I may be travelling to London around Dec. 17th to 23rd--by myself. I know there will be plenty to do during the day--museums, shopping, sight-seeing. I won't want to go to shows every night. (Maybe one night.) I'm not a pub crawler, and I don't enjoy the opera. There are some museums with late hours on Wednesdays, but I will miss that with my flight schedule. I'm a little nervous about being out late in a foreign city, alone, in the evening. Any suggestions?

Do you like shopping? Movies? I've been alone in the evenings quite a bit in London and felt quite comfortable, particularly staying in the crowded areas (Oxford Street, Picadilly Circus, Leischester Square. Bring a book, have a nice dinner, maybe retire early for sightseeing the next morning. Get a copy of TIME OUT magazine and see what's happening at night.

Where will you be staying? If you ensure your hotel is centrally located you might want to take in a film - I know people poo-poo doing that kind of thing when on holiday since "you can do that at home" but if you don't want to attend live shows every night, it might be a relaxing option.
What are your interests?

There are a lot of things to do if you like music. There is the Barbican Center www.barbican.org.uk or Royal Festival Hall (www.rfh.org.uk). Also if you go to londontown.com they have a lot of different events listed. There are plenty of taxis in London especially after a performance, so traveling should be quite safe. Enjoy!

I believe that Harrods is open until 8PM at the time you will be there.

How about going on a walk with London Walks? Evening walks include Pub tours, ghost tours, Jack the Ripper, others.

Regarding being out late in a foreign city, are you from the US? I feel more comfortable at night in London then I do in many US cities.

Keith

Oh Lordy! We love going to the cinema when in London! The entire experience is a pleasure!
St Martins in the Fields has concerts on certain evenings, by candlelight, very pretty.
I would spend more time in museums, even if I had been in them all day.
Walking around Covent Garden, in and out of the shops, Lush and clothes and music shops near Neals Yard, all fun and you are safe at night, just take a taxi back to your hotel.
To tell the truth, I am always so knackered by 9 pm that I am happy to go to bed early.
Have a lovely time~

Scarlett, I'm glad I'm not alone in that suggestion of taking in a film. Ive done that before on holiday only to be roundly criticised and told I was wasting my precious holiday time on something I could do at home.

But going to the cinema in London is nothing like going to one in the US !
I guess everyone has their own idea of what one should do on holiday, I like to pretend I live there

Scarlet. me too! I like to pretend I live in London! One of these days, I am going to persuade hubby to rent a flat for at least 3 months. I better start dropping hints soon. Judy ;-)

I agree with the others who've said that London at night is safe and easy to navigate, particularly in the area visitors frequent. Definitely get a copy of Time Out for the week you'll be there.

Double check the times but I believe that on Thursday and Friday, the British Museum is open until 8:30 pm and the National Portrait Gallery is open un 9:00 pm. Also check the hours for the Royal Academy of Arts.

Others have given you great sugggestions. Quite frankly, I think you'll find plenty to do in the evening especially since you're visiting right before the Christmas holiday. I think you'll feel more comfortable once you're there and get your bearings.

And if by chance you find yourself with an empty evening, grab some take away food and relax with a good book. I'm envious of your trip. Have a super time.

I go to London by myself all the time and have a fine time at night.

I wonder why you don't want to see more than one show - the variety is terrific, the quality is amazing, the prices are great as it's so easy to get half-price tickets. I show up with a list, which I get from reading Time Out London for a few weeks (glad to make you one if you want it).

Museums are open other nights than Wednesday. Tate Modern I think is open Friday and/or Saturday. There are two nice restaurants in there too.

Londond Walks are fun and provide some company, you'll get talking to somebody if you feel like it. I also find company at the theatre - I often line up for return tix to sold-out shows and get to know the other people hanging around.

Scarlett mentioned my favorite: St Martins in the Field concerts by candlelight...they are fairly early 7ish, so you can even wait for dinner until after. I'd bet they have something special planned for the season.

Thank you--all of you--for your responses. You have helped me so much. I was tentative about this trip before. Now I'm so excited. I'll be too busy to feel nervous or alone! And Keith, believe it or not, I live in NYC. I guess it's just what you're used to. I hope to be staying near the British Museum. I stayed there in the mid-80s and am comfortable with the area. Thanks again everyone for taking the time to share your information.

Just wondering, what did you enjoy in particular about seeing a movie in London? How was it different to seeing one at home?

Just curious!

I don't really understand why one would think the cinema is better in London than in North America. I used to live in London and a trip to the cinema always left me unsettled. Maybe it's because I didn't understand the theory behind seat assignments even during matinees and when there were only 5 people in the theatre. Also the popcorn was never hot and you had a choice between salty and sweet - who would want sugar sprinkled on their cold popcorn?

But I suppose one must celebrate the differences...

London is world theatre capital. If you dont like opera or classical music, you'll find worlds best drama, comedy, etc theater. Don't limit yourself with broadway-like shows - try smth new.
Also like NYC -London never sleeps and is magnificent in every time of day and night. A lot of cafe and restaurants are open late and crowded - you will not feel lonely eating your dinner or supper at 10pm.
Museums open certain days till late night are a special treat as you dont see the crowds or groups - instead you see londoners who love art and came to spend the time after work enjoying museum - it is very happy time in the evenings, and very few people compared with day. Check when British Museum is open at night - it is wonderful to be there all alone.
On my visits to LOndon I was working during the day and had only evenings for the city - and I loved it. Enjoy!

My London cinema experience by Scarlett O...
The first time we saw a film in London, we saw the Young Poisoners Handbook in a theatre in Covent Garden. This was my first experience with being able to have cocktails while waiting to see the movie, which is not such a great big deal, but so very civilized (to my way of thinking).. I loved the commercials and coming attractions, they are done quite differently from the US and I found them and the music, much more entertaining.
The next year, we rented a flat in So Ken..where I was busy pretending that I lived in London. We went to the Minema Cinema, near Harrods and saw Ridicule. The theatre is quite small, extremely clean, everyone was quiet. Sitting in that small movie theatre, I felt like the Yankee and I were the only people there, it was a good movie and we enjoyed ourselves very much.
Of course, a good deal of this good feeling could just be coming from the novelty of seeing something as common place as a movie in a different country, one that I love. But we do go to the cinema a great deal, sometimes we have to go to a movie..do to the work of one of us...and I still remember enjoying sitting in a London theatre more~
The End~
ps-
The taste of the popcorn ( which I rarely eat) really does not matter in my rating of a movie experience.
My husband lived in London, years ago, he had told me about the seating in cinemas, but both times , we sat wherever we wanted to.

Sorry!..Misspelling!! ....'due to the work of ...'