My hubby/I will be going to London this September for the first time. We'd like to stay close to all major attractions: shopping, parks, musuems, theater, dining out and more. Where did you stay and what did and didn't you like about it? What are some things one must see? Any suggestions on day trips to other towns? Thanks.

The "must see" list depends on how long you are going to be there. The touristy sites in London are popular for good reasons, so it might be wise to start with the obvious places. If you're interested in history, the Tower of London and Westminster Abbey are fascinating. Be sure to take the tours, you'll learn so much more. My wife and I did the self-tour approach the first time and didn't realize how much we missed until we did it properly on subsequent visits. The best advice I can give you is to walk around a lot. Walk to Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Hyde Park, etc. I wouldn't try to walk to the Tower of London, but most of the other places are fairly close to one another. <BR> <BR>An obvious daytrip would be Windsor Castle, but you could also consider Bath, Salisbury or Canterbury.

London is a favorite vacation of mine - even though Ive only been once! We saw great stuff:Tate Museum - full of Picassos, Lion King at Lyceum Theater - suprisingly easy to get tix, shopping at Covent Garden - for pricey and bargain boutiques, Harrodds (overrated), and Changing of the Guards (interesting, but long wait). The best part of the trip for me was visiting St. Paul's cathedral - if you do ANYTHING, go here...very spiritual, moving experience.

I'd visit the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert and the National Gallery. A good day trip is to Hampton Court, and Windsor and Winchester are worth a visit. Try to visit a market or two, Portobello, Borough or for a real Cockney market, the Columbia Road Flower Market on Sunday morning. Harrods is just a big shop, fine if you like big shops. <BR>It's a good idea to go walking in some of the least obvious tourist places, have a look at London Walks at http://www.walks.com/

In September, Buckingham Palace is open to the public - Yes you can see up close how Queen Lizzie and Phil the Greek live it up!<BR>You may have to line up for a while but it is far more interesting inside than standing for ages to see the Changing of the Guards.<BR>We also enjoyed the Cabinet War Rooms - makes you wonder how on earth the Allies won the war....<BR>Westminster Abbey was good but get their early to avoid the tour groups.<BR>St James Park is lovely for a stroll after seeing Buck Palace.<BR>Just riding on the top of a red Double Decker bus was fun...<BR>If you can get out to Bath it is worth the trip.<BR><BR>