London - things to do?

jo.king

Hi guys and gals,

I’m off to London next weekend ... does anybody have any advice on what to do/not to do, i know shopping is on the agenda :rolleyes: but is there anything else that could be of interest?

Any decent websites with info?

Cheers!

Jo.

Merrion

The British Airways London Eye is worth a visit. Book tickets online and avoid the queue.
Camden markets and/or Carnaby Street is madly touristy but interesting none the less. Good pubs on Camden lock. for you to relax while the shopping goes on around you.

BuffyBot

Check out Covent Garden for the market, street theatre and London Transport Museum

jo.king

Hi Merrion,

Yea i was looing at the London Eye but i dont want to commit to a time, by booking on line ... are the queues really big? How long do they take?

Thanks,

Jo.

Merrion

At a weekend in peak tourist season you can expect to wait about an hour - it may have gone down since last summer (when I was there).

silverside

any of the museums Science Museum, War Museum, etc
If you like books visit Foyles on charing cross road ( near tottenham court road end)

stroll around camden market or covent garden

grumpytrousers

If you've a day to spare, go to kensington. Between the Science Museum and the Natural History Museum, you'll see plenty. Get bored with that, and you can trot up the road to the V&A, a design Museum. From there, you're in Knightsbridge. Pop into Harrods, laugh at the prices of the clobber in there, and you can walk to Hyde Park

Hire out a boat, terrorise some ducks on the Serpentine there, if it's a Sunday, head towards Speakers Corner. Laugh at the loons around there. You're now at Marble arch. Walk up Oxford St. After Oxford Circus take the (I think) 5th street to your right, heading down Soho. The name of the street you need is Berwick St. Stop outside the store 'Selectadisk'.

Realise that you're JUST at the place where the two lads are on the cover of What's The Story Morning Glory. Continue down. Soho Sex Shop Land.

Giggle for a while, but don't spaff on the merchanise in the shops - they don't like that.

Piccadilly - Trocadero, video games, shooting, japanese kids dancing on those machine things.

Denman street, Cafe there called the New Piccadilly - it's simply the most stylish vintage oldskool Caff on the planet. Formica tables, laminated menus, smart-arsed bloke running it, waiter service, a meal for a change out of a tenner.

If you're bored after that lot...

FX Meister

Visit the Saatchi gallery near London Eye, the queues for the Eye looked massive when I was there a few weeks ago. Tower of London is rad too.

Merrion

Also - Vinopolis is quite good - if you like wine, natch.

MiCr0

the british museum is a must see
they have a great egyption exhibit on at the moment

Darren

Get ripped off left, right and centre.

grumpytrousers

au contraire, most things suggested on the thread thus far came either under the 'cheap' or even 'free' categories. Original poster said 'shopping' was on the agenda, hence concentration on cheap stuff...

Darren

Accordin to CNN, London is the second most expensive city in the world

http://money.cnn.com/2004/06/11/pf/costofliving/

p.pete

Originally posted by Darren
Accordin to CNN, London is the second most expensive city in the world

Darren, that's a "cost of living" report - not the same as "cost of visiting" although I can't deny London's reputation for being expensive. I hope to get in there soon to spend some time walking the streets (might pack some sandwiches though ;D)

silverside

Yeah its an expensive city alright, but lots to see. Bring your batch loaf and make some hang sangwiches and you'll be right.

Any suggestions for decent, relaxing side-street coffee shops/pubs to sit down and chill out for a little while, London city centre? That is one advantage Dublin has over London (from what little I have seen of London so far)

MadsL

The TATE!

Must see if you have even a passing interest in art...

grumpytrousers

Any suggestions for decent, relaxing side-street coffee shops/pubs to sit down and chill out for a little while, London city centre?

Loads - most of 'em are up Soho way though, cos it's pedestrianised, or as good as. Any other part of the city with a 'streetside' coffee shop will have the punters gasping for air as the No73 fro Stoke Newinton belches and farts its way by you...

silverside

gt: yeah soho looked nice enough last time i passed by, just skirted the edge I think (by Chinatown).

name a few good streets for me?

grumpytrousers

name a few good streets for me?

dunno names of streets really - suggest you walk down charing cross road towards leicester sq, but turn right at the Palace Theatre - where Les Mis is/was on. you're in soho there.

follow your nose from there!