Trip to London - Ideas?

[Ja Di ksw]

Hi all, I'm going to be making a stop by myself for a few days in London and I was wondering if people knew of any "must do" things in London. I really have no plans yet, or even know where I'm staying, so I can't nail it down to a part of London. I'll be landing in the morning on December 27th and leaving in the afternoon on December 30th.


In general, I prefer activities to passive sightseeing (ie, I would rather be white water rafting than sitting on a boat). That said, I'm also trying to get more into photography, and some good sightseeing places would be nice as well. Old castles, forts, historical museums, etc, are fun, but I wouldn't want to spend a full day on one. I do, however, like nature activities and seeing different animals. It might be neat to see a play or something as well. Oh yes, and any fun night life places would be good too ;) (I'm 27, if that's needed for the type of night life place).

Thank you everyone in advance for the ideas!

[Peterkro]

There's a ton of things you could do,off the top of my head,Kew Gardens or this:http://www.thamesriveradventures.co.uk/pricing.html

[Blue Velvet]

Many of us in London do end up saying the same things again and again. Read these good threads as well :)

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=451853
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=435385
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=306689

Some attractions might be closed between Xmas and New Year. Check their websites for more info.

[Stepper]

Please do not walk around in urban areas with a camera around your neck and you wallet sticking out of your back pocket...try not to leave central london after 5/6pm

[Ja Di ksw]

Thank you all for the ideas.

Peterkro - That looks like fun, but is it something available in the winter?

Blue Velvet - I will definitely look at those, thank you :)

Stepper - I have a very nice camera, is this something I should avoid taking around? If it's that bad to leave central London after 5/6 pm, does that mean I should make sure my hotel is in central London and stick to those areas?

[Blue Velvet]

try not to leave central london after 5/6pm

Eh? That's a bit alarmist. :confused:

[robbieduncan]

Stepper - I have a very nice camera, is this something I should avoid taking around? If it's that bad to leave central London after 5/6 pm, does that mean I should make sure my hotel is in central London and stick to those areas?

I'd say no. Most of London is pretty safe. Do some research, find out where the real trouble spots are and avoid those, but for the rest of the city I'd say you'd be fine...

[Stepper]

London is becoming very dangerous imo.

If you was to go somewhere like Newham, Haringay, Peckham etc etc in the evening (even now it's completely dark outside and its only 4:30pm), there is a high chance that you will get robbed. I live in London and even I don't go to certain places (unless I'm with certain people) that are only a couple of minutes from my house because of the high crime rate.

Im not saying that London is the biggest ghetto in the world (far from it) but these children are going crazy. Many of the young un's (12-15) round my way are always getting arrested, always have knifes or some sort of weapon on them and some of the "olders" (the older generation) have these kids "patrolling" the area looking for people to rob or just keeping a look out for the police.

Now I'm not trying to scare you or anything, but just use your common sense, don't walk through a council estate at 10pm with an expensive camera around your neck lol

But overall London is a pretty safe place...especially central London:D

oh yh don't go to the Aquaquarium its s*** lol

[Scepticalscribe]

History is my passion, so I'd recommend the Tower, Hampton Court, Westminster Abbey, among others. The British Museum is amazing, a place where you can spend days of your life. A most under-rated - but to my mind excellent, - little museum, is the wonderful and eclectic Wallace Collection. Likewise, the Art Galleries (Tate, National) are excellent, and if you like theatre, the West End always has some really interesting plays on.

Re cameras, there is no reason not to take a really good camera around with you; I have a Nikon F100 and it travels with me. Just don't wear it around your neck when strolling and exploring; keep it in a nice rucksack when you are not using it, then take it out for taking photographs, and then replace it again in your rucksack. Enjoy it, whatever else you do. It is one of the world's great capital cities.

Cheers and good luck

[arkitect]

London is becoming very dangerous imo.

Anymore than other major cities? :confused:

Now I'm not trying to scare you or anything, but just use your common sense, don't walk through a council estate at 10pm with an expensive camera around your neck lol


He/she's a tourist… why in god's name would he go wandering around council estates at any time, never mind after 10pm?

Quite frankly he is far more likely to get mugged in "touristy central London" — ie. your "safe" areas.

[Stepper]

Anymore than other major cities? :confused:



He/she's a tourist… why in god's name would he go wandering around council estates at any time, never mind after 10pm?

Quite frankly he is far more likely to get mugged in "touristy central London" — ie. your "safe" areas.

I wouldn't know if London is more dangerous then other major cities...I haven't been to none

Obviously if you use common sense you wouldn't go wandering around council estates...thats why I said you'll be alright if you just use your common sense.

Im just trying to tell the OP that London isn't as safe as it used to be:rolleyes:

[allmIne]

London is becoming very dangerous imo.

If you was to go somewhere like Newham, Haringay, Peckham etc etc in the evening (even now it's completely dark outside and its only 4:30pm), there is a high chance that you will get robbed. I live in London and even I don't go to certain places (unless I'm with certain people) that are only a couple of minutes from my house because of the high crime rate.

Im not saying that London is the biggest ghetto in the world (far from it) but these children are going crazy. Many of the young un's (12-15) round my way are always getting arrested, always have knifes or some sort of weapon on them and some of the "olders" (the older generation) have these kids "patrolling" the area looking for people to rob or just keeping a look out for the police.

Now I'm not trying to scare you or anything, but just use your common sense, don't walk through a council estate at 10pm with an expensive camera around your neck lol

But overall London is a pretty safe place...especially central London:D

oh yh don't go to the Aquaquarium its s*** lol

I've been to London several times, and have never had cause to go to any of the areas you mentioned. You say you're not trying to scare him, but I see no other reason why you'd mention those areas, or the council estates.

OP, go and enjoy yourself. You'll have no problems, as long as you take the usual precautions - don't advertise yourself as a tourist, and stick to well lit, busy areas. I had my macbook pro in my bag virtually all day every day, and bought a lot of nice gear while I was out there, and did as I would do in my home city - look after it :)

If you're getting into photography, check out the Tower of London. It's very enjoyable for a visit, and particularly at dusk, should make for awesome photos.

[Stepper]

I've been to London several times, and have never had cause to go to any of the areas you mentioned. You say you're not trying to scare him, but I see no other reason why you'd mention those areas, or the council estates.

OP, go and enjoy yourself. You'll have no problems, as long as you take the usual precautions - don't advertise yourself as a tourist, and stick to well lit, busy areas. I had my macbook pro in my bag virtually all day every day, and bought a lot of nice gear while I was out there, and did as I would do in my home city - look after it :)

If you're getting into photography, check out the Tower of London. It's very enjoyable for a visit, and particularly at dusk, should make for awesome photos.


Well I live in London and Im just telling the OP that London isn't as safe as it used to be and to be carefull.

Someone earlier on (might of been in a different thread, the link is in this thread though) suggested going to camden...Do you know the ammount of drug dealers there are in camden? Or the ammount of crime that takes place in Camden, which is only like 10-15 mins from the west end btw.

Im not trying to scare anyone, all I'm saying is that London isn't really safe imo...especially for tourist that walk around with expensive cameras around there necks

[robbieduncan]

Someone earlier on (might of been in a different thread, the link is in this thread though) suggested going to camden...Do you know the ammount of drug dealers there are in camden? Or the ammount of crime that takes place in Camden, which is only like 10-15 mins from the west end btw.

Yes, Camden does have a lot of drug dealers in it. If you don't get offered drugs within about 3 minutes of getting off the tube there then you probably look like the Police. But I'd say Camden is pretty safe. Camden Market is a huge tourist attraction, visited by 100,000 (http://travel.mapsofworld.com/england/london-tourist-attractions/camden-market.html) people every weekend.

[arkitect]

If you don't get offered drugs within about 3 minutes of getting off the tube there then you probably look like the Police.

Now there's a really scary thought. :D
http://www.indierockcafe.com/uploaded_images/police1-782260.jpg

[Badandy]

As someone who just spent a month in London over the summer (I'm from Los Angeles) I'll try to help you with your nightlife needs. I don't know what reputation these have over there but I really enjoyed the Ministry of Sound (club) and Fabric (club). Warning though, both will shatter your eardrums if you stay there for too long.

[yojitani]

As someone who just spent a month in London over the summer (I'm from Los Angeles) I'll try to help you with your nightlife needs. I don't know what reputation these have over there but I really enjoyed the Ministry of Sound (club) and Fabric (club). Warning though, both will shatter your eardrums if you stay there for too long.

Exactly what I was about to recommend. MoS would be good if you are into dancing. Ronnie Scott's or Blue Note if you like jazz. Jazz Cafe in Camden can be pretty good at times too.

As for other things to do, my favorite place in London is the Tate Modern. But if contemporary art doesn't do it for ya, you might skip it.

Edit:
Don't worry about Camden, BTW. Yes there tend to be dealers around, but should you look the part and someone offer you some, it won't harm you to say 'no thanks'. Just like in any big city, it's better to be where people are. Stepper, you are sounding like the Daily Mail.

[jalagl]

I go to London several times a year for business reasons, and I like the city so much that I always try to stay at least a weekend. Some of my favorite spots and activities are:


Tower of London
Science Museum
Tate Modern
Walking around Oxford Circus and Covent Garden (during the week)
The parks
The Portobello Road Market on Saturdays
Going to the Theater (get tickets at half price on the booth in Leicester Square)
Ice Skating
Watching a football game (went to Chelsea's, impressive stadium)

[Ja Di ksw]

Re: safety discussion - Hmm, a few differences on how safe London is. Are there any places in particular to avoid? I'm male, 27, and in good shape (martial arts past 12 years), but a guy with a knife is still a guy with a knife, and I'm not stupid enough to think that you can't die really easily if you try to do some heroic stuff when someone pulls a knife on you. I like the phrase "the guy who wins the knife fight is the one who gets to die on the way to the hospital instead of on the street."

Stepper - Thanks, I'll avoid the aquarium. Been to several in my life, and scuba dived on the great barrier reef and in fiji, hard for aquariums to impress me now anyways.

Scepticalscribe - Thanks for the tips. I do like art, and a play would be fun to see. What type of things are at the Wallace Museum? I've also heard people say I should go to the Tower, is that just a place to view the city or is there more to it than that?

allmIne - Thanks for the time recommendation on the Tower of London. I'm definitely liking photography, so hopefully I can get some nice pics there. Is it something that costs a lot of $ (or, I guess, £'s :))

Badandy and yojitani - That's a helpful tip, thank you :). Recently single after a long, long time, so would not mind hitting up a nice club and just having fun dancing with some girls or getting some drinks. I'll definitely look into those.

jalagl - That's a lot of stuff, thank you. Are there any parks in particular you would recommend? The market sounds fun too, as does the theater. I'll make sure to go to Leicester Square for my tickets.

[Blue Velvet]

Let's cut the trolling crap about safety. Ja Di ksw asked for tourist and visitors' suggestions, not a stupid argument amongst locals.

Ja Di ksw, if you PM me just before you come to town, I'll meet and have a pint with you. :)

[Ja Di ksw]

Now that is a great suggestion for something to do :). I'll let you know before I get there. Be fun to meet up with someone from MR for a drink, never actually met anyone from on here in person before.

[Ja Di ksw]

Staying close to the Royal Opera House, specifically in the Ruskin Hotel. Can you tell I put things off to the last minute sometimes? :). Thanks to everyone for the help, and if you think of something close to that hotel let me know as I'll pop online to e-mail some people during my stay.

Thanks again!

[yg17]

Sorry to hijack the thread, but I'm going to London too in a couple months. Is the London Eye worth going to? I had originally planned on it, but if I'm going to spend half the day waiting in line (I mean queuing ;)) should I still bother?

[Macky-Mac]

Staying close to the Royal Opera House, specifically in the Ruskin Hotel. Can you tell I put things off to the last minute sometimes? :). Thanks to everyone for the help, and if you think of something close to that hotel let me know as I'll pop online to e-mail some people during my stay.

Thanks again!

is that the one on Montague Street? that's right next to the british museum and a short walk to covent garden

[iGuardian]

Go to the set of Doctor Who :p

[remmy]

Sorry to hijack the thread, but I'm going to London too in a couple months. Is the London Eye worth going to? I had originally planned on it, but if I'm going to spend half the day waiting in line (I mean queuing ;)) should I still bother?

It is very much worth going. You can pre buy tickets to save queuing up to buy them. The views are great.

[jonnyb]

If you buy a ticket in advance the queueing times are almost non-existant. It's well worth a visit. On a clear day you can see a huge amount.

Make sure you get the capsule attendant to point out the Eiffel Tower on the horizon. American tourists love that ;)

[yg17]

Make sure you get the capsule attendant to point out the Eiffel Tower on the horizon. American tourists love that ;)


Is that some sort of joke I'm not getting or can you actually see the Eiffel tower from the Eye? I would've thought it would be way too far away ;)

[jonnyb]

Is that some sort of joke I'm not getting or can you actually see the Eiffel tower from the Eye? I would've thought it would be way too far away ;)

Oh the Eiffel tower is definitely too far away but on the horizon is the Crystal Palace TV tower which looks vaguely reminiscent.

I've been on the Eye three times now and the second time there was an American woman pointing out the Eiffel tower to her husband as we stifled our giggling.

The third time I mentioned it to the attendant who laughed and told us they pass their days by counting how many gullible tourists fall for that one.

[JackMaurer]

Just the usal stuff mate,

London Eye, Big Ben, Harrods, big Shops, ride an open top bus, buckingham palace ect ect...

[jonnyb]

Don't bother with Harrods (gaudy, overpriced, crowded hell-hole) or Buckingham Palace (gaudy, overpriced aesthetically bereft pastiche).

If you are in any way interested in the architecture and history of London visit Westminster Abbey, St Paul's Cathedral and the Tower of London. A tour round the ancient centre of London (the City) will give you a far more interesting view of London's 2000 year history than Westminster or Knightsbridge ever will.

[remmy]

It is most definitely worth climbing up to the top of St Pauls Cathedral.

Harrods is very gaudy and overpriced. At least Buckingham Palace is next to a nice park which is good in summer.

[jonnyb]

It is most definitely worth climbing up to the top of St Pauls Cathedral.

Harrods is very gaudy and overpriced. At least Buckingham Palace is next to a nice park which is good in summer.

Yes, the view from the bridge over the lake in St James's park towards Horseguards and Whitehall is one of my favourite in London

[Kashchei]

Don't bother with Harrods (gaudy, overpriced, crowded hell-hole)

But the Christmas decorations are definitely worth a look (if you happen to be in the area already)

[Macky-Mac]

Don't bother with Harrods (gaudy, overpriced, crowded hell-hole) or Buckingham Palace (gaudy, overpriced aesthetically bereft pastiche)......

on the other hand, every american tourist must consider going past Buckingham Palace at least once because inevitably there's some elderly female relative who will be extremely disappointed if they don't!

[jonnyb]

on the other hand, every american tourist must consider going past Buckingham Palace at least once because inevitably there's some elderly female relative who will be extremely disappointed if they don't!

If you're going past it on the way to somewhere more interesting, sure. If not, just lie.

[pimentoLoaf]

My friends over on the talkBoards of Guardian Unlimited suggest:

"A walk down the South Bank is a must. Start at the London Eye and have a go, then walk east passing the Globe, the Tate Modern, loads of eateries, Royal Festifal Hall, St Pauls, all the way to Tower Bridge and the Tower of London. That's easily a whole day.

Also recommend Spitalfields and Brick Lane, or Camden for oddness" - LadyInGreen

---

"Spitalfields and Brick Lane as LiG says - good for fashion and small independent shops.

If they want a bit of culture but not too much the British Museum is a good place to dip into.

If they want to do something vaguely outdoorsy, a riverboat trip or a London Duck trip (WWII semi-aquatic vehicles) are good fun.

Information on clubbing - buy Time Out magazine, or have a look here: http://www.timeout.com/london/ " - Sorcha65

---

Hope this helps. :cool:

[Badandy]

Make sure to visit Hyde Park. I had to do some studying this summer and I just hopped on the underground to Hyde Park and took my laptop out on one of the benches. I will remember that experience for a long time.

[pimentoLoaf]

I started a thread (http://talk.guardian.co.uk/WebX?13@493.BDvvecvDE4C@.7760d127/0) on the aforementioned talk boards over at Guardian Unlimited newspaper.

Lots of ideas there.