Holiday a week in London (any suggestion)

[esp88]

Hi Folks

I wonder somebody in LEF can help me some suggestion/guide how to spend a week in London ?

e.g. where to eat (reasnable price), pubs, shopping etc... any exbitions

The reason why I asked, my daughter is expecting to graduate the college next week and after the graduation spend a week in London !

So, please help me out folks !

Y.Hotta

[USAndretti42]

I'm not very familiar with London but I'm sure some members must be. Can't anyone help a fellow Esprit devotee? Come on, peeps.

[Bibs]

Make sure you call me when you are over Yasou, we'll pop out for dinner

London isn't cheap, there are a million restaurants/pubs/places to see however. Where are you staying? With 900 sq miles lemme know and I can recommend some nice places but we'll definitely meet up at some point

[Mark Blanchard]

Where do you start? London is massive, the choice is vast. As mentioned one thing for sure, bring lots of money!

London is divided into districts, some are more expensive than others. Earls Court is quite Central and has lots of Hotels and restaurants around, it's quite buzzy and easy to get into the centre of town.

Use the Underground to travel around and buy an Oyster card, you'll save you self lots of money in expensive taxi's.

Main area of shopping is Oxford Street.

Go and see Covent Garden / Leicester square / Piccadilly / Trafalgar square.

Also see Parliment (Nearest tube Westminster) and Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Millenium wheel and walk down to the Tower of London along the Embankment.

Go to Tower Bridge and see Borough Market (not to far away).

The big money is around Knightbridge. Go and see Harrods. Then down to Sloane Square and Kings Road (more shopping for her, lots of money needed!).

I would have adviced Camden Market , but as you might have heard, there was a big fire there last weekend.

Here are some walks: www.londontourist.org/itinerary

See to recap, LOTS of money and an umbrella!

I don't live there but work there every day.

Good luck and hope you have a great time .

[matk]

There are a million and one museums. What sort of things do you like to look at so we can try and pick a few of interest?

[Kimbers]

My suggestion is dump London and go somewhere that's British. If you go to London you might as well be in Amsterdam, Munich or some other cosmapolitan City. (I left Paris and Rome out because they are quintisentially French and Italian).

If you want real Britain by all means have a look at the Houses of parliament and Buck Palace and then get the hell out and go somewhere with History. (Londons Museums are replicated throughout the Western world) Even in Norfolk (and I'm not suggesting here as an alternative) we have Roman Forts, Bronze & Stone Age villages, Medieval Castles (Norwich Castle), Tudor Streets, 365 pubs and 365 Churches. It's real Britain and full of History. The same can be said of loads of other Cities throughout the UK.

Just do me a favour and Just say NO! to London!

(Apologies to all Londonites, but it's true and you know it!)

[MPx]

London is one of the worlds BIG cities (arguably covers 25 mile diameter or more). However, the main historical landmarks are surprisingly closely colocated around the West End and City (East Central). When I lived there I often used to take visitors on a quick car tour to get the lie of the land and another good way to get an overall flavour is by doing one of the Big Bus Company sightseeing tours. You can get on and off anywhere on route all day (~

[esprit22]

Avoid London, it's dirty and over priced and full of tourists! Stay down in Sussex, loads of Castles and 1066 at Hastings beats Oxford Street any day. Lovely old pubs serving real English Ale and home cooked food at not rip off prices. London.....no thanks!!!

[Jonathan]

My suggestion is dump London and go somewhere that's British. If you go to London you might as well be in Amsterdam, Munich or some other cosmapolitan City. (I left Paris and Rome out because they are quintisentially French and Italian).

AAAAaaahahhahahaa omg.

How many have you had ?

London wipes the floor with any city I have been to, when I say wipes the floor.....it wipes the floor.

The prob is all the naysayers complain about 1 or 2 things and then refuse to acknowledge the good attributes they didn't even know existed.

It REALLY depends what you want to do in London.

History - spoilt for choice, considering it's a MAJOR city a lot of the stuff is well cheap (

[matk]

I've got to say that before I lived in London I never had the slightest desire to do so, seeing it as an overcrowded stressful place to be. Now I'm here I'm really enjoying it. There is far more space (Regents and Richmond Parks spring to mind) than you realise and I'm starting to really like the place. The transport system gets a slating by the locals but compare it to any other major UK city (and I've lived in most of them) and it's superb!

[mangel]

London is Toss, lived there for two years and don't think I met anyone I liked!!!

Loads of nicer places to go in britain without having to pay through the nose!!!

[esp88]

Thanks folks

I know, I visted some time in London but it's my daughter's choice (she will take with her frend) and

I'm not with them ! (I will vist Donginton but Not Lodon )

My suggestion may same as mark suggest :

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Main area of shopping is Oxford Street.

Go and see Covent Garden / Leicester square / Piccadilly / Trafalgar square.

Also see Parliment (Nearest tube Westminster) and Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Millenium wheel and walk down to the Tower of London along the Embankment.

Go to Tower Bridge and see Borough Market (not to far away).

The big money is around Knightbridge. Go and see Harrods. Then down to Sloane Square and Kings Road (more shopping for her, lots of money needed!).

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P.S. Bibs is that Ok I can pass your phone no. in case if she need a help !

[Bibs]

Sure thing

[mangel]

EEERRRRR and if they're on there own don't let them go out drinking with Bibs!!!

[Bibs]

[Kimbers]

I'm sorry Jon, some of the places you call Historical just plainly aren't!

Tower Bridge: 1894

Big Ben: 1858

St Pauls: 1673

They are places of interest...."Ohhh look a big clock. Never seen one of thos before!" Not Historical.

You want Historical?

Caister St Edmunds Roman Town: 170AD

Norwich Castle: 1120-1130

Burgh Castle Roman Fort: 390AD

Elm Hill Norwich, 1507 (the whole street and surrounding area)

As for inexpensive? All of these are FREE! and I could list about another 25 straight out of my head. As for culture, yes it does have museums and stuff and I've been to them all. I love the natural History Museum. the rest, bleh! I've been to better in the far east, I've been to better art Galleries in Italy and seen so much more in Paris, Rome, KL etc.....except I never got mugged or felt unsafe in any of those places like I do in London!

Sorry, you can keep London. IMHO it's not even British anymore.

[Bibs]

Easy tigers.

This isn't a London vs Norwich competition and history is as defined by each person. I don't recall Yasou saying he wanted to visit ancient history but wanted to do some 'touristy stuff'. London is our capital city, for better or for worse but it is and I think tourists prefer to see Tower Bridge and Big Ben to a mud hut in Norwich guessing by the tourist revenues from each area. London was first settled in 43AD so it does go back some, it was the first Roman settlement in the UK.

London is a shit place to live, it's too expensive and nowadays too dangerous late at night (mainly south of the river!) but if you want to visit the UK and look at 'tourist' stuff, it's the place to be, like it or not.

Oh, and don't drive in central London from late Oct. The 'Congestion', that's right, 'Congestion' charge is going up to

[esp88]

Yeha... all the Captial city are expensiv (like Tokyo), but if you know where you can find buy/eat reasonable prices ! There are lot of possiblty in big town !As you may know Copenhagen is Not the bigest town in Europe and a windowshopping for them will be fun (except using the VISA may problems later )

They are not so interest in Historical/museum but the British musem,Tower Bridge will alway nice to see..

So, My guess are they will spend sightsee few dags and a windowshopping ...

Any other exbition or a music concert end of this month ?

Oh By the way what is the age limit in pub ?

Edited February 12, 2008 by esp88

[Bibs]

You have to be over 18 to buy beer, you'll get ID'd if you look under 21.

[esp88]

Ok Bibs

They are just over 21, so No problems for this matter ..

[esprit22]

You have to be over 18 to buy beer, you'll get ID'd if you look under 21.

Yeah, that always happens to me...

[gghc87]

Yasuo

If you can get one in the correct language the would higly recommend the DK London eyewitness travel guide.

See Here Clicky

They are excellent, cover all aspects of the city. As well as other cities I even have one for London and I only live 36 miles from the place.

[Jonathan]

Kimbers - those examples are off the top of my head.

History is not to do with dates and simply 'how old it is makes it better' but if you want dates....Westminster Abbey (1050), Roman ruins and excavations (350-450), Tower of London (1078), Houses of parliament etc - plus you have all the things inbetween as well.

In your book the D-Day beaches would not be anything historic to go and look at then becuase it's only 70 odd years ago ?

Historic places and events can be a matter of weeks old if they want to be - Ground Zero in NY is an immensly historic place - that was only 2001 !

Never felt unsafe in London either, never been mugged there - infact I feel more relaxed in the City than I do in my home town, the worst thing about London and safety imo is our local train station and the pikeys

Saw more muggings / thefts in Rome actually.

There are certainly more Police on the streets there as well.

Spend just as much on car fuel and entrance tickets anywhere else.

I really dont understand why you'd say London isn't British anymore....whats changed ?

As for art and museums - London is a global city so it's not just based on 1 thing but a mixture of all.

Bristish museum is stunning - by far the best I ahve been to (and as I say its free) you can take photos in there and it has somethign for everyone.

Grenwich is also fantastic (pity they burned that ship down but there ya go)

People either love it or hate it I suppose, but I do hate it when London gets a really unfair and undeserved rap. When you ask people why they just come out with something so generic like "it's dirty and smelly"

I supose it's what you make of it - I goto London and look forward to it and anything bad I just ignore and focus on the many good things - some people just wanna see the negative side, and if you look, yeah you'll find it without a doubt but it doesn't mean it's all like that - far far from it.

The biggest difference with London is there is genuinly something for everyone, it's not idealic but then again you do have like 10 million people living there.

[Kimbers]

History is not to do with dates and simply 'how old it is makes it better' but if you want dates....Westminster Abbey (1050), Roman ruins and excavations (350-450), Tower of London (1078), Houses of parliament etc - plus you have all the things inbetween as well.

I really dont understand why you'd say London isn't British anymore....whats changed ?

Jon,

With the greatest respect, Thats what I said. You said Historical, I said places of interest. Most of the Historical sights in London went up in the Blitz!

And in Reply to the second bit, you answered it for yourself " London is a global city so it's not just based on 1 thing but a mixture of all."

What I was merely pointing out is that there is an awful lot more to see outside London for someone who wants to get close with British culture. London is a Cosmopolitan City and for that I dislike it. As Bibs says it's expensive, pretencious and dangerous. If you don't feel unsafe in most of it you must carry a 9mm! My daughter there at Uni and in the 4 months she's been there, on her street alone, there has been 3 serious assualts, 1 murder and a gang rape by 10 youths of 2 of the students.

Frankly I would feel safer in Liverpool with a Large Arrow on my head saying "Manchester is great and the Beatles were crap!"

[esprit22]

Jon,

Frankly I would feel safer in Liverpool with a Large Arrow on my head saying "Manchester is great and the Beatles were crap!"

Larf!....I almost booked a two week holiday in Norwich!