General London Questions
 

We will be in London for 6 days in 6 weeks. What would we absolutely not miss in this short amount of time? What are some good pubs? Any plays and where can we get tickets? Does anybody know the International Hotel? Thanks in advance! <BR>

There are people who respond to this forum who know London better than I, but here is my approach. <BR> <BR>Before my last trip, I went to the library and read London newspapers for plays and concerts. Then I contacted the box office directly by phone and mail. One play that is a classic is The Mousetrap. It has been running for a very long time and, when we saw it, it was perfectly acted. <BR> <BR>For 6 days, my approach would be to get a guide book that has the bus routes and then prioritize. Only you know what you are interested in the most. We did the standard tourist items of the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, and the Tower. I found the British Museum interesting. Kew Gardens are nice and we enjoyed freelancing Hampton Court. <BR>Everybody has his or her favorite spot in London. So I don't feel I can be so presumptious as to say you "Must see this or that." Consult older posting on this forum, there is a wealth of information to be read. Some very experienced an knowledgeable people have posted.

The U.K. Theatre has a complete listing of current shows and reviews at http://www.uktw.co.uk. It includes links for ticket sales. I found an excellent agency in London via the Net last summer. The "must sees" depend on your interests. Plan thoughtfully with guidebooks and a map to get the most from your time there. And I agree with Bob's note below, this Forum is an excellent source of planning ideas and information. <BR> <BR>

We bought great "day of" theatre tickets at Harrods. The WWII underground HQ for Winston Churchill was interesting. It is near Parliament. Do a standard grey line tour to get your barings and return to areas that interested you. Changing of the Guard is usually very crowded and you do not see much. Not a must on my list. Use the underground to get around town. Best and quickest. You can book plays in advance and I would recommend this. Use the web site above. The good ones usually sold out on day you want. We used an apartment last time in London and did not do the hotels. Really enjoyed the apartment as it was close to Buckingham Palace and underground, had a kitchen and living room and less expensive than hotel. You may want to check in to that. There are many in London. Have a great trip. <BR>

You have had much useful advice based on your question of what you should "absolutely not miss". I start from different ground: in my view you can miss anything you like: tourism is a pleasure, not a duty, and you do what you choose. So my offer is this: if you'll tell me anything about your profession, qualifications, job, interests and hobbies I'll see wherher I can name a place or two to respond to those. <BR> <BR>If you'll tell me where you're going I'll see whether I know good pubs nearby. <BR> <BR>For short trips, if you get a free bus map from any tunbe station, travel on tops of busses is more interesting than travel by tube. The day or week London travel cards cover busses as well as tubes. <BR> <BR>There is nowhere on the web that has all London theatre shows., because the fringe theatres often fail to send in their plsans. So in the concourse of your arrival airport you might buy a listings magazine such as Time Out, for fill cocverage. I see no call toi book in advance: for nearly everything (except blockbuster musicals and some plays at the National Theatre) you can book on the phone by credit card once you're in London. <BR> <BR>Welcome to London. I look forward to your reply. <BR> <BR>Ben Haines <BR> <BR>