Am planning a last-minute trip to London for mid-February with a friend and would love to hear tips on seeing the big tourist sites--Parliament, Windsor Castle, The Tower--, the names of moderate restaurants or pubs with good food or things you wish you had known before you went. Any info. on the Tube passes would be great--do we buy them here or there? Lastly, any insight on how cold it may be (do we need boots?)--there was a great post on clothing to wear in London back in November but it has disappeared--and no Archives seem to have been set up by Fodors (?!?). Appreciate any and all tidbits on London; thanks in advance. Mary

Mary, you are going to my favorite city. I have been there many times and have shared seeing the city with many "first timers". I will try to answer your questions, but these are my personnel opinions and others may not agree with me. First, with reguard to tube passes. I have always purchased them there. Take a passport sized photo and buy a one week travel card for zones one and two. This will cover most of the tourist areas. Pubs are best in places other than the tourist spots. Try walking around and out of the most travelled areas and you should find some good ones. The weather will be cool, wet and with wind. Dress warmly but don't over do it as you will be indoors a lot and you don't want to lug stuff around. Lastly, I have done the follwing walk many times on the day of arrival. Mostly to just keep moving after arrival to get my limbs loose and to fight off jet lag. I would take the tube to Westminster station. When you exit you will see Big Ben, Parliament, the Thames. If you walk across from Parliament, about half way down, you will be very close to Westminster Abbey. You can visit it on you own, Just walk in. If you want to see in interior you will have to paya fee. Nent I would walk thru St james park and Green park and see Buckingham Palace. You could then walk up the hill and you will be on Picadilly. You could then continue on to Picadilly circus.
Hope this helps. Feel free to contact me with other questions.

hi mary
just returned from uk. i have to respectively disagree with roger about tube passed. by a travel card from your local travel agent. this includes bus and tube travel in any zone or at any time great money saver and you are not paying for it pounds.i agree with roger on everything else. what i did to recover from jet lag was to take about a two nap about 10 am local time got a bite to eat and started sightseeing and then went to bed my usually time. got up the next morning fully adjusted to local time. hope this helps. if i can help further please feel free to email.
have a nice trip
doug
thai food is wonderful in london.

Mary,
I was fortunate enough to go to college in London for a year (about 4 1/2 years ago) so I may be able to help you out a little. First, I see no need to worry about the Tube passes -- they're easy to get when you are there. In any tube station, there are maps posted of the tube system. Look on the map to where you want to go, and you will see what zone it is in. 99%25 of the time you will be staying in and traveling only in zones 1 and 2. Then you go to the ticket booth and ask for a one-way or round-trip for that zone. Or there are machines that you can punch in what you need and deposit your coins, and you'll get a ticket. If you are staying there for a while, it might save you time and money to get a travel pass good for a week, as one of the previous people stated. If I remember right, a lot of tube stations close down from around 11:30 to probably 1 am, so if you're planning on clubbing or something, take a taxi home (I think you should experience the London "black cab" anyway).

As for sights to see, as you probably know, there are many and it all depends on you're preferences. Pick up a travel book on London (like Frommer's or Fodor's) and read up on what they have to say. I particulary liked Tower of London and Madame Tussaude's Wax Museum. Kind of in between and north of Picadilly Circus and Leicester Square is Soho, and this area is very lively at night. Also, Covent Garden and Portobello Market are both nice markets to visit in the day. There are thousands of pubs -- just visit the ones that look good to you (the smaller the better in my opinion).

I recommend going to a newstand when you get there and picking up a "Time Out". It's a weekly guide to everything that's going on in London (movies, plays, clubs, music, museums) and may help you.

Was there in October. We did "Jack the Ripper" walk and it was an experience. Cold that day but it makes the whole atmosphere seems Ripping good. Donald the guide last nite also wrote a book about Jack. Look up "London Walk" n you'll find more info on time, venue and many other walk. The other turn off was Mark & Spencer downtown don't take credit Card. What a laugh, my girlfriend was so excited gathering so many items and then having to put them back. If you are there longer than 4 days buy the weekly pass. Have fun.

Buy "Cheap Eats in London" by Gustafson. She never steered us wrong. You really have to be careful in London restaurants because you can spend a fortune. For a great free museum, try the National Portrait Gallery on Trafalgar Square - it has all of the original portraits of the Kings, Queens and their entourages.

Sir John Soanes (sp?) Museum near the Court of St James is a must (quaint, interesting and free). For a good pre or post theatre Indian meal, try The Tale of India on New Row in Covent Garden. Dionysus on Tottenham Court Road near Oxford street is also good for inexpensive greek food. However, you can't go wrong with the Cheap Eats guide mentioned above (I used it last year). Time Out is a great theatre and events guide. I truely enjoyed Blood Brothers and was truely disappointed by Sunset Blvd. For nice pubs, try the Friend at Hand near Russel Square and the Lamb which (thankfully) has a non-smoking section. Enjoy your trip!

Spent a year in London - it is the world's greatest city to visit. Here is my rundown:

Food: Indian or Chinese is best bet - esp. Chutney's for the Sunday night buffet (5 quid): it is vegetarian, and awesome. (Near Euston station) The food in London is generally overpriced, overcooked, and overbland.

Pubs: the Finsbury Arms (Finsbury Park tube stop), it is a bit out of the way, and seems a bit seedy, but it is a great pub. Also, the Jeremy Bentham: off Tottenham Court Road near University College London.

Transport: If it is remotely nice (and you are confident with your map-reading skills) buy a London A to Z (any newsstand ortourist shop), and walk everywhere, it is the most enjoyable thing you can do in London.

Lodging: I recommend staying around Russell Square/Cartwright Gardens. There is everything from cheapo budget to hostels to B&B's to the chain places. See if a travel agent can help you out. Also, the area has some nice pubs.

Sights: skip the changing of the guard. Westminster Abbey is free Wednesday Evenings, the British Museum and the National Gallery are must sees (and free). Also, Selfridges is better than Harrod's - but I guess it is still Harrod's. Regent's Park is awesome.

Weather: You never can tell in London in February, but expect the worst - 40's and wet. If you don't have a great raincoat (much better than an umbrella), get something (one of those yellow slickers you wore as a kid would be great,or else an oil skin coat (called wax coats in London, if you want to buy one there.

Guidebooks: I recommend the UpClose guide from Fodor's or else Let's Go. If you want a nicer Hotel, then a Travel Agent should be able to help you out anyway, and these books give you the best scoop on the sights.

Beers: Theakston's Old Peculier, Newcastle Brown Ale, Gillespie's Scottish Malt Stout.

Bookstores: Dillon's (Gower Street), Blackwell's and Waterstones (both Tottenham Court Road)

Also: Barbican for RSC and the National Theatre for anything.

Have fun

Good pubs for lunch or dinner include the Carpenters Arms at the southern end of Blackfriars Bridge, both pubs in the old Greenwich Market, and for Monday to Friday lunches only the Market Porter in Borough Market by London Bridge station, the Devereaux just west of the Middle Temple off the Strand Temple tube), and the pub on the corner of Queen Annes Gardens and Dartmouth Street, just north of St James Park tube station. If I take these as bases for visits to lesser-known sights I get:
Carpenters Arms: Museum of the Moving Image ......
Greenwich: The National Maritime Museum ..........
Market Porter: The Old Operating Theatre under London Bridge station, Southwark Cathedral (a little visited 14th century city church),
and the new Globe .................................
Devereaux: The Courtauld Institute in Somerset House, and Dr Johnson's house north of the Strand. ........................................
Pub north of St James Park station: take some bread, go and feed the Queen's ducks on the lake in the Park, and visit the Cabinet War Rooms.
.....................................
I keep a list of free lectures in central London on disc. If you'd like a copy please give your dates.
Meanwhile, here's a sample for mid February .................

Monday 16th

1pm. Should Performers of Music be Taught ? Gresham College, High Holborn. Chancery Lane tube.

1pm. Do embryos matter any more ? Room 11F, Kings College, Temple tube

5pm. Before the beginning: our universe and others. Professor Martin Rees. Darwin Lecture Theatre, University College London, Euston Square tube

5.30. Manuscript production by Christians in 13th and 14th century Syria: Byzantine-Moslem Interaction. Room 1B04, Kings College, Temple tube

5.30. Chemicals and consciousness. Great Hall, Kings College, Temple tube

6pm. The decline (and success) of science in England. Royal Society of Arts, Charing Cross tube. Prebook: 0171 930 9286

Tuesday 17th

1pm. The European Convention on the Exercise of Childrens' Rights. Council Room, Kings College, Temple tube

1.15. Finding One's Way in the Roman Empire. Darwin Lecture Theatre, University College London, Euston Square tube.

2pm. Media in development and training. Room G58, School of Oriental and African Studies, Russell Square tube.

4.15. The outcome of the European Council at Luxembourg and on the progress of the United Kingdom Presidency. Evidence from Doug Henderson Member of Parliament, Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office. House of Lords Committee. Go to Parliament public entrance, bypass the queue, ask the police officer how to reach the committee.

5pm. Desperate characters: transportation of Indian convicts to Mauritius 1815 to 37. Room G3, School of Oriental and African Studies, Russell Square tube.
............................................
Lunches with waitress service are served on weekdays from twelve to two
in the the dining room in the Norfolk Building, Surrey Street, Kings College (go upstairs to level one, through the union canteen, and down to the service dining room: suitable for Kings and LSE lectures),
in the dining room of the School of Oriental and African Studies (go to basement level and the dining room is straight ahead: suitable for SOAS, SSEES and Institute of Education lectures),
and in the upper central refectory in the main building of University College London (suitable for UCL and Wellcome Institute lectures).
There's a good self-service restaurant at MacMillans, ground floor, Senate House (suitable for Senate House, SSEES, and the British Museum).
.........................................
Two good gatherings of restaurants are at Shepherds Market, two blocks north of Green Park tube, and around South Kensington station. A specific place, but 25 pounds a full meal, is the Betjeman Restaurant on the first floor of the Charing Cross Hotel, next to the station. ....................

Good pubs for lunch or dinner include the Carpenters Arms at the southern end of Blackfriars Bridge, both pubs in the old Greenwich Market, and for Monday to Friday lunches only the Market Porter in Borough Market by London Bridge station, the Devereaux just west of the Middle Temple off the Strand Temple tube), and the pub on the corner of Queen Annes Gardens and Dartmouth Street, just north of St James Park tube station. If I take these as bases for visits to lesser-known sights I get:
Carpenters Arms: Museum of the Moving Image ......
Greenwich: The National Maritime Museum ..........
Market Porter: The Old Operating Theatre under London Bridge station, Southwark Cathedral (a little visited 14th century city church),
and the new Globe .................................
Devereaux: The Courtauld Institute in Somerset House, and Dr Johnson's house north of the Strand. ........................................
Pub north of St James Park station: take some bread, go and feed the Queen's ducks on the lake in the Park, and visit the Cabinet War Rooms.
.....................................
I keep a list of free lectures in central London on disc. If you'd like a copy please give your dates.
Meanwhile, here's a sample for mid February .................

Monday 16th

1pm. Should Performers of Music be Taught ? Gresham College, High Holborn. Chancery Lane tube.

1pm. Do embryos matter any more ? Room 11F, Kings College, Temple tube

5pm. Before the beginning: our universe and others. Professor Martin Rees. Darwin Lecture Theatre, University College London, Euston Square tube

5.30. Manuscript production by Christians in 13th and 14th century Syria: Byzantine-Moslem Interaction. Room 1B04, Kings College, Temple tube

5.30. Chemicals and consciousness. Great Hall, Kings College, Temple tube

6pm. The decline (and success) of science in England. Royal Society of Arts, Charing Cross tube. Prebook: 0171 930 9286

Tuesday 17th

1pm. The European Convention on the Exercise of Childrens' Rights. Council Room, Kings College, Temple tube

1.15. Finding One's Way in the Roman Empire. Darwin Lecture Theatre, University College London, Euston Square tube.

2pm. Media in development and training. Room G58, School of Oriental and African Studies, Russell Square tube.

4.15. The outcome of the European Council at Luxembourg and on the progress of the United Kingdom Presidency. Evidence from Doug Henderson Member of Parliament, Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office. House of Lords Committee. Go to Parliament public entrance, bypass the queue, ask the police officer how to reach the committee.

5pm. Desperate characters: transportation of Indian convicts to Mauritius 1815 to 37. Room G3, School of Oriental and African Studies, Russell Square tube.
............................................
Lunches with waitress service are served on weekdays from twelve to two
in the the dining room in the Norfolk Building, Surrey Street, Kings College (go upstairs to level one, through the union canteen, and down to the service dining room: suitable for Kings and LSE lectures),
in the dining room of the School of Oriental and African Studies (go to basement level and the dining room is straight ahead: suitable for SOAS, SSEES and Institute of Education lectures),
and in the upper central refectory in the main building of University College London (suitable for UCL and Wellcome Institute lectures).
There's a good self-service restaurant at MacMillans, ground floor, Senate House (suitable for Senate House, SSEES, and the British Museum).
.........................................
Two good gatherings of restaurants are at Shepherds Market, two blocks north of Green Park tube, and around South Kensington station. A specific place, but 25 pounds a full meal, is the Betjeman Restaurant on the first floor of the Charing Cross Hotel, next to the station. ....................

Visit the Wallace Collection....the best, best FREEBIE in London. Also enjoyed Lebanese food...tasty and cheap...rather, inexpensive! Enjoy.

When you go to the Tower of London (a must), try to get there when it opens and see the Crown Jewels first. I don't know if it will be that crowded in Feb., but that is where the lines form quickly on croweded days. After you see the jewels, go back to the gate and catch the next Beefeater tour. They begin about every 30 min. Make an effort to go to Hampton Court and Windsor. Both are easy trips by train. For H.C., go to Waterloo station and buy a day return ticket. If you have a weekly tube pass (which I suggest), you should get a discount. For Windsor, I left from Paddington Sta. Both trips are about 30 minutes on the train. When you get off the train, you'll have an easy walk to both places. On my last trip to London, I finally went to Madame Tussaud's. It was not what I had gone to London to see so it was never high on my priority list. However, I really enjoyed it. Get there early. Long lines!. The highlight for me is Westminster Abbey. Attend Evensong on Wed. afternoon to hear the choir. Wed. night is free entrance and you can take pictures inside then. However, you miss the sun streaming through the gorgeous stained-glass windows at that time. Then again, there may not be any sun, but I hope the weather cooperates for you. Have a wonderful trip. London is a fabulous place at any time of the year.

hi mary...
I have enjoyed London tremendously (mebbe except the unpredictable weather !)
Top of my list for touristy-place - westiminster abbey , Tower of London & a walk in the park !
funky & interesting shopping - Camden town on Sunday .. go check out the largest
antiques fair - portobello market on sunday ..... the list can go on...
Go grab a good guide book & explore for yourself !!!!
have fun & enjoy 'urself !!!

Mary, for what its worth...I was just in London at the beginning of the month. Do yourself a favor and go see the Ceremony of the Keys where the Beefeaters lock up the Tower of London at 9:30 every evening for the past 700 years. You will need to write away for tickets (they're free) but I've lost the address. Re: West End shows, we saw "Martin Guerre" and loved it! If you like Les Mis, Miss Saigon, et.al. you'll enjoy this. Also, it hasn't come to the US yet. As for pubs, remember that they stop serving food at 3:00 p.m.

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for taking the time to reply. . .and would love to hear more if folks have other things to pass on. Thanks again!

Mary, I forgot to mention something. If you have the time try taking a day trip by train to a near by town. Perhaps York, Bath or Cardiff. You can purchase a "cheap day return" ticket at the departure station. You have to leave after the commute time but can return anytime during that day. I would really recommend York. If you do take a train trip be sure to find out from what station it departs from as London has many stations and the trains all go to different places. My wife and I have enjoyed our many train trips and ofter do not decide were we would go until we reaced a station. Also, trains depart very often, not like the states were you might only have one train a day. As an example, 26 trains daily to York!

Hi Mary,

I don't have any advice but only more questions. If
you have discovered a cheap place to stay, not to
far from Central London, please pass it on. I'm
going at the end of Feb. too and am still looking
for where to stay.

Thank you

Mary, I have been to London serveral times. Everybody has previously given you all sorts of good info, but I will also add my 2cents.
London has so much to offer, but I also, because of all the available transportation, use it as a base city for day trips to the whole area,
including an overnight train to Edinburgh. One thing you might want to consider while in London, is be careful if you are saving a special
pub or restaurant to eat at on a Sunday afternoon. While there are numerous places that are open, there are also numerous places, especially
pubs that are closed on Sunday afternoons. (I found this to be true in other areas, like Windsor, as well as in London.) 1 of my favorite Pubs
for food is the Gypsy Moth Pub in Greenwich. A restaurant with good English food, with atmosphere, at a resonable price - 1 of my favarites - is
the restaurant above the Shelock Holmes Pub on NorthUmberland, just a few blocks from the Embankment tube stop. I have had very good Italian food
& atmosphere at the Spagehtti House in Bloomsbury - near Russel Square, & also at the restaurant(I forgot what the name is) right next door to
the Russell Square tube stop. Enjoy, & let us know when you come back, what your favorite spots & tips are.

Mary -

I have just a few things to add on London.
First, St. Paul's Cathedral is a must see.
It's been a few years since I was there, so
I'm not sure if it's still open to the public, but
at least make an attempt. Second, be careful
of the food. I found most of it to my distaste.
One thing you should try is a "Spotted Dick"
Its flavor was as interesting as its name. Also,
if you get tired from riding the tubes all day, or
just want to get familiar with the city first, I highly
recommend catching a tour bus that circles the
city. They run all day and stop at most of the major
attractions every 15-30 minutes. (You don't stay on
the same one). Cost about $10 and is much easier
that the tubes, especially if you have kids. Good Luck!

Hi Mary. You're going to have a blast, I'm jealous. I was there in early March last year and found that the weather was mild and the crowds were a non-issue. I still got a strong sense for how crazy it must be in the tourist months because of some of the small lines I witnessed. I would recommend getting a "Visitor Travelcard" in your home country to access the subway. DON'T be intimidated by riding it because I found it very fast, user friendly and a must of the London experience. The Travelcard lets you fly through the turnstiles, eliminating lineups and is good value considering each ride is something like 1 pound/25. I would also recommend St.Pauls Cathedral and a walk up to the Whispering Gallery. It's a bit of a hike up some narrow stairs but the reward is an exterior of the dome view of London for some great photo's. You'll be very impressed with the interior of St.Paul's, sit down, enjoy it and you'll know why the night watch volunteers in the 2nd world war risked their lives to ensure that any fires started as a result of bombing would be put out. It is impressive. When your feet are worn from walking I would suggest the double decker buses. They take you past some of the sights that you are glad to see but know you don't have the time to check out. I took a one day trip to Edinburgh on the Intercity Train. I left King's Cross Station at 8:00am and was there by noon. Edinburgh is very medieval with that fantastic Edinburgh Castle. Make sure you catch the express train back if you do. The train travels+-100mph and you get a table for four. Very enjoyable with nice scenery. As I said you will have the time of your life because London is impressive in so many ways. Any reservations you have about safety, leave behind. I noticed a distinct, calmness in the people/City compared to the wired feeling in New York City. Have fun ! I'll be going back !