What to do with a weekend in London?

[thorgrim29]

So yeah, as the title says I'm going on as business trip to the UK in a few weeks and I'll have a weekend free in London at the start. I arrive at Heathrow around 10 am the 30th, and leave for Louton the 1st in the afternoon. I already plan on visiting the British Museum to see the Rosetta Stone and other historical stuff. Other then that, the very rough outline includes finding a good whisky shop (I love me some scotch) and a place to enjoy a plate of fish&chips with a pint of bitter. I'm afraid I know very little about London and I haven't done the tourist thing since I was 14 so I'm a bit out of practice, so I come here for help.

So, Londoners and experiences globetrotters, what to do with a weekend in London?

Also, I'll be spending a week in Louton and a few days in Poznan in Poland, so if there are some things there I shouldn't skip feel free to share

Thanks

[Kaeso]

I'm not too familliar with London, but if I were to go there I would probably visit the London Eye as one of my first locations. I imagine you must have an amazing view from the top. After all, it's a Ferris Wheel that's big enough to be part of the London skyline!

[Gnomvid]

I'd recommend the Natural History Museum, the Imperial War museum, the Tower and the Sherlock Holmes Museum, apart from the London Eye which gives you a great view of the city, the Lodon Aquarium next to the Eye is not too bad either.
The Whisky Shop, 70 piccadilly is probably your best bet for Whisky or The Whisky Exchange at Vinopolis, 1 Bank End

[Asta Kask]

The London Dungeon is one I always visit when I'm there.

[Closet_Skeleton]

I've heard about Whiskey shops in London, but can't remember the details. In general though, England is not a good place for Whiskey.

Natural History Museum is good. If you've been to American Natural History Museums you'll have seen all the same plaster casts of Dinosaur bones anyway but there is other stuff. The Natural History Museum is on Exhibition Road in Kensington, which has several other museums within 5 minutes walk. The Geology Museum is in the same building.

Victoria and Albert Museum - A crafts museum. Lots of ceramics, a few textiles and musical instruments.

Science Museum - Has a few steam engines, an Apollo re-entry capsule. Lots of other stuff.

Museums not in Kensington

British Museum

Horniman Museum - Far away from central London and all other museums. Based on the collection of a Tea merchant it as an odd collection of different things, mostly dead animals, musical instruments and things of anthropological interest. Has a pleasant garden to walk in but not worth a long trip for it.

Wallace Collection - Like the Horniman museum, also based off a private collection but its more centrally located and a lot more famous. Most valuable thing in the collection is Frans Hal's famous painted The Laughing Cavalier but it also has the most complete collection of weapons and armour in London along with other paintings and ceramics. If you've never seen a collection of Indian swords before you should go.

Sir John Soane's Museum - Yet another formerly private collection. Unlike the above two, this one has the charm of being still in the rather crowded house of the guy who collected it, in this case Architect Sir John Soane.

National Gallery - If you only want to paintings in one place, go here. You can walk there from the British museum but you might want a Bus, however its in Trafalgar Square which is on The Strand.

National Portrait Gallery - Its not the same as the National Gallery above, but it moved adjacent to it at some point so it might as well be.

Tate Modern - Eh, its modern art and stuff Near St. Paul's Cathedral though, which is probably more interesting.

Tate Britain - No idea, never been there.

Kew - Can't remember if I've been. Lots of plants, gardens and greenhouses.

Greenwitch - Contains National Maritime Museum which is alright, an art Gallery, a massive park and the Observatory where GMT used to be calculated which has a Planetarium and a museum of instruments.

Courtauld Gallery - Quite good, some famous 19th century paintings. Its free on certain days but not weekends and pretty much everything else on this list is free all the time. It is however on The Strand and therefore near lots of other places such as Covent Garden (a big market).

Hunterian Museum - Never been, sounds creepy. Lots of preserved dead things.

Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology - Never been but keep planning to. A harder to get too and more specialised altenative to the British Museum.

Museum of London - Near the Barbican Centre but not really that near other places. Has lots of Roman stuff and as its name suggests it focuses on the history of the city.

Palace of Westminster - You can't actually go in here. The adjacent Abbey is open for a fee though.

Buckingham Palace - Why bother? Unless you're really interested in looking at a garden gate in the presence of men with bayoneted Assault Rifles.

Various Theatres and Opera Houses - Really look into this yourself and plan ahead if you think you might be interested in this sort of stuff.

I'm not too familliar with London, but if I were to go there I would probably visit the London Eye as one of my first locations. I imagine you must have an amazing view from the top. After all, it's a Ferris Wheel that's big enough to be part of the London skyline!

Hahahahahah

Only if you book in advanced maybe. There are so many ways to spend time that doesn't involve hour long waits why bother?

London skyline isn't that tall outside of the one tiny area with skyscrapers. If you want to get above London there's the Emirates Airline, but I haven't used either so can't compare them. Highest public place in London is actually The Shard's observation deck which also needs you to book ahead but isn't much more expensive than the London Eye if you do so.

The London Dungeon is one I always visit when I'm there.

Never been, my parents thought it sounded too silly.

[SarahV]

Unless you have a particular love of heights/views, I am not so big on the London Eye either. I've done it twice and was underwhelmed, plus it's really expensive. If you have any fear of heights, definitely don't do it.

Love the British Museum, it's huge and you can easily spend a lot of time there. And it's free! So you don't have to try and see too much at once, you can come back the next day if you like.

As a GITPer you might be the sort of person who's interested in a visit to Forbidden Planet - it's a big sci-fi/fantasy store with all kinds of comics, collectibles, & gaming stuff.

If you're into architecture/cityscapes there are lots of very famous buildings and landmarks that you will recognize from movies and TV: Big Ben, Parliament, Buckingham Palace, St. Paul's Cathedral, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square... if you're into theater of course there is a great theater scene there. See Shakespeare at the Globe or more modern stuff in the West End.

Check out Time Out London and see if there are any concerts, film festivals, plays, etc. that you might enjoy (I'm a night owl, so I always try to plan evening activities like that when I travel and not just "go to dinner and go to bed"). Also look for any special museum exhibitions that you might enjoy.

There's a ton of good shopping and outdoor markets in London but that's not up everyone's alley...

[Asta Kask]

Never been, my parents thought it sounded too silly.

It is. But it's silly in a fun way.

[Aedilred]

There are some good suggestions in the above. Public museums (including the British Museum, Museum of London, Natural History Museum, Science Museum, National Gallery and the NPG, all of which I would recommend) are free, but some of the attractions are reasonably expensive to get into, particularly those in old buildings requiring a lot of upkeep. (I know the Tower in particular is a bit steep).

Something I will say, though: don't go to Oxford Street. Or at least, don't go unless you're there with the deliberate intention of buying something that's only available there (which basically means something only available from Selfridges; the rest of it is just a big high street). It's hell on Earth, and there are already far too many tourists there getting in the way for no apparent reason. If you're into landmark shopping experiences for whatever reason, there are other places. (Hamley's, on Regent Street; Harrods, which is awful, but seems to be popular with tourists; Fortnum and Mason, etc.)

[Palanan]

The Natural History Museum, definitely. The stonework itself is worth a visit, and the exhibits are excellent as well.

Also, the Prince Albert Memorial. It's a cultural experience unto itself.

Originally Posted by Aedilred
...don't go to Oxford Street.... It's hell on Earth, and there are already far too many tourists there getting in the way for no apparent reason.

If these are American tourists, more than likely they're there because of Mr. Selfridge, which has been very popular here in the U.S. Not quite levels of Downton Abbey madness, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's spawned an uptick in visitors to Oxford Street.

[Dr. Bath]

@Palanan: Nah Selfridge's has always been pretty popular with all sorts of tourists. Slightly fancy department stores are kind of a rarity I guess? Always disappointed they only sell the bare minimum of fridges.

To defend Tate and Tate Modern a bit, they are both excellent galleries. It just depends if you're into modern or contemporary art. If not maybe give them a pass. Tate Britain tends to stretch back a bit further but they do both have a bit of a mix.

Also: if you are heading to the British Museum (check out the temporary exhibit on German World one propaganda medals just off from the vases, really interesting stuff!) there is the Cartoon Museum just around the corner on Little Russell St. It does cost about a tenner to get in but might be something you're interested in seeing! The current exhibition is ww1 cartoons and comics. Lots of stuff going on about that given the centenary.

[thorgrim29]

Thanks for all the answers guys, greatly appreciated.

I'm not realy into art (other then music), so art museums are pretty much out, and I'm pretty sure I'll only go to the British Museum, it seems huge enough to occupy me for at least a day, and I do want to see other stuff while I'm there, since who knows when I'll be able to visit London again? I'll definately check out time line london, and while I'm not super into theater I might go see a play.

I'm still looking for a great fish&chip, I found a few lists online but they tend to look like tourist traps.

[Dr. Bath]

Thanks for all the answers guys, greatly appreciated.

I'm not realy into art (other then music), so art museums are pretty much out, and I'm pretty sure I'll only go to the British Museum, it seems huge enough to occupy me for at least a day, and I do want to see other stuff while I'm there, since who knows when I'll be able to visit London again? I'll definately check out time line london, and while I'm not super into theater I might go see a play.

I'm still looking for a great fish&chip, I found a few lists online but they tend to look like tourist traps.

The Fryer's Delight in Holborn is one of my favourites. You won't be able to get a pint with your meal though.

[Aedilred]

London is sadly not terribly well-provisioned for traditional fish'n'chip shops, certainly not around the centre. Of course, my northern friends swear you can't get a decent fish'n'chips south of about Chesterfield anyway.

If these are American tourists, more than likely they're there because of Mr. Selfridge, which has been very popular here in the U.S. Not quite levels of Downton Abbey madness, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's spawned an uptick in visitors to Oxford Street.

Oxford Street's been rammed with tourists as long as I've been going there, to be honest. Like Dr. Bath says, it's been a thing for ages, Selfridge's in particular.

I don't mind the people (including tourists) who are actually in the shops, shopping. It's those wandering aimlessly, incredibly slowly down the pavement, or stopping to take photos in spots that hold up all the foot traffic for the rest of the streets that wind me up. Admittedly, I've always been an impatient pedestrian, but I think moving to London has made it worse.

[factotum]

Of course, my northern friends swear you can't get a decent fish'n'chips south of about Chesterfield anyway.

Your Northern friends are clearly people of discernment and taste when it comes to fish and chips.

[Mrc.]

Your Northern friends are clearly people of discernment and taste when it comes to fish and chips.

Aye! Course, when I were a lad, growin' up in Yorkshire we 'ad none o' this fancy central heating malarkey. I remember me dad sittin' me down at table an' placin' a candle in middle. He says to me "Son, when you see frost on them there windows, ye can light it!"

That is what I end up sounding like when I talk to my parents. I develop a reasonably deep Yorkshire accent and pick up on the dialect. On the topic of fish and chips, some of the best ones I've had were in Askrig, a small hamlet in the Yorkshire Dales, though a lot of that was likely the company.

[thorgrim29]

Crap, I got all exited about seeing a play, and the ones I saw that might interest me are way too expensive. I can't justify paying 75$ for a play when I'm not a theater guy, and if I'm going to do it it might as well be with good actors. It's a shame I'm not there at the right time for the standing up Julius Ceasar shows, that sounds fun.

[Aedilred]

Crap, I got all exited about seeing a play, and the ones I saw that might interest me are way too expensive. I can't justify paying 75$ for a play when I'm not a theater guy, and if I'm going to do it it might as well be with good actors. It's a shame I'm not there at the right time for the standing up Julius Ceasar shows, that sounds fun.

It does look like there are some tickets left (albeit limited availability) for the Comedy of Errors at the Globe on the Sunday you're there. I've never actually been to the Globe... but I have been to the Swan in Stratford which is not entirely dissimilar in principle, and that was pretty good fun. The Globe isn't too expensive either by theatre standards - standing tickets are really cheap, iirc.

[Jermz]

Crap, I got all exited about seeing a play, and the ones I saw that might interest me are way too expensive. I can't justify paying 75$ for a play when I'm not a theater guy, and if I'm going to do it it might as well be with good actors. It's a shame I'm not there at the right time for the standing up Julius Ceasar shows, that sounds fun.

I'm pretty sure that you can pick up last-minute theater tickets at the booth located in the Leicester Square underground. When I lived in London and wanted to see a show, especially if I didn't have a preference, I'd head there and pick up cheap last-minute tickets. This was around 8 years ago, so I'm not sure of current prices or if the booth is still there. I've also got a hazy recollection of cheap tickets around Covent Garden underground as well.

If you're interested in a bit more of an eclectic peek at London, head northwards to Camden Market. I'm actually slightly surprised that nobody's mentioned it yet. The food isn't expensive, especially if you hit the stands at the end of the day when they're clearing out all their leftover food. There are plenty of arts, crafts, clothing, vintage, goth and pretty much any other shops there and you're guaranteed to see plenty of interesting characters. I have bought many great second-hand items there over the years, many of which I still use today. Another good market is Spitalfields

Second Kew Gardens, BTW, if that's your thing. Personally, I like just wandering around aimlessly when I'm in a new place, though because you're on a schedule, you might not have the luxury of time. If you do, just head onto a bus, any random one, and get off when you see something that catches your eye. You might end up in some interesting places and situations!

[Closet_Skeleton]

I tried to mostly recommend places I had been, but I did eat Chinese at Camden Market once because I was in the neighbourhood at Cecil Sharpe House. It was quite good.

I'm still looking for a great fish&chip, I found a few lists online but they tend to look like tourist traps.

Capital cities tend to be best for minority food rather than standard takeaway. I'd never eat Fish and Chips in London because every town in Britain has a Fish and Chips Shop and there's always somewhere more interesting in London.

[Asta Kask]

That is what I end up sounding like when I talk to my parents. I develop a reasonably deep Yorkshire accent and pick up on the dialect. On the topic of fish and chips, some of the best ones I've had were in Askrig, a small hamlet in the Yorkshire Dales, though a lot of that was likely the company.

I lived in fish and chips for two weeks when I was in Ireland some twenty years ago.

Never again.

[Mrc.]

I lived in fish and chips for two weeks when I was in Ireland some twenty years ago.

Never again.

Sounds greasy

Fish and chips are great if you take them as what they are; fat, oil and grease, wrapped up in layers of salt and vinegar. They should be too hot to eat, and at some point a seagull should steal some. But if done correctly, they taste great and they fill you up something wonderful.

I've never been to Ireland, I would love to go though as I play lots of Irish tunes on my fiddle.

[Asta Kask]

Sounds greasy

But cheap. Very cheap.

[JustSomeGuy]

If you're not in Scarborough (or whitby at a push), you're not getting proper fish and chips.


Have you considered doing the monopoly board pub crawl?

[Asta Kask]

If you're in Scarborough you can say hi to an old girl friend of mine. She can have me back if she makes me a shirt without seams or needlework.

[Mrc.]

If you're not in Scarborough (or whitby at a push), you're not getting proper fish and chips.


Have you considered doing the monopoly board pub crawl?

They do good fish and chips there, true (my gran used to live on the main harbour in Whitby), just avoid the Magpie. You have to queue for ages to get it, and it isn't noticeably nicer than any of the other restaurants nearby.

I had some at Llandudno once, they were very nice. The aforementioned ones in the Dales as well. Quick question: do you ask for fish with the skin on or the skin removed? It makes a BIG difference!

They don't call Yorkshire "God's own county" for nothing. It truly is beautiful, shame a lot of the people let it down.

[thorgrim29]

If you're in Scarborough you can say hi to an old girl friend of mine. She can have me back if she makes me a shirt without seams or needlework.

Huh, I actually got that, guess buying that Queensryche album wasn't a complete waste of money after all.

[Closet_Skeleton]

They don't call Yorkshire "God's own county" for nothing. It truly is beautiful, shame a lot of the people let it down.

Bah, Yorkshire without a few grumpy Yorkshiremen around just isn't Yorkshire.

[Karoht]

Visit the Ministry of Silly Walks. Totally worth it.

[Scarlet Knight]

So can any one can recommend a good night club where the girls will be enchanted by a Canadian accent?

[Closet_Skeleton]

Night clubs come in quality levels other than insufferable?