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Visiting London - Ideas? (1 Viewer)

Steve Tasker

Steve Tasker

Footballguy
A friend and I are loosely considering a visit to London this summer to visit a friend who is currently living there temporarily. Nothing has been planned yet, but London would be the home base, so to speak.

I know there is plenty to see in London that would give us a few days of sightseeing and wandering.

We're wondering a bit about possible side trips, maybe something to get out of London for a day or two. Other cities in England, Wales, Scotland? Anything else feasible? We'll probably only have a week or so out there, so would want to minimize travel time if possible. I've been to Ireland/Northern Ireland but not mainland England. Ireland was nice because it was a close bus/train ride to wherever you want to go on the island. Perhaps England is the same way? I've always kinda wanted to visit Cardiff....is it nice? Glasgow? Edinburgh looks pretty ####### cool.

I don't think we're talking anything too wild, probably just a lot of drinking. I don't know if he has anything particular in mind (maybe he'll check in and comment? :oldunsure: ). What should we be looking to plan, hypothetically?

 
The museums in London are awesome. [SIZE=13.63636302948px]The British Museum has some great stuff - huge Egyptian statues, most of the frieze from the Parthenon, the Rosetta Stone, some great Assyrian and Indian stuff - that's a solid day in my opinion.[/SIZE]

The subway and train system connects everything in southern England and into Wales, so you can get anywhere without driving if you want. I like just walking around London... get off the subway a couple stops away from where you're going and walk the rest to see what's going on. It's very easy to navigate - just get a week pass so you can go anywhere on it without thinking about how much it will cost or anything.

Open-topped hop-on/hop-off bus tours are good.

I've been in Wales a bunch lately for work, and will be again in a couple of weeks. It's nice, but I don't find it to be worth a trip, honestly - if I had only a week, I'd spend the whole week in London.

Soccer tickets would be a good idea.

 
I'm a big Arsenal fan, so some sort of trip to the Emirates would be nice, but it'll be the EPL offseason. Maybe some preseason games or an international friendly at Wembley.

Great comments, Tick.

Ilov80s, I can't tell if you're serious or not

 
It was a big thing in England the last few days. Some terror "expert" that Fox News had on said that. He also said in parts of London there are Sharia Law police that publicly beat everyone that isn't dressed properly. The English got a kick out of this, see #foxnewsfacts

 
Christo said:
They've got these things called pubs. Hit as many as you can.
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Say you had a chance to hit some other city that is not London in England/Wales/Scotland....who's got the best pubs for a one night stumblefest?

 
Steve Tasker said:
A friend and I are loosely considering a visit to London this summer to visit a friend who is currently living there temporarily. Nothing has been planned yet, but London would be the home base, so to speak.

I know there is plenty to see in London that would give us a few days of sightseeing and wandering.

We're wondering a bit about possible side trips, maybe something to get out of London for a day or two. Other cities in England, Wales, Scotland? Anything else feasible? We'll probably only have a week or so out there, so would want to minimize travel time if possible. I've been to Ireland/Northern Ireland but not mainland England. Ireland was nice because it was a close bus/train ride to wherever you want to go on the island. Perhaps England is the same way? I've always kinda wanted to visit Cardiff....is it nice? Glasgow? Edinburgh looks pretty ####### cool.

I don't think we're talking anything too wild, probably just a lot of drinking. I don't know if he has anything particular in mind (maybe he'll check in and comment? :oldunsure: ). What should we be looking to plan, hypothetically?
Click to expand...
:hey:

Can't go wrong with drinking. :suds: Not a soccer fan but feel obligated to at least check out a game. Other than that, totally clueless. If we were considering a few weeks earlier we could go north for the British Open which would be cool. Possibly a day pass at one of the summer music festivals. Would really love to make it to mainland Europe but seems like with only a week to spend that would be kinda tough.

 
UniAlias said:
Steve Tasker said:
A friend and I are loosely considering a visit to London this summer to visit a friend who is currently living there temporarily. Nothing has been planned yet, but London would be the home base, so to speak.

I know there is plenty to see in London that would give us a few days of sightseeing and wandering.

We're wondering a bit about possible side trips, maybe something to get out of London for a day or two. Other cities in England, Wales, Scotland? Anything else feasible? We'll probably only have a week or so out there, so would want to minimize travel time if possible. I've been to Ireland/Northern Ireland but not mainland England. Ireland was nice because it was a close bus/train ride to wherever you want to go on the island. Perhaps England is the same way? I've always kinda wanted to visit Cardiff....is it nice? Glasgow? Edinburgh looks pretty ####### cool.

I don't think we're talking anything too wild, probably just a lot of drinking. I don't know if he has anything particular in mind (maybe he'll check in and comment? :oldunsure: ). What should we be looking to plan, hypothetically?
Click to expand...
:hey:

Can't go wrong with drinking. :suds: Not a soccer fan but feel obligated to at least check out a game. Other than that, totally clueless. If we were considering a few weeks earlier we could go north for the British Open which would be cool. Possibly a day pass at one of the summer music festivals. Would really love to make it to mainland Europe but seems like with only a week to spend that would be kinda tough.
Click to expand...
You can do a day trip to Paris by train if you can get up early

 
Can't help with day trips out of London, except for maybe Stonehenge, but unless you're planning on flying to Edinburgh, I wouldn't include it in the trip.

 
msommer said:
UniAlias said:
Steve Tasker said:
A friend and I are loosely considering a visit to London this summer to visit a friend who is currently living there temporarily. Nothing has been planned yet, but London would be the home base, so to speak.

I know there is plenty to see in London that would give us a few days of sightseeing and wandering.

We're wondering a bit about possible side trips, maybe something to get out of London for a day or two. Other cities in England, Wales, Scotland? Anything else feasible? We'll probably only have a week or so out there, so would want to minimize travel time if possible. I've been to Ireland/Northern Ireland but not mainland England. Ireland was nice because it was a close bus/train ride to wherever you want to go on the island. Perhaps England is the same way? I've always kinda wanted to visit Cardiff....is it nice? Glasgow? Edinburgh looks pretty ####### cool.

I don't think we're talking anything too wild, probably just a lot of drinking. I don't know if he has anything particular in mind (maybe he'll check in and comment? :oldunsure: ). What should we be looking to plan, hypothetically?
Click to expand...
:hey:

Can't go wrong with drinking. :suds: Not a soccer fan but feel obligated to at least check out a game. Other than that, totally clueless. If we were considering a few weeks earlier we could go north for the British Open which would be cool. Possibly a day pass at one of the summer music festivals. Would really love to make it to mainland Europe but seems like with only a week to spend that would be kinda tough.
Click to expand...
You can do a day trip to Paris by train if you can get up early
Click to expand...
Good advice, and I'll add to this -- take a bus south from London to Dover one morning; take the hover craft from Dover across the channel to France; take the bus to Paris; come back the next day.

 
Book of Mormon. Right off of Picadilly Circus. 2 1/2 hours before showtime, they have a lottery where you can get front row seats for 20 pounds. Great deal.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time. Giulgud Theater (just a block up from Book of Mormon). Box office opens at 9, I think. If travelling off-peak times, get there at 8:30 and you're pretty much assured of getting a front row seat for 15 pounds. Excellent show.

 
A couple of years ago the wife and I made this trip:

Started off in London - with her sister which was great having a place to stay for free.

We took a flight to Edinburgh and were there for two days including a tour bus ride up to the Highlands and Loch Ness. It was "nice" but if I had it to do again I would pass on Scotland.

We went back to London for two days and then took the train to Paris for a two day trip. I loved Paris - seeing the Louvre and Notre Dame and the little markets and cafes and the night life was really exciting and fun. Paris at night is tremendous.

In London,

The British Museum. - A must see. Even if you tend to fly through a museum to see stuff without really devouring it, you should plan 4 hours.

The London National Portrait Gallery - meh. I loved it, but it's not for everyone.

London Tower. - It's a tourist attraction, but its a fun part of the London experience to tour the Tower, walk across Tower Bridge and then grab a something at a cool pub along the river.

Just to walk around the historic area of London at night is enjoyable

There is so much to do and see in London, but if you go, you don't want to miss a trip to Camden Park. The single best place for people watching in the entire world.

 
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I last spent a weekend there about 15 years ago. We did the Tower of London just to do something touristy and I really wasn't sure what to expect but it ended up being one of my favorite stops. I've always liked castles and going around on a tour with one of the Beefeaters, who like to go into gory detail on battles and beheadings, was great. Make sure to hit up some different pubs and mind the gap.

 
In London

1) Cabinet War Rooms (may be called something else now) are a must. It's Churchilll's bunker behind 10 downing st from the blitz. Visit can be easily combined in a morning with read algae sq, national gallery,Westminster, buckingham palace

2) imperial war museum. South of the river, can combine with globe theater, shard

3) take a boat down the Thames to Greenwich, which has the imperial naval museum in addition to the prime meridian stuff. Take cab/tube back

4) outside of London - Hampton Court; Windsor castle; further out Bath, Hastings - all depends on what you're into

5) for that time frame a night in Edinburgh would work, but there's enough to do in / around London that it would be pushng it. Glasgow isn't worth visiting, Edinburgh definitely is.

 
Edinburgh and St Andrews are awesome, but Im not sure those are day trips.

The train to Paris was super expensive for one day when I was there back in 99.

 
Great comments here. Seems like most people are saying don't bother leaving London unless it's for Paris or maybe Edinburgh. I figured there'd be a lot of people here with experience in London that this would be a good thread to start.

 
Steve Tasker said:
Great comments here. Seems like most people are saying don't bother leaving London unless it's for Paris or maybe Edinburgh. I figured there'd be a lot of people here with experience in London that this would be a good thread to start.
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How long will you be there? You can easily spend 1-2 weeks in London and not come close to running out of things to see.

If you're there longer, Bath is a great day trip. I'd skip Scotland and Paris for Dublin and other parts of Ireland if you're feeling truly adventurous. Simple train-ferry combo gets you there. Can't miss with the Guinness Brewery. The Book of Kells is pretty cool too. Plus, pubs and irish people.

 
Idiot Boxer said:
Steve Tasker said:
Great comments here. Seems like most people are saying don't bother leaving London unless it's for Paris or maybe Edinburgh. I figured there'd be a lot of people here with experience in London that this would be a good thread to start.
Click to expand...
How long will you be there? You can easily spend 1-2 weeks in London and not come close to running out of things to see.

If you're there longer, Bath is a great day trip. I'd skip Scotland and Paris for Dublin and other parts of Ireland if you're feeling truly adventurous. Simple train-ferry combo gets you there. Can't miss with the Guinness Brewery. The Book of Kells is pretty cool too. Plus, pubs and irish people.
Click to expand...
Loosely assuming like 1 week total. I have been to Dublin and enjoyed it, but no real desire to go back there because I've seen a lot of the main sights just a few years ago.

There is nothing set in stone yet, I just kinda wanted to put feelers out to see what kind of things we could expect. I know London is a massive world-famous, Alpha city, but I had no idea there was so much to do just right there.

Seems like Paris could be an option for a short trip too, I knew it was close but didn't realize it was THAT close.

 
Steve Tasker said:
Idiot Boxer said:
Steve Tasker said:
Great comments here. Seems like most people are saying don't bother leaving London unless it's for Paris or maybe Edinburgh. I figured there'd be a lot of people here with experience in London that this would be a good thread to start.
Click to expand...
How long will you be there? You can easily spend 1-2 weeks in London and not come close to running out of things to see.

If you're there longer, Bath is a great day trip. I'd skip Scotland and Paris for Dublin and other parts of Ireland if you're feeling truly adventurous. Simple train-ferry combo gets you there. Can't miss with the Guinness Brewery. The Book of Kells is pretty cool too. Plus, pubs and irish people.
Click to expand...
Loosely assuming like 1 week total. I have been to Dublin and enjoyed it, but no real desire to go back there because I've seen a lot of the main sights just a few years ago.

There is nothing set in stone yet, I just kinda wanted to put feelers out to see what kind of things we could expect. I know London is a massive world-famous, Alpha city, but I had no idea there was so much to do just right there.

Seems like Paris could be an option for a short trip too, I knew it was close but didn't realize it was THAT close.
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It isn't really THAT close. You can take the chunnel from St. Pancras. It's a 3 hour shot (4 with the time change). Tickets are not cheap. Certainly do-able, but both London and Paris are cities you can spend two full weeks in and not get bored...trying to share a week between the two...you'll miss a lot. I'm sure you can hit the highlights, if that's what you're looking for.

 
London is the necessary home base, as visiting our buddy is really the main purpose of the trip...kinda the mindset of "when are we ever going to have a specific reason to visit London again?" If Paris is doable for a day, sure, but not mandatory, at least in my mind. I was just recalling Dublin - which is literally 15-20x smaller, I know, and we made it a point to hit some other places in Ireland because everything was so close. I wasn't sure if people do that with London as well or if there's far more than enough to do in London itself to where there's really nothing else particularly a "must see" within a short travel day.

 
You can stay in London for a week and not be bored. If you want to change up the scenery during your week in London, you can hit the towns of Cambridge, Greenwich or Wimbledon, all of which are accessible via train from London.

Unlike Dublin, there isn't that much of interest in close proximity. If you go to San Francisco, there is plenty within an hour or two from the city. If you were to go to Chicago, there's nothing within 3 hours from the city.

 
UniAlias said:
:suds:

Steve Tasker said:
A friend and I are loosely considering a visit to London this summer to visit a friend who is currently living there temporarily. Nothing has been planned yet, but London would be the home base, so to speak.

I know there is plenty to see in London that would give us a few days of sightseeing and wandering.

We're wondering a bit about possible side trips, maybe something to get out of London for a day or two. Other cities in England, Wales, Scotland? Anything else feasible? We'll probably only have a week or so out there, so would want to minimize travel time if possible. I've been to Ireland/Northern Ireland but not mainland England. Ireland was nice because it was a close bus/train ride to wherever you want to go on the island. Perhaps England is the same way? I've always kinda wanted to visit Cardiff....is it nice? Glasgow? Edinburgh looks pretty ####### cool.

I don't think we're talking anything too wild, probably just a lot of drinking. I don't know if he has anything particular in mind (maybe he'll check in and comment? :oldunsure: ). What should we be looking to plan, hypothetically?
Click to expand...
:hey:

Can't go wrong with drinking. :suds: Not a soccer fan but feel obligated to at least check out a game. Other than that, totally clueless. If we were considering a few weeks earlier we could go north for the British Open which would be cool. Possibly a day pass at one of the summer music festivals. Would really love to make it to mainland Europe but seems like with only a week to spend that would be kinda tough.
Click to expand...
Depending on the time frame Wimbledon is June 29 - July 12 and the British Open at St. Andrews is July 12 - 19 (16-19 Tourney, 12-15 Practice). I hope to get tickets for both events because well I would kick myself if I didn't see Wimbledon and St. Andrews when i had the shot.

Plays are great to see and can be reasonable. If you had one to see I recommend Book of Mormon, it was ####### hilarious and a great play even if you aren't a play person. There are a ton of plays around and many are great and cheaper than Mormon, but a lot of places do day tickets which are cheap.

Dainty and I are actually doing a day trip to Bath this weekend and it should work nice, about a 2.5 hour train away. Other day trips are Cardiff which I have heard is great(will do that soon) which is a 2 hour train, and Windsor Castle that is 40 minutes and was one of my favorites when I came here in January. There are a ton of day trips so if anything of interest then it is possible.

For tourist stuff the two places I would recommend everyone to go to is the British Museum and The Tower of London. The Tower is much more than the jewels and was a great time imo. Other touristy stuff is dependent on what the goal is and how interested in specific things you are. Also, the second day over here will probably ##### slap you with jet lag so its best to have it be a bit light.

Also, pubs are awesome. :2cents: :suds:

The Z Machine said:
Gotta hit S####horpe and Cockfosters.
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Every time I get on the tube I giggle. Every. Single. Time.

 
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British museum was cool.

if i was there during Wimbledon, i'd try to go.

British markets were pretty cool.

St. Paul's cathedral was awesome

Tower of London was cool

Westminster Abbey was worth my time

 
Like Bony said, there are a few day travel spots from London, but not many. If you were to try to take in the Lake Country or go up to Edinburgh, you'd probably at least want lodging there for a day or two.

I'm a nerd, so the British Museum is a full day for me. Even worse, I'm a theater nerd so the West End and the Globe Theater would probably be another day.

In addition to the big tourist attractions, I like to have a guide book and just walk the city for the day. It's an awesome city, where you might go from a block of modern office buildings directly into a Christopher Wren church. It's hard not to run into something interesting or historic.

 
A few more things...

For some reason, every flight to London gets there around 10 AM. You will be dead tired because plane sleep sucks balls and you haven't had real sleep for 24 hours. DO NOT NAP. Stay up until 8 PM minimum, or you'll have jet lag for your whole trip.

Nobody has mentioned the Natural History Museum, but I really like it. Also, the Science Museum was good when I was there with my daughter. It's a little more kid-focused, but still good. They aren't really uniquely English or Londonish, but I like good museums. As others have mentioned, the Imperial War Museum was neat - I went there a few months ago and enjoyed it.

Recently I wandered around Waterloo on the south side of the river for the first time, and there was a lot going on. Outdoor food booths, street performers, a strange pedestrian tunnel with sanctioned graffiti artists doing careful work, some shopping, the London Eye nearby if you want to do that...

I recommend doing a little planning before you go. Figure out the tube station closest to the place you're staying and closest to the attractions you're planning to visit.

Eat lots of Indian food. London probably has the best in the world.

 
Ramsay Hunt Experience said:
Like Bony said, there are a few day travel spots from London, but not many. If you were to try to take in the Lake Country or go up to Edinburgh, you'd probably at least want lodging there for a day or two.
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Are you subconsciously trying to get me to visit Swansea??

 
the milwaaukee bucks are going to play in london so if you want to really take in a culture try and get some tickets to that one take that to the bank brohans

 
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