Anybody have interesting/neat ideas of "hidden" London - i.e. good things to see/do that are "off the beaten track"? <BR>thanks - I'll be going to London next month - can't wait <BR>lisa

What are you interested in? How old are you?

pick up a copy of Time Out London Walks. There are some good ideas in there, and it is a fun read too. <BR> <BR>also, check out www.walks.com <BR> <BR>London Walks - I've used them 5 or so times now. Cheap, WONDERFUL and funny guides, interesting. <BR> <BR>Beth

the people who live there wouldn't think of it as being "hidden" of course, <BR>but Hampstead is off the usual tourist track and well-worth a day's exploration. YOu can visit Keats's house, Freud's house, have lunch in a great pub, take a walk across on the Heath. <BR>Roger Ebert the film critic has a detailed itinerary in his book <BR>"The Perfect London Walk". <BR>Not far from there is Highgate Cemetery, where notables like Karl Marx, George Eliot, and others are buried.

thanks for the above input - I'll be travelling with an 8 yo boy - any other "neat/hidden" things to do?

ah, we're narrowing it down a bit. <BR>Some suggestions for kids: <BR>Websites for Children and London <BR>www.woodman.org/trip_advice.htm <BR>www.KidsToLondon.com <BR>http://gouk.miningco.com/travel/gouk <BR>/msublonkids.htm <BR>www.thisislondon.com/dynamic/index.html <BR>www.london4kids.com <BR>www.interlinkbooks.com/ <BR>londonforfamilies.html <BR>www.independent.co/uk/50_Best/ <BR>Going_out/family_days_out/index.html <BR>There are several guidebooks on this subject: go to www.amazon.com and do a search on <BR>"London kids".or "London family" or "London children". For outdoor play areas, both St James Park and Regent's Park have playgrounds, among many other parks. The one in St James Park is near Buckingham Palace. Skip the London Dungeon, my 7 and 11-year old nephews thought it was boring and I thought it was a tourist trap. <BR>I don't know what your child is interested in, but my bloodthirsty nephews loved the Imperial War Museum. <BR>Phone 891 600 140 (recorded info); <BR>207 416 5320. www.iwm.org.uk <BR>Advance bookings: 207 416 5439 <BR>Tube Lambeth North, Elephant & Castle. <BR>Displays a wide range of weapons, posters, documents, uniforms, tanks, even a German submarine. A fascinating section on spies, codes, etc. (Also a section on the Holocaust.) Open daily 10am-6pm. This museum is housed in part of what used to be Bethlehem Hospital for the Insane, commonly known as "Bedlam". <BR> <BR>

I think the Temple Church is a neat "hidden place" in London. The Temple area was originally home of the London branch of the Knights Templars, and is now one of the legal centers of the city (I guess the pen IS mightier than the sword). <BR> <BR>I'm not sure how impressive it will be to an 8 year-old, but the church has a unique design, and you might see some bewigged barristers scurrying about.