London

[SueDonJ]

Don and I are a little bit more than a month out from a trip to London. I've never been there, he visited 40+ years ago in his Navy days. I've emailed the property's (Marriott 47 Park Street in the Mayfair district) concierge to see if they can help us make some plans but I KNOW that TUGgers will have good ideas!

We're not the type of travelers that are up and out early for all-day touring but we want to see at least a few quintessential London sights. The only thing we know we want to do is a boat ride on the Thames, but we're open to any other suggestions and would be willing to rent a car for a day or two if necessary. I'd like to have a few things booked before we get on the plane.

Thanks for your help!

 

[Rolltydr]

I've never been either, but probably the top place on my list would be the iconic Abbey Road Studios and the famous crosswalk from The Beatles Abbey Road album cover.

 

[Cornell]

You can ride along the Thames there and back on Uber Boat. Very pleasant experience. I don't like tours so it was perfect for us.

St. Paul Cathedral worth visiting, don't forget going into the basement. Lots of interesting stuff there. Tower of London also worth visiting,

I love niche museums and thought this was interesting. It's VERY small. https://raggedschoolmuseum.org.uk/

 

[Luanne]

Things we enjoyed:

British Museum
The London Eye (very touristy)
Boat ride down the Thames
Hop On Hop Off (did that our first morning as we arrived in London somewhere around 7 a.m.). Couldn't check into our B&B but were able to get breakfast there and leave our luggage. Someone had suggested this as a way to see the city while jet lagged.

 

[jp10558]

British Museum, Imperial War Museum are good. We really enjoyed some of the shopping near the Themes and the West End plays can be a real good value IMO, if you like that sort of thing. Kew Gardens is an hour or so by train, but an amazing botanical garden.

 

[Cornell]

British Museum, Imperial War Museum are good. We really enjoyed some of the shopping near the Themes and the West End plays can be a real good value IMO, if you like that sort of thing. Kew Gardens is an hour or so by train, but an amazing botanical garden.

Yes the Churchill War Rooms are a must see. Forgot about that.

I also went to Kew and would agree it's very nice. But it was an ordeal getting there. Trains were late , etc.

 

[Pennytx]

The theaters there are beautiful
Much like to older ones on broadway in the USA

 

[tschwa2]

You can look through Viator and Get your Guide, both will have similar type tour options. One thing we have started to do when we arrive much earlier than a hotel room will be ready and are already quite jet lagged, is drop off luggage and do a loop or two of the hop on hop off. Depending on the time of year, they may have some with live guides in English and the next one with a recording. If we fancy getting off we will but it is more just a nice place to sit with a view and learn a little of the layout vs sitting in the lobby or even lounge waiting for the room to become available sometime between 2pm and 4pm. For every 2 or 3 days we spend in the city, if we are staying in one place, we like to do a 5-10 hour tour in the country side. We did a Leeds Castle, Cliffs of Dover and Canterbury day trip on our trip last year (pre transatlantic cruise).

 

[aandmrun]

It's been quite a few years since we have been to London, but we really enjoyed a couple of day trips on the train. We went to Stratford-Upon Avon and another day to Arundel. You will see an historic castle and some beautiful gardens. Enjoy your trip!

 

[DeniseM]

We loved the London Walks tours both in and outside of London - very affordable:

London Walks - London's Best Guided Walking Tours

We offer 5* rated walking tours throughout London by the finest blue badge guides. Join us for a few hours of discovery, facts and entertainment.

www.walks.com

 

[Luanne]

Not London, but we did an overnight trip to Liverpool. The main reason we went to the UK was because dh had done an online Masters program at the University of Liverpool and they had an in person graduation ceremony. So we spent most of our time in London, but took the train to Liverpool and spent the night coming home after the ceremony. It was a lot of fun. The school had an option of doing a Beatle's tour which we enjoyed a lot.

 

[SmithOp]

We really enjoyed the hop on bus tour, we got on at the staging area near Marble Arch. The double decker bus had an open top deck, very pleasant driving around listening to the guide narrate the places. We liked the buses so much we skipped using the tube or taxis for sightseeing and just hopped on the regular buses. You can buy a pass in advance, it's called an oyster card.

https://tfl.gov.uk/travel-information/visiting-london/visitor-oyster-card

London is the hub for British Rail, you can go in any direction from there depending on the station you choose. We did a day trip to Hampton Court, it was a short walk from the station, we had lunch in the tea room. The line that runs there passes by Wimbledon so we hopped off and toured that facility. Bath also makes a nice day trip to see the Roman ruins.

 

[SueDonJ]

Wow, so much help!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

The hop on hop off bus for the first morning we get there is perfect, such a good idea. That’s as far as we’ve gotten in planning so far, lots more to think about.

 

[Passepartout]

London is a collection of neighborhoods. West End is theatres. East End is where the ethnic folks set up housekeeping- and has the BEST eateries. Like if you want GREAT Indian- That's where it is. And Pubs. Concentrate on ONE or TWO sections. You simply cannot see it all! And leave a reason to go back. Hop-on-hop off tours will include a Thames boat ride. DO go to Westminster Abbey. Tons of famous people buried there (like Newton & Churchill) DO go to the British Museum (Good High Tea there in the afternoons for a reasonable price) See the Rosetta Stone & the reliefs taken from the Parthenon.

Uber works well, but at least try the Tube. The Black Taxis go everywhere and the drivers know EVERYTHING!

 

[CanuckTravlr]

I've visited London many times over the last 50-odd years. It is a wonderful city for just walking. You do not want a car while IN London. The tube and buses make getting around very easy. Plus, there is the central congestion zone, where car entry is regulated with a daily charge. Your hotel is just inside that zone. The rail network is wonderful and makes it easy to do short day or extended trips without needing a car. Parking is often expensive and in short supply, even outside London, so a car is only useful if travelling in more "rural" areas.

The hop-on, hop-off is a great way to get oriented and see the central part of the city on the first day. And, as someone else mentioned includes a Thames river cruise. Lots of good suggestions already. Some other places to enjoy not already mentioned:

The Tower of London, the heart of English rule for over 1000 years, which also contains the Crown Jewels and the location where Henry VIII's wives were beheaded. Nearby is Tower Bridge (not to be confused with London Bridge, which is near the Houses of Parliament). Buckingham Palace and The Mall and the Changing of the Guard. Piccadilly Circus. And in a short couple of blocks along Whitehall from the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey, are (not in order) Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery, Horse Guards Palace, 10 Downing Street, the bunker where Winston Churchill ran the country during WWII (the Churchill War Rooms), and Whitehall itself, which is where Charles I was beheaded (do you see a possible theme here.) Lol.

There are lots of great shows in London, if that interests you. If you want a peaceful place to rest and relax there are St. James's Park and The Green Park, near Buckingham Palace on either side of The Mall. Near your hotel is the massive Hyde Park, the Serpentine and Kensington Palace, and nearby is the Royal Albert Hall, a fabulous place to enjoy a concert.

And that has only scratched the surface. There is a lifetime of things to see and do. I'm heading back in September, since I still haven't seen everything yet! Enjoy your trip. As Samuel Johnson is attributed as saying, "when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life."

 

[Hindsite]

The Uber boats are a passenger ferry that runs along the Thames, so it is a great way to see the city from a different viewpoint. Consider it like a hop on hop off bus tour on the water but without the commentary. There are also tour boats and lunch/dinner cruises available.

Eat at the Wolseley, which is next to the Ritz on Piccadilly and less than a mile from 47 Park Street. I've not tried breakfast/brunch there, but lunch is excellent, you can book online to ensure you get a table, as it can get busy.

Soho in the evening is a fun place to walk around and people watch and plenty of restaurants, Covent Garden is similar in the day.

As others have said there is a staggering range of museums and arts venues so take a look at what is available and try some.

With European city breaks, I like to get the all inclusive public transport passes and then ride on busses to watch the city go by, then if you see anything interesting you can go back and look later. If you take the busses out to the end of the line or nearly the end you'll see a much wider variety of life than just staying the the tourist areas. It works well on rainy days if you don't want to walk about then.

If you like food and markets, Borough market is a great place to visit. You can get there by bus or tube.

 

[geist1223]

It has been several decades since I spend 10 days in London. We stayed at the Union Jack Club. We had a fully equipped/furnished 2 bedroom Apartment. If I remember correctly it was about $50 per night. At the time a cheap hotel room was about $100 per night. The first morning we went to the In-house Cafe/Buffet for breakfast. First and only time I had Scrabbled eggs that you served with a Sieve and had Beans on Toast. We greatly enjoyed walking and taking mass transit all over the town. We also traveled to Greenwich and Stonehenge.

 

[beejaybee]

We are there in 4 weeks for 3 nights. DH and I have visited twice before but friends with us are newbies. We are staying at Premier Inn Westminster/Waterloo.

Here are our plans FWIW:
Arrival Evening- walk along the Thames and head to Blackfriars Pub.
Full day 1- morning free, afternoon tour of Buckingham Palace and either Palace Gardens (us joined by British friends), Mews, or Gallery. Dinner with British friends at Ye Old Cheshire Cheese (us).
Full Day 2- morning Tower of London (them), Churchill War Rooms and lunch at Buckingham Arms (us), mid-day free, Six matinee (me) evening free
Departure Morning- 10 am Mass at St. George's Cathedral youth choir, 11:30 brunch with group near hotel, 1:30 depart Victoria Coach station for Southampton and cruise the next day.

Previous visits included Tower of London and Ceremony of the Keys, British Museum, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral including the dome, Ho Ho bus, Harrods, and West End theatre to see the sequel to Phantom

If you have time, try to fit in a visit to Hampton Court Palace! You can get there by boat or train. Windsor Castle is also recommended though we've not been there.

 

[ScoopKona]

Ugh. Draft was lost. Here it is again.

Having read the replies:

1) The River Bus is much better than Uber boats. Your Oyster Card works on this and it is as good as taking a Thames tour boat. Just costs almost nothing. Easy way to get to the Eye (don't bother), Tower and Greenwich.
2) The underground is one of the most complete transit systems in the world. You can get anywhere. Being under the traffic is always better than being in it. It's VERY easy to navigate as well.
3) Some of my favorite things in the UK are easy day trips from London: Salisbury and Stonehenge (Stone Circle Experience so you can actually wander around the stones before or after normal hours). Winchester. Canterbury.
4) When I stay in London, I never actually STAY in London. It just costs more. I usually stay in Wimbledon -- unless there's tennis happening. Wimbledon has loads of hotels that are only extremely busy once a year. The rest of the time, it's a relative bargain. And a quick train ride into the city.
5) See if there's a concert at the Albert Hall. Last time we were there, there was a sign at the Albert. "Tonight only: Mark Knopfler." There were two tickets left, but far apart. We had a great time anyway.

These days, I land, spend a couple days in London. Get a pint at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese (one of a very few Samuel Smith's pub in London). Visit a couple CAMRA houses (I'm particularly fond of the Gypsy Moth). See a concert, if appropriate. And then get out of London. Lately I've been going to Devon, Somerset and Cornwall. Those areas have more of what I'm looking for.

 

[stmartinfan]

We loved all the London theater options. We took advantage of the discount tickets available and saw several shows. Theaters are small, like many in NYC, so even the cheap seats are decent.

 

[Cornell]

1) The River Bus is much better than Uber boats

Isn't the River Bus owned by Uber Boat?

https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/river/about-river-bus

 

[Hindsite]

Isn't the River Bus owned by Uber Boat?

https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/river/about-river-bus

Not Owned, but sponsored by them, it used to be KPMG, sponsored. Its the Thames Clipper

 

[Talent312]

I also endorse the HOHO bus for the 1st day on the ground.
For day one, the only other activity I'd try is the British Museum.
See if there's a concert you'd like to see at the Royal Albert Hall.
-- We saw Eric Clapton there. --

I also endorse London Walks, particularly their excursion to
Greenwich, with a return on your own.

For a day trip, you may want to see Stonehenge and Bath.
Rick Steves has an excellent video for a visit to Bath.
We also did a day trip to Leeds Castle and Canterbury Cathedral.

 

[linsj]

Lots of good suggestions. The HOHO bus is a must-do regardless of what else you plan. I'll add seeing a play at Shakespeare's Globe. It was one of the highlights of my trip 20 years ago.

 

[Glynda]

One thing that has changed over the years, and many trips to London, is that what one used to be able to just walk up and buy a ticket to now requires a reservation and many of the sites often sell out months in advance.