London in a day!
 

I will be in London for two days, arriving in the morning and leaving for Nairobi the next day in the evening. What would one suggest is the most important places to see if one has never been to London?

The list of "most important places" is very, VERY long - so to help give you useful information, tell us what sorts of things interest you.

The Tower of London, British Museum, National Gallery and Westminster Abbey are probably the 4 very most important sites - but there are many other places some people would consider before these.

Like St Pauls, the V&A, the theatre, a river trip, some of the parks/gardens, shopping, etc. etc.

There are inexpensive hop-on-hop-off tours on open top, double decker buses that give a good overview of most of the major tourist attractions and include a boat trip. these tours are great - because you get to see just about everything from the outside and can get off wherever you want to visit someting and then jump on the next bus. Plus the tickets are good for 24 hours so you could start it the first day and then ride some more the 2nd day.

I'd say don't bother with anything like a museum or a gallery, unless that's something you are particularly into. You get the same stuff in these places the world over and whilst it's great to see, it's not going to give you a flavour of 'London', just 'old stuff'. Clearly that's just my opinion though..

Why not do a bus tour? This enables you to get a flavour of the city, as well as hop on and off should you be taken by something in particular.

Depending on where you're from, you might like to take a quick trip on the tube (seems odd to me as I have to do it on a daily basis and hate it, but I appreciate that there might be a novelty value for visitors!) or go to a West End Show?

Go to a proper old pub, like the Olde Cheshire Cheese on Fleet Street or a great wine bar like Gordon's on Villiers Street?

I personally think that it's more important to take in the atmosphere of a city when time is limited than to try to cram as much in as possible. I'm sure that others will disagree with me though!

Take a bus tour through London, if you do not like the hop on hop off one, take one that drives in about two hours through the most interesting parts of London.
When I remember it correctly they start on Haymarket street.
I would research, if there is a museum that is interesting for you, and if it has a special exhibition or late night opening during your stay.
If you like to shop, go for one of the famous department stores like Selfridges or Harrods (where you can find nearly everything in a great style) or Harvey Nichols (mainly clothing, and everything stylish) and you will not loose too much time, or do a research for special shops.
Or take a boat trip on the river when the weather is nice. You can see a lot from the river and if you like you can even make a trip to Hampton Court or Greenwich.

Have fun, London is a wonderful city!

DiY bus tour:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34535187

Given your limited time, I'd forget any trip to outlying suburbs like Greenwich or Hampton Court, and don't bother with shopping - the choices are endless but it's very expensive, and there's loads of opportunities for souvenir shopping at the airport.

This is what I'd do:

1. Pray for fine weather and be prepared to walk a lot if it's sunny
2. Do the hop on-hop off bus tour
3. Go to Westminster Abbey. This is right next door to the Houses of Parliament so you can see Big Ben, and the London Eye is just across the Bridge (you'll be able to see it), so you can wander over and take a ride if you fancy it.
4. Find a really good pub for lunch - do your research first, as some pubs in the tourist areas are really grotty.
5. Have a pre-Theatre meal at a decent restaurant - again, do your research and book before you go.
6. See a show in the evening
7. Pick one site/museum. London is justly famous for its museums and art galleries, and most are free, so you can happily just wander in for an hour and see the major stuff. Pick something that suits your tastes: Old Masters? Go to the National Gallery (free). This is also in Trafalgar Square, which ticks off another famous site. Portraits of very famous people? National Portrait Gallery next door (free). Cutting edge modern art? Tate Modern (free). Ancient civilisations? British Museum (free). Historic old castle with lots of gory stories and the Crown Jewels? Tower of london (you have to pay for this one).

Oh, and Dorling Kindersley Eye Witness Guides do a "TOP 10" guide to London, featuring just the major sites - you'll probably be able to buy this in a bookshop at the airport.

I also agree that you can do a bus tour in the morning, then hit Westminster Abbey in the afternoon, and there is a fabulous pub very close that I'll post the name of in a separate post (I have to look it up), then do the London Eye right at twilight, and hit the west end for a play. This is a whirlwind taste of London, but you can fit it in if you industrious and energetic. You can buy picture books of the museums you miss, and decide when you might want to return in the future.

London is a blast. I'll look up that pub info and post it in a sec.

Here are some links to the pub I mentioned

http://www.pubs.com/albesw1.htm

http://www.igougo.com/planning/journ...p;n=Albert+Pub

Have a great time!

By the way, RLC, we ate on the first floor (the second floor if you are American :-) ) which was a little more like a restaurant. Strictly pub dining (fish & Chips - that sort of thing) is on the ground floor.