16 hours in London-What to do?

1/1/2014 | killermosquito

[freehouse3]

Visit the Imperial War Museum and Tower of London. When you get to the Tower, there’s a place right after you go in , where you can wait for the next guided tour to start, that is the best way to see it IMHO.

[lowbridge]

Say hi to Mr Ebeneezer Scrooge and Mary Poppins for me.

[JackOfVA]

Many good London ideas posted - the British Museum, the Tower, Tate, etc.

Two of my favorites not so far mentioned are the Science Museum and the Victoria and Albert museum.

But, it would take a month to begin to do London justice in terms of interesting places to visit.

[gundog]

Tours of Factory 10 in Sophia?

[gundog]

Touche....

[AnAmericanMother]

"A man who is tired of London, sir, is tired of life!"

[NYFriend]

British Museum (free, museum of human history).

If you are flying into Heathrow, you’ll probably take the Heathrow Express to Paddington to get into London (used to be pricey, but it was much faster than taking a local).

Used to be an Indian restuarnt called “Ganges” somthing right near Paddington Station on Praed, that was good. Mickey’s Fish and Chips, was a standard chip shop. Internet search will tell you whether they are still around. Also within a block or two is St. Mary’s Hospital. Across the Street is a only Pub (like 100+ years old, which is where they think Flemming picked up the Pennecilin mold that lead to the discovery of anti-biotics. It’s English food with histoy.

Not much else worth seeing in 16 hours in Bayswater or Paddington (if you had more time, it’s a nice place to stay and hang out), but you can hop the Tube to anywhere. Hit the City of London (Tower, Themes, Big Ben, Tower Bridge, etc) or whatever museums you want.

[A Formerly Proud Canadian]

I was being kind?

[Ole Okie]

“Make fun of their faggy accents and their inbred German head of state.

As opposed to your inbred, faggy head of state?”

I presumed that Clemenza was having a little bit of fun there.

It’s possible also to refer to the United States as “your lost colonies”, to the delight of the English hosts.

[Conspiracy Guy]

Stay at the airport until it’s time to leave.

[isom35]

ask a tour guide to go see the house the Beatles lived in in the movie Help.

[Bernard Marx]

Each time I visit London I spend most of my time at the British Museum. Endless wonders! I’d suggest an Indian lunch at the Red Fort and an evening at Porter’s for meat pie and Spotted Dick pudding.

[PlateOfShrimp]

London is my favorite city (though I rarely get a chance to visit). In addition to the recommendations so far, I would suggest a quick stop in St Martin-in-the-Fields church. If you are near the financial district on a weekday, I would recommend taking a few minutes at St. Mary Woolnoth, where John Newton is buried. The National Gallery in Trafalgar Square is excellent and (IIRC) free (so you don't have to feel required to stay very long). As someone else said, the Tate Britain is also great, don't waste time on the Tate Modern. If you are near Tower Hill, walking up The Monument is fun and doesn't take long. As others have said, you can see a lot in London in a relatively short time. Above all, get a 1-day travel card and ride the Tube - the most iconic subway system in the world - and be sure to mind the gap.

The food is much better, IMHO, that some posters here say. Many wonderful pubs - if you find yourself near Paddington, I highly recommend the steak and ale pie at the Victoria, washed down of course with several pints of Fuller's London Pride.

[Libertarian444]

Don’t stand on the street near the Walkie Talkie.

[PlateOfShrimp]

Also, if you are in Soho, stop in at Lee Ho Fooks and get a dish of beef chow mein. I did this years ago - food not very good, but a lot cheaper than taking home a waitress who was working for the Russians.

[Jim Noble]

If you like Indian food:

Veeraswamy
Mezzanine Floor, Victoria House, 99-101 Regent St, London W1B 4RS, United Kingdom

[Taylor42]

I spent 5 months in London a while back. It's a great city. You can use the underground to get around. There are some good suggestions so far. I suggest taking the underground to Piccadilly Circus and walk the neighborhood.

Also, get the first volume of Churchill's "History of the English Speaking People's", read it before you go and you'll have a much better appreciation of the sights you choose to visit.

[Old North State]

I lived in London during the mid ‘90’s and haven't been back in a while, but if things are relatively the same, I would recommend a trip around central London on one of the step-on step- off tour buses to quickly get the lay of the land. After that, you can pick out a few sites to see in greater detail; following some of the recommendations already given. Tons of good pubs, I can suggest “The Opera” over near Covent Garden for a more upscale dining experience if you decide to catch a play. I once spend a long afternoon there and wound up participating in the greatest disaster in West End Theatre history (but that's another story.) Then there's “Simpsons on Strand” if you want a traditional beef experience for a somewhat hefty price. Places to avoid? Soho Street (clip joints), East London and Brick Lane area would be my advice. Of course, things may have changed since I lived there.

[mfish13]

Go to Blackfriars Pub , at the Blackfriars tube station and have a pint for me.

[Joan Kerrey]

Where should I eat?

Colonel Sanders and other American food restaurants are all over the place.

Memorize the Koran before you go.