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Kathie Nov 13th, 2002 06:25 PM

Lordon for the first time
 
We are going to London for the first time and would like to know the top ten sights we should see.<BR><BR>thanks

xxx Nov 13th, 2002 06:34 PM

Should see by whose definition? You should see what you want to see. Having a checklist of what someone told you you ought to see just doesn't make sense. What if four of the top ten were museums and you hate museums. Or the main thing is the London Eye, but you get sick at heights. Tell us what you're interested in and then maybe we can help you. Surely you know something about London. What do you think you want to see?

jodalahh Nov 13th, 2002 06:51 PM

London is a wonderful city and my fiance and I have been there twice in the last 2 years. We love history, especially anything having to do with WWII and Churchill. My best advice is to figure out what you want to see and then map out where each location is and plan your itinerary by &quot;neighborhood&quot;. Our recommendations:<BR>1. Cabinet War Rooms<BR>2. Imperial War Museum - and you must do the &quot;Blitz&quot; simulation.<BR>3. Tower of London - and take the tour guided by the &quot;beefeaters&quot; - and it's free :).<BR>4. Changing of the Guard - corny but so worth it.<BR>5. experience high tea (at Harrods, Browns, St. James Crowne Plaza - you can't go wrong with really any place that serves high tea)<BR>6. Speakers Corner in Hyde Park - it's like watching a traffic accident, you can't look away.<BR>7. British Museum - the antiquities section is amazing (if you like Eqyptian artifacts - the Rosetta Stone is there).<BR>8. if you like art (and a particular type of art) - there are several fabulous museums ranging from the Tate Modern (obviuosly modern art) to the National Portrait Gallery.<BR>9. weather permitting, take the train from Paddington Station to Hampton Court Palace (it's a 25 min ride). The palace and the grounds are amazing and the tours are great.<BR>10. My best advice is to walk everywhere and take it all in - it is a wonderful city and i hope you have make as many wonderful memories as my fiance and i did!

son Nov 13th, 2002 07:02 PM

places i enjoyed in london when i only had two days there:<BR><BR>tower of london<BR>british museum (free)<BR>st pauls cathedral<BR>go to the theatre<BR>take the double decker bus (forgot name of company) around the city that stops at certain locations

sandy c Nov 13th, 2002 07:06 PM

hi kathie,<BR><BR>London is wonderful! I can't seem to get enough of it or paris. I have been to London twice now and plan to go again sometime in the next year.<BR><BR>I am not sure how much time you have and what time of year you are going but here is my list of top ten:<BR><BR>1) Westminster Abbey- a wonderful place full of reverence and history. a must for london your first time.<BR>2) Changing of the Guard.-it is everything you expect. You remember the scene in patriot games where the daughter was mimicing the guard. they do not respond at all i can tell you!<BR>3)Portabello Market-this was cheesy, crowded and oh so wonderful. souveniers galore and lots of fun stuff.<BR>4)British Museum-a must for fans of history and artifacts. plan for at least a half a day.<BR>5)dinner and a play-make room for one night on the town with a nice dinner and then a play. london has some wonderful theatre.<BR>6)shakespears theatre-the one that was recreated is fun to explore and tour<BR>7)victoria and albert museum-I could have spent a day here, only had 2 hours and will definitely go again<BR>8)sunday at the park-every sunday artists display their wares along one of the main drags. get up early have a nice english breakfast, put on some walking shoes and head to hyde park. stroll along baywater and end up walking thru this wonderful park. lots of people watching one of my favorite things to do.<BR>9)Tower of london and river cruise along the thames. we did the tower late in the afternoon at just at dusk road back down(up?) the thames. it is beautiful at night you see big ben and the tower bridge.<BR>10)jack the ripper walk-suspenseful and scary, a wonderful night to explore one of londons longest and most notorius mysteries.<BR><BR>there is so much more I could list. I will say that if you are going to be in london long enough you might want to consider the following short jaunts outside the city:<BR>hampton court <BR>windsor palace<BR>bath<BR><BR>oh I envy you!<BR><BR>sandy c

jodalahh Nov 15th, 2002 03:06 PM

Kathie:<BR>one update - i think i meant take the train from Waterloo to Hampton Court. Sorry about that. In any event, you'll be able to find out when you're there.<BR><BR>Cheers!

Mavis Nov 15th, 2002 03:46 PM

We just returned from our 10th trip to London. And we still saw things we'd never seen before. Our favourites:<BR><BR>1. Imperial War Museum - particularly the 1940s house - they have it set up just at the beginning of WWII, Blitz experience, the WWI trenches and the Holocaust exhibit - don't miss;<BR>2. Old Bailey (Criminal Court) - we planned to go for an hour or so and stayed all afternoon<BR>3. Theatre - see as many plays as you can<BR>4. Cabinet War Rooms<BR>5. Museum of London - plan to spend a day here<BR>6. Westminster Abbey<BR>7. Courtauld Institute (Impressionists)<BR>8. Queen's Gallery - exhibits constantly changing<BR>9. British Museum<BR>10. the Theatre District at night - just walk about and ppl watch<BR>

Catherine Nov 15th, 2002 06:54 PM

Sandy C<BR><BR>Can you tell me about the Jack the Ripper experience you talk about. Where did you go and how did you get there.<BR>Thanks for any help.

xxx Nov 15th, 2002 06:57 PM

Catherine, Check out London Walks www.walks.com Jack the Ripper is probably the most popular of the walks. You meet at the Tower Hill tube stop.

Keith Nov 15th, 2002 07:03 PM

I like son's first 4:<BR><BR>tower of london<BR>british museum (free)<BR>st pauls cathedral<BR>go to the theatre<BR><BR>particularly the first, a single trip to London really include the Tower (with the spectacular Tower Bridge next door).<BR><BR>Other things:<BR><BR>Attend choral eucharist or evensong at a couple of the wonderful churches. It is free and more exciting than a tour.<BR><BR>Do a tour or two with London Walks. The do a great job. One warning, the Jack the Ropper tour os too popular and too many people take it.<BR><BR>Request tickets for the Changing of the Keys at the Tower of London. Also free, it is intimate and special. And has been done the same way for 700 years.<BR><BR>Take a ferry out to Greenwich<BR><BR> Keith.

Bill Nov 16th, 2002 08:48 AM

Kathie, just returned Wednesday from a week in London and had to add my 2 cents worth. If you are interested in the history of London, don't miss the London Museum. River cruise from Westminster Bridge to Greenwich, back by walking under the Thames, then DLR to the tube.

Sam Nov 16th, 2002 12:08 PM

Do what you enjoy doing. Some people are bored with museums so why torture yourself with something that's supposed to be &quot;good&quot; for you. I like some museums, though. The exception is that some museums are educational for children so you have to go for them.<BR><BR>Some people like shopping. If so, do that and don't let people at your hometown make you feel guilty for &quot;wasting&quot; the trip.<BR><BR>Some like the pagentry, so the suggestion about changing of the guard is good. Others like architecture, some like the historic ones (like Windsor Castle or the Tower of London), others like a certain style (too many to list).<BR><BR>Some with special interests, for example, aviation, will find special sites related to that as well as aviation museums.<BR><BR>


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