Going overseas to London...any tips?

Went 3 weeks ago for the first time. Great place.

Westminster is packed to the gills and wasn't nearly as cool as St. Paul's.

Churchill's bunker was outstanding. Tower of London also fun.

I wasn't too thrilled by the London Eye, but we went during the day, perhaps the night-time part is much cooler.

We weren't "show" people, so we skipped that part and took the train to Salisbury and Stonehenge instead. That was very cool. Nice misty overcast England day, made you feel like a little trip back in time.

Did our pub crawling at Covent Gardens around the market area and had a blast. Could have spent plenty more time and money there.

They do daily tours of Stamford Bridge and Emirates -- except on game days -- and Wimbledon also does daily tours, but you can't get to Centre Court right now because of roof construction. A bummer.

Hope that helps. Oh, and don't get the mushy peas. Nasty.

 

I agree on getting out of town, certainly to Windsor Castle.
And Oxford is a great excursion. Depending on your time, Blenheim Palace is near there. Churchill's family home and where he was born.
Can do it as a day trip, or do a B&B for one night. UK is great for B&Bs. really get a local flavour if you get the right one
Travelling by train can be entertaining by itself

I would avoid most of the coastal towns, certainly any within an easy drive of London. For the most part, you'll be disappointed. Most cater to British vacationers so they have over-priced accommodation and crappy restaurants and are pretty grungy.

You can get to Edinburgh in a day, either by car or train. It's a very cool town.

And again, depending on how much time you have, heading to the Lake District is worth it

 

Holy cow, I asked and I received. This was the first time I looked since I started the thread...

Anyway, thanks so much for all the suggestions. I've been before, but I was in college and just wanted to get drunk and laid. This time I'm married and I hope to enjoy the city during the day a little more.

I hadn't planned on the Imperial War thing with Churchill's Bunker, but it's definitely on the agenda now. As for out of town, I doubt it just because of all the things we want to see in London, but I appreciate it. Maybe next time, which I hope there will be.

Any other ideas?

EDIT: Oh, and to answer some other questions, we are going to see "Wicked" at the Victoria Theatre and we are staying in a hotel/B&B just a block or two north of Hyde Park, right near Paddington Station.

 

Really? Don't tip the bartenders? I read something about that somewhere else and figured it was bogus. What about waiters? And bell hops?

Oh, and any idea how much it is to cab from the airport into town? Or should we take the tube with our luggage?

 

Paging GB Hack. GB Hack to the white courtesy phone.

 

there's a good rail link from Heathrow, if that's where you're flying into.

Not sure if you are flying into Gatwick. it's further from London but as in all the UK, train is good

You don't tip the bartender, er publican, - but you do offer to buy him a drink. If he says no thanks, which they usually do, you can give them some cash in lieu.

You also might want to check out Abbey Road and teh Apple Studios.

I would skip Harrod's. Just a store with gross memorials to Dody and Diana

 

I'm extremely jealous. Enjoy Wicked, it's a great musical.

As for airports, when I went, I flew into Gatwick and it was an extremely screwed up airport. We landed in one terminal and had to take a train all the way across the airport to another terminal for luggage claim. Never flown into Heathrow, even though I hear it's much more organized than Gatwick.

 

It's not bogus, in London you NEVER tip the bartender. I don't know why, but it just isn't done. Even if you do, they won't know to buy you a few drinks back. And NEVER sit down at the bar and leave your money on it. In the US it is the way things are done, over there someone will take it.

 

I've never been in a bar in Toronto where you could leave your money on the bar.

Have seen and done it many times in the US.

Strange.

 

Being near Paddington Station is good in that there's a train straight from Heathrow to Paddington. I lived about a 10 minute walk from there for four months, right near Hyde Park. Well technically the entrance there is to Kensington Gardens, but it's connected to Hyde Park. There's a great place for breakfast in Kensington Gardens.

The advice here has been pretty spot-on, especially that St. Paul's is cheaper and better than Westminster. In fact, it's probably my favorite cathedral in Europe. If it is a clear day (not very likely) and you're up for it, walking to the top is pretty cool since you can get a good view of the surrounding area and much of the city.

 

Oh, yeah. Been living over here for a while and all the advice has been spot on.

The newspapers are all gone from Fleet Street but El Vino is the legendary pub/restaurant where all the hacks hung out and it still has a lot of ambiance. The Frontline Club is this new-style journalists' club, about five minutes walk from Paddington Station, and from what I've been told, serves a pretty good dinner in their restaurant.

With Americans, the cabbies do expect tips. Best/cheapest way to get around is to get a week Oyster pass for zones 1 and 2, which gives you unlimited use of the buses and tube in the West End and central London. The Bakerloo line from Paddington takes only about ten to fifteen minutes to get to Piccadilly Circus in the heart of the West End, so it's just as quick as a taxi anyway.

 

But if you go, you might as well do them both -- Westminster for the history and St. Paul's for the awesomeness of the building. Eight years later and I still have the vivid memory of turning a blind corner one night to see the building a block in front of me all lit up...