London sites not to be missed
 

We are going to london for 7 days. What should not be missed?

Go to the Tower of London & take a Beefeater tour during the day and then return at night for the Ceremony of the Keys. Make sure you get to the British Museum and the British Library - lots of neat stuff there.

You should do a search on this site. You'll get some great advice on what you shouldn't miss. But in a nutshell, I'd say take the hop-on hop-off bus tour. It covers just about everything worth seeing (at your leisure) and the ticket is good for 24 hours.

Suggest you also take a trip to Windsor Castle - it is only an hour from London by train and is well worth it. Has just been restored after fire damage and is beautiful.

There have been many many previous postings on sightseeing in London--if you do a Search here you'll get wonderful information. <BR>If you would like a copy of my London sightseeing notes,such as they are, feel free to email me <BR>good luck <BR>

Two different stops we made some time ago were the Churchill War Rooms - and a stop at Bailey's Court ( a REAL courtroom complete with wigs, etc.). The courtroom was upstairs in a building and I remember being searched and checking my bags before we could enter. I didn't keep very good records back then, but both were different than the norm. Can't exactly remember the location for either, just that they were easy to find, and we were glad someone suggested them to us. I'm sure someone else has better directions. Enjoy your trip. A great city!

Bless you, Kathy, you've brought back some fond memories of Old Bailey to me. Many years ago, I spent an afternoon and the following morning there watching a trial and found it fascinating. It was one of the high points of my visit. In all the years since, you're the first person I've come across who also spent time there. <BR>So, thanks for bringing back those fond memories. <BR>

Don't miss the British Museum--it's fantastic! Also, if you can see a show, do it - Les Mis was sensational. <BR> <BR>If you want to get away from London for a great day trip, take a bus tour, or a train to Bath - it is one of the most beautiful places you'll ever visit. <BR> <BR>Enjoy London!

Howard, you're the first who knows what I'm talking about too! Although we've told others about it, time ran out and it was not high on their lists. We always seek the unusual or off-the-track sites. Glad we both have fond memories of Old Bailey! What off the track place do you know about Amsterdam or Brussels?

Ditto's on the Tower of London and the Ceremony of the Keys. It was fun to be at the tower at night. <BR> <BR>Take the guided tour of Westminster Abbey. About 1 1/2 to 2 hours and worth it. If you are in London on Sunday morning go to a service there at the Abbey. Quite a different perspective than the tour. <BR> <BR>Take time for tea. There are lots of wonderful places. Mom and I enjoyed tea at the Orangery at Kensington Palace. <BR> <BR>Take nice long walks through the wonderful parks: Hyde, Kensington Gardens, St. James Park, Green Park. <BR> <BR>Have lunch at St. Martins in the Field and do a brass rubbing. St. Martins is right next to the National Gallery. <BR> <BR>Take one of the guided London walks. I took the Jack the Ripper one. <BR> <BR>London is one of favorite places. Have fun. <BR> <BR>

Do the Westminster Abbey tour but try to take the last tour of the day & then stay for Evensong. If you are on the last tour they seat you ahead of the line - we were seated with the choir.

Even if you're not a history buff, the Cabinet War Rooms! If you are a history buff, you'll love it!The National Gallery in Trafalgar Square is full of beautiful art, and it's free! <BR>Skip Westminster Abbey and go to St. Paul's Cathedral, and make sure you walk all the stairs to the top of the dome!

The Royal Shakespeare Company at the Barbican and the National Theater are not to be missed. We just returned from London and had two of the most exciting theater experience of lives. Midsummer's Night Dream at the Barbican is sexy, magical, witty more laughs than Monty Python ... don't miss it. The bitter-sweet "Closer" at the National is modern theater at its best. It too is very sexy & witty, an examination of relationships in the 1990s. The National also has in repertoire Merchant of Venice which received terrific reviews but which was not scheduled when we were there. If you are interested, both the RSC & the National schedules are listed on their websites. Time Out magazine has a complete listing of EVERTHING being stage in London. <BR>

I, too, second the idea of visiting Old Bailey. It is very interesting and you may catch an interesting case or two. <BR> <BR>Well, worth it.

Try Parliament; it can be a good show. Most afternoons that they are in session (flag flying), you can go in without a ticket. When we visited the Commons, they were debating a bill about restricting ownership of pit bulls. When a Scottish MP talked about how many times he had been bitten while campaigning, a number of other MP's started barking at him. <BR> <BR>The Royal Courts of Justice are also open for public viewing of trials.

One of my favorite places to spend a day is Hampton Court. I also feel everyone should experience a West End play. I really enjoy lunch at the Cafe in the Crypt at St. Martins-in-the-Fields. Lastly, I feel the Tower of London is a must.

I had to put a plug in for LOTS of theater, especially the musical "Mamma Mia". Its a great show and features all Abba songs. My husband, who was not an Abba fan before the show, went very hesitantly but came out loving the show and Abba and now we are praying it makes its way over to the US. Don't miss it!

Yes, yes, yes! I, too, saw Mamma Mia at the Prince Edward Theatre. It was a delightful show. The soundtrack still is not available in the US, so I had to go out and at least buy the "Abba Gold" CD. <BR> <BR>We got our tickets the day of the show when the ticket office opened. Matinee performance (sometimes easier to get). 12th row, center! <BR> <BR>Definitely put this on your list of something to see in London.

Lu, FYI you can buy the soundtrack for "Mamma Mia" at amazon.com and its around $30.00 since its an import if you can't wait for the US release. <BR> <BR>We also bought our tickets at the theater on the day of performance and remebered that they would not take credit cards (these were returned tickets and they said they wuold lose too much on the commissions). Sooo, a word of advice to have quite a bit of cash on hand when you go for tickets!

you may also like to try a boat trip on the Thames. It gives you a very different view of the city. Depart from Westmininster Pier (after seening houses of parliament??) and go to Greenwich (where the mean time line is). <BR> <BR>Enjoy