London's Must Sights!

Old Oct 24th, 2016, 02:48 PM
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London's Must Sights!

If you had to list the Top Best "Must" Sites that everyone should see according to your experience in London what would you list - in no special order.

Mine

The Tower of London
The British Museum
Ride the London Eye
Walking the South Bank Walk
St Paul's Cathedral's - Especially its roof.
Westminster Abbey
Seeing or visiting Buckingham Palace
Oxford Street- said to be Europe's busiest shopping street
Hyde Park
Trafalgar Square
Covent Garden
Taking in a West End Play
Houses of Parliament - from front outside
Taking a Tube ride
Taking a Double-Decker Bus ride up top - very front seats overlooking the driver
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Old Oct 24th, 2016, 04:16 PM
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Love your list. The only thing I would add is to have afternoon tea at least once. My favorites are the Original Maids of Honour near Kew Gardens and Brown's Hotel.
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Old Oct 24th, 2016, 04:57 PM
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All the above, including the Maids of Honour.
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Old Oct 24th, 2016, 04:57 PM
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Oh, and the British Library.
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Old Oct 24th, 2016, 05:09 PM
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My personal top 10 for London includes 4 museums, 2 churches, 2 landmarks, 1 palace and 1 park. It's the following:

1. British Museum
2. National Gallery
3. Victoria & Albert Museum
4. Tower of London
5. Westminster Abbey
6. Saint Paul's Cathedral
7. Buckingham Palace
8. Big Ben
9. Tower Bridge
10. Hyde Park
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Old Oct 24th, 2016, 05:19 PM
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Sorry, I just love tiny English countryside villages,
(providing the village has a proper pub) so for me the best sight in London is seeing it in my rear view mirror!
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Old Oct 25th, 2016, 02:39 AM
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My only real interests are
V&A
Libertys
Various canal walks
Greenwich National Maritime Museum plus view from the top of the hill
The Courtauld Gallery
Sir John Soane's
I'm wavering to include the Design Museum but only because it has been revamped and I have yet to see it (though I suspect it will be full of yet more Dyson and Conran tat)
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Old Oct 25th, 2016, 03:53 AM
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These are great lists, I'm taking a mature 9 yr old in November - any lists for her or does the same apply. I don't necessarily want to be stuck inside museums the whole time so I think Hyde Park Winter Wonderland will be fun.
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Old Oct 25th, 2016, 04:06 AM
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I would add the Globe theatre. I try to include it as often as possible.
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Old Oct 25th, 2016, 04:12 AM
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Pub
Darts
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Old Oct 25th, 2016, 04:18 AM
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Richard - I had a day (half-day really, as we arrived around 11) in London with a mature 9 year old this summer and we did the following:

- Train from Gatwick to London Bridge. Got off there and walked past the shard along the river to:

- Tower of London
- Tower Bridge - even better if you can plan to be in this area as the bridge opens to let a boat through - it doesn't happen often but we were lucky and saw it twice in our day
- a quick taxi ride down to big ben (this and the tower of london were my daughter's two must-see sites, the tower of london and the crown jewels were on the list because they feature in David Walliams Gansta Granny book)
- quick march through st james park along by buckingham palace and into harrods, where she just loved the toy department with all the demonstrators, and the high-tech billionaires gadget rooms

We had planned to poke our noses into the natural history museum to see the dinosaurs, but by the time we had done all of the above it was time for us to leave and take the train out to our friends house in kent. We would have liked to visit the coach house (not sure i have the name right) behind buckingham palace which has all the carriages used by the queen and other royal paraphernalia that would appeal to a 9 year old but it was closed as it was easter.

Our 9-year old dismissed the idea of the london eye once she found out it is quite slow and really about views / panoramas and not a thrill ride.

Our day was very packed but very successful. I think what worked best was we asked her what were the things she wanted to see and built the day around that, so she really felt it was her big treat. We get to London a lot on business so it didn't matter whether we saw anything ourselves or not. In fact we really enjoyed the day.
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Old Oct 25th, 2016, 04:24 AM
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Great list PQ.
I would add Sherlock Holmes house.
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Old Oct 25th, 2016, 04:35 AM
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just down from Poirot's and across from TinTin's
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Old Oct 25th, 2016, 06:21 AM
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I like St Jame's Park for the amazing variety of bird life.

Nearly always take stroll down Jermyn Street.

Re 9 year olds: We took our son for his first visit to London at that age. Trafalgar Square and a visit to Greenwich brought a fascination with Lord Nelson, which led to his reading the entire "Hornblower" series and, later, the Aubrey-Maturin saga.
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Old Oct 25th, 2016, 10:21 AM
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Bookmarking this as I am taking my grandchildren (7 and 9) next spring. I have been to London often but never with children. Some good ideas here.
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Old Oct 25th, 2016, 11:30 AM
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for kids a boat ride on the Thames to Greenwich would be sweet and in Greenwich as others have said are some delights - tour the historic Cutty Sark ship and or HMS Belfast (if I have that one right) and walk thru the ancient spooky perhaps for kids foot tunnel under the Thames.

Then hop on the elevated driverless Docklands Light Railway right thru the heart of Canary Wharf-sit up front and let the kids make believe they're driving.

In the heart of London take them to Hamley's famous kids toy store for a treat:

http://www.hamleys.com/

Of course ride the Eye Over London Ferris Wheel

Go to the Serpentine in Hyde Park - rent a canoe and float around

and of course Harry Potter's World is just a short train/bus ride out of London as is LegoLand Windsor.

Hampton Court is a kid's delight as well- take em on a boat ride there perhaps and traipse thru the baffling Maze- the palace has nice stuff too.

though you have lots of zoos, aquaria and science museums at home London has some really great ones if you got lots of time.

And a West End play like the Lion King is always fun for kids.
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Old Oct 25th, 2016, 01:38 PM
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another neat place for kids and families is the Transport for London museum with old trolleys, buses and tube cars kids can clamber around on- hands-on activities and chance to buy those neat Tube posters and memorabilia.

right at Covent Garden (last I knew) and Covent Garden often has street buskers with magic shows and music.
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Old Oct 25th, 2016, 03:57 PM
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Hi Plaen, I really think that the Tower of London is a must and especially the Crown Jewels room with the moving walkway, must go early when it opens. All dark room with lights right on the crowns. Sue
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Old Oct 25th, 2016, 04:10 PM
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http://www.goldenhinde.com/

Borough Market
Dishoom/Kings Cross, good food and you get to sit on a proper crapper. The real thing.
Harrods, really love going there.
Buckingham Palace, you have to see it once.
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Old Oct 25th, 2016, 05:23 PM
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10 sights in and around London:

Tower of London
British Museum/Library
Westminster Abby
National Gallery
V&A
St Paul's
Outdoor walk: Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, St James Park
Museums based on interests (Tate or Tate Modern of National Portrait Gallery or Courtauld Gallery)
Harrods (esp food halls but explore and have tea)
Day trip to Hampton Court Palace (take a boat one way)
Covent Garden (for teens switch out a museum)
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