I am the one who recommended the London Pass - I already know it probably isn't worth it for me - it IS worth it if you want to see a lot of tourist attractions. If you look on their site they give you a list of what they offer and then how much the regular price is. They have some expensive places on there like the zoo and vineopolis, Hampton Court etc. (even movie theatres)... so I take back what I said. I MIGHT EVEN BUY A PASS FOR 1 or 2 days -I think I might save so money ... after that I'll just do what I always do - hang out and enjoy all London's FREE stuff.

But when people go for the first time, they usually want to see all that touristy stuff.

IrinaStan, a wonderful thing to do in London is sit in the parks. Did you know you can rent a deck chair? It cost one pound, fifty pence for four hours. You can take a sack lunch to St. James Park and listen to Big Ben.

My first idea was to look for a guide book to London in Russian. The Amazon site http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/se...973158-5973701 shows some, and one is on offer, used and new from $7.53. The site http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/off...?condition=all shows London in Pictures (Pitkin Guides). This is a heavily illustrated guide to major attractions in London.

All other guides are out of stock or out of print. I suppose they might be in a second hand bookshop on Cecil Court, the Charing Cross Road, of in front of the National Film Theatre, but you could spend long hunting without result.

Out of Print--Limited Availability
London A Compact Guide. Russian
London A Tourist Guide in Russian
London Scene: Russian Version
Out of Stock
London: a Souvenir Guide in Russian
London: a Tourist Guide in Russian (Paperback - December 1992)

Sales staff at the Victoria and Albert Museum and at the Museum of London say that they are sorry, there is no such guide. Thed Musreum of London used to have one, but it has ceased. British Museum sales on 0044 20 7323 1234 open on Monday, and will be able to answer for the BM.

I am as disappointed as you will be. Museums and publishers make marketing decisions, and clearly have decided not to give much attention to one of the world s greatest intellectual readerships.

If you use Google for London Walks and find six walks you like, you can e mail each to ask whether they have walk leaders who have an American or Canadian accent.

Yes: you can buy a combined Ticket for the Tower at any underground station and for Hampton Court either in a tube station or at Waterloo main line station.

In my next message I shall copy a standard note I that compiled to help people with your query.

Welcome to London. Please write if I can help further.

For Big Russ: You say the Brits saved the Western world with virtually no help in 1939-1942. Until Hitler invaded the Soviet Union, yes, though even before that every continent and every race sent men to the Commonwealth forces. After that, by no means. IrinaStan comes from the other country that sent soldiers (and civilians) to fight in millions. My own brother was born nine months after Stalingrad and El Alamein: we have not forgotten. Results include this present correspondence, and Sundays at Marble Arch. Those shows are indeed odd, but my parents fought for freedom for the odd, as well as for you.

[email protected]

A WEEK IN LONDON for a first visitor

I think the first thing, on the day of arrival, is a bus top guided tour of main sights, to see what they look like and ready for visits on later days. Then if the visitors plan to see the Museum of London they should go there next, to get a view of London s history through time, to let them know on later visits how each place they see slots in with the life and times of this city. After that the top attractions for visitor numbers are Buckingham Palace, Westminster, Whitehall, St Paul s and the Tower. But if they have a week they can see much more. They should group their visits, and cover an area a day. On their first day or at their arrival airport they should buy a one week two zone London Travel card for 19 pounds 60 pence, and pick up a bus map at any tube station. Then they should travel short distances outside the rush hour on the tops of busses, and make other journeys by tube. In these notes, square brackets show contradictory or additional thoughts by correspondents to Fodors forum for Europe.

[It is a complete waste of time to spend a precious half-day looking at the outsides of places that I'll be coming back to.]

The Science Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum [If people are not museum fans, I should list other things instead]. Perhaps the Albert Memorial and tea in the Orangery. South Kensington tube. I suggest lunch at the Daquise Polish restaurant, by the tube station

Harrods store, Knightsbridge tube, or bus from South Kensington. There are good meals at the Nags Head, 53 Kinnerton Street, and the Wilton Arms, 71 Kinnerton Street. [Perhaps a walk along The Serpentine, the Lake in Hyde park, would be more appealing than visiting Harrod's? Also, Fortnum and Mason on Piccadilly may make a better shopping visit. Add Apsley House, at Hyde Park Corner]

[Add Tate Britain, by bus from Victoria]

Starting from Victoria Station the Royal Mews, the Queen s Gallery, and Buckingham Palace. The Palace is a large, dull, grey building, and I do not know why people go there. [Buckingham Palace was a disappointment for me, but most Americans will flock to it on a first visit. A visitor suggests the horse guards as a better visit]. From the palace walk through St James Park beside the lake, feed the royal ducks, do not walk on the very dull Mall. I suggest lunch at the Two Chairmen, just outside the Gardens, a block from St James Park tube station.

Up to the south east corner of St James Park. Westminster Abbey (opens early, 9.30 [take one of the Verger-led tours at 1100 or 1400 if there on time]), view Parliament and Big Ben, the London Eye [some people deplore the Eye], Ten Downing Street, The Cabinet War Rooms on King Charles Street, the Banqueting Hall, Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery (half a day), the National Portrait Gallery (two hours: twice a week closes late at 9pm), lunch in Gordon s Wine Bar on Villiers Street near Embankment tube station, ten minutes walk east along the Strand, [add St. Martin in the Fields Church and Crypt and Covent Garden] Somerset House for the Courtauld Gallery Impressionists and Russian Imperial Collection, weekday lunch upstairs at the Devereaux Arms, between the Courts of Justice and the gate of the Middle Temple

Church of St Bartholomew the Great (Farringdon tube), Museum of London, St Paul s Cathedral, [lunch in Crypt Café] Tate Modern [some people disliked the Tate Modern. Add Shakespeare's Globe. Southwark Cathedral, Borough Market, and the Old Operating Theatre and Herb Garret: London Bridge tube. Add daytrip to Greenwich]

The Tower (opens early, 9am: takes 2 ? hours at least) and Tower Bridge

The British Library by Kings Cross St Pancras tube, British Museum (2 hours at least: I suggest weekday lunch in MacMillan s refectory on the ground floor of Senate House), Sir John Soane s Museum, Holborn tube.

The following are other points from readers

I'd recommend seeing at least one play while in London.
Spare one evening from shows to take a walk from platform 1 at Charing Cross station over Hungerford Bridge across The Thames, then along the south bank

Eat at an Indian restaurant, Brick Lane north of Aldgate East tube or Drummond Street west of Euston main line station
Afternoon tea (a search at the top of the Fodors forum page for Europe will bring plenty of advice. Or, I can send a file on less elegant tea in London -- BH
A visit to a local market: your hotel can suggest one
On a week s visit only one out of town day trip: Hampton Court Palace. Kew Gardens
Greenwich, or Windsor Castle

And a further point from a reader: Every visitor is different in not only their interests but also their pace. I'd rather spend a full day at one or two places, learning them in depth, than dash around to four or five

For later visits people consider their own tastes and interests, dig into London, and find small museums, hidden corners, and little known suburbs, and go there.
[I cannot agree with this basic strategy. Visitors should do some of that on their first visit, and save the more popular destinations for another time].

What not to do is worth listing.
Madame Tussaud?s. The National Portrait Gallery does the job better, and free
The London Dungeon and the Clink. OK for sado-masochists, but few of us are. Otherwise, emetic.
The changing of the guard, at either site. Lots of waiting in heat or cold, and not a lot to see.
Big Ben: So what ? [The view of Big Ben, Parliament buildings and Westminister Abbey is a classic "must do"]
Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square. Crowded, good for pickpockets, littered, and run-down. [Leicester Square is sort of a "must" if they want to get discount theatre tickets].

Ben Haines

Ben thanks a lot. So much info. I also appresiate comments about World War II and Russia and search for Russian Gide books.

Thanks a lot to everyone again for help.

It seems that know I have enough places to visit for a month :-), not for a week. And all of them so interesting.
I would have to limit myself :-). An some of my friends when I told that we are going for a week, told me - what I you going to do there for so long?
I will let everyone know about my final itenarary. At this point I am waiting for some confirmations.
Somebody mentioned about boat tour from Westminster I believe to Hampton Court?
I strongly consider that option at this point since we have so little time and want to see soo much. I believe we can attend 10 a.m. verger tour on Saturday and then go for the rest of the day to Hampton Court. Any idea where to look up that info? How much it cost? What are departure time? How long does it take to get from Westminster to Hampton Court? Do they have one way or round ticket?
Some more quesitons.
There is I believe called Big Bus Tours. I had tour with them in Philadelphia and we were very happy. Are they good in London? They have also included 2 walking tours (Royal tour and Bittles) plus river cruise. Seems to be good bargian for 17 pounds a day. Did anyone ever used them. Are their walking tours good?
Thanks.
Irina

I can't vouch for their walking tours but the Big Bus is great for the hop on/hop off bus tour and included boat trip. It really is a great first activity - a good way to get yourself oriented as to the layout of the city, and to perhaps learn something new from the patter of the tour guides. It is the same company that operates in Philadelphia. Your ticket is good for 24 hours, so if you start later on one day you can continue the tour the next morning.

Irina: If you do decide to take a boat to or from Hampton Court Palace - I STRONGLY suggest you take the train TO HCP and the boat BACK to central London. Especially with your limited time.

Because of the river currents and tides the trip up river to the Palace can take as much as an hour longer than the trip back down river. So I'd take the train to Hampton Court and then if the weather is nice catch the boat back to Westminster. The boat dock is right next to the Palace - you can't miss it.

Irina -
I am planning a London visit also, and noticed that there is an audio tour IN RUSSIAN at Westminster Cathedral, according to the website. I thought you would like to know.

OOps, meant Westminster Abbey!

I am a bit confused. Do we need or not for weekly travel card to have photo pictures? Anyone who used them recently?

Just to tell what I got so far:
I believe I got tickets to Buckingam Palace and Clearance House (at least they charge my credit card for both :-)).
Big Ben tour is suspended acording to e-mail that I got they review security process....
I chope that I at leas will get Ceremony of the Key... No answer yet...

IrinaStan, we ordered our 7 day travelcard through www.ticket-on-line.com. We did not need photos and received the actual card, not a voucher. It also comes with a discount booklet. Sorry to hear that the Clock Tower tours have been suspended. Did your email give you an indication of when they'd be back on? Susan

You don't need to order the travelcard in advance. You can just get it when you're in London.... no photo necessary. And you probably only need a Zone 1 & 2, since you're staying in zone 2, not the 6-zone version people usually get in advance. If you venture out further you can just pay a supplement.

I was able to purchase just a zone 1-2 card in advance.