** like bunnies in the hotel room.

Japanese restaurant off Oxford Circus.

Camden night out

**** like bunnies in the hotel room.

The Jerusalem Tavern 55 Britton Street Clerkenwell
Some art n stuff

Stroll along South Bank (if it’s sunny)

Cash to burn rib trip out the Thames barrier

Thames Rib Experience (Home)

free science museum

small cost

street theater in covent garden

laugh with your partner at all the funny looking people, going about with themselves thinking they’re cool.

and laugh at the provincial types in their snow-wash denim looking all wide-eyed and lost. 🙄

Sign up to groupon or other voucher Web sites if you need to book anything . Open top bus is cheesy but a good way to hop on off for the main tourist bits, v/a museum etc.

There are lots of off beat museums so plan before you go
http://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/sightseeing/tourist-attraction/museum/quirky-london-museums

Stroll up Edgeware Road 200 yards from Marble Arch and enjoy a superb healthy mixed salad followed by a mixed grill at Maroush Express. Yum yum yum.

Go to Leicester Square and get some cheap matinee tickets to a show.

We saw ‘The Complete Works of William Shakespeare’ by The Reduced Shakespeare Company like that – a great way to spend a couple of hours.

and laugh at the provincial types in their snow-wash denim looking all wide-eyed and lost

First time I drove into London I clicked and drove quickly, what really annoyed me was people feinting left, then right, then slowing down. **** OFF. Bloody weekend tourist drivers.

How old are you and what do you want to do? Theatre or Clubbing?
What sort of food do you like or would like to try? (you can eat excellent and/or cheap examples of the cuisine of pretty much any country in the world). How much do you want to spend on a meal?

Second the advice to walk where-ever you can. The two routes I take visitors on are –

South Bank –
Get off at Westminster Tube, walk across to South Bank and make your way east along the Thames. Great views, always stuff going on, not the finest pubs but good locations to sit out. There will probably be something going on at the South Bank Centre if it’s a summer weekend. Drop into the Tate Modern (though there was nothing in the Turbine Hall a few weeks back). Pop across the Milllenium Bridge to St Pauls, then back south and carry on until London Bridge station (or further and cross Tower Bridge to finish at Tower Hill tube). That’s a good day out

Covent Garden/Soho/Holborn –
Charing Cross or Embankment Tube. Walk up through Covent Garden then head across to soho/chinatown (maybe lunch) then back over to the British Musuem and back down to finish at Holboln with a pint at the Olde Cheshire Cheese or Princess Louise (I’d go for interesting architectural/historical pubs over interesting beer but depends what you can get at home on a regular basis).

Museums and Galleries – take your pick but don’t pay for the overpriced special exhibitions. They’re all good and all free but don’t kill yourself trying to see everything – pop in for an hour or so and see some highlights then get out. British Museum is great for this as its walking distance from other interesting stuff.

Don’t bother with any ‘tourist attractions’ – London Dungeon, Madame Tussards etc.

In all seriousness I always enjoy a stroll round the camden markets and don’t forget to haggle. There’s loads of free music in London so have a look online before you go. I found some live Jazz just near St Pauls last time I went, we virtually had the place to ourselves and the band asked for requests, twas awesome. The comedy clubs are always a good laugh and they clear off the floor and have dancing after, usually a cheap night compared to a proper club or a show.

Borough Market is great for a quick snack – tube London Bridge. Could then walk along the river front to the tate (past Shakespeares globe)

Camden is good fun, can get busy quick though. Honest Burgers would be a great lunch option, pretty cheap too.

Parks would be great in this weather, obviously Hyde and Regents. Victoria Park is great, there is a cafe, Pavillion, which does great breakfast would be a joy on a sunny morning sitting outside and tucking in!

British Museum and Natural History are the pick of the bunch imo – I think War Museum is closed for refurb?

I’d try make sure you don’t get the tube everywhere.. as a lot of central London is very easily walked and you can really bump into some nice places.

Things to do in London

Go to a museum, we have several here and some of them are fairly well regarded.
Go to a gallery and do some art, again we have lots of these in London and there are some quite well known things in some of them.
Eat some food, there are many thousands of restaurants offering quite a few differing types of food many of which get decent write ups and some of them even have awards.
Ride on our transport, the underground railway is quite in vogue these days many people find it a viable way of moving about the city.
Look at buildings and things, again London is well known for having buildings many of which are quite famous and nice to look at, I especially like the ones that celebrate the UK winning wars and stealing countries (no expense spared on those)
Buy things – There are ample chances to be parted from your hard earned in London

London is a place to be explored but remember two things, bring lots of money and stand on the right on the escalators.

Personally I’d get a bike and ride around it’s the best way to see the place.
Find a bakery near Waterloo called Konditor and Cook they sell nice things and do a great weekday lunch but that the only insider info I’m giving you, oh alright then, have noodles at Culture Grub in The Cut half the price of Wagamamamamamama and twice as good.

hora – Member
**** like bunnies in the hotel room.

Japanese restaurant off Oxford Circus.

Camden night out

**** like bunnies in the hotel room.
😀

simons_nicolai-uk – Member
How old are you and what do you want to do? Theatre or Clubbing?
What sort of food do you like or would like to try? (you can eat excellent and/or cheap examples of the cuisine of pretty much any country in the world). How much do you want to spend on a meal?

Old 🙄 therefore no clubbing ❗
Walking is good.
MrsT has gastric issues, I like to try anything once….

Thanks for all the suggestions including Hora 😉

M&M Superstore and Covent Gardens.
Then a leisurely stroll along to Picadilly Circus, Harrods and Hyde Park. Thats if you enjoy a bit of retail therapy and sightseeing at the same time.
I’d also spend a day on the South Bank, wouldn’t bother with the London Eye though, bit expensive to go up high and look down at the ground. 😉

If you get the chance, get over to London Bridge and check out Borough Market, grab a pint in one of the pubs, then walk over to The Shard. If possible, book tickets to go up it, if the weather forecast looks promising. Not cheap, the ticket says thirty minutes/visit, but I was up there for around an hour. The view from 1000ft or so is truly spectacular, and worth it as a once-in-a-lifetime sort of visit.
Unless you can go back in winter for sunset and the city lights.
There’s a previous thread on here about London and I posted up some photos from the Shard.

start from St Paul’s, walk across the Millennium Bridge, into and around the Tate Modern, stroll the South Bank, cross the river then to Covent Garden, then Soho (have a pint at the Coach and Horses and a half at the French Pub). Great Joy. You’re not far from the NG and the NPG.

I still like Soho, there’s decent pubs,excellent food & Bar Italia for a livener & people watching.Marylebone High st is very popular with my missus at the moment. If the city/shopping gets too much ,it’s only a short stroll to Regents Park to relax.
All the Kool Kats are east these days and my thighs are too fat for skinny jeans. 8)

Thanks for all the suggestions including Hora

Well thats my usual Sat night/weekend in London 8)

Get up early.. Soak up the soul and culture.

Ah yes, if its sunny I’ll be laying on Primrose Hill as per usual this weekend 🙂

book a table for Brunch at the Duck & Waffle.

Don’t bother with any ‘tourist attractions’ – London Dungeon, Madame Tussards etc

Rubbish, do them, you’re a tourist.
Are you going by train? IIRC we picked up a discount booklet for the likes of Mme Tussauds and Kew Gardens. Some you need to show your train tickets when using the voucher but most didn’t bother (Kew were pretty anal about it though)- picked booklet up at King’s X station. Mme Tussauds is expensive but cheaper later on in the day and even cheaper with voucher. London Dungeon’s great laugh.
Open top buses are a fine way to see some sights.
Regret not going to Tower Bridge to look at the machinery,
st Paul’s is ok, but worth going to for the Whispering gallery and then climbing up inside the skin of the dome to come out at the very top of the dome.
Camden Market is pretty good, especially the food court. best way to get there (IMHO) is to go to Richmond and take the water bus which drops you at the food court dock.
V&A – didn’t think a designm museum would be that interesting – could not have been more wrong – excellent.
Is it the National Gallery that’s on Trafalgar Square? very Good.
Chinatown at night for the smells

Camden Market is pretty good, especially the food court. best way to get there (IMHO) is to go to Richmond and take the water bus which drops you at the food court dock.

eh?

I find it hard to see the attraction of Madame Tussauds, tbh. And if you’re only in London for the weekend there are 100s of other things I’d go to first.

Tube to the Tower, optionally visit it and see the Crown Jewels, then boat back to Westminster. Walk back along the South Bank to the Tate, then over the bridge to St. Pauls.

Lunch in Soho.

Visit the V&A.

etc.

Camden Market is pretty good, especially the food court. best way to get there (IMHO) is to go to Richmond and take the water bus which drops you at the food court dock.

eh?

That’s the Hollywood London (see Robert Downey Sherlock Holmes movie). Confusing Camden and Greenwich perhaps?

Yup, tourist geography by the looks of it. 😆

Richmond to Camden by river would take a while…

Richmond to Camden by river would take a while…

Possible, though I don’t think any commercial boats are doing it. Canal boats can join the Thames at Limehouse. From Limehouse you can take the canal up through Islington and on to Camden. I’ve walked it and ridden it but not done it by boat.

Yup, tourist geography by the looks of it.

Richmond to Camden by river would take a while…
oops, time to deploy the Morning Crescent defence.
sorry, I meant boat from Little Venice – i did used to go out with girl called Richmond who lived there and got confused.

I always do:

Bar Italia, Soho – best cafelate ever (3.7 gbp though)
Condor cycles – to stock up on kit (panel shorts 20 gbp)
Borough Market – Boston burger, or breakfast burger before 11 (5 gbp)
Fernandez & Wells (just off Carnaby st or Somerset House), coffee
Speakeasy, just off Carnaby st, by Diesel, coffee

Get a day ticket to the Royal Opera House, 10 gbp, restricted view but amazing just to listen & see inside the ROH

Ronnie Scotts, v difficult to get into as it sells out way in advance, opposite Bar Italia.

Brick Lane market, sunday, the food court in the old Truman Brewery. Beigels at Brick Lane Bakery (but is packed on a sunday), open 24/7 – good apple pie but focus on the smoked salmon & creanm cheese beigels.

Boat trip on the river – 1/3 off with a travelcard

Richmond/Barnes etc – just for a beer & saunter round the old streets.

Oysters at Sandys fishmongers, Twickenham – I love them, served on a bed of ice – then a beer nearby.

Hope it helps

Do the Tourist stuf if you’ve never been. go to http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/2for1-london and make sure you have a train ticket, lots of 2 for 1 vouchers for big things like the Tower and river cruises.

Get an Oyster card each or at least a day travel card. make sure your phone is charged for your GPS, you’ve downloaded a tube map/app and know what tube lines are shut for repair from the TFL website.

A lot of stuff is really pretty close, I’d start off at Parliament and Trafalgar sq (Westminster tube) head over Westminster Bridge and go to the Eye, continue down the south bank past the globe (tickets for the yard there are only £5 each! don’t tell your mrs) and through Borough Market (don’t bother with “On Your Bike” their new place is pretty pants unfortunately) head to the Shard and go up to the bar take lots of money for drinks but still massively cheaper than the viewing platform. Go to the loos you’ll understand when you see it for yourself.
London Dungeon is right there too next to the station.
Head up onto London Bridge and get some photos of Tower Bridge (don’t take pictures of London Bridge from Tower Briodge that would be stupid).
Either continue over the bridge into the city and head toward tower bridge and the Tower itself (maybe a bit empty and dull at the weekend) or back to the south bank and along past the Assembly and over Tower Bridge itself.
Couple of hrs in the Tower planning how to heist Liz’s shiny stuff and then out to the river for the afternoon tea cruise you booked with the 2 for 1 vouchers.

Also very very important as mentioned before stand on the right on the escalators in the tube or I will hit you as I barge past muttering F’n tourist…

you’ve downloaded a tube map/app and know what tube lines are shut for repair from the TFL website.

Actually, download ‘CityMapper’ – by far the best travel app, kicks everything else into the long grass. Combines all travel modes, including walking, cycling and minicab. Gives you a time AND a cost for each. Even gives a ‘rain safe’ option that minimises above ground walking. Integrates TFL travel info so won’t route you on a line that closed.

Having lived in the city for 20 years I still find it continually useful.

Get Pay as You Go Oyster cards. If you end up walking everywhere or only in Zone 1 you won’t over pay. If you end up going further it will just work, and it’s capped at travelcard price.

Nothing to see in Richmond BTW….. Best steer clear of the place.. 😮

Any food recommendations for around Marylebone ?