A few days in London and 4 days in London, what are your "can't miss" suggestions

[Laura]

DD, DS and I are traveling to London, Scotland and Paris after Christmas before DD stays in Paris for the next four months *sniff* :(.

We will hit a lot of the standard tourist things, but I wonder if any of you have any can't miss places/restaurants that might not be in the standard tourist book.

We are staying in Notting Hill in London and will be in Edinburgh, Stirling and St. Andrew in Scotland (I think). The kids are under 18 (17 and 15), so I can't do anything that requires you to be older than 18.

Thanks in advance

[Kyra]

There was a fabulous Turkish restaurant called Tas Pide, I think. I will dig out my trip diary and check for you, though...

[honeygirl1971]

Have you been to London before? There is sooooo much to do, and you may need to 'triage" some of the "standard tourist things." It also depends so much on your taste/interests...Give us more details and we can make more personalized suggestions. I have spent a lot of time in London and adore it!

[chizzy]

In London, go on one of the "London Walks" tours -- they're relatively inexpensive (about 6BP) and are always wonderful -- great tour guides without exception. They have the more traditional walks and then some off beat ones. I take one every time I'm in London and keep saying I'm going to plan a trip around their schedule! The tours are about 2 1/2 hours long but not tremendous distances -- you won't get foot sore. Their web site is www.walks.com.

I've also always like going to Greenwich -- the observatory is really interesting -- esp if you can get on the guided tour. When I've brought kids, they've thought it fun to be on both sides of the prime meridian at once (perhaps I just know very geeky kids!). Take a boat from Westminster Pier to Greenwich at least one direction -- it's neat seeing London from the Thames.

My godson liked having a meal at the Cafe at the Crypt -- in St Martin's in the Fields (Trafalgar Square). It's being renovated (the church) but you can still get in the cafe. Food was good, not gourmet but "eating on dead people" seemed to be a hit for him (he was 15). It's not as ghoulish as that sounds, though. You can also do brass rubbings there.

The Cabinet War Rooms were very cool -- the rooms are set up exactly as they were during WWII when Churchill used them. The adjacent Churchill museum is amazing. Again, using my godson as a guide, the war rooms really brought that period alive for him.

[Laura]

Honeygirl, I have been in London, but DD and DS have not. I made a mistake when typing in my thread, I meant to say, three days in London, four days in Scotland.

I think you are right in the triage approach to the touristy items. DS is fascinated by anything in the military. DD is more into the artsty scene but as she will be visiting a friend in London while she lives in Paris, I am not really gearing this part of the trip toward her.

Chizzy and Kyra thanks for the advice so far. Turkish food sounds wonderful to me, and I know DS would love the war rooms. Actually DD loves the WWII time period, so those might interest her as well.

I appreciate all the suggestions.

[mightyh]

Hi Laura -

I second the idea for the Cabinet War Rooms--they are excellent and just off Trafalgar so not hard to access.

If your son is into WWs, you should definitely hit the Imperial War museum--it's in the southern half of the city and not near much else, but is easily accessible by tube. It has tons of exhibits, some rather heavy, but is very informative and interactive. There is one exhibit where you go into a bomb shelter and they have recreated the sounds, smells, and shaking that occured. Another that I remember fondly is an exhibit on rations--how much each family got and recipes they used to stretch their food. They also have a huge exhibit devoted to the Holocaust..similar the Holocaust museum in Washington DC.

I had my two small kids with me while traveling, so that may color my perception, but our favorite place to stop and eat lunch (or dinner) is called Pret a Manger--their symbol is a big star and you'll find them most everywhere. They have the most wonderful sandwiches, soups, and salads. It's just grab and go style, with tables inside, but the food is so good you won't miss being in a fancy restaurant. Coffee is good there, too.

Also, don't forget to check out www.ricksteves.com--tons of good suggestions both from Rick himself and on the bulletin boards there.

[Peggy]

Laura,

How exciting! London is one of my favorite cities. We lived there for over 2 months two years ago and were able to see a lot of the city and the surrounding areas. Our DD was 15 at the time so I just asked her to make some recommendations of the places she enjoyed.

On your first day I would recommend an overview of the main sites. Take the tube from Nottinghill Gate (Red Line) to Tottenham Court Road station and change there to the Black Line and get off at Charing Cross Station. This will bring you to Trafalgar Square. You will get off right by the National Gallery. Since admission is free you could pop in for an hour or two and see one of your favorite art genres. They have a marvelous collection.

You could have lunch at the Crypt at St. Martin-in-the-Field (which as mentioned above). This church is right on Trafalgar Square also. The church and crypt have candlelight concerts which might be an option for the evening. Here is their website: www.stmartin-in-the-fields.org where you can check their schedule if you are interested.

From there I would walk down towards the Thames River (I think the street is Whitehall Lane but I'm not sure). You will walk by 10 Downing St and be able to see some uniformed guards. As you near the river you will see Big Ben, Parliment and Westminster Abbey. Lots of photo opportunities here. From here, you can cross the river and go to the London Eye or just walk along and see the sites.

Or you can stay on that side of the river and walk west towards St. James Park. The Cabinet War Rooms are near there and my DD enjoyed touring them. St. James Park is very pretty and worth a stroll and Buckingham Palace is on the other side of it.

Other recommendations: Your son may enjoy the Imperial War Museum. The Victoria and Albert Museum is very interesting. If you are there on a Sunday, you might consider going to church services at one of the Abbeys or Cathedrals. We tried to go to a different one every Sunday and this was well worth the effort. The music and worship services were so amazing in these old, ornate buildings. We went on several of the London Walks and they were well worth the small expense. My DD is a huge Beatle Fan so we went on that one and have a picture of the three of us crossing Abbey Road in Beatle fashion. DD enjoyed the Tower of London, the Shakespeare Globe Theater and all of the Art Museums. If you want to see a Palace, Kensington Palace is close by to where you are staying.

Shopping: Covent Gardens, Notting Hill has a flea market weekly as does Campton Market.

Foodie Musts: Drag the kids to the Harrod Food Court. You MUST go there! Also make a trip to Borough Market - a food market with all kinds of interesting things to look at and buy. When you go there have lunch at the George Inn which is close by. It is one of the oldest original pubs in the city: very traditional.

There is so much more to do. So many wonderful museums, theater productions.

No more time to write now. I'll be back with our favorites of Scotland as we have been to the cities you mentioned.

Peggy

[Laura]

Wow everyone, thanks so much for all the suggestions so far. I know that we won't be able to hit all of them, but they are different ideas from what I had thought of before. Keep them coming! :)

[chazkp]

I went to college in England for two semesters and spent a lot of time in both London and Edinburg.

In London:

If you have time, go see a play or a musical. Mousetrap by Agatha Christie is (I think) the longest running play in London, and it is quite good. I can't remember which theater it plays in, but it is close to the rest of them. Also, I adore Liester Square at night. There are lots of street performers and it is fun to people watch there. Chinatown and Little Italy are right off of Liester Square as well.

Campton market is my favorite of the flea markets. There are also some good little cafes close by. Oh, and there are a lot of cute shops in Notting Hill (at least when I was there... could be different now).

Westminster Abby is a must on my list. There is a lot of history crammed into the Abby. And I agree with the others that lunch in the crypt at St. Martin in the Field is great to do.

If you like parks, St. James Park is a nice one.

Edinburg:

When I spent time there several of the hostels (High Street Backpackers is one) have traditional Scotish dances. I went to several and there are people of all ages there. It was a very fun time and I learned a lot about Scotlands culture and history while meeting new people.

Arthur's Seat (a very large hill) offers great views of the entire city. It is by Holyrood Palace. It is quite a walk to the top, but in my opinion the views are worth it.

Edinburg Castle is great if you like history. The tour guides do a good job of giving the history (especially the warfare) of Edinburg.

A ghost tour of the city is also fun. There is a lot of folklore about Edinburg, and many, many tales of hauntings. It is an interesting way to see the city, and to hear about the "underside" of life in old Edinburg.

I could go on and on, but I won't. Sorry if I rambled a bit, but thinking about what to do in those cities really takes me back.... :)

[misskitty100]

So many great suggestions....I am going to print this thread and file it away!

[RhondaD]

I really enjoyed the wax museum. I was able to take pics with all of them and alot of them looked like I was really with the person, have to line the eyes up. There was also a big street market I went to that had EVERYTHING. Can't remember what part of the city it was in but if someone has ideas I would remember if I saw it.
~Rhonda

[Laura]

bumping up for the non-weekend crowd. ;)

[honeygirl1971]

For the tourist classics I think you really can't beat the Tower of London. It's also very close to Shakespeare's Globe Theater, the Tate Modern Museum, Southwark Cathedral, and lots of other sites, but those seem like they would have less appeal to your kids. A really great museum is the Victoria and Albert museum, too. It's got a very hands-on approach with lots of activities tied in with the displays, and it gives you a fabulous look at history through industry, inventions, decorative arts, etc. I LOVE the British Galleries and the fashion galleries, but I really think there is something to please everyone there.

For theater tickets, I would check out the half-price ticket booth in Leicester Square. You can get great deals on virtually all the popular shows, and when I've been there the line has always moved very quickly. With all due respect to chaz, I thought The Mousetrap was ho-hum (although the novelty factor of "longest-running play" is sort of interesting) and if it were me I'd go for one of the other shows--there are SO many great plays all year round, you should have no trouble finding one that pleases everyone. Just get a copy of TimeOut for reviews and theater info (and lots of other great suggestions of things to do).

I like Westminster Abbey too, better than St. Paul's...

There are lots of great Asian (as cuisine of India, Bangladesh) restaurants in Brick Lane, and some real gems on Drummond Street as well...And I love Wagamama (pan-Asian noodles), and your kids would probably like the novelty of it too (picnic table-type seating, servers with walkie talkies). There are several Wagamamas now, but I the original is the one near the British Museum. I'll try to think of more restos, I'm drawing a blank right now...

Portobello Road for shopping!

[Spydee]

Laura ~

I will chime in as another person who lived in England for 4 years.

We could debate for weeks what are the best things in London to see (I enjoy St. Pauls Cathederal more then Westminster Abbey), but one of my very favorite things about London at Christmas time is Harrods. Yes, it is a department store, but what I love is the window displays. They are over the top and can be enjoyed thourghly without ever stepping foot into the store (but the tea is to die for ;) ).

Relax and enjoy the trip.

Spydee

[Meganator]

Laura,
This suggestion won't work for this trip because there isn't enough lead time, but maybe you will go again: Get tickets to the Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London! Every night, the Chief Warder has to lock the gate, and there is a fun ceremony that you can attend.

http://www.londonproject.co.uk/printer_tower_of_london_key_ceremony.shtml


The tickets are free, but you have to request them by snail mail...and you have to go to the Post Office and figure out what "international reply coupons" are! Anyway, it is worth the effort, and it is something that a lot of people don't know about.

Megan

[Kyra]

Looks like the restaurant I recommended is still there. Their website is www.tasrestaurant.com. It was awfully good.

I can also recommend the crypt of St.-Martin-in-the-Fields. We only had tea there, not a proper meal, but their scones were almost as good as the much pricier ones we ate elsewhere, and they were very, very friendly to a bunch of jetlagged American tourists.

We did a fancy tea at the restaurant at Fortnum & Mason's. It was not cheap, but it was fabulous. We also found lots of edible goodies there to bring home for gifts.

I also loved Westminster Abbey. We did a verger-guided tour, which was great, but we went back for Evensong, which I enjoyed even more. In fact, we went twice, and both times the very nice verger remembered us and found us superb seats. It was a completely different way to experience the building, and the choir was fabulous.

I'm sorry, I'm not giving you any new ideas. Is the London Eye still up and running? I know it's really touristy, but we loved this. I'm scared of heights but had no problems with it.

Oh, and there was this very small, very offbeat toy museum called Pollock's. Not your usual museum. I thought maybe I'd heard they had closed, but am not sure.

At any rate, hope you have a fabulous trip, and give us a report if you get the chance.

Safe travels!

[MKSquared]

Definitely, as a foodie, please go to Harrod's. :D

Another suggestion -- being in Nottinghill, you'll have your choice of Tube stations, and they are quite easy to navigate. However, travelling underground leaves you with little sense of where you're actually AT. I'd suggest taking a bus instead of the Tube if you want to see the city.

Also, go to the Tate Modern, and if you can, get tickets for the slides (http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/exhibitions/carstenholler/) . You'll have to get there early, but they are free ....