i'm traveling from paris to london alone in august for 5 days and i'd love some suggestions on where to stay, what to do, etc. i've got a list of museums i want to see and i'd to see a show (preferably fringe)and travel around to the areas outside of the city. i'd love to hear from anyone who's done the trip especially if they did it alone (i'm 40 if that matters). what's it like going out at nite alone (dinner or a pub). i don't want to look like mrs. robinson (lol). thanks!

Here's a link to the London Superthread - there is tons of great info there.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34548473

Hi
do reference the London Superthread, there's a lot to plow through, but you've got time before the trip to do a lot of planning.
Buy a map now so you can orient yourself.
For a short trip, Streetwise London, or the slightly-larger National Geographic map are easy to fold, laminated, and have as much detail as most travelers need. The NG map, because it is larger, is easier to read, but slightly less convenient to open and close while you are on the move.

If you'd list which museums and sights interest you, people here can suggest an itinerary. The fodors London information has suggested itineraries (click at the top of this screen on Destinations) and frommers.com has walking routes.

If you'd like to see my London file, email me at [email protected]

In my opinion, London is a great city in which to travel alone. You can hop into a pub or restaurant and not feel uncomfortable. In addition, the English are very friendly and you might end up meeting a few while you're out on your own. I agree, you can make a significant dent in London within 5 days. Of course you have to see the major sites, Tower of London, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Crossing of the Guards, etc. - I would also make time for exploring some of the other neighborhoods on foot. Little Venice & Hampstead Heath were my favorites. There is a walking tour company named London Walks which is excellent. They have a series of tours from pub walks along the Thames to other neighborhoods which will give you the highlights in a couple of hours. Again, good if you're travelling solo. Have fun!! London is wonderful....

thanks everyone. i've been to westminster, tower of london, etc. on past trips so i'm more interested in the less conventional places. hampstead heath and little venice sound great.
no this is my first post (unless you count 5 yrs. ago)

I've spent some time alone in London and I find it an easy place to do that. For me, the evenings are always the issue and in London either theater or a London walks (walks.com) is a good way to spend the time. You don't give any indication, apart from your second post, what you've already seen and where you've stayed previously so it's hard to make recommendations.

On my last visit, I stayed in Marylebone which always looked a bit out of the way and it turned out to be terrific. There are 2 tube stations, Baker St. and Marlebone. It did require a change of trains to get to the theater. It was within walking distance of several museums including the Wallace Collection which I loved. The Sherlock Holmes hotel is located there and I think somewhat reasonably priced. But travelling alone, I think I might prefer staying somewhere along the Picadilly line.

If you want specific suggestions for a hotel, you might post a budget. For day trips, if you don't get the info you need from the superthread, be more specific about what you've already seen and done. You might be interested in one of London Walks Explorer days for the "areas outside the city." They're reasonably priced and well done I hear.

thanks mclaurie for your suggestions. i was looking into 5 maddox street (that should give you an idea of my budget . i like the idea of a flat-type hotel and also that it's conveniently located. what do you think or do you have a better suggestion. also, during the day do you suggest i go on an official walk or just pick an area (say hampstead) and set out on my own? i too am concerned about evenings and walks and the theatre sound like great ideas. thank you again!!

I'd heard of No 5 Maddox and initially thought the idea of a serviced apt sounded terrific. First website I checked I thought WOW, sexy apts. Then I went to tripadvisor and started to read the reviews. While most are good, I discovered no lifts so if you're at the top, it's a trek. But more importantly I started thinking if I were going alone, I wouldn't want to cook (so why have a kitchen) and I might like to be able to go down to a bar or lounge for a drink or coffee and maybe meet someone to have a conversation. In a hotel with only 12 suites, less likely I think. So while the location looks great, I don't think it's what I'd pick for travelling alone. But you may be going purposedly to get away for some quiet writing time, I don't know. In that case it does sound fine. I noted several people mentioned getting deals for this hotel from luxurylink.com so you might check that out.

So what would I suggest instead? Well truth is I haven't been there on my own recently enough to make a reco. I like the sound of One Aldwych if it's in your budget.

As to during the day to "walk" or go it alone, I think it depends on how you feel and whether there are walks that interest you. I'd probably do most daytime wandering on my own with a museum or "site" as maybe an objective.

A few more thoughts. There are a number of previous posts here about women traveling solo to London if you do a search. Most of the info was really about doing things outside of London. But on my search of these, found another poster who plans to be in London alone first week of August, poster's name lsw601. Don't know if that coincides but it raises the issue of posting for others here who might like to have a dinner or something.

I did a quick search on One Aldwych and my instincts were confirmed it's a good choice. Also remembered poster Patrick's flat he rents, if you're interested in that option. Also the Charlotte Street hotel is another to check.

thanks mclaurie again for all of your advice. you brought up some good points about 5 maddox. i'm going to check into 1 aldwych too. i think i like the convenience of a hotel as opposed to a flat. did you figure out the tube easily enough?

The tube is easy. The problem I had last time was figuring out which was the best ticket to buy. or #-o
Here's the map

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/pdfdocs/colormap.pdf

It's always nice to have 2 tube stops to choose from and/or a stop with several lines. I think One Aldwych is near Covent Garden and Charing Cross stops. A lot of people like to stay near the South Kensington stop b/c there are 3 lines that meet there.

I also like buses because you get to see more.