Posted on 01/01/2014 1:24:59 PM PST by killermosquito
I will be making a short business trip to Cambridge and London, England (Feb 5-7 Cambridge, Saturday, Feb 8 in London). Then a slightly longer stay in Sophia, Bulgaria (Feb 9-15).
Freepers know everything. What should I do? What should I not do? Where should I eat? What places must I be sure to visit?
Didn’t know the Imperial War Museum is closed for refurbishing. Therefore, the Churchill War Rooms are definitely worth seeing.
It’s not “Cockney” any longer. It’s “Estuary”. :)
Tell, tell!
I’ve spent a combined total of about three months in England and never had a bad meal anywhere. I agree that it’s frustrating to have to defend it from ignoramusi.
If it was me (I never was there) and I had the time I would visit the C. S. Lewis house, The Kilns, and the pub where the Inklings met, The Eagle and Child, they are about 6 miles apart in Oxford.
If I had 16 hours in London, I'd definitely stop at the Piccadilly location of Fortnam and Mason for freshly made macaroons, wonderful boxed tea to bring back home (make sure to buy some for yourself! Just had a cup of Queen Anne tea, tonight ;) You can also partake in Afternoon Tea at the store.
Another stop I'd make would be The Shard (loved that!!) and/or The London Eye - to get a great bird's eye view of the city - and St Paul's Cathedral. In fact, some of the best fish and chips we had on our entire stay was right near St Paul's (on Queen St, I believe.)
You can buy your HOHO and activity passes (even Skip the Line passes - well worth it!!) in advance at sites like Viator.com.
Good luck and have a wonderful time in Merrie Olde England.
Pubs. Lots of history in London, of course, but not much to see in 16 hours. You’ll learn as much in a pub as anywhere else and the food is usually better there, too.
I used to hop on double-decker buses in central London at random to enjoy the scenery and see where luck would take me. I would travel miles for a pittance. Usually a good experience, but one time just before dark the bus driver reached the end of the line and said “out”. It was a scary area called Brixton and I had to walk a few blocks and wait 30 minutes for another bus for the return ride.
If you were in London during the spring or summer, you could take a nice long walk along the Thames from Big Ben to Saint Paul’s Cathedral.
But, that’s ridiculous! There’s been an explosion of great restaurants from the late 1990s on! Some of the best chefs in the world are from Great Britain now. But you can’t eat in some cheap pub - just as you wouldn’t eat in a nasty bar in New York City. And, even if you’re dining on the cheap, a nice sandwich from the Pret chain is the thing to do. There’s one called a Christmas sandwich - the whole turkey thing on bread.
Where’s the tomatoes and black pudding?
Seriously, eat that for breakfast and you can get by with a very light lunch. Great way to save money.
I agree with a Tower tour. If you have time at the Tower, I would do the inside of St. Peter Ad Vincula, but that adds an hour and I don’t know how many churches you want to see.
I love the hop on hop off bus, I do that whenever I am in a city I’ve never been in before.
There is also a wonderful water tour on the Thames, which I love. You go up to the Millenium Dome, and turn back around the Globe theatre. It’s a wonderful way to see London, you pass under the bridges, and you can sit down and have a coffee at the same time. I think it was two hours and leaves around St. Pancras station, if I recall.
I do recommend the Jack the Ripper walk. Wear steady shoes. Lots of fun, and drinks afterwards at the 12 Bells Pub.
As for food, I’ve never had a bad meal there honestly, but I like Indian, and adore Pub Grub. And fish and chips served in newspaper.
If you're into fine and decorative arts take a look at the Wallace Collection in Manchester Square ( it's in the West end near Bond Street Station) Very similar to the Frick in New York
If you want to see an old nautical pub try The Prospect of Whitby in Wapping
There's a pedestrian tunnel under the Thames to Greenwich from the Isle of Dogs ( think Millenium Statium ). Greenwich is an interesting little "village" near the "City of London".
Couple of other suggestions, the Science Museum in South Kensington and if you like knockabout political comedy and sometimes scathing wit, try Prime Ministers Question time at the House of Commons.
Well I’m currently in Austria. And have spent the past week in Germany, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. The world has a lot to offer, and Chicago or Detroit is more dangerous as the most dangerous place in Europe. And certainly more dangerous than London.
To me, the Crown Jewels were SO big that it really looked like fake jewels. And then you wonder if maybe they are fake?!
If my stay in london involved the evening, I’d go see a Shakespeare play.
Also, if you are in Soho, stop in at Lee Ho Fooks and get a dish of beef chow mein.
But your hair must be perfect.
We did that in Ireland. Save the money for a noisy pub instead.
Ireland != England.
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