October 12, 2012

london town

David and I are going to Denmark in May with my family for my parents' 50th anniversary. We are so excited! We've gone back and forth a million times about where we should go before we meet up with my parents and the rest of my siblings in Copenhagen. First we thought we'd go to Russia, then we toyed with going to Germany and Austria, then Sweden, then Switzerland. Finally we came to a conclusion: London. Especially after the Olympics this year, I got really excited to go! I even made a pros and cons list cause that's how I roll. Check it.
PROS
1. David has never been to Europe so I feel like spending a few days in London is a good starting point.
2. I have been to London twice but haven't done hardly anything there.
3. We speak English and since we'll be struggling through the rest of our trip with Danish everything, it would be easier to get around.

CONS
1. 1 British pound = $1.60 right now. Yikes! Who knows what it'll be like in May 2013 but I don't see it going down anytime soon.
2. There's a lot to see and do and we only have three days there. It's not London's fault but it's still a problem. :)

So, dear friends in the UK or friends who have been to London, can you please give me your two cents (or rather, two pence)?

- I'm planning on us going to the Tower of London, Hampton Court, Victoria and Albert Museum. Anything else that's a "must" for us tourists? I can't decide on the British Museum.
- What can we do at Portobello Road on a week day? I'm just sick that we won't be there on a Saturday for the antique flea market but I'd still like to go! Is it worth it?
- What shows are playing right now that are worth seeing?
- Westminster/St. Paul's: YES or NO (I've been to both but I can't remember enough to know if we should go back for David's sake)
- Because I have been to London a couple of times (and have seen a few things already) I'd love to go outside of the city. I've always dreamed of seeing the white cliffs of Dover and I would love to see the Cotswolds, the countryside of the Yorkshire Dales, maybe Devon and Cornwall but since we only have three days in London, I don't know how to swing that. Also, how much travel is required to get to those areas? Do we take a train? Rent a car?
- What area should we stay in? Any hotel recommendations or does anyone know of a great vacation rental?
- What are your favorite British foods and restaurants in central London? I want to try traditional English food (we mostly ate Indian food when we were in London the last time) but my only real point of reference for food is from Harry Potter. Ha!

If any of you have tips, I'd love to hear them! And if you know a bit about London and want to share your thoughts and advice in an e-mail then please do: elizabethabryant@gmail.com

25 comments:

  1. My husband was just there for two weeks and came back saying that the best food there includes the full breakfasts and the Indian food. He also had some good Thai. Meats and cheeses and bread are also good options. He thought the fish was alright but the chips tasteless and soggy. Meat pies, if you like that sort of thing, were good.

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  2. Okay, I will email you this week with my recommendations but my first thoughts here:

    The British museum is a must see. It's free, huge and super fun. I don't know if you're bringing the kids but the Natural History Museum is also free and very cool. Even if you don't have kids.

    Second: if you only have 3 days to go to London do not bother by seeing the White Cliffs of Dover. Sure, they look amazing, but let me tell you there is nothing else there. Dover is a port city that's not very nice.

    Here's my last blog post from our most recent trip to London if you're interested (with pictures of the White Cliffs of Dover ;) ): http://www.southafricameetsbelgium.com/2012/09/london-calling.html

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  3. I have actually been planning an imaginary trip to the Cotswolds the last few days. Ha! So I can tell you that it's about an hour and a half to two hour drive from London, depending on the town. It's been so long since I was in London that I don't have any suggestions really but I don't think you can go wrong- the atmosphere of it all is the best part.

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  4. I was there on layover for two days last Fall. I didn't want to waste time and money on museums or tours so i just viewed all of the great sites from outside so I could fit more in. The architecture is amazing.

    Brick Lane is great for flea markets and food vendors if you're there on Sunday. Camden Town is awesome for eclectic shopping and people watching any day of the week.

    I stayed at the Hilton Canary Wharf which is right on the Thames and is a renovated historic warehouse. So fun and beautiful and not to pricey when I was there. Bus stops at the hotel or take the free hotel ferry across the Thames and catch the tube.

    Jealous!! Have fun!

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  5. Here are my two cents when we went in March:
    We stayed with friends who lived there so they gave us awesome insider tips -
    To save on St. Pauls and Westminster, go to evensong for the worship - I think if I remember correct it's at 5? You don't get to do the full tour, but you get to see inside and hear the beautiful choral music and you save 40 bucks per place!

    I thought the British Museum was cool but I'll be honest, we much preferred the V&A. We liked the artifacts but overall we enjoyed the entire collection at V&A more. When you visit the V&A you can also see the church building and the new interactive center they talked about on the World Report between conference. If you do end up going to the BM, you should go to the British Library and see their collection. You can see a version of the Magna Carta, Jane Austen's writing desk, Shakespeare's scripts, etc.

    We did Portobello on a week day and I thought it was still enjoyable. There were a fair amount of antique shops still open.

    I think Dover is probably too far for you depending on where you stay. We were staying out in Sevenoaks Kent about an hour south of London and it was still a few hours away. We did the Seven Sisters Cliffs (similar to Dover but more rolling hills and sheep) and LOVED those.

    If you like antiquing, the Cotswolds are an absolute dream. Chipping Campden has the Stuart Antique Shop which is the best antique store I've ever been to. It is literally an entire basement with room after room with china stacked to the ceiling for an extremely reasonable price. I shipped an entire suitcase from my finds there. If you do the Cotswolds, you can easily fit in Oxford too. We had a car, but I know they do bus tours. I hear that it takes an entire day though and I'm not sure that the tour buses would go out to the small towns of Cotswolds. When we looked into them, they included Oxford, Stonehenge and Bath - mostly the big tourist attractions. If you are a big Lord of the Rings fan (which my husband is) it's fun to drive in the Cotswolds because it's said to have influenced Tolkien's shire. It looks exactly like it. That's how I got my husband to go along with the antiquing stuff :)
    I actually preferred Oxford to London, mostly because it had a bit of a Harvard Square vibe, which is where we live.

    As for food, we really enjoyed going to local grocery stores. Such good yogurt and bacon! They sell something called a bacon roll which is a toasted bun, with lots and lots of bacon. We found the food in London was okay but we actually preferred the local fare to the Americanized fare.

    Sorry for the long comment, have a blast!


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  6. My husband and I went last summer and I agree, three days is not nearly enough! We went on a bike tour and it was by far our favorite thing we did! It was so fun to see all the top sights (we didn't go in them, just rode to them) and get a good feel of the city, and then we went back to our favorite spots. It might be hard if you are taking the kids, but without them, I'd definitely recommend it. I haven't been inside St. Paul's but Westminster Abbey was one of my favorite stops too, it's so beautiful! Oh, and we got a London pass, which got us into the top attractions, also worth it.

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  7. Traditional British food (in my opinion) is not really anything to write home about. I'd stick with the Indian food options. :-) The very worst meal of my life was eaten in a smoky pub just outside of Warwick, and included tinned peas, oatmeal-stuffed sausage, and the toughest Yorkshire pudding ever to grade (or not!) a plate.

    In contrast, the best meal of my life was eaten in France the very next day. :-)

    Ditto on Dover--the cliffs are cool, but not worth making the trip unless you're actually there for the purpose of crossing the Channel.

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  8. Here are my must do's for London: you have to go to Liberty of London. It's the most gorgeous store in the world to me. If you take the hop on hop off bus (which I 100 percent recommend!) the stop on Regent St. by Hamleys (London's FAO Schwartz equivalent, a good place to find something for the boys) is the closest to Liberty. As far as shows, PLEASE go see Singing in the Rain. It is so fun, Lena Lamont is to die for, and they make it rain on the stage! The British Museum is such a behometh that unless you have something specific there that you want to see, you may just end up wandering around like a deer in headlights like I did. There is just so much to take in. I enjoy art more than artifacts, and I loved the national gallery, plus that's right in trafalgar square which is fun. Next time I want to go to Tate Modern, so if you go there tell me how it is!

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  9. O.K. I lived in London (Study Abroad -- 6 months) when I was in college. Here are my recommendations:

    Tower of London, Hampton Court

    Big Ben, Parlament, Westminister Abbey (they are all right there together)

    This is for David: Churchhill War Rooms (where WWII decisions were made...very, very cool!!): http://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/churchill-war-rooms

    Hyde Park/Kensington Gardens (pick up lunch from Harrods): If you are there on Sunday, they still have people get up on soap boxes and preach. It's a hoot. (My grandfather served a mission there w/Pres. Hinckley and that's how they would teach the gospel!!)


    Fish and chips/a good pub (google it...you'll find a best of list for sure)

    Day trips: Stonehenge, Oxford (easy access on train), Stratford-upon-Avon (Shakespeare...couple of hours outside London), Cambridge (easy train ride) is gorgeous...

    Museums: There are obviously a ton. I like to pick something out of the ordinary when I travel abroad. For example, The Louvre is huge and iconic...but I would pick the Musee d'Orsay over it every time. London is the same. I remember loving the Tate Gallery, National Gallery, Natural History Museum and little specialty museums around the city.

    Ride the Tube and a double decker bus!!

    Theatre: I recall that we could just show up in the afternoon and the theatre/show we wanted and see what was available that day. Don't know if that's changed or not...

    The London Eye (ferris wheel) -- it wasn't there back in the day, but looks fun.

    I'm totally jealous -- you'll have a ball!


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  10. I am so jealous that you're going to Denmark! I have always wanted to go! I think that starting in London is a great idea! However, you should jump on the pound being $1.60. I go to Scotland quite frequently, and I have ended up paying more really close to $2 if not above!
    Happy travels!

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  11. I'm so happy for you guys! London is awesome. Also, I loved Oxford- it was such a cute little college town (for me the architecture was incredible)- and of course I loved seeing where they filmed harry potter there as well . Being in the real life great hall was amazing. I loved Stourhead! It was gorgeous and it's nearby stonehenge which was just amazing to see in real life. You see so many pictures and it's just awesome to be there. There are so many day trips you can do, Bath also is cool as well. Check out my pictures on facebook and that will help you decide if you want to go to any of those places. If you want any more specifics about the places we visited text me!

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  12. Only a few thoughts, since everyone else has given you such good advice:
    1. You haven't mentioned your boys, so I assume they are not coming. If they are, plan to do half as much, and expect them to be jetlagged for 4 days.
    2. London is like San Francisco--you cannot do it all, ever, so just pick the things you and David really want to do this time. The museum websites will help you narrow the field. Portraits or antiquities?
    3. Since you only have three days, stay in London, especially since David hasn't been there before. You can take the train almost anywhere, but even nearby places, such as Bath, will take time to get there and back again, and you'll only have a few hours of sight-seeing time. UNLESS your/his heart burns to see someplace (Wales? Cornwall?), then take the day and count it well spent.
    4. We got good fish & chips by asking a cabbie for the best place in town. Point: London cabbies are super knowledgable, and take pride in it. If you happen to take a short cab ride (they are pricy), ask the cabbie for good fish & chips, good British food (he may recommend a pub, which are more food oriented than in the States), etc.
    5. Simpsons-in-the-Strand serves classic British roast beef, with silver carving carts and all. It's not cheap, but if you're food-oriented and looking for classic British food, the meat is good and the authentic old-boy-club ambience is part of the experience. I just looked them up online; their fixed price menu looks like the best deal.

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  13. My husband is from Staines-Upon-Thames, a suburb of London. I love the city. We were most recently there for the month of June, but were based in Romsey, near Southampton, for that trip.

    Here are a few of my recommendations:

    Cool museum http://www.thegarret.org.uk/
    Great grocery store http://www.waitrose.com/
    Transport museum http://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/visit
    Good accommodation in central Kensington http://chslondon.com/vr/emp/emp.htm
    Day trip via coach to Bath http://visitbath.co.uk/travel-and-maps/travelling-to-and-around-bath/travelling-by-coach
    If you want to visit Windsor (highly recommended) you can take an old fashioned steamer boat from Staines-Upon-Thames to Windsor http://www.saltersteamers.co.uk

    I hope you have a marvelous time :o)

    Patty

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  14. My husband is from Staines-Upon-Thames, a suburb of London. I love the city. We were most recently there for the month of June, but were based in Romsey, near Southampton, for that trip.

    Here are a few of my recommendations:

    Cool museum http://www.thegarret.org.uk/
    Great grocery store http://www.waitrose.com/
    Transport museum http://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/visit
    Good accommodation in central Kensington http://chslondon.com/vr/emp/emp.htm
    Day trip via coach to Bath http://visitbath.co.uk/travel-and-maps/travelling-to-and-around-bath/travelling-by-coach
    If you want to visit Windsor (highly recommended) you can take an old fashioned steamer boat from Staines-Upon-Thames to Windsor http://www.saltersteamers.co.uk

    I hope you have a marvelous time :o)

    Patty

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  15. Just found your blog via another blog. My husband and I spent a week in London this summer and had a blast. We also took a tour of the city via biking and it was definitely the most memorable part of our entire UK adventure (we spent time in Edinburgh and Oxford as well). Since you are only going to be there for 3 days, I say stick with London and potentially Cotswold. We ended up seeing Wicked there via the tickets you can go purchase cheaply the day of, but we were very disappointed. Maybe we are just completely spoiled by NYC Broadway (and seeing Wicked on Broadway is 1000% better!!!). We didn't have any trouble getting the reduced tickets the day of either, just arrive 30ish minutes before they say on their website.

    There's a reason you had Indian when you were there last - because traditionally English food is blah! I love the pies and pasties though we never found a place in London that sold great stuff (in Edinburgh we had the most amazing pies ever).

    To save money, look into stopping in at Boots or any other "pharmacy" to get a 5 pound meal on the go (typically a sandwich, side, and drink).

    Have fun!!!

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  16. Just found your blog via another blog. My husband and I spent a week in London this summer and had a blast. We also took a tour of the city via biking and it was definitely the most memorable part of our entire UK adventure (we spent time in Edinburgh and Oxford as well). Since you are only going to be there for 3 days, I say stick with London and potentially Cotswold. We ended up seeing Wicked there via the tickets you can go purchase cheaply the day of, but we were very disappointed. Maybe we are just completely spoiled by NYC Broadway (and seeing Wicked on Broadway is 1000% better!!!). We didn't have any trouble getting the reduced tickets the day of either, just arrive 30ish minutes before they say on their website.

    There's a reason you had Indian when you were there last - because traditionally English food is blah! I love the pies and pasties though we never found a place in London that sold great stuff (in Edinburgh we had the most amazing pies ever).

    To save money, look into stopping in at Boots or any other "pharmacy" to get a 5 pound meal on the go (typically a sandwich, side, and drink).

    Have fun!!!

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  17. Hi! I don't thiiink I've commented before but am a regular reader who lives about 40 mins out of London, so have a few thoughts: definitely go to the British Museum - it's awesome. And free. You won't be able to go round it all but the cabinet of curiosites gallery, about how museums started, is fantastic, so even if you only have time to pop in there it's brilliant. Also Westminster Abbey is way better than St. Paul's, but also worth looking at (and comparatively rarely visited) is Westminster Cathedral, the Victorian-built Catholic cathedral about ten minutes walk up Victoria from the Abbey. Hampstead Heath is beautiful and worth going to if you fancy some in-city countryside, Dulwich picture gallery is gorgeous, and if you just want a nice area to stroll round Greenwich is fantastic, and there's the Observatory and the Cutty Sark on the river to visit there. Day-trips wise I'd definitely recommend Cambridge over Oxford (might be a littttle bit biased :P) and Windsor is also really worth visiting for the castle, as well as swans and ducks to feed on the river and little rowing boats you can take out. Both are about 1hr trips out of London (in opposite directions). Quick/relatively cheap food-wise go to http://www.leonrestaurants.co.uk/ - there are several all over london and they are simply brilliant. For really fantastic (and affordable) British food again I would suggest Cambridge (can you see a theme here?) and the St. John's Chop House (just behind my old college!) or the Cambridge Chop House on King's Parade. At Windsor if you go there there's a pub called Bel and the Dragon which is also excellent and does 'modern British', about a ten minute stroll from the castle.

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  18. So fun! We loved London and actually stayed at a Hostel in Hyde Park that worked out well but that was before Airbnb.

    The only downside of London is the cost. It was so expensive that it took so much of the fun out of going out. I love Wagamamas and that is fairly cheap.

    Sean says a huge yes to the British Museum.

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  19. I would not rent a car in Britain. I lived there for close to a year, and the whole "other side of the road" thing is a little challenging, especially with a toddler and a baby in the car. Even if you think that you can do it, your reflexes might tell you otherwise! Also, most of their cars are manual.

    I would stay in London for two days and do the aforementioned things, and then if you decide it is a good idea, you can take the train outside of the city for a day trip. Three days isn't really a long time, especially considering jet lag. It's a great duration for doing your London things but pushing yourself to do more may leave your family exhausted.

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  20. I would not rent a car in Britain. I lived there for close to a year, and the whole "other side of the road" thing is a little challenging, especially with a toddler and a baby in the car. Even if you think that you can do it, your reflexes might tell you otherwise! Also, most of their cars are manual.

    I would stay in London for two days and do the aforementioned things, and then if you decide it is a good idea, you can take the train outside of the city for a day trip. Three days isn't really a long time, especially considering jet lag. It's a great duration for doing your London things but pushing yourself to do more may leave your family exhausted.

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  21. I agree with the other comments here about regarding renting a car (totally not worth it, and it's super stressful to figure out)! Definitely recommend Westminster Abbey - it's our favorite place in London (my husband and I have been 3 times) and it's so worth the cost and the couple of hours. You'll walk away feeling mesmerized by the history and the sites you'll see there.

    I don't recommend the London eye - it's cool to see but not worth the line or cost to ride it.

    I personally loved the natural history museum over the British Museum, but both are incredible and I don't think you can go wrong with whatever option you choose!

    Have a wonderful time!!!

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  22. Just got back from a three week vacation in Europe for my parent's 50th. My parents let my boys choose the destinations and we landed on London and Paris, then went to visit my husband's family in Switzerland. Sounds weird, but I suggest taking one of those double decker bus tours, it's free on and off and really gives you a lay of the land. My husband had only been to London twice for a day or so (on his way to and from Africa) and he was a bit skeptical about the tour, turns out it he felt it was invaluable. If you're looking for a hotel of decent value, we stayed at the K+K Hotel George, it's steps away from the Earl Court station, and our stay (booked on Expedia) included a full English Breakfast (which my kids adored!) We didn't go to the Costwolds on this trip, but I've done it before and while it's lovely, it takes all day. You might not be able to do or see everything, but stick with what you really want to see and it's a good excuse to go back!

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  23. I haven't commented before but as a regular reader who lives about an hour from London and visits regularly, I thought I would share my thoughts!

    The Victoria and Albert Museum is a must and you will love it. When we went there for my daughter's 9th birthday last October we literally bumped into the Duchess of Cambridge in a corner hidden away from the madding crowd! I can't promise you will be that lucky. Her hair is even more amazing in real life. Don't forget the V&A is only a stone's throw from Harrods. Always fun to look in wonder at what they have there.

    (I'm not sure if you will have your children with you but if you do then make sure you pick up a free activity backpack at the V&A, they are brilliant)

    Definitely see a show in the West End if you can. Buying tickets in advance is expensive but if you are flexible about what you see then you can always pick up tickets more reasonably on the day.

    My favourite place that I always go back to is Covent Garden. I like the atmosphere there and some of the quirky shops. Our kids always make us stop and watch the street performers. The Transport Museum is there and is great. We often eat there in some well-priced French resturants.

    I would definitely recommend a flight on the London Eye for unforgettable views over London. My favourite time to go is dusk. Book in advance - much cheaper.

    Use the tube to get around or even better, the bus, then you get to see so many of the sights as you go from place to place. You can download an app to help you catch the right one. Individual tickets for the tube and bus are ruinously expensive so make sure you are clued up about Oyster cards and the like.

    I agree with everyone else who says you should miss out Dover. It is a port town that isn't the nicest in my opinion and as your time is limited you could use it so much better elsewhere. Oxford, Cambridge and Windsor all get my vote and all have good bus and rail links from London so take your pick. Part of my childhood was spent in Chipping Camden so it has a special place in my heart and I love love love it. BUT realistically you need a car to get there so save that for your next trip :-)

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  24. Sure you could drop £17 on the London Eye (something I’ve yet to do in all my many visits), but there are several spots in London with terrific FREE views. You can take an elevator to the top floor of the Tate Modern, which is particularly scenic at night. A dramatic daytime view can be found on Parliament Hill in Hampstead Heath Park in Northern London.

    Free things to do and to see in London.
    http://www.londonforfree.net/






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  25. It's been a few years, but we ate at Prospect of Whitby. It was supposed to be one of the oldest places, even including a hangman's noose over the Thames.

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