Seeking advice about London and UK

[fanman]

Hey everyone, I'm hoping to get some advice or tips from people who have travelled to the London area or especially anyone who lives there or elsewhere in the UK. A friend of mine will be travelling there in August, from Japan for a vacation. She hasn't planned out all the details of her trip yet but I think she'll be staying mostly in London and area.

So if any CPers can answer any of these questions, or have any tips or ideas about anything related it would be hugely appreciated!

-She is wondering about the London Eye (ferris wheel?), if it is usually very busy in August or worth it to check out. Also if it's possible to get tickets in advance and if so, how and where?

-Any suggestions for nice restaurants or cafes. She would also love to try a good British pub, any recommendations?

-Is there a good place to get cheap train tickets, or some kind of deal that visitors can get?

-She'd also like to check out a bit of the countryside, anyone know any good spots? (Not too far from London is ideal, but any suggestions are welcomed.)

-Any good sight-seeing spots or events coming up during that time that might be interesting?

Thanks again for any ideas or info you have, much appreciated.

[Bane]

I've been to London a few times and the lineup for the London Eye is always long. I never bothered to see how quick it went though.

A good way to see the city for the first time is to hop on one of the double decker buses. If the weather is good, then you get a great view from the ones with the open top level. You can also get on and off them allday. Pretty much everything is in walking distance, or a short hop on the Underground.

The Strand offers excellent shopping.

Some of the local tour companies offer day trips to places like Stonehenge and Windsor Palace.

Devon and Cornwall offer great country side viewing, but might be a little farther afield than you're looking for.

[J epworth]

Travelled to London end of last summer with the gf. This was my itinerary:


Grab food to picnic at Tesco Express and picnic in Hyde park
Shop at Harrods and Harvey Nichols
Dinner @ the Tea Clipper (http://www.beerintheevening.com/pubs.../Knightsbridge) OR The Grenadier http://thegoodpubguide.co.uk/pub/vie...adier-SW1X-7NR OR The Nags Head http://thegoodpubguide.co.uk/pub/vie...-Head-SW1X-8ED

September 9th
9AM – Tower of London (do crown jewels first or we will be stuck there all day)
Grab food to go somewhere then take the 11:35 or 12:05 ferry from Tower millennium pier to Westminster millennium pier
Tour Westminster Abbey
Jack the Ripper walking tour at sunset

September 10th
Bus 9 double decker to Buckingham palace to see changing of the guard at 11:30AM
Go to Covent Garden for lunch and see street performers
Go to the British Museum (allow for at least 2 hours)
Pub dinner and go see Wicked

September 11th
Check out by 11AM
National Gallery, at least 90 minutes
Start at Picadilly Circus (tube), walk up Bond street shopping, end at Oxford Circus
Dinner before or at 6PM (Skylon Restaurant) (reserve ahead)
London eye before or at 8PM (reserve ahead)
Go to Sheraton, relax before flight home

Double decker bus tours
Bus 11, 12, 19 or 88 → check online for routes, where to start



One thing I would suggest out of all of it was the Jack the Ripper walking tour. Was such an amazing way to walk through East London, was one of the highlights of the trip.

[Boblobla]

I would recommend grabbing a copy of the tube(Underground) map and a map of London that has the tube stops on it. Then you can see which stops will take you to the sights you want to see. The tube is an excellent way to get around.

The line-up for the eye will be very long in August. I have been once and while it is a great view, there are MANY other things to do in the time you are waiting for the tube.

Here is a link for purchasing tube tickets online. They also mail pre-purchased tickets if your friend allowed enough time. I would recommend travelling around the city in off peak times, or at least avoiding the tube during rush hour.

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/default.aspx

There are tons of amazing restaurnts in London, make sure she tries a fish and chippy. There is nothing like sitting on the curb eating fish and chips out of a newspaper.

Hope that helps.

[Kybosh]

They are super cheesy, but hop-on hop-off buses are pretty handy to orient yourself in a new city.

[Winsor_Pilates]

All government museums are free, so if she's into that or looking for free ways to fill time/check out old things, that's a good way to do it.

[TopChed]

Originally Posted by J epworth kendal

One thing I would suggest out of all of it was the Jack the Ripper walking tour. Was such an amazing way to walk through East London, was one of the highlights of the trip.

I had heard about this from someone else, good to know you enjoyed it. I think I might give it a try while I'm there.

[banffavenue]

-She is wondering about the London Eye (ferris wheel?), if it is usually very busy in August or worth it to check out. Also if it's possible to get tickets in advance and if so, how and where?
http://www.londoneye.com/ offers tickets online and there's also a ticket office situated right next to the Eye (http://www.londoneye.com/VisitorInfo...s/Default.aspx) where you can buy tickets on the day or in advance (personally I would avoid buying on the day as you may find a large wait especially if its a nice day!) I'm not sure how far in advance you can book though, hopefully the links can help with that. The London Eye is usually busy (slightly less so than Summer but as I said, the weather in the later months is usually a factor in the popularity)

-Any suggestions for nice restaurants or cafes. She would also love to try a good British pub, any recommendations?
Covent Garden has some lovely pubs: http://www.coventgardenlife.com/pubs...sbarscafes.asp and is easily accessible on the tube (Never take a bus in London ever! A 10 minute walk or 2 minute tube is preferable to what can turn out to be an hour journey at times!) Good British pubs I'd recommend: http://www.coventgardenlife.com/places.asp?PlaceID=111 , http://www.coventgardenlife.com/places.asp?PlaceID=62, http://www.coventgardenlife.com/places.asp?PlaceID=74.
There are plenty more in the area which you will see just walking around in the area so you won't be short of finding one

By the way what types of cuisine does your friend like as then I can recommend in accordance with those preferences?

-Is there a good place to get cheap train tickets, or some kind of deal that visitors can get?
Best way to get cheap tickets over here would be to visit thetrainline.com and book a journey in advance. Depending on when you desire to travel there is an option to search for cheaper fares within those days and you can make big savings if you get there early as certain times of journeys have special offers.

-She'd also like to check out a bit of the countryside, anyone know any good spots? (Not too far from London is ideal, but any suggestions are welcomed.)
My friend lives in a rather quaint village in West Sussex called Findon with an expanse of surrounding countryside, this is slightly out of the way of London (rough map: http://www.findon.info/) but a train to Worthing takes approximately an hour and a half and then a bus from the station takes you there. Its rather remote but worth a day visit especially if you venture to Brighton/ furthe south for a few days.

Brighton which is a sort of 'London by the seaside' so you can enjoy the historic buildings (like the Pavilion http://www.brighton-hove-rpml.org.uk...ages/home.aspx) and a modern shopping centre. A bus journey in Brighton would also take you to further countryside easily such as http://www.southdowns.gov.uk/enjoying/. Like London, Brighton is a popular place for visitors and I'd recommend it for a few days to visit especially as its easily accesible on train from London direct (no changes and just under/an hour)

London also has some scenic green parks within the city which are nice to visit on a sunny day http://www.royalparks.gov.uk/

-Any good sight-seeing spots or events coming up during that time that might be interesting?
This is a good site to check: http://www.timeout.com/london/ and you can find events of interest in accordance to preference and time of visit. Hopefully this can also help: http://www.allinlondon.co.uk/whats-o...th=8&year=2011. Personally, the West End is something your friend should visit if they enjoy theatre as thats a big pull in London and you can usually get good deals in advance: http://www.lastminute.com/site/entertainment/theatre/. Museums are another London attraction and these are my personal recommendations: http://www.nhm.ac.uk/, http://www.britishmuseum.org/, http://www.vam.ac.uk/. Free admission but additional temporary exhibitions can cost from £5-10.

Thanks again for any ideas or info you have, much appreciated.
Coupons/savings in London can be found here: http://www.smartsave.com/uk/



(Hope this helps and if you want to know anymore feel free to PM me as I am a regular visitor to London throughout the year. )

[afc wimbledon]

Time Out is a magazine that was first published in London, has info on everything going on, concerts etc she should get a copy as soon as she gets there, trains in the UK are ungodly expensive and badly run since Thatcher privitized them, unless she can get a month long tourists pass. The south downs are nice and just outside London, Box Hill was a nice day trip when I was a kid.

Good pubs are all over the place, but the Prospect of Whitby right on the river is cool, Dickins and Pepys supped there, and of course Conrad's Heart Of Darkness starts there

Taking the Tube to Hampstead Heath and walking to Kenwood House is always a great way to spend a nice Sunday, great pubs around the Heath as well, the view from Primrose hill is outstanding.

[Lee of Red]

Originally Posted by fanman

-Any suggestions for nice restaurants or cafes. She would also love to try a good British pub, any recommendations?

Central London is a bit lacking for decent pubs these days. Of the Covent Garden lot, Punch and Judy is my favourite. You can enjoy a golden throatcharmer on the balcony while watching street performers on the piazza below. On a fine London afternoon/evening you can't beat it.

Most tourists end up in Notting Hill at some point. The Mall Tavern http://www.themalltavern.com/ is a great example of the gastropub phenomenon.

If I could only drink in one pub in London for the rest of my life, it would be The Blue Anchor. http://www.blueanchorlondon.com/. Been a pub since the 1700s, right on the banks of the River Thames and was even in that film Sliding Doors. Hammersmith is a little further out but worth the trek. There's a few good pub on that stretch of the river and it's worth a walk one afternoon.

-Is there a good place to get cheap train tickets, or some kind of deal that visitors can get?

If you mean the tube just get an oystercard on arrival. https://oyster.tfl.gov.uk/oyster/ you will always pay the cheapest fare with an oystercard.

-She'd also like to check out a bit of the countryside, anyone know any good spots? (Not too far from London is ideal, but any suggestions are welcomed.)

Leeds Castle is a good shout. Popular with tourists so plenty of bus tours down there. In the middle of some lovely countryside and is also a castle!

-Any good sight-seeing spots or events coming up during that time that might be interesting?

Borough Market. http://www.boroughmarket.org.uk/ London at it's bustling best. If you like food you'll be in heaven. Great place to mix with the locals and see why the stereotype about British food is so undeserved.

Tate Modern. Modern art is something people love or hate. But I think it's great, incredible what they've done with that building and some really good stuff inside. Most of it is free as well. http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/. From the Tate Modern you can walk across the Millennium Bridge to St. Paul's and you're getting the best of old and new London.

Best coffee in London... http://www.caffevergnano1882.co.uk/C...CoffeeShop.php

[Barnet Flame]

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.

[Barnet Flame]

Oh and as the poster above me stated, Borough Market is well worth it and there is a good pub right by there on the river - can't remember the name, but I used to go there after afternoon meetings at a client - arranged specifically so I could go there.

[The Reverend]

I second the poster above who mentioned the Tate Modern. Fantastic.

Also, check out the strange and wonderful pubs in Spanish Alley, some weird stuff and people in there for sure. Brighton is cool but kind of dull as it is pretty much and old folks town. However, in the summer, I'm sure it livens up a bit.

Camden Market is also very cool, you can easily spend half a day there. Good luck.

[fatso]

Logged in to recommend the Punch & Judy pub in Covent Garden, and saw I was beat to it... darn. Great time there.

I too would recommend the Tate. My recollection is that it is close to the Globe Theatre as well, so you can make a day of walking around that area.

I would highly recommend the British Library, which I believe is close to King's Cross Tube station. Possibly my favourite memory of my time in London. You can see an original copy of the Magna Carta, James Joyce's drafts, listen to Seamus Heaney read his poems, etc. It was an amazing experience.

[NBC]

Many of the nicest places in England - especially the southeast - are difficult to access with public transport. What you can get to easily enough tend to be overcrowded and camp, i.e. Stonehenge. If he/she is looking at getting out of London to see some of real England then it might be a tad difficult without wheels.

Downs House (Charles Darwin) is nearby south London (Bromley).

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/d...in-down-house/

The South Downs are nice, especially around Devil's Dyke. But that is a train to Brighton (yuk!) and a local bus.

There are lots of lovely villages complete with fantastic country pubs serving great food. Lots of city pubs are drinking pubs and aren't known for their food. Country pubs tend to be different in many ways - good food, real ales and frequently pub dogs!

If she is thinking seriously about going to Brighton like a few posters have suggested (though I can't possibly understand why) she needs to be aware of Brighton Pride (Gay Pride) that runs from 12-14 August. Typically anywhere between 150-250,000 visitors descend upon the city and you cannot find a room to save your soul. There is a huge parade and a sort of Beer Gardens in Preston Park on the Saturday. The city effectively doubles in size and services are severely stretched for this weekend. Many hotels and B&Bs would have been booked for months.

http://www.brightonpride.org/

[fanman]

Just like to say thanks again to all who have posted. Really helpful stuff and lots of info to consider, which is exactly what I was looking for. Cheers guys!!

And to sneak in 2 more questions.
-Can anyone recommend a good Italian restaurant?

-Anyone know a good place to eat in Chinatown?

[Nuje]

Mostly answered questions now, but I'll second the "get an Oyster Card on arrival". Cost me 3 pounds I believe, and paid for itself in one trip from Watford to central London (I just regret the money I wasted the first 2 days)

[WilsonFourTwo]

Number one thing to see is The British Museum. Words cannot describe it.

My Tips:

1. If you have to take a cab, you're not trying. The tube system is pretty amazing, at least on par with the NYC Subway System. It's SUPER easy to navigate and is cheap.

2. Buy your train tickets (at least) a day ahead of time. You can pay $10 for a ticket ahead of time, or $75 the day of the trip. I wish someone would have told me that....

3. Trains make excellent day trips easy. Go see York. The Minster is cool and walking the walls was a relaxing and wonderful experience.

4. If she wants to know what depression and sadness looks like, go to Slough. What a sh*thole. Seriously - don't go there.

5. London is all well and good, but she's foolish to travel all that way and not see Scotland. A night or two in Edinburgh will change a person.

[afc wimbledon]

The V&A, which is next to the Narural History and science museam in a particularly lovely bit of Kensington is a great museam and sorely ignored by most.

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by WilsonFourTwo

Number one thing to see is The British Museum. Words cannot describe it.

My Tips:

1. If you have to take a cab, you're not trying. The tube system is pretty amazing, at least on par with the NYC Subway System. It's SUPER easy to navigate and is cheap.

2. Buy your train tickets (at least) a day ahead of time. You can pay $10 for a ticket ahead of time, or $75 the day of the trip. I wish someone would have told me that....

3. Trains make excellent day trips easy. Go see York. The Minster is cool and walking the walls was a relaxing and wonderful experience.

4. If she wants to know what depression and sadness looks like, go to Slough. What a sh*thole. Seriously - don't go there.

5. London is all well and good, but she's foolish to travel all that way and not see Scotland. A night or two in Edinburgh will change a person.

It was a crap hole in the thirties too!!


Slough

by John Betjeman (1906 - 1984)



Come friendly bombs and fall on Slough!
It isn't fit for humans now,
There isn't grass to graze a cow.
Swarm over, Death!


Come, bombs and blow to smithereens
Those air -conditioned, bright canteens,
Tinned fruit, tinned meat, tinned milk, tinned beans,
Tinned minds, tinned breath.
Mess up the mess they call a town-
A house for ninety-seven down
And once a week a half a crown
For twenty years.
And get that man with double chin
Who'll always cheat and always win,
Who washes his repulsive skin
In women's tears:
And smash his desk of polished oak
And smash his hands so used to stroke
And stop his boring dirty joke
And make him yell.
But spare the bald young clerks who add
The profits of the stinking cad;
It's not their fault that they are mad,
They've tasted Hell.
It's not their fault they do not know
The birdsong from the radio,
It's not their fault they often go
To Maidenhead
And talk of sport and makes of cars
In various bogus-Tudor bars
And daren't look up and see the stars
But belch instead.
In labour-saving homes, with care
Their wives frizz out peroxide hair
And dry it in synthetic air
And paint their nails. Come, friendly bombs and fall on Slough
To get it ready for the plough.
The cabbages are coming now;
The earth exhales.


Always one of my favorite inter war poems.