Where To Visit In London

[tamaris]

Near Marylebone. My niece is arriving from Oz in a couple of weeks to stay in Stratford for 2 weeks looking after a sick aunt there. We are meeting at Marylebone station on the 17th March for the day.
I am a member of the Nat Trust. We like most things. Can you give me an idea what we can do for the day ? Also somewhere for a cheap lunch etc, TIA

[mallyh]

madame tussauds marylebone street

[mallyh]

just put sightseeing in marylebone on google and loads come up

[Booldawg]

Tower of London?

[rockyracoon]

It's Paddy's Day, find an Irish pub and enjoy the craic.

[Zacs-Master]

A guide to National Trust properties in London:
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/local-to-you/london-and-south-east/things-to-see-and-do/london/

[murraymints]

madame t and planitarium both in Marylebone st..walk through to the park...or quick hop down to Covent Garden..watch the buskers ..nice shops places to eat..

[tamaris]

I was thinking Irish pub as well.

[Buenchico]

Unfortunately there aren't any particularly convenient National Trust properties nearby. Here's the results of a search based upon the postcode for Marylebone Station:
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/575-wandsworth-road/visitor-information/

All of central London can be accessed fairly quickly by Tube though, so you won't be short of things to do!

I'd suggest heading to South Kensington, where you'll find the V&A:
http://www.vam.ac.uk/
From Marylebone take a Bakerloo Line train to Paddington (2 stops) and then a Circle Line train to South Kensington (5 stops) OR take a Bakerloo Line train to Piccadilly Circus (4 stops) and then a Piccadilly Line train to South Kensington (4 stops).

In the unlikely event of you not enjoying the V&A you can simply cross over the road to the Natural History Museum or to the Science Museum. (They're all free, so it costs nothing to poke your nose inside to see if 'it's your type of thing'. Don't try to do them all though, as they each need several hours exploration to get the best from them!).

From South Kensington, then take a Piccadilly Line train to Covent Garden (6 stops), where you can enjoy the general 'buzz', watch the free street entertainment (usually including some excellent opera singers) and then get lunch at Bistro 1 on Southampton Street. (It's got lots of fans here on AB, with a good-quality 2-course lunch costing just £9.90). Menu:
http://bistro1.co.uk/menus/bistro1-restaurant-lunch-menu.pdf

It's then only a 5-minute walk to Trafalgar Square, where you can visit the National Gallery (another freebie):
http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/
and/or the frequently-overlooked National Portrait gallery (which is behind the National Gallery):
http://www.npg.org.uk/

From there you can easily walk to one of the world's best (and quirkiest) wine bars, Gordon's, (which is down the side of Charing Cross station, near Embankment Station) where you can treat yourself to a bottle of something really nice:
http://gordonswinebar.com/#!/gallery

From Embankment Station it's just 6 stops on the Bakerloo Line for you to get back to Marylebone. (Your niece can get back to Stratford by taking the Circle or District Line to Monument and using the escalator link to Bank, from where she can get the Central Line).

[Pocket_Rocket]

Buenchico - awesome!

[Buenchico]

PS: If you want to substitute an Irish pub for Bistro 1, in my itinerary above, the obvious choice is Porterhouse in Covent Garden:
http://www.timeout.com/london/bars-and-pubs/porterhouse

[Buenchico]

Sorry! Wrong National Trust (search link) above!
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/places/find-a-place-to-visit/?findPlace=nw11%206jj&type=&view=undefined

[tamaris]

Many thanks Chris you are a star x

[tamaris]

Buenchico can I download any street/attraction maps of central London where I do not have to install their toolbar ?

[Buenchico]

Trying to fit all of central London onto an A4 sheet isn't easy, Tamaris!

The best free map of central London that I know of (and use myself) is the Central London Bus Map:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/documents/bus-route-maps/central-london-bus-map.pdf
but I use the printed version. Zooming in on that pdf file isn't easy!

Nevertheless, I've tried to zoom and crop to provide you with this image:
http://i60.tinypic.com/2rgfij5.jpg
Click on the map to enlarge it. Then click on 'View Raw Image' (at the bottom left of your screen). Right-click and select 'Save image as', to save the picture to your chosen location. Then open it with your picture viewing software and print it out. (You could also try printing the web page directly but remember to switch the paper orientation to 'Landscape' for the best fit).

[Buenchico]

PS: Bookshops across the country (together with news stands across central London and railway station newsagents) stock this:
http://www.az.co.uk/?nid=60&iid=10856&pts=1,2,3,4,5,6,&s=London%20visitors&t=0&;st=1
The map unfolds to roughly 3 feet by 2 feet. which is really the sort of size that you need to cover central London. Perhaps it might be worth investing in one?

While I'm here, I'll remind you to ensure that (when you purchase your rail travel into Marylebone) to ensure that get a Day Travelcard added onto your ticket. It's valid on both buses and tube services and will save you a fortune on purchasing tickets for each journey.

[tamaris]

Dear Chris thank you so much for your invaluable information, I think I love you x

[tamaris]

Managed to do the map as you said and invested in the map off Eay for £2.81 x

[grasscarp]

Buenchico. You are a hero and beyond belief in the lengths you go to for us mere mortals.

[tamaris]

Grasscarp I could not have said it better