bilboburgler

At front you will not get any sweets, but you might get asked to go on stage.

janisj

I was thinking -- me -- I'm not brave enough for the front row

thursdaysd

Afternoon tea - unless you insist on the whole nine yards, I do scone, jam and clotted cream at the V&A, where the tea rooms are a museum exhibit in their own right.

MmePerdu

The V&A tea rooms have just gone on my itinerary for the spring. It's been decades since I was there and one of my definites this time. Thanks, thursdaysd.

janisj

The V&A dining rooms are lovely -- but it is a sort of high class cafeteria. Good food but not and 'actual afternoon tea' experience.

While the posh hotels (they ALL do afternoon teas) are from sorta expensive to very expensive, you can make it work even on a budget. Say you go to one of the grand hotel teas (most run between £30 and £45) -- it actually replaces both lunch and dinner. Book for late (4:30 or 5PM-ish) and you get tea, champagne for an extra charge if you wish, a pretty much endless stream of 4 or 5 types of finger sandwiches, scones/clotted cream/preserves, and a variety of cakes.

You wouldn't have lunch prior to having tea and if you book late enough you wouldn't need dinner either. So while it isn't necessary to do one of the posh hotel teas, it doesn't have to be an extravagance.

Or . . . look at the Wolseley @ £10.75 (light tea) £25.50 (full tea) or £36 (champagne tea) https://www.thewolseley.com/afternoon-tea

thursdaysd

"You wouldn't have lunch prior to having tea"

Well, you might not, but there is NO way I could go from breakfast to 4:00 pm without eating!

annhig

me neither, thursdaysd.

I like j's plan, but I think i might go for a light brunch followed by a late tea - with just a drink at "lunchtime".

generally I find I accomplish more if I stop fairly regularly for some sort of refreshment; this is one of the biggest frustrations of holidaying with other people I find as everyone has different ideas of what a reasonable number of stops are, and how much to eat and drink. Acquaintances of my mother did take it rather far, she thought, by sharing one cup of tea between the two of them when they stopped for a mid-morning drink.

historytraveler

You may well be familiar with it, but the London Transport website www.tfl.gov.uk is an excellent site for figuring out the best transport routes including all the bus stops for traveling around London. I think the bus might be a better option than tube as it can get very crowded on the escalators and some tube stations require a good deal of walking.

I'm with annhig on making as many tea stops as necessary for a bit of a rest. I frequently can manage three or four in a day and, no, I don't share my tea but that's because I'm usually traveling solo.

janisj

>>Well, you might not, but there is NO way I could go from breakfast to 4:00 pm without eating!<<

If I have a large typical cooked breakfast - eggs/toast/bacon/sausage/ grilled tomatoes/mushrooms, etc etc . . . I often don't eat lunch at all. But yes, if I just have a light breakfast -- 4PM is too long to wait for lunch. On days I'm planning on afternoon tea, I do have a cooked breakfast.

carolyn

For afternoon tea, check out the Richoux Tea Rooms. Plenty of food and not as expensive as the big hotels.

historytraveler

At one time, I loved Richoux's but in recent years not so much. I would highly recommend Wolseley's for afternoon tea or even an excellent breakfast. Prices about the same as Richoux's but a much better experience IMO.

kmowatt

The Christmas market on the south bank is good, I love the lights on Elizabeth Street and the Cubbit is a nice pub (not really pubish) for dinner on Elizabeth. Agree with the Wollesely for tea, and dinner is also reasonable for London. I always love the windows at Fortnum and Mason, and just down the street at Waterstones bookstore, they have a nice restaurant on the top floor for lunch...has a fun view over London and is a nice stop from shopping in that area. If you are around Bond Street at tea time, try Sotheby's. Not many tables, very quiet, and they have a good reasonably priced tea...also fun to sometimes over hear conversations about what people are trying to sell, or have just bought - It doesn't compare to the grand hotels but it does the trick if you're in the area. The shopping arcades are all beautifully decorated at Christmas also...3 good ones all in the vicinity of each other in Mayfair...I love London at Christmas

traveltheel

I am taking notes on all your comments.. love the tea ideas.. we have all week to try different tea venues! It's so nice to hear from people who have done it all .. vs.. just out of a book recommendations or the internet.. Waterstones for lunch is definitely on the list as well as the V & A and Wollesely. Cubbit pub..Sotheby's..

Oh.. and I would love to have my friend be called up on stage from front row.. we plan to have a week of laughs and silly fun.. so that would be treat.. She's an amazing person.. and has not let her illness stop her from enjoying life.. there's actually more to her story.. her husband died of cancer 4 mos. before she was diagnosed.. and both were healthy individuals.. hiked, ate well.. etc. .. in early 60s.. so really tragic on all accounts.. and she's been my close friend for 15 years.. met her at my son's school bus stop!

I've been to London 6 times counting.. actually was there this past January for a week..but always wanted to see it at Christmas.. we are headed to Paris the weekend after until Mond to see it lit up.. & she has never taken Eurostar..

I took my husband to see Billy Elliott in Jan because the last time I was there saw it and loved it.. would consider going again! Any other theatre recommendations for what is showing now..

newtome

How long are xmas windows up after Xmas?

kmowatt

We just booked War Horse...been on for a long time, but never got around to seeing it...there's a new production of Les Liasons Dangereuses opening soon with an amazing cast that I also might book...think it opens Dec 10th. The Mikado is on if you like that. I did look at A Christmas Carol with Jim Broadbent, that could be fun to see. I arrive December 19th for 10 days...will be my 3rd trip for Christmas

Your friend sounds great...I'm sure you'll both have great memories of this trip, enjoy

Tulips

If you're on Piccadilly, pop in to Assouline, near Waterstones. Gorgeous shop, selling coffeetable books and some antiques. There's a small bar as well. Great place for a coffee or glas of wine.
And also on Piccadilly; The Ai Wei Wei exhibition at the Royal Academy is still on I think; highly recommend.

My favorite place for afternoon tea is the Wallace Collection. The Wolseley as mentioned is good too. I'm not a fan of Richoux.

Tulips

newtome; Christmas decorations are dismantled pretty quickly after Christmas Day. Sales start on December 26; in the large department stores it's mayhem, with little Christmas spirit left. The lights and decorations in the streets stay up a little longer.