- My Forums
- Tiger Rant
- LSU Recruiting
- SEC Rant
- Saints Talk
- Pelicans Talk
- More Sports Board
- Fantasy Sports
- Golf Board
- Soccer Board
- O-T Lounge
- Tech Board
- Home/Garden Board
- Outdoor Board
- Health/Fitness Board
- Movie/TV Board
- Book Board
- Music Board
- Political Talk
- Money Talk
- Fark Board
- Gaming Board
- Travel Board
- Food/Drink Board
- Ticket Exchange
- TD Help Board
Customize My Forums- View All Forums
- Show Left Links
- Topic Sort Options
- Trending Topics
- Recent Topics
- Active Topics
Started By
Message
London - First Timer
Posted on 11/28/18 at 9:47 pm
Posted on 11/28/18 at 9:47 pm
I will be in London for the first time in May for 3-4 days. I am curious as to what are some of the things to see / do aside from the well known tourist attractions in the city? Additionally, what area of town would be the best to stay in? Apartment rental? hotel?
TIA
TIA
Posted on 11/28/18 at 10:12 pm to Ruxins Rascals
Covent Gardens has lots a shite to see and do.
Good place to stay.
Good place to stay.
Posted on 11/28/18 at 10:20 pm to HoustonGumbeauxGuy
I stayed in Convent Garden as well and also recommend. It was a few months ago and my first time in a London.
Oyster Card is a must. It gets you around the city easily. Google “Oyster Card London” and watch the YouTube video. Once you master that, it’s all gravy.
As far as what to see, it’s impossible for me to say. So much available and not sure what you in to nor who you going with. I watched docs on Amazon/Netflix and planned my trip from there. Lots of the museums are free, so include stops.
I went by myself for a wkend (London was a jumping off spot for a longer trip) and saw
The Shard
Piccadilly Circus
Tower Bridge
Tower of London
Westminster Abbey
Big Ben
Parliament
History Museum
Art Museum
St. Paul’s Cathedral
Bars/restaurants
I’m sure I’m forgetting some places. It’s such an easy city to get around....with an OYSTER CARD!
Oyster Card is a must. It gets you around the city easily. Google “Oyster Card London” and watch the YouTube video. Once you master that, it’s all gravy.
As far as what to see, it’s impossible for me to say. So much available and not sure what you in to nor who you going with. I watched docs on Amazon/Netflix and planned my trip from there. Lots of the museums are free, so include stops.
I went by myself for a wkend (London was a jumping off spot for a longer trip) and saw
The Shard
Piccadilly Circus
Tower Bridge
Tower of London
Westminster Abbey
Big Ben
Parliament
History Museum
Art Museum
St. Paul’s Cathedral
Bars/restaurants
I’m sure I’m forgetting some places. It’s such an easy city to get around....with an OYSTER CARD!
This post was edited on 11/28/18 at 10:27 pm
Posted on 11/28/18 at 10:28 pm to Ruxins Rascals
We stayed at an AirBnB in Notting Hill and enjoyed the area.
If you’re an adventurous eater, I can’t recommend St. John Smithfield enough. The beef and kidney pie with bone marrow is insane.
If you’re an adventurous eater, I can’t recommend St. John Smithfield enough. The beef and kidney pie with bone marrow is insane.
Posted on 11/28/18 at 10:32 pm to Ruxins Rascals
Go to Winston Churchill’s bunker.
Posted on 11/28/18 at 10:36 pm to Ruxins Rascals
I spent 6 hours one day in the British Museum last summer and still walked away feeling like I hadn’t seen everything, so there’s that, really cool place if you’re into that. Stayed around the corner from the Monument and was in awe of how many of the financial worker peeps leave work at 11am and hang around the pub drinking beer for the next 5 hours. I enjoyed eating Bengali on Brick Lane. Also liked Pop Brixton and Dishoom Shoreditch.
Posted on 11/29/18 at 6:22 am to Ruxins Rascals
I stayed in Covent Garden last time and it was a perfect location, especially with first-timers like my stepdaughters that were with us. You can take the tube straight there from Heathrow. Not sure how much space you need, but we stayed here:. Covent Garden apt
Posted on 11/29/18 at 7:42 am to Ruxins Rascals
Mayfair is a good area, close to Buckingham Palace and easy tube rides to almost everything.
Tower of London
Windsor Castle is an easy train ride
Westminster Abbey
Churchill bunker
British Museum
London Walk tours are great
Tower of London
Windsor Castle is an easy train ride
Westminster Abbey
Churchill bunker
British Museum
London Walk tours are great
Posted on 11/29/18 at 7:48 am to Ruxins Rascals
For such a short trip you should avoid doing it all in at once.
Churchill war rooms is great (reserve a time slot online otherwise lines are stupid long)
Avoid Camden lock and Camden town. I went for the first time about 15 years ago and t was still kinda cool (I was in my teens tho) but today is worse than Decatur St
Do a fancy pants afternoon tea. It’s silly fun if you’re with friends. Try and get a place that does unlimited finger sandwiches
Pubs. If there on a Sunday, do a quality Sunday roast. But ALWAYS get cask beer from the firkin engines. You can’t really find them outside of the UK, so live it up (half pints are available almost everywhere)
I highly recommend the Fullers Brewery tour. Top notch.
Kebab. Do it.
Don’t forget to go to Roti King late at night
I love this place called Barbary. I go almost every time I’m there. Google it
Good shopping around Seven Locks. Pretty cool looking too. And the Barbary place I mentioned is in a cool hip back alley.
British museum. Free and you could easily stay there for 10 hours. It’s amazing. My favorite museum in the world...and I live in France
Imperial War Museum is pretty decent, the WWI section is the best and Aline would be an amazing museum. The other sections pull it down
Go to Regency Cafe and get a Full English breakfast. Add black pudding.
Churchill war rooms is great (reserve a time slot online otherwise lines are stupid long)
Avoid Camden lock and Camden town. I went for the first time about 15 years ago and t was still kinda cool (I was in my teens tho) but today is worse than Decatur St
Do a fancy pants afternoon tea. It’s silly fun if you’re with friends. Try and get a place that does unlimited finger sandwiches
Pubs. If there on a Sunday, do a quality Sunday roast. But ALWAYS get cask beer from the firkin engines. You can’t really find them outside of the UK, so live it up (half pints are available almost everywhere)
I highly recommend the Fullers Brewery tour. Top notch.
Kebab. Do it.
Don’t forget to go to Roti King late at night
I love this place called Barbary. I go almost every time I’m there. Google it
Good shopping around Seven Locks. Pretty cool looking too. And the Barbary place I mentioned is in a cool hip back alley.
British museum. Free and you could easily stay there for 10 hours. It’s amazing. My favorite museum in the world...and I live in France
Imperial War Museum is pretty decent, the WWI section is the best and Aline would be an amazing museum. The other sections pull it down
Go to Regency Cafe and get a Full English breakfast. Add black pudding.
This post was edited on 11/29/18 at 7:51 am
Posted on 11/29/18 at 8:24 am to LoneStarRanger
Take the boat taxi down to Greenwich one morning, eat breakfast at Heaps, take a quick walk up to the observatory then back down and through the maritime museum, take boat back up.
Posted on 11/29/18 at 8:39 am to Ruxins Rascals
Op by yourself, couple, or what?
Tube is solid but especially if you are with someone else, don’t be afraid to cab a LOT. Some of the tube stations are huge and have multiple exits/ entrances. By the time you find the entrance, find your train, wait on the train, and then repeat with the exit you can easily save 15-30 minutes on 2-3 mile cab rides being more direct door to door. You do that 3-4 times a day for maybe 20-30 extra pounds but you just saved 60-90 minutes. Money very well spent.
I would Airbnb/ Vrbo to save serious money if you don’t need the creature comforts of a hotel as an Airbnb will be 50% or more cheaper. But be careful as London has a very strict 90 day maximum night policy for any flat. So they can only rent 90 nights a year. I haven’t paid attention but I don’t know how they even do it with that restriction.
Tube is solid but especially if you are with someone else, don’t be afraid to cab a LOT. Some of the tube stations are huge and have multiple exits/ entrances. By the time you find the entrance, find your train, wait on the train, and then repeat with the exit you can easily save 15-30 minutes on 2-3 mile cab rides being more direct door to door. You do that 3-4 times a day for maybe 20-30 extra pounds but you just saved 60-90 minutes. Money very well spent.
I would Airbnb/ Vrbo to save serious money if you don’t need the creature comforts of a hotel as an Airbnb will be 50% or more cheaper. But be careful as London has a very strict 90 day maximum night policy for any flat. So they can only rent 90 nights a year. I haven’t paid attention but I don’t know how they even do it with that restriction.
Posted on 11/29/18 at 9:16 am to Ruxins Rascals
I like the Southwark (South bank of the Thames) area around London Bridge (not Tower Bridge). It puts you in close proximity with Borough Market (oldest food market in London, with dozens of food stalls selling cooked & uncooked provisions), Shakespeare’s Globe, the promenade along the Thames, the London Eye, Tate Modern, the Shard. Southwark has good transport connections to the Tube as well (London Bridge station & Borough).
Southwark area includes Bermondsey, home to a good Saturday street market and a nice array of shops/restaurants.
What I liked best about Southwark—it wasn’t completely touristy. There were lots of locals going about their business, supermarkets, drug stores, schools, etc. You didn’t feel like you were on a film set of Ye Olde LondonTown.
I’m an AirBnB fan, but if you’re a solo traveler, you might prefer a hotel for amenities/security.
Southwark area includes Bermondsey, home to a good Saturday street market and a nice array of shops/restaurants.
What I liked best about Southwark—it wasn’t completely touristy. There were lots of locals going about their business, supermarkets, drug stores, schools, etc. You didn’t feel like you were on a film set of Ye Olde LondonTown.
I’m an AirBnB fan, but if you’re a solo traveler, you might prefer a hotel for amenities/security.
Posted on 11/29/18 at 10:01 am to Ruxins Rascals
If you are interested in history go to The Museum of London. The best museum I have ever experienced.
Posted on 11/29/18 at 2:53 pm to Ruxins Rascals
You could go get Tea at Sketch. Awesome place to see.
I personally love this bar called The Alchemist.
I personally love this bar called The Alchemist.
Posted on 11/29/18 at 3:39 pm to Ruxins Rascals
Go to St Pancras and get the Eurostar to Paris. London is a shithole.
Posted on 11/29/18 at 5:14 pm to Ruxins Rascals
Will be heading there in April. Bringing my elderly mom, inlaws, along with wife and 6 y/o daughter so we'll see how that goes.
Staying at Hilton Conrad St James, which is a prime location, a few nights then taking the Eurostar to Paris for 5 nights, then Belgium.
I'm actually considering the Big Bus hop-on hop-off due to having our parents with us. It seems to be pretty efficient and hits all the hot spots for first timers.
Staying at Hilton Conrad St James, which is a prime location, a few nights then taking the Eurostar to Paris for 5 nights, then Belgium.
I'm actually considering the Big Bus hop-on hop-off due to having our parents with us. It seems to be pretty efficient and hits all the hot spots for first timers.
This post was edited on 11/29/18 at 5:16 pm
Posted on 11/29/18 at 6:30 pm to IOTA
I love the big bus. Try to do it your first day so you get the lay of the land. Stop for the tourist highlights like the Tower and Buckingham Palace.
No shame in taking the big bus.
Most important tip: coins for the loo. You can’t just slip into a MCDonalds when you have to go. Gotta pay.
No shame in taking the big bus.
Most important tip: coins for the loo. You can’t just slip into a MCDonalds when you have to go. Gotta pay.
Posted on 11/30/18 at 3:06 am to IOTA
quote:
then Belgium.
Where in Belgium?
Posted on 11/30/18 at 6:29 am to IOTA
quote:
I'm actually considering the Big Bus hop-on hop-off due to having our parents with us. It seems to be pretty efficient and hits all the hot spots for first timers.
We did this last summer as we had 2 kids under 5 and figured it would be a great way to see the sights without walking all over. I would say it was okay. The busses are great and guides and info are great. When you are moving its great.
The main thing is they are very slow, they go through the most congested traffic areas. So one full circle route can take 3-4 hours. I mean I'm talking some spots are like 6 blocks in 30 minutes slow.
But for someone like elderly and little kids, absolutely a great way to see the city.
We did the 2nd day because its like 60 GBP for 1 day and like 10-20 to add on the 2nd day. The 2nd day I would not say is worth it though simply because of how slow it is. Even on a different route.
Posted on 11/30/18 at 6:36 am to hungryone
quote:
(South bank of the Thames) area around London Bridge
I would absolutely agree with this. In hindsight we stayed out by Kensington north of Hyde Park, we wanted to be in a residential area which it was. It was a great area with kids which we had. But in hindsight we were further from almost everything we did. Every day we would go to the Thames basically.
I'd stay around the Thames to the South in the future as almost all of the big things are there close to the river.
Popular
Back to top
Follow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News