3 day London Visit

[MikeMikeMike]

Does anyone have any ideas for an itinerary for a short visit to London? I will have in tow an American friend (who has been to London before and has therefore 'done' the bus tours, the tower, the mockery of guards. the natural history museum and all such things which are traditionally forced down the tourist's gullet) Any suggestions for more interesting places to go/places to eat etc?

[feelap]

hi mike, whenever i have guests coming to visit me in london i usually take them to the following places:-

-Victoria & Albert Museum

-Sicilian Avenue for coffee

-Fortnum & Mason for buying food

-Walking across Embankment Bridge at night time

-Borough Market for the atmosphere

-Looking at the wierd and wonderful at Camden

-A walk through kew gardens

-Any of the following restaurants, Amaya, Roka, Ping-Pong, Yauatcha, The Wolesely, Wagamama, Wong Kei or Cafe Fish

[waimarie]

Depends on which days of the week but what about Portobello Road on a Saturday. Petticoat Lane. Camden Lock etc. A sit in at Chiswick Auctions is a bit unusual as well.

[spudqueen]

Aaahhh, but has he done the London Eye? Great views, and not too crowded if you go early in the morning. Other than that, a stroll round Tottenham Court Road area, especially round the Goodge St area (popping in Heals and Pollocks Toy Museum), interesting small shops and nice pubs and restaurants. Islington is also good for a look around., as is Hampstead (can go for a stroll on the heath aswell). Or how about Highgate cemetary, you can even go on guided walks. How about somewhere a little further afield, Greenwich, Kew, Richmond, Hampton Court.

[pega]

if your in oxford street a very interesting place to visit is Tyburn its a benedictine order and they have a crypt with relics and artefacts of the Tyburn martyrs there is a marking on the road in oxford street near marble arch where the tyburn tree was the crypt is history of the nobility that were put to death and sure would be of interest and different for your american friend. you could look it up and the BBC site has it on their website. address is 8 hyde park place its worth a visit and as I say different and also agree The London Eye is worth a ride.

[lazy daisy]

Why stick to London. Why not have a day out in Milton Keynes, theres plenty to se and do up there. OR better still, why not visit Birmingham. Every Saturday theres a German Christmas market, it may be on a Sunday as well but I'm not 100% sure. Theres Brindley Place, which has wonderful eating places.There Birminghams equivalent to the London Eye. Gas street basin which is the main hub of the canal networks with lots of working barges. Don't forget the new Birmingham Bullring with its many shops.

PS. Did you know Birmingham has more miles of canals than Venice!!!!!

[Narolines]

Daisy, the German market operates every day until fairly well into December - not sure of the exact date, but I walk through Victoria Square regularly and it's currently in full swing. We also, bizarrely, have the National Sealife Centre.........

[lazy daisy]

Narolines.....Thanks for telling me it operates every day I didn't realise that. I know that next Sunday there is a lantern parade taking place at 5pm PLUS there will be 20 real reindeers walking the streets!!!!!

This could only happen in Birmingham !!!!!!

Don't forget about Birminghams Fluzzi in the jacuzzi.

[MikeMikeMike]

Thanks all, much appreciated. I shall bear them all in mind. I was pondering what might happen with this question and what kind of answers I'd get, but I never suspected it would be hijacked by the Birmingham Marketing board! No offence! Sorry, just to clarify, we're both currently in Manchester, we're just visiting (specifically) London for a few days. We're both studying for masters' in English, if that suggests anything specific?

Cheers all

[vehelpfulguy]

Well if you are both studying English how about the British Library?

This is a huge building next to Euston Station. It is the largest UK building constructed in the 20th century.

It is a mecca to language (and history). It is part museum, part library, part reference centre.

EVERY publication produced in UK and Ireland has a copy sent there, they have maps, stamps, patents, manuscripts etc. Over 150 million items.

The Magna Carta is there, Lindisfarne Gospels, the earliest dated printed book.

They have exhibitions, presentation and talks.

Web site is here http://www.bl.uk/ and it is free to get in.

[vehelpfulguy]

As well as the British Library you can also do:

British Museum. The worlds history (Rosseta stone, Elgin Marbles for example). Free to get in. South of Euston near Oxford St.

You could spend DAYS in here.

Web site http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/

Also the group of 4 museums in South Kensington (all within a few yards of each other).

I know you said he has been to the NH museum but they can always stand another visit.

Natural History, Science, Victoria and Albert, and Earths Galleries (Geology).

All free to get in. Wonderful buildings, lots of history, you could spend a day in each of them.

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/

http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/

http://www.vam.ac.uk/

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit-us/galleries/earth-galleries/

[vehelpfulguy]

I suggest you buy the Dorling Kindersley Guide to London.

Handy size, about 8 inches by 4 inches, and packed full of intersting places to go.

Although it does cover the obvious it also covers the more out of the way and quiet places in London.

It also has half a dozen walks that take you round parts of London.

I have lent mine to many people who were going to London and they found in very interesting.

[vehelpfulguy]

An interesting group of things to do South of the river. Not many tourists go South of the river, except to go on the London Eye.

Just South of St Pauls is Southwark, where until the 18th century people went for illicit pleasures.

Three things: the famous wobbly bridge across the thames (which no longer wobbles), the Tate Modern (in an old gas power station), and the recreation of the Globe theatre where Shakespeare was supposed to have performed.

In fact the Southwark area was featured a lot in the film Shakespeare in Love.

Near there is Southwark Cathedral where Shakespeare's BROTHER is buried (not many people know that).

There is also the Clink prison museum, where we get the name "clink" from, also the George Inn (a working pub), London's only example of a traditional galleried coaching inn.

You can walk back across the bridge to see St Pauls and the Monument (where the great fire of london started) if you want.

All the info above is from the DK guide to London so you can see how useful it is.

[MikeMikeMike]

Cheers VHG, you are indeed helpful beyond the call. I'll have a look for the guide this afternoon.

[Narolines]

Sorry about that, MMM - but when you're a native of the greatest (and most underrated) city in the country (waits for the inevitable!) you have to grab every opportunity to sing its praises! :-)

[brachiopod]

You could always have a trip down the Isle of Dogs on the DLR (Dodgy, sorry, Docklands Light Railway), have a look at the new officey-buildings (Canary Wharf etc.) - wander / ride down to the tip of the 'Island' - (there's a city farm near here, too) - and walk under the Thames via the Greenwich Foot Tunnel to Greenwich.

Here there's plenty of pubs (trendy, traditional, riverside etc.), the tea clipper The Cutty Sark, (the original), and on a Sunday there's an extensive flea/antiques/crafts etc.market. Take a wander up the hill in Greenwich Park which offers a great panoramic view over the towers of Docklands, the City and further downriver. Catch the DLR back to wherever you're staying directly from the centre of Greenwich.

*This itinery was brought to you by AnswerBank Tours (London) Ltd.*

[vehelpfulguy]

I agree the Greenwich area is fascinating.

In Greenwich park is the Royal Observatory, where the GMT dateline is I believe. Also the National Maritime Museum.

Harrison's clocks are there, possibly the most famous clocks in the world (see Longitude)

http://www.nmm.ac.uk/server/show/conWebDoc.355/viewPage/2

This page below gives an overview of Greenwich:

http://www.greenwich-guide.org.uk/greenwich.htm

(Bought to you by VEHELPFULGUY tours). I was born in London and love it, but now live in Birmingham.

While impressed by the Birmingham Marketing team earlier in this question I have to say that there is no comparison, London is a great world city.