London itinerary
 

A friend and I are taking our two teenage daughters to London for Spring break. <BR>We will only be able to spend 5 days there. I've read so much that I am confused. What should we include in this all too short visit? Our daughters are graduating from high school with honors. This is their "pat on the back" for a job well done. I hope for a memorable trip.

Since it's a gift to the girls, what do they like to do? If they hate the theatre, then don't get tickets to Rent. If they hate shopping (in which case they are probably Martian so let's just skip the rest), then Harrod's, Harvey Nick's and Beauchamp Place are a waste of time. <BR>Human-sized museum: Victoria and Albert (great display of outfits going back 400 years) <BR>Human-sized castle: Kensington Palace (Diana's dresses are there now) <BR>Glad-you-weren't-royalty: Tower of London (Sir Thomas More rooms now open) and the Ceremony of the Keys <BR>Scare the beegeezuss outta yah: Murder Bus by Evans&Evans; Jack the Ripper Walks <BR>Fuhn Kay shopping: Camden Lock market; Portobello Road; Oxford Street <BR>Dumb tourist stuff but not to be skipped: Boat ride on the Thames (not the one that goes to Hampton Court, too long and boring) <BR>Cool castle: Hampton Court (and the maze) <BR> <BR>EAT IN PUBS...cheap and real atmosphere (wesfowler put together a whole pub crawl on a previous post with some of the (in)famous pubs in London); you must eat fish and chips with vinegar; have tea at Harrod's or somewhere (I have a list of teashops somewhere in my reams of papers on London). <BR>Relax, no matter what you plan to do, you'll miss some of it because you get sidetracked. This is a good thing.

Dear Elaine <BR>I have some sightseeing notes on London, which may add to your feeling overwhelmed, or may be helpful. They include information from my trips as well as hints from this forum. <BR>If you would like them, please email me. <BR>As a fun place to eat, I would include the Hard Rock Cafe as just one example. <BR>And even if they are not regular theater fans, "Rent" seems to please a lot of kids, and even their parents. <BR>elaine

The Tower of London of course. Then Kensington Palace and Buckingham Palace for a quick look. Madame Tussauds is fun (I like the little ride at the end). Kew Gardens is nice as is Hampton Court. They say Anne Bolyn haunts Hampton Court but I didn't see her. Try to get to Windsor Castle . If you are up for a train ride try a day out at Warwick Castle (near Stratford-Upon-Avon). I guarantee the dungeon here will square the wits out of you. This is the best castle in Britain. <BR>

Thanks for the suggestions. The shopping info was needed especially since our girls are typical teens in that regard. I had just read about the Evan Evans tour of Jack the Ripper. It's good to have a recommendation since there are several of them. <BR> One more question--If I buy too much to fit into our luggage, how should I go about shipping it home?

Assuming you are American, if the store is shipping something home for you no VAT should be charged, but shipping costs can double the cost of your purchase, and you will still have to pay U.S. customs duties when your shipment arrives in the U.S. <BR>It might be cheaper to buy another piece of luggage (if you're not already at the <BR>luggage limit for your airline). Or if your purchases are small, buy or bring a along an expandable nylon tote that folds into a pouch but that can accomodate some small purchases. You'll want those to be in carry-on luggage if you want to apply for the VAT refund at the airport. <BR> <BR>