Going to Britain to drop some tourist $$ on our British friends- any advice? (yeah another vanity!)

my own sense of paranoia | 10/17/2004 | lawgirl

[lawgirl]

I am going to be taking a vacation with a few friends to London and Bristol, England, before the election and I wanted to get some Freeper ideas on where to eat and what to see.

I was intially very worried about travelling abroad before the election, but then I realized- that's what the terrorists want! So forget them- I am going to drop some tourist dollars on our faithful British friends! I have never been out of this country so I am a little bit freaked, so I thought I'd ask for some input from other well traveled and/or British FReepers.

I am going for a long weekend basically- spending two days in Bristol (and that time is mostly planned out but I will have some time to shop if anyone has suggestions) and an afternoon, night and morning in London. Does anyone have any ideas about the best way to see London in a few hours? Bus tours, etc? And I am also looking for a good English pub to snag some lunch.

I'd love to hear anyone's stories about their trips to Britain, helpful cultural references, etc. Any travel tips would be very appreciated as well. I really don't want to broadcast "Hey! Here's an American!" We are flying into Heathrow and taking the train from Paddington into Bristol.

JimRob- I hope you'll forgive the vanity!

[tahoeblue]

Oh yes - as to beer - there is only one - London Pride!

The pubs are almost all owned by breweries, so you may have to bar hop a bit until you find one that serves London Pride. I believe they are brewed by Fullers.

Don't stop until you have a few pints of it.

-tb

[Allegra]

I was in London for ten days in May. It's very expensive, but you CAN find bargains. I'm a "theater-geek," so I went to lots of shows. The half-price ticket place (TKTS) on Piccadilly is a good deal. Avoid the ticket brokers all along the theatre disttict...they'll rip you off.

You can get reasonably priced meals around Charing Cross where a lot of the ethnic places are. Good Indian, Italian and other kinds of food. Also, the Texas Embassy restuarant on Trafalgar Square was reasonable and very welcome to this Texan who has been working in the Middle East all year.

The open-top bus tour is a good deal, too. About 15 pounds for a 24 hour pass and you can get on and get off anywhere you want. They don't RUN for 24 hours, though.

Beware...liberalism is rampant in the UK!

Have a great time!

[Republic Rocker]

Here is one of my fave restaurants...... Hakasan! It's in central London....Euro-Asian affair, hip and very happening. Make resv.!

For Old School London food the best is" J Sheeky's". Ask anyone they will know...Great fish!

Red Fort for Indian food which is very popular in London.

And hotels......hip is the Sanderson, Quint and cute is the Charlotte Street Hotel.

Cheers

[Voss]

Bump for trip info.

[lambo]

Lawgirl, if you happen to be a Rumpole fan (those books got me though law school), go to El Vino in Fleet Street, which is the original of Pommeroy's Wine Bar. The Inns of Court, the Bailey, and many chambers are around the corner.

I'm assuming you aren't dying to get away from work.

[broadsword]

Spend some time in Scotland and drink some wonderful Heather Ale. Both the Brits and Scotts are great people, but the Scotts are ten times as friendly.

Slightly better food in England, though.

[asgardshill]

I can't believe that nobody has recommended the Imperial War Museum in this thread. Its a marvelous half-day excursion if you're at all interested in that sort of thing.

And if you want to pamper yourself, go to the Odeon Leicester Square movie theater. If its anything at all like it was when I was there 20 years ago, you'll see a movie the way God intended that movies should be seen - in pure opulence.

Other favorites of mine are Portobello Road (a flea market where you can find anything), Kew Gardens, and a little fabric shop near the US Embassy that sold me enough tartan in my clan's pattern to make two kilts.

[Bon mots]

Watch when you cross the street. LOOK BOTH WAYS TWICE!!!

Zillions of tourists have been killed by stepping off the curb into traffic after looking the wrong way before crossing a street. Remember, in America, you look left before crossing, so you will do the same in the UK by reflex.

John Mack, the Harvard professor was just killed after making that mistake, and Winston Churchill almost bought the farm on a visit to NY making the same mistake.

LOOK BOTH WAYS TWICE!!!

[ArmstedFragg]

Here's yet another vote for the doubledecker bus tour, still called, I believe, the "Round London Sightseeing Tour". Pick it up near speakers corner on the east side of Hyde Park. It's a great way to hit the high spots quickly.

Jump off the bus at Big Ben, see Westminster Abby then reverse course, go a few blocks north to Downing street, past the fully tricked-out guard through Horseguards and across St. James Park to the palace. All told, about a mile and a half and a great walk.

Try to catch a play, it's a great theatre town. Half price tickets and evening rush make it cheap, too, if you're not picky about what you see.

For Chinese, the Mayflower restaurant in Picadilly.

Never give a London cabbie an address, just tell them where you want to go. The addresses are not sequential in London, but all the cabbies are required to master an in depth knowledge of the town before they get licensed.

Enjoy!

[capitan_refugio]

If you enjoy museums then London is the place to be. I particularly enjoyed the City of London Museum with it Romano-Briton exhibits, and of course, the British Museum. Since I am a geologist by training, I also enjoyed the Geolgocal Museum in Kensington. If you like Art Galleries, try the Tate. Needless to say there are lots of choices.

You might also want to go see a theatrical production. There are many choices there too. If you like Andrew Lloyd Weber, odds are there are two or three production or revivals ongoing. You might ping MadIvan while you are at it.

[capitan_refugio]

"geological" museum - its late

[pau1f0rd]

an afternoon, night and morning in London. Does anyone have any ideas about the best way to see London in a few hours

I would advise you to keep travel to a minimum, and see lots of things that are close to each other. And be ready to do a lot of walking! Here’s my suggested tour, with must-sees in bold.

For a good full day in London for a first-timer I would start with the Tower of London, before crossing Tower Bridge to HMS Belfast.

There are pubs, cafes and great restaurants all along the river’s south bank. I recommend the Anchor pub near Shakespeare's Globe Theatre for a quick beer. The Tate Gallery of Modern Art is around the corner, but I would cross over the footbridge at the Tate to see St Paul's Cathedral, and then cross back and continue on the south bank to Gabriel's Wharf, the South Bank Centre and London Eye. You'll see all of London from the London Eye, and it gives you a chance to sit down! Then cross Westminster Bridge for Big Ben, The Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and Downing Street.

From Westminster the West End is very close. You could go to Leicester Square (pronounced Lester if you need to ask directions!) and buy theatre tickets for the evening. Lots of good restaurants in the West End too. Or Covent Garden is nearby if you prefer to shop and watch street entertainment for a while. After the theatre, go and have a coffee at Bar Italia on Frith St in Soho. It's open 24 hours a day and is a good place to meet people.

[alnitak]

Make sure you check out the Clifton Suspension Bridge, built by one of my heros, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. He also built the railway you will be going to Bristol on :-)

Lots of people have made suggestions for London, I would second the walking tours or bus tours.

[Luis Gonzalez]

Good Lord!

You only have a few hours (reminder to self to actually read beyond the titles)!

Pub crawl your way across London...raise a pint as often as possible and enjoy the history of the place.

[T. P. Pole]

If you have free time near Bristol, then I would suggest Bath, Wells, and Glastonbury. Further off is Salisbury/Stonehenge.

Wells cathedral was my favorite in all of Brittan.

We stayed in a hotel that is built into the city wall. The Gatehouse Hotel. Twisting corridors and four-foot tall doorways. Great place.

Glastonbury abbey is in ruins, but is a fascinating place. The scale of it is gigantic. They have what is claimed to be King Author's remains buried there. There are other things to see there too, like Tor hill, which is a man made hill with a maze cut into it.

Just up the road is Street, which has, of all things, a shoe museum. Cheddar (where the cheese came from) is just up the road, too. Cheddar gorge is wonderful.

Salisbury cathedral has an original Magna Charta, and is just up the road from Stonehenge.

I know this is probably too much, but I'm sure you'll have fun no matter where you end up. Good luck.

[Voss]

Cool photos. Dynamic and energetic. My husband is going to London this week; I'm going to send him your link for photographic inspiration.