Okay here is your chance.

I used to be of the opinion that one must set aside 1 - 2 weeks to visit a country in western Europe. Well work and life kept getting in the way and I am ashamed to admit that I have only crossed the pond once in 48 years. Now a new young lady is working her way into my life and she is a traveler. Seems there is something she needs to do in GB next fall. We will only be boots on the ground for 3 days, in/around London. What is the must see list. I expect to return, but suppose I get hit by a bus before I do return. What is a must see in/around London. I lean toward history so theatre and stores don't do anything for me.

I have very high expectations of you guys:ok:

Suggest you get a good guide book and do some research. "Time Out" does a good one.

In no particular order:

National Gallery
Victoria and Albert museum
Museum of London
London Transport museum
The Tate
The Tate Modern
The Science Museum
Good pubs.

Walk around a lot, soak it in and enjoy.

OK, the fast tour of London.

British Museum.
Imperial War Museum.
Museum of London.
National Portrait Gallery.
British Library.

St Pauls Cathedral.
Westminster Abbey.
Tower of London.

Hyde Park, especially Sunday morning for speakers corner, sort of a real time Jet-Blast!
Walk down the Thames.
London Wall.

Lonely Planet guide to London.
Fodors guide.
Time-Out magazine.

Do take the time to see whatever good show you can see. Leicester Square has a 50% ticket booth for todays shows - there are some great choices. If not, pay full whack and go see something good.

Excellent restaraunts and food (despite what you read).

Buy a travel pass good for the tube and buses. Fabulous travel system. Best thing about a bus pass is that if you get lost you just catch another bus!

Stay in central London. Shop hard for prices, there are good deals. ALWAYS make sure the room has a bathroom!

London is one of the greatest walking cities in the World. Dress like your going to walk 20 miles in the rain (good boots and rain gear) and you'll have a blast.

One of the great attractions of London is that a high percentage of the locals speak English! :)

Of course, if you set one night aside you can organise a mini-bash all of your own and experience some of that famous UK hospitality in a pub somewhere with a bunch of the people currently appearing on PPRuNe!:oh:

London is safe, easy to get around and a lot of fun! Note that many of these items are major undertakings because of their size, and you may have to be pretty selective in what you can accomplish in the time you are there. NEVER try to drive (or park)!

Have fun

Fly in to Heathrow and make sure you hang around to watch Concorde arrive/depart.
And if you like jazz, spend a night at Ronnie Scott's.

I would add the Cabinet war rooms to the list as you like history.

The London Dungeon is also a good place to go, a tad expensive at £12.95 for adults and £8.95 for children.

Buy a copy of "Time Out" if you can and also pick up lots of the leaflets at train stations, these will always have money off vouchers for popular attractions.

The Maritime Museum situated in Greenwich is a good place to visit, plenty of shops around that area and a fair sized market there too.

a boat ride along the Thames is a good way to do a quick sightseeing tour and from there you can decide leisurely what you'd most like to see.

Oh and right next to the Science Museum is the Natrual History Museum...

If you only have 3 days to spend in London plot your sightseeing tours around a specific area and there you'll be able to cover more ground rather than flitting back and forth from one side of London to the other.

If you are a history buff then definately see Tower Bridge and The Tower of London. Take a long walk along Embankment and past the Houses of Parliment and up to Trafalgar Square and Covent Garden.

Would advise you to see Buckingham Palace and St James Park and Hyde Park if it's a nice day :ok:

Museum wise, British Museum, Museum of London, Transport Museum, Imperial War Museum, Science Museum (good aviation bit in there :) )

Get one of those little tube and national rail maps, it's a bible for travelling around :ok:

If I'm on a short city break I go on one of those open top bus tours where you can hop on and off.

I know it's a bit cheesy but you get to see the major sights, get your bearings and can go and spend a bit more time in the one or two that really catch your eye later.

T-Rich has only got 3 days - it's not long...

I did this in Paris a couple of months ago, and next time I go I know exactly which museums, galleries etc I want to go inside an 'do' properly. The superficial seeing of the basic sights and finding my way around is already done !

Have fun T-Rich

If after your time in and around London you're fancying a day trip out to one of the ancient university cities, Cambridge is much better than Oxford, firstly because more tourists head to Oxford, and secondly because Oxford is a fair-sized industrial city in its own right that happens to have an old university in it, while Cambridge is an small country town completely dominated by the University. There is nothing on a sunny day quite like a walk down 'The Backs' - where the old college grounds and meadows back onto the River Cam.

Both Oxford and Cambridge are about 1 hour by frequent train from London.

Within London, one of my favourite walks is London Bridge - Westminster along the South Bank. This takes you past Southwark cathedral, allows you time to go in the Tate Moden (art gallery in an old power station), Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, the London Eye (ferris wheel - don't miss a ride on this), and then on to the Houses of Parliament.

GASP!..

I can't believe no-one has suggested the Royal Air Force Museum in Hendon. Not really the thing for impressing your young lady friend, but if aviation is your thing then it's a must see.

Take the northern line to Colindale station and walk along colindale avenue. (The Northern line is the black one on the tube map).

Many, many unique exhibits.

I hope you have a great time in London, whatever you choose to do.

:ok:

Avoid Camden Town: It's not all it's cracked up to be.

Go to the Sir John Soane museum in Lincoln's Inn Fields, London. It is the only museum that you need to visit and there will be nobody else there because even the Londoners have never heard of it.

Jeez, does it have to be London? That's like going to Cambodia for three days and staying with Pol Pot to get the measure of your average citizen. Maybe it's me; maybe cities the world over are noisy, dirty, overheated, expensive and have crap internal transport and I shouldn't single out one.

There's also Kew Gardens, lovely place to visit if the weather is nice and you can also take afternoon tea in one of the little tea rooms near the station

There's the Millenium Dome.......thats History! :ok:

Hilico ,

Agreed, London is noisy, dirty, crowded and expensive.

on the other hand it is very compolitan, packed full of history and has tons for the average tourist to do as well as its inhabitants

I might add that close to St Paul's is The Monument to comemerate the Great Fire of London 1666 and not far away is St Botolph's Church, the steeple of which is used in countless countries as the design for wedding cakes.

If you get time, a company called "London Walks" do various guided tours.

Thank you every one, I printed out all the replys so I can drag them out before we go, assuming we do. Most of the suggestions were unknown to me so you all really did help alot.

Hire a car and head for WALES. It truly is GOD's country!!

Lets hope god takes it back soon.:D

Where ever you visit, don't forget your umberella, once it starts to rain, it forgets to stop. :(

Apparently the London Tourist Board has some suggestions at http://www.visitlondon.co.uk I haven't looked at it myself but you may wish to try it.

Three days really isn't long so you're only going to be able to see a few of the suggested places. If you're after some interesting history in a lovely setting, then Hampton Court Palace would be a good one to consider. Can easily be combined with a trip along the Thames.

Art-wise, I'd suggest the National Portrait Gallery over the National if time is a bit tight. Much less crowded and easier to get round. Somerset House on the Strand also worth a look. The Tate Modern and Tate Britain both have great collections too.

Someone mentioned the Tate Modern. It's crap and would serve a better purpose as a car park. I'd go for the Tower, the London Eye and a cruise along the Thames. Take in a play at The Globe if possible. The National Gallery is worth a visit, too.

sorry, fogot to mention. A lot of the bigger museums and galleries are free at the moment.

:D

Here`s a few ideas:

Visit St Pauls (not free I`m afraid but an impressive church)
then go down the steps to the river and cross using the Millenium bridge...one of the finest vistas in London from about midway. Go into the Tate Modern if you like modern art or go for a look round the Globe Theatre next door. Follow the Thames path Eastwards and perhaps look at the Clink museum and the replica of the Golden Hinde. There are a couple of riverside pubs en route. Sothwark cathedral (my favourite) is worth a visit. Jubilee line from London Bridge to Waterloo and a revolution on the London Eye. Walk across Westminster Bridge and take a boat trip.....that`s a day gone for a start!

If you like cities and all that goes with them, I have to agree with the majority of the above - a lot of historical sites are there to be seen in close proximity. However, you might like this place in the country (http://www.wealddown.co.uk/home-page-english.htm) to chill out, so have a look afore ye go...

Alternatively:

Starting from Bank underground station (you might have looked at the Monument and Leadenhall first) Take the Docklands Light Railway....a bit unnerving if you are used to trains with drivers! to Cutty Sark, visit the ship of that name and then stroll round the corner to The Naval Hospital (its a World Heritage Site) go and look at the dining hall (free) with its amazing painted ceiling and then go across the way to look at the chapel (free). The maritime museum is just across the road from here which should occupy you for a bit and if you have the energy the Greenwich Royal Observatory is on top of the hill. You can do the real touristy thing and stand in each hemisphere at the same time. Back down the hill to the river, and either return on the DLR or take a boat trip back to the city.

If you're up by The Tower and Tower Bridge, there's HMS Belfast to have a look around. It's a WWII cruiser (I think, but I'm not a boat expert), but pretty interesting for an hour or two.

Stay in the Dorchester Hotel on Park Lane, drool at the Aston Martins' at the local car showroom on Park Lane ;) Visit Selfridges (big department store), Harrods, The usual tourist attractions (Buck House, Houses of Parliament, St Pauls, Downing Street, the science museum, the imperial war museum - I think most of the museums are free now to enter and they are very good - if your taking any kids they will enjoy it too.

Don't hire a car if your just going to visit london as it is very expensive to park. There is the Heathrow express which is a train which links one of the main railway stations to the airport.

Have a great trip.

Jinkster

Hillco.....you miserable uncultured b()gger,

I know that the papers tell you that there is nothing outside London, but go to the Sir John Soanes Museum.....spend the rail fare....it is the second most impressive museum on the planet, only surpassed by the Chang Kai Chek museum in Taipei but closely followed by the local museum in Scarborough.

Believe me, I'm a Yorkshireman and I wouldn't waste money i it wasn't worth it.

Might be best not to go via Gatwick. From today's news:

"Traffic is already building up in the nation's congestion hotspots while those jetting off to foreign climes have been met with reduced rail services to Britain's busiest holiday airport.

Essential engineering work has meant the express rail link services from London to Gatwick have been halved from today and for the next three weeks." :*

This is excellent planning, timed perfectly for the beginning of the school holidays!

My young son wants to go there on our next big (7-day) vacation instead of France or Germany etc, if we are not broke, because he says "they speak English".

My main memories of London, from a historical viewpoint, is of the excellent British Museum and the Tower of London. Otherwise, remember too much noise and car exhaust (maybe because I was with ex-wife...), like in NYC.:D

But I have serious reservations about learning to drive on the wrong side of the road-even if well-rested.

The burning question is...where are the gentlemens clubs?
You do have those don't you?

If you don't wish to spend the entire time in London try here:

http://www.waddesdon.org.uk/

Waddesdon Manor......... an hour from London (Marylebone) by train to Aylesbury then bus or taxi (10-15 mins). Near enough London to be easily accessible but far enough away to let you forget the wretched place.

The burning question is...where are the gentlemens clubs?

Oh they exist all right, West Coast. But they're not for the likes of us........:ooh:

Caslance
Perhaps the term gentlemens club has a different meaning, young nubile FEMALES slithering around. Is that the same..no..?

I;ve always found the design museum a place of interest.
Tate Modern is about 60% tat and 40% of interest.
The Tea museum near the Design Museum was also interesting but would probably bore the pants off the kids.

But I have serious reservations about learning to drive on the wrong side of the road-even if well-rested.

I wouldn't worry too much. It is not that difficult and relatively speaking British drivers are more disciplined than drivers in many countries and tend to stick to the rules pretty well.

Roundabouts are not that difficult, you basically give way to traffic on the roundabout approaching from the right. None of those confusing 4 way junction thingies!

Traffic light junctions do not allow turns on red either.

Other than that rules are very similar.

Before anybody jumps down my throat I didn't say British drivers are perfect I used the word 'relatively' in the sentence!

Strongly agree with Maninblack re Sir John Soane's house. Amazing.

Yes, HMS Belfast is a cruiser - and interesting (although a bit bias here - my father serving on a sister ship during WW2 - hence my interest).

Also I love the boat trip down to Greenwich - first part will let you see some history, and when you get down there - the observatory is facinating.

I have a phamplet for the London Walks sitting in my office from my last visit. They have a site: www.walks.com

Also British Hotel Reservation Centre - www.bhrconline.com - although I have never used it - might help.

Friends have also tried the big bus as suggested by someone else - give you a good look around and let you highlight things you really want to visit - www.bigbus.co.uk


Otherewise - just walk around and soak up the atmosphere of the city - I just love it......

Bring a wash cloth because alot of places just provide bath towels and hand towels, but don't seem to believe in small washrags for scrubbing. Also, if you like pepper on your eggs, bring some packets of American style black pepper flakes. The locals like their pepper ground up real fine, like confectioners sugar. It makes it taste different. You might like it, I don't mind it, but some of my office cohorts bring their own pepper.

It's alright driving on their side of the road. If you get confused in an intersection, just remember to keep the centerline of the road next to you, the driver. Works, even when you're drunk! :E

Don't be loud. It freaks them out.

Likewise for wearing a Stetson.

Listen closely when they talk and spend a few seconds processing what they've said before responding. Definitely improves the baud rate.

Stay away from their politics. Resist the urge to drop into Monty Python routines. I know it's hard...

In order to survive, LOOK RIGHT before crossing the street. It's hard to get into the habit. You will have close calls.

Other than that, enjoy. Great place. I liken it to falling through the television screen into a BBC production.

Thanks M. Mouse: we might go there next summer if any paycuts are very moderate. Our contract negotiations just began (for an entirely new contract) and these will stretch out for years.

Anyway, I don't want to drive in any large foreign city, although we had to park near the Frankfurt train station because Heidelberg has no Am. Express office for lost checks....

If we go first to London, I will have already debated with my wife about my preference to always escape any major city (over there) after about three days, although the British Museum (my only goal in that gritty town) has my favorite collection of antiquities in the world. But her position is always "but the major cities are where most historical buildings are". Sure, but like in NYC, you don't experience the real atmosphere of the people and countryside, quiet provincial towns, i.e. Bath, Broadway, Roger the Shrubber, the Legless Knights in mortal combat, Warwick Castle and somewhere, the Trojan Rabbit etc. Woops-they were supposed to be IN the rabbit. Never mind the Castle of the Lonely Virgins (is it in the Cotswolds?), while my wife is lost for days in Harrods.........:):E

Never mind time for the Imperial War Museum at Duxford, wherever that is. I still have never received a response as to why the RAF only had one pilot in most or all of their medium and heavy WW2 bombers ..." eh, ok Flt Engineer, you keep us in loose formation while I do the #1 engine Fire Checklist and then Loss of all Flight Instruments {Emer AC bus?],... and later crossfeed for a major fuel imbalance among these four Merlins....don't worry yet about any nightfighter Me-110s with 'schrage Musik' vertical guns".

Ignition Override, I believe the main reason for only having one pilot in the bombers was the shortage of suitably qualified young men.
It also meant a lower drain on the replacement situation if a crew was killed or lost over enemy territory.

As it was, the limited supply of better educated youths who joined the RAF affected the quality and the numbers available to the army and to a lesser extent the navy.

Get one of the river cruises down the Thames (suugest start at Westminster Pier). You get to see a lot of old London with a good commentary on what you are seeing and the history of it. Can go as far as Greeenwich (Royal Observatory, Harrison's seaclock, Cutty Sark etc).

Does anyone know if Duck Tours are still in operation - the ones that used to do sightseeing trips around London in a yellow WWII DUKW Amphibious vehicle?

That would be fun - seeing all the sights by road and by river without leaving your seat!!!

West Coast

That kind of gentlemens' club ;), well, there are plenty in the City and West End, Browns (City) and Stringfellows (Covent Garden) are famous ones - there are also branches of Spearmint Rhino here and there.

Cowboy Engineer

The locals like their pepper ground up real fine, like confectioners sugar. It makes it taste different. You might like it, I don't mind it, but some of my office cohorts bring their own pepper.

Ah, that's white pepper - ask for black pepper and you'll get what you want - unless you're in a transport cafe (truck stop) or similar erm... no frills establishment. Personally I hate the white stuff.

Henry-thanks for the info. It is what I suspected about RAF staffing. That must have been a nightmare on many missions, not to mention for the other crewmembers.:ugh:

Many pilots used to unofficially give their engineers enough dual instruction to enable them to fly the aircraft back if the pilot was injured.

Ahh.... London.

Le Louvre, Versailles, the Champs Elysees, and the Eiffel Tower. Hmm, we also have the Via Romagna, the Trevi Fountains and don't forget the Colluseum. The Taj Mahal, Giza Pyramids and Abu Simbal are also amazinbg wonders.

Yep, these are just some of the most fantastic places on earth that are nowhere near London.

So, what to do? Check out Buckingham Palace, Whitehall (where James Bond's bosses had their original office), Horse Guards' Parade, Westminster Palace & Cathedral (with Big Ben bong-bonging above you). Oh, and London Bridge, what is never fallin' down, whatever any brat says. Also, a walk down the Thames Embankment is good for the lungs and soul.

What else? How about the Tate Art Galleries, new and old.

Then, take a trip to Greenwich to check out the Naval College, and the Park and the Observatory. While there, check out the Meridian (careful not to nudge it, or goodness knows what could happen). There's also the Cutty Sark sailing ship there at the Thames, plus a small unnoticed yacht called the Gypsy Moth III that a personal hero of mine sailed around the world on single-handed.

I'd also recommend a quick look through the foot-tunnel under the Thames at Greenwich (name escapes me) which is actually a bit spooky, methinks.

Ric

Hhhhmmmm..

I thought it was called the Greenwich Foot Tunnel......

(That's what my map says anyway.......sorry Ric......:E )

Whilst there are plenty of good pubs and restaurants (and plenty of terrible pubs and restaurants), if you don't like cigarette smoke your choice will be severely curtailed (even if they say they have a non-smoking section...)

That kind of gentlemens' club , well, there are plenty in the City and West End, Browns (City) and Stringfellows (Covent Garden) are famous ones - there are also branches of Spearmint Rhino here and there.


That is the high end of the market. There are also really dodgy places like the one in Hayes (about 3 miles from Heathrow). Was a pub called the Woolpack, but is now a gentlemens entertainment venue, although I am told a real gentlemen would not survive 5 minutes in there.

Don't bother it's full of POMS you won't like it :E

...apart from Earls Court and Fulham Road which is chock full of drunken Aussies who appear to love London, in spite of all the Poms.

Did yer know there's more Aussies in London at any one time, Mr FarQ, than tourists visiting the whole of Oz? Now, why is that, one wonders?

Ric