Mimar

If you like architecture, you will be interested in Sir John Soane's museum; he was a famous architect, and the museum's his house. And have you been to the Tate Britain? Lots of lovely Turners.

Another treasure is the British Library's Treasure Gallery. Original manuscripts of works by Shakespeare, Michelangelo, Jane Austen, Mozart, Wordsworth, and many more plus the Magna Carta, a Gutenberg Bible. Really a wondrous place.

Merseyheart

Ditto above posters' suggestions for Southwark Cathedral and Hampstead Heath (esp. Parliament Hill--take the Belize Park tube stop, and head towards the East Heath). Last time I was in London, I tubed out to Richmond, and oh, I wish I'd done that before! What a lovely town! It was so nice to wander along the river there. Oh, and last time I was in London, I also visited Holland Park, which is another area of London not seen by many visitors. Quiet and peaceful.

wanderluster313

This is so fabulous—the Design Museum, the Camden Lock Market, Southwark Cathedral, Brompton Cemetery, the Hunterian Museum, and the British Library's Treasure Gallery all sound like things I’ll want to do…now to narrow it down for a weekend!

Here’s another question since you all know so much about London! When I was last there, I had brunch in this really cool neighborhood—it had an up and coming feel with tons of loft/warehouse type spaces, and not too many stores or apartments…I have no idea where in London it was, but it felt like Tribeca in NYC or DUMBO in Brooklyn. I can’t seem to match this to any descriptions in guidebooks and would love to find this neighborhood again—any help here? Thanks in advance!

PS That slow travel map is AMAZING!!

PalenQ

Rotherhithe, along the Thames - redeveloped old warehouses now upscale flats, etc.?

janisj

You'll have to give us a <i>bit</i> more info/description. There are lots of London neighborhoods that are &quot;up and coming with tons of loft/warehouse type spaces, and not too many stores or apartments&quot;

wanderluster313

PalenQ—I found a slideshow of Rotherhithe on bbc.co.uk, and unfortunately it doesn’t look like the place I have in mind…it wasn’t on the water in my memory…

Sorry janisj, the last time I was in London was three years ago and what I described is about all I can recall...that and loads of drunk Scottish boys who had clearly been out all night, trying to chat up my friend and me while we waited for our table

janisj

Aah - Now we know WHY you want to find this place again

Cholmondley_Warner

Brompton Cemetary is indeed a victorian wonder. It's also a gay cruising ground.

There are other similar cemetaries around london Highgate and Kensall Green are the best - and they don't have the &quot;other activities&quot;. Kensall Green also has catacombs which are very spooky in a gothic way.

The Leighton house in Kensington is a hidden gem:

http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/LHLeightonHou...ur/default.asp

Mimar

Well, if you go to the Leighton House, not too far away is the Linley Sambourne House, a fully preserved Victorian house that belonged to a Punch cartoonist: http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/linleysambour...al/default.asp. You may have to book ahead.

Also another thought. I had been to London several times before I discovered the Regent's Canal on a walking tour. Here's a sample picture: http://tinyurl.com/5lzpah. On a nice day a boat trip on the canal past Regent's Park would be a great break from the city.

And nobody has mentioned London Walks: www.walks.com. Lots of quirky things there as well as guided trips to Greenwich and via Richmond to Hampton Court Palace.

Looks like we could run on forever about London's many sights.

stokebailey

save for later

BTilke

You could also visit the largest Hindu temple outside of India--definitely off the usual tourist path. And reachable by Tube.

http://www.mandir.org/

PatrickLondon

wanderluster - what you're thinking of could be in a number of places, possibly around Shad Thames (near the Design Museum, not as far east as Rotherhithe), or maybe Shoreditch/Old St/Hoxton (that might be more likely for people who'd been out all night). Maybe even a bit of Clerkenwell.

bailey6325

bookmarking

Susie50

My husband and I visited London last year with a wallet full of British notes which we obtained from our bank in Canada just before we left. Our first attempt to use them, at Harrod's of all places, proved unsuccessful. It turned out that they were about 25 years out of date!! Well, that was the bad news. The good news was that we could exchange them for current notes if we went to the Bank of England.

What seemed like a real bother, turned out to be a very enjoyable afternoon. Not only is the bank itself beautiful (notwithstanding the airport style x-ray security at the entrance!), but an employee told us about the Bank of England museum next door. We spent a fascinating couple of hours in there looking at the displays which trace banking right back to its very beginnings. I know it sounds boring, but it really wasn't!! And it was free!

I would place a visit to this museum in the &quot;quirky&quot; category -- and while you are in the financial district, make sure you have a look at the &quot;Gherkin&quot; (my favorite landmark in London) and the Lloyds Building (my pick as the UGLIEST building in the world - looks like a fusion of Canadian grain elevators and oil refineries). Now they are definitely &quot;quirky&quot;!

PalenQ

Last Jan i had some five pound notes from a year ago and was refused them as well and had to go to a bank to get new ones

mlaffitte

I love that story about the Bank of England (although you should seriously thinking about changing banks in Canada!) ... Another London neighborhood that's quirky and good for walking and shopping is Spitalfields market and the surrounding area, which is just behind Liverpool Street train station. (Do check the market's opening hours before you go, though, because they are open rather limited hours on some days.) Not far from Spitalfields on Kingsland Road is the Geffrye, one of the city's nicer small museums, with rooms decorated in period furnishings.

lennyba

How about the Old Operating Theater museum? In Southwark IIRC.

paris1953

We were just in London over the Easter week (VERY cold!!). Our favorite day was walking thru Marylebone High Street. Great shops, nice shopkeepers. We loved DAUNT, the bookstore there. The folks there were great and the selection was wonderful. The store has very quaint architecture too.

jsmith

Temple Church

Museum of Garden History

Museum of London

Florence Nightingale Museum

Queen's Gallery

Dulwich Picture Gallery - 10 minutes by train from London Victoria - Check the website

hlocke1

I love the John Soane museum. If you're into quirkiness, art and architecture, I think you'd be pleased with it, too.

Otherwise, you might visit the Portobello Road market in Notting Hill for some offbeat shopping.

Enjoy!