Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community - View Single Post

Barnet Flame · 06-29-2011, 06:02 PM

It is difficult to pick day trips from London without knowing what a person's interests are, but I like to go to Brighton, but for a perverse reason, I like to walk along the seafront when the weather is crap.

I've taken everyone who has come to visit me here on the London Eye - the queues are large at times, but if you get there first thing in the morning = really early, the line ups arent that bad and you get the best views then as visibility ion the crisp morning air is better as things tend to haze over a bit - particularly in the summer months as the day progresses.

When travelling on public transport, make sure your friend purchases an Oyster Card:

http://visitorshop.tfl.gov.uk/english/introduction.htm

There is a £3 activation fee, but you get this back if you return your card at the end of your trip and fares are significantly lower (half or more) than purchasing tickets.

If the weather is good - and it usually is in August - London believe it or not gets less rain than Rome (random fact for free there), I suggest a cruise along the Thames which will take you past the Houses of Parliament and up towards the O2 Arena and is very relaxing and scenic:

http://www.citycruises.com/

Alternatively, you can combine a land and river tour by going on a Duck Tour - these are land amphibious vehicles and I've done two of them (one aborted during the 21/7 bomb scare) and these are brilliant.

http://www.londonducktours.co.uk/

They depart every half hour or so from near Waterloo and just 2-3 minutes walk from the London Eye which itself is just across the bridge from Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament.

If you decide to take the open top bus tour, you get the added bonus of being able to stop off where I work and I am never too hard to persuade to fabricate an important meeting that involves a visit to a pub.

And as for pubs - they are not that great generally speaking, but again, if the weather is nice, find yourself a pub along the river and watch life go by.

Also, I'd suggest taking the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) which you can do with the Oyster Card to Grenwich.

Also I strongly recommend checking out Camden Market - nearest station is Camden Station on the Northern Line.

Of course there is also the usual - Buck Pal, harrods etc, but it is hardly much of a tip to go to those places.

Hope your buddy has a good time.

06-29-2011, 06:02 PM	#11
Barnet Flame Franchise Player Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Barnet - North London Exp:	It is difficult to pick day trips from London without knowing what a person's interests are, but I like to go to Brighton, but for a perverse reason, I like to walk along the seafront when the weather is crap. I've taken everyone who has come to visit me here on the London Eye - the queues are large at times, but if you get there first thing in the morning = really early, the line ups arent that bad and you get the best views then as visibility ion the crisp morning air is better as things tend to haze over a bit - particularly in the summer months as the day progresses. When travelling on public transport, make sure your friend purchases an Oyster Card: http://visitorshop.tfl.gov.uk/english/introduction.htm There is a £3 activation fee, but you get this back if you return your card at the end of your trip and fares are significantly lower (half or more) than purchasing tickets. If the weather is good - and it usually is in August - London believe it or not gets less rain than Rome (random fact for free there), I suggest a cruise along the Thames which will take you past the Houses of Parliament and up towards the O2 Arena and is very relaxing and scenic: http://www.citycruises.com/ Alternatively, you can combine a land and river tour by going on a Duck Tour - these are land amphibious vehicles and I've done two of them (one aborted during the 21/7 bomb scare) and these are brilliant. http://www.londonducktours.co.uk/ They depart every half hour or so from near Waterloo and just 2-3 minutes walk from the London Eye which itself is just across the bridge from Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament. If you decide to take the open top bus tour, you get the added bonus of being able to stop off where I work and I am never too hard to persuade to fabricate an important meeting that involves a visit to a pub. And as for pubs - they are not that great generally speaking, but again, if the weather is nice, find yourself a pub along the river and watch life go by. Also, I'd suggest taking the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) which you can do with the Oyster Card to Grenwich. Also I strongly recommend checking out Camden Market - nearest station is Camden Station on the Northern Line. Of course there is also the usual - Buck Pal, harrods etc, but it is hardly much of a tip to go to those places. Hope your buddy has a good time.