Hi,
I am going to London for 4 days. I have already been to London..done the palaces and jewels, etc. Does anyone have recommendations for what to do when you have some time to really get to know London, things that people don't normally get to?

Also, what about a great hip restaurant?
Thanks.

I hate to say this but do you want "hip" or do you want decent food?
You say nothing of your other interests..I can direct you to all SORTS of places in London that NOBODY who frequents this site would EVER tell you about...but not without knowing what you really want to do

Luxlady, have you already visited the Cabinet War Rooms near Parliament? We thought it was excellent. Have you been to Kew Gardens? What about Hampstead Heath? Both are great outings away from the city.

There was an article on the Best Hidden London that I bookmarked. It's from a couple of years ago but I imagine most of the places still exist

Here's the link

http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/s...sp?story=68509

How about the Courtauld Gallery? Great classical art collection...Been to Greenwich, Kew Gardens? Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower? There are dozens of plays and musicals staged in London every night of the week. Seen the new British Library? Been up to Hampstead Heath and explored Kenwood? Strolled through Chelsea Physic Garden and the Chelsea area? Just a few ideas....

Try hopping on a number 12 or 176 bus to go to Dulwich Picture Gallery (get of at Dulwich Library and walk through the park.) Or you could take the 176 or the 185 to Forest Hill, and take in the Horniman Museum, a real one-off. If art deco is your bag, try to see Eltham Palace as well as the current art deco exhibition that's pulling in the crowds.

If you search for "lesser and known" and for "time and alone and 4th" you'll get two very helpful threads on the same subject that were answered over the past 2 months.

You might also want to check out timeout.com/london for up-to-date information on clubs, plays, restaurants, art exhibits, etc., as well as tourist sites. They includes tube stops, opening and closing times,and admission prices. You can also buy the weekly TimeOut magazine at any newsstand in London. Both are very useful for finding out what's currently going on in London.

On our last trip to London we decided to take it slow. We'd been to all the major sites on prior trips and wanted to get to "know" the city a little better this time around. We spent time sitting in the sun having a leisurely breakfast at an outdoor cafe, we went to the theatre, we strolled thru parks, attended the Ceremony of the Keys, took a walk with London Walks, visited book stores, did some shopping, etc. Luckily the weather was wonderful for our week so spending time outdoors was great. We did decide to see the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. We left early due to hordes of people smashing you into the rail and trying to lay across your back and snap their photos.

For the Airplane and/or Military interested...Royal Air Force Museum, located in Hendon....north of London on the Picadilly line.

For the Navy interested...Home Port of the Royal Navy....Museum...etc...trip to Portsmouth...see the spot where Admiral Nelson was shot!

i've been to london over 30 times and have not seen 1/2 of what's listed above...walk the neighborhoods....walk the river....go to greenwich...see windsor yet another time....have tea in eton....visit the countryside--n;s;e or w--its all so different....week-end in the cotswolds at a country inn and walk its village 9better still go mid-week....watch prince charles' flowers grow at highgrove....you only have 4 days make it work for you...

I loved the Imperial War Museum - we've been there twice.
I went only because my husband wanted to; I thought I would hate it.
It's a great place! There are really interesting exhibits, such as London during the blitz in WWII, an excellent holocaust exhibit, and all kinds of exhibits with videos, films, etc. In some ways, it's more of an anti-war museum!
Also, it's fun to take the train to Brighton for a day. Great place to walk around, see the sea, the shops, etc.
All the other suggestions look good, too.
Have fun!

For my 5th trip to London (end of May) I'm going to a candlelight concert at the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields.

Sir John Soane's Museum: 19th century architect's unique self-designed house which is packed with all sorts of objects and pictures (ask an attendant to open the panels to see Hogarth's Rake's Progress).

The Legal London tour by London Walks also begins nearby and was a fun way to explore the Inns of Court.

Relax in a park: For a break, rent (for a nominal sum) one of the lawn chairs in St. James's/Green Parks and enjoy a picnic lunch from Pret a Manger or Fortnum & Mason (depending on budget).

Apsley House, the home of the Duke of Wellington.

I am afraid that the Independent newspaper wipe items a year or less after they post them, and there is now nothing under http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/s...sp?story=68509. So here are notes I cfollected ftrom this forum early this year. If yiu ssk kme, I canb re-mail you notes on London off the beaten track and on London walks.

Welcome to London

[email protected]


LITTLE KNOWN PLACES IN LONDON

In early 2003 an enquirer asked for ideas on things in London that were not in the usual first list in the books. Replies were these.

North West. Portobello Road markets,

North.

Camden market.
Hampstead: Freud's house.
Hampstead Heath
Kenwood House

East

Shoreditch and Hoxton. Neither is particularly beautiful, but both have become synonymous with all that is achingly hip and 'now'. In fact, there are those who say that S and H have had their day, but they're just being trendier-than-thou. There'll be shops, bars and galleries there.

Sutton House in Hackney (east London) is, a complete and preserved Tudor-era house, the only one still in London I believe. Easy to reach via tube plus the Silverlink train.
Geoffrye Museum

South East:

Greenwich by boat on a nice day is enjoyable just for the scenery on the way. Also, the foot tunnel between Island Gardens and Greenwich.

The Horniman Gallery is good, and very much off the beaten path. 185 and 176, or train to Forest Hill ex London Bridge (Zone 3.) It's just had a revamp and is quite unlike any other museum you'll see.

Dulwich Picture Gallery. Take the 12 (it goes from Notting Hill through Oxford Street and past Whitehall/Westminster) all the way to Dulwich Library. It'll take about 50 mins. There's a lovely park and the gallery is very well respected. You can also take the 176 from Oxford Circus-Strand-Aldwych-Waterloo (these are the places it passes) or the 185 from Victoria. All go to Dulwich Library. An A-Z map will help.

South West:


Kew Gardens by river trip, then a day wandering through the gardens

New Covent Garden flower market at nine Elms- it was awesome seeing all the flowers and vendors etc. I don't know if one day is better than another.

Museum of Garden History near Lambeth Bridge (Admiral Bligh of Mutiny on the Bounty is buried there in the old church yard),

Central London

Leighton House in Holland Park. It was the home of 19th century painter Lord Leighton and the house reflects his eccentric style

Kensington Palace

Tate Gallery (now Tate Britain) in Pimlico. Worth it if only for Sargent's "Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose" and Whistler. And attached you have the Clore Gallery for J M W Turner.

Wallace Collection (go in the morning, then stay for lunch in the restaurant)

Sherlock Holmes Museum.

Handel House Museum off Hanover Square. It opened in November 2002. We found the information on the composer and his times quite interesting, as well as seeing the refurbished rooms of his home. Visit the website: www.handelhouse.com

Harrods (the Food Halls are amazing!).

Chelsea. Shopping. Take the Tube to Sloane Square, then walk (and shop) all the way down Kings Road until you hit Fulham, cross over to Fulham Road near the Fulham Broadway Tube station (you might want to check a map if you're not familiar with the area) and then stroll down Fulham Road, wandering into all the trendy boutiques. There are some great restaurants all along the way for lunch/snacks as well. And if you feel like a rest, Bishop's Park (with a view of the Thames) is at the end of the Fulham Road. If you power walk it without stopping, it would take you about 40 mins. With shopping, well that could take all day! ;-)

Spencer House, overlooking Green Park, practically next door to the Ritz hotel. Open Sundays only, guided tours. Formerly the ancestral home of the Spencer family (Princess Di, et al) but the family hasn't lived there since before WW II. Completely restored and is a gorgeous miniature palace.

Cabinet War Rooms. Be sure to get the audio guide if you go: it makes all the difference in terms of knowing what you're looking at. The Cabinet War Rooms would be a good thing to do on the same day as the Imperial War Museum. (They're actually a branch of the Imperial War Museum, which is in Lambeth, but in a separate, more central location, in Westminster.)
Another: a fabulous exhibit. We really enjoyed it on our last trip.

Continued

National Portrait gallery

Theatre: there are matinees nearly every day, and a single person has a good chance for a ticket at the half-price booth. Also, a tour back-stage of one of the theatres.

Florence Nightingale Museum near Westminster Bridge

Imperial War Museum - you could easily spend a day there.
The National Portrait Gallery is amazing. It's not just typical oil portraits. There's a whole modern section with collage & sculptures.

Covent Garden is fun for people-watching and if you find a spot to sit you can stay all day. Has a fun restaurant called Belgo. It is ultra modern but serves Belgian food - beer, mussels, etc. and the servers are dressed as monks. We loved it. We are a little older and it seemed to be teeming with young, hip singles.

Dickens House

Sir John Soane's eclectic museum (a walk from the British Museum) is fun - doesn't take much time.

Old Bailey, attending a session. My husband and I went there with the intention of only staying an hour and ended up there all afternoon. The cases are posted outside under glass so you can pick the one that looks the most interesting. We also asked some people in the line-up before we went in what might be interesting and the clerks are helpful too.

Classical concerts at lunchtime in many churches for a small donation - I did a search once and found a link for about 100.

Globe Theatre tour combined with wandering through the Tate Modern - more interesting for the building than the art in my humble opinion (for touristy items they were a lot of fun).

Tower area
St. Katherine's Dock Marina - shops, marina, and a feeling of "not being in London", it's right close to the Tower Bridge however so you really are in London.
Tower Bridge. Walk across and head along Shad Thames - many shops, old tiny streets and plenty of Thames-side cafe's, etc.
Hayes Galleria is along the Thames and has some nice shops, etc.
Southwark Cathedral

Walking tours are a nice way of seeing London. Frommer's has a book on London walking tours, each in a distinctive neighborhood, eg, Chelsea. Stop in the pubs along the way just for the atmosphere. The London Walks also have walks during the day.

Day trips: Hampton Court, Leeds Castle, Kew Gardens, Oxford.

THANK YOU! to everyone for the tips. I can't believe how generous the group is.