London for a week
 

Hello all,

I am beginning to plan our third trip to Europe and I am looking to all of you again. Your help and suggestions made our last two trips fun, interesting and productive since I was able to plan well in advance.

We, myself and two children (17 & 19) will be in London March 9 to March 16. We are staying in Bloomsbury. I am thinking we can take the Heathrow express when we get in on Saturday morning? This is a short trip so we are all just taking one backpack as far as luggage goes. (As on our past trips, we want to take advantage of our time there not our outfits!)

What do you consider a must do - don't bother with? I am looking into tours and such plus the free museums!

In Munich we did a really fun bike tour "Mikes Bike Tours" ~ anything like that in london? Is there a best site for booking tours?

Thanks in advance ~

London is brilliant - I just love it. There is so much to do - what are your interests?

For me, a must do is a wander along the South Bank - take in the views along the Thames, including the imposing new "shard", have a coffee and visit the Globe and the Tate Modern.

As you've already mentioned, the museums are great - V&A, Science Museum, Natural History etc.

Good luck planning, you'll have a great time I'm sure.

We have been to London several times and always try to do a walk with "London Walks".
http://www.walks.com/

Another idea - see a show in the West End.
http://www.londontheatre.co.uk/

Happy planning!

There is so much to do in London that it's hard to know where to start in terms of advice. I agree with mebanana that it would help to know your interests.

There is a cycle hire scheme in London where you can rent bikes from docking stations around the city and use them for however long you want to. It's a great way to get around.

In addition to the free museums, I recommend going to some of the parks. St James's Park is gorgeous in the springtime, and Hyde Park is a classic London park as well.

You'll probably find it easier to take the tube straight through to Holborn, Russell Square or Kings Cross. The Heathrow Express only takes you to Paddington, and the onward journey to Bloomsbury would be a bit awkward.

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/15101.aspx

History and Art are favorites of my son - my daughter of course shopping ! Has anyone done the Jack the Ripper tour? Both my kids want to do that but I am hoping it's worth it or should I talk them out of it ~

I will look into theatre too - great idea

Also, has anyone booked with http://www.thelondonagent.com/? Found a flat on this site that sounds like it will work for us.

1) do <B>NOT</B> take the Heathrow Express. Fist of all it is obscenely expensive. But it also is not at all convenient for Bloomsbury. You'd only get as far as Paddington and then it would be either an expensive cab ride or the tube w/ transfers. Definitely either take the tube straight in from LHR, or pre-book a car service like justairports.com The Tube is straightforward and cheap,a car service is flat easy and will cost less than half of the HEX/cab for a party of 3.

2) Let the kids do what they want, but IMO the JtR walk is horrible. First of all - not a single original site still exists. Plus - do you <i>really</i> want to spend 2 hours of your limited time in London walking around the east end listening to tales of women being disemboweled >>where that car park is now<<

The JtR walk is fun even if it's more historical imagining than a visually interactive event.

Fat Tire Bike Tours offers London tours.

For "don't bother with": Madame Tussaud's, London Dungeon would top the list.

It isn't 'fun' for the residents of the area. They hate HATE the Donald and everyone following him around their neighborhoods.

It is the <i>only</i> London Walk I would not recommend -- anymore it is mainly a vehicle for selling Donald R's books. The only glimmer is that apparently he had knee surgery last summer and may not be giving the walks for a while. But then again -- if he isn't the guide, even more reason not to do it . . .

Any opinions on Buckingham Palace/Westminster tour? I would like to book one of these if only for the ease of watching the changing of the guards??

Check out www.walks.com for excellent walking tours, including Westminster abbey etc...

>><i>Any opinions on Buckingham Palace/Westminster tour? I would like to book one of these if only for the ease of watching the changing of the guards??</i><<

Are you asking about London Walks? You don't' book' them - just show up at the starting point.

The verger's tour of Westminster Abbey is really interesting; you get to see some things close up that you can't see otherwise.

Lee Ann

Since you are staying in Bloomsbury, you will be quite near the wonderful British Museum. I also recommend the British Library for its Special Documents Room.

I'm no expert as we just went for the first time for a week in September. But we found if you want to see a popular show book the tickets in advance or get to the TKTS booth in Leicester Square early on. We saw Le Mis and Singing in the Rain and both are excellent as are most others I expect.

Buckingham Palace (may not be open for tours in March)
Tower of London
London Eye
Camden market
Pub food
Indian food
Doner kebabs
Chip butty's
Such great food in London!!

So much to do in a week. We left the flat early and didn't return till late every day.
Enjoy!

My kids loved the Churchill Museum and the War Rooms over by Whitehall-makes the history of WW2 come alive for them.
Walk through the Harrods food hall for a unique experience.
Things like the Rosetta Stone in the British Museum are definitely worth a stop-you cannot see everything so pick and chose what is important.
Perhaps one of the boat cruises on the Thames River if the weather is good.

The most important thing for your trip is purchasing the OYSTER CARD at the tube office before you leave Heathrow airport.This travel card is easy to use and gives you great discounts on all tube and bus travel within the zones of London. It is around 5 pounds,reloadable and can be turned in to get your original money back when you leave if you wish.The tube office has free maps for the tube system along with free bus route maps which make travel through London quite easy!

I work for an airline so want to advise you that March is the start of high season(especially since Easter is the last week in March this year) over there so be prepared for crowds,lines and sold out theatre tickets!

There is a new attraction called, The Shard, opening Feb. 2013. It is an elongated triangle-shaped building that holds offices, hotel, restuarants, and a ride up to the top? for a great view of London.

http://www.theviewfromtheshard.com/

Hi Philly, if your daughter wants to shop, maybe book a shopping spree at Topshop Oxford Circus. They can go around with one of the personal shoppers. It's free, apart from what she spends on clothes of course. It's not an expensive store.
Portobello Road market on Saturdays is fun too - but go early, it gets very crowded.
My daughter likes Uniqlo too, for good cheap jeans - but you probably have that at home too.

"There is a cycle hire scheme in London where you can rent bikes from docking stations around the city and use them for however long you want to. It's a great way to get around."

I really wouldn't recommend visitors using the bike scheme. London roads are pretty frightening – complex road system, lots of delivery vans, taxis who hate cyclists, visiting cars that don't know where they're going, tourists who just step into the road without looking. I cycle commute, but know the roads and rules well and have all the suitable safety gear. I would never plonk a visitor on a bike.

In general, I agree with Kate. Residents need to be really, really careful on the streets, never mind people who aren't brought up with our traffic rules. But there are cycle hire stations around Hyde Park/Kensington Gardens and you can get a reasonable ride around the park in safety.
http://www.royalparks.org.uk/about-u...ays-cycle-hire

Love the top shop idea for my daughter - perfect for her -

"March is the start of high season" - is that closer to Easter or early March when we will be there

I am taking everyone's advice and narrowing down where or rather what we want to see in-depth (or tour inside I guess)

<<It isn't 'fun' for the residents of the area. They hate HATE the Donald and everyone following him around their neighborhoods.>>

The tour's not for them and the OP is just going on a tour. I'm thinking the local pub owners don't hate the Donald that much considering how much business they get from the tour-takers.

I agree the kids need to figure out what they want to do. The boy should be in boy nirvana with the Tower, Cabinet War Rooms, St. Paul's, British Museum and Imperial War Museum for history plus the National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, and Courtauld for art. For the four lines on a canvas crap, he could go to the Tate Modern. London is fish + barrel + shotgun for art and history afficionados.

Fat Tire Bike Tours: http://fattirebiketours.com/london

BigRuss: "<i>The tour's not for them . . .</i>"

Sorry - but that <i>verges</i> on ugly American-ish (or ugly any-tourist). The tours are VERY large, and very noisy and are at night and they disturb the locals.

No the tours aren't 'for them' - but they certainly suffer the consequences.

we have traveled thru Switzerland, Germany, France, Italy and Scotland ~ so we are very aware that we are visitors and need to respect those who reside!

Just a reminder: The Imperial War Museum will be closed until July 2013 for remodeling.

<i><<BigRuss: "The tour's not for them . . ."

Sorry - but that verges on ugly American-ish (or ugly any-tourist). The tours are VERY large, and very noisy and are at night and they disturb the locals.>></i>

Then let the residents complain to London Walks and its competitors and the police and whoever else is there to keep order. The tours go from 730 to 9 or so - they're not an outdoor after-hours rave. And the Donald, if he is the true attraction, only does a couple of tours per week (out of the eight LW offers), one of which is on Friday nights.

If the OP or her spawn are interested and want to do the tour, then they should. It's interesting, it has educational value, and it's informative regarding one of the great human interest crime stories in the history of the world. They can do so with courtesy and respect and shouldn't be shamed into avoiding the experience.

And don't give me the "verges on ugly American" nonsense - this is a business enterprise that benefits the locals too. JtR is internationally renowned and people from all over go on the tours and see the area, including more than a few Brits (who dominated the one I took ages ago). It is a tourist attraction. Might as well have San Franciscans on Lombard Street gripe about all the random drivers coming down the road with no real purpose.

Your view is colored by the fact you think the tour sucks. As I said before, local business owners are "locals" and considering the business they reap from the tours, I doubt they hate it.

"<i>Then let the residents complain to London Walks and its competitors . . .</i>"

They do. Constantly.

I don't like the tour - true.

But how am I any different than you - you like the thing so think folks should take it. I don't and say so -- and give some valid reasons that folks may have not considered.

Maybe read these two old threads to get some insight to both sides of the debate - But especially what our truly missed CW has to say being both a London cop and an ex-Ripper tour guide.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...r-366283-2.cfm

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...king-tours.cfm

I especially think this CW quote sums things up:

>><blue><<<<If you don't like being "on the tourist path" there are plenty of other places one can choose to live>>>>

I'm sorry but these comments are beginning to piss me off. You will note that I said "areas of SOCIAL housing". Social housing is government supplied cheap housing for the poor. These people had no say whatsoever in where they live. They would all very much like to move - mainly;y because of the Ripper walks.

Incidentally; in going on the Ripper walks you are revelling in the sadistic murder of at least five women (I think double that at least) by a sexual psychopath. What message does that send to any children you take along?

And just so as you know - the only original site left intact is Mitre Square where Catherine eddowes was murdered.

Some unscrupulous guides claim that an old building is Millers Court - but it ain't. The multi storey car park opposite is. Specifically the bit where the motorbikes are parked.</blue><<

Agree with Janisj, the thought of going on a walk to learn more about a serial killer is strange. Is there a Ted Bundy tour in Florida?