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What to do on your fourth trip to London

Hello all. I have a friend who lives close to London, which I have visited several times. This year, I am spending 6 nights in the city, and while I have a few things planned (such as seeing a play and a musical), I would really like to do something out of the ordinary. Having been there three times before, I´ve done most of the touristy things... I´m searching the web, asking friends, and now I thought I´d also ask you here at Fodors. Do you know any "hidden gems" in London?

What kinds of touristy things have you done and what are you looking for? Have you been to Hampstead Heath or Hampton Court palace? Or are you looking for something really off the beaten path like Nunhead Cemetery? It's a great old Victorian cemetery in Southeast London. Or are you looking more for places to go out like Hoxton Square?

Perhaps you're familiar with some of the following places, but they're not on the usual lists of toursity places: Sir John Soane's Museum: This pre-Victorian eccentric filled his huge townhouse with antiquities and other art, including an Egyptian sarcophagus for which he outbid the British Museum http://www.soane.org/ Geffrye Museum: Rooms from British homes over the centuries http://www.geffrye-museum.org.uk/ Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology: Cozier and quirkier than the exhibits at the British Museum http://www.petrie.ucl.ac.uk/ A bit north of London: William Morris Gallery: Get a real feel for this mans' personal life, ethics, the whole Art and Crafts movement, etc. http://www.lbwf.gov.uk/wmg/about.htm Hatfield House: Grand old family home with lots of history, starting with Tudors, including places where Elizabeth lived before becoming queen, and the hall where she held her first council meeting after hearing that she would be queen; very entertaining banquets 3 nights per week http://www.uktouristinfo.com/counties/hertfordshire/hatfieldhouse.htm Finally, for something SO utterly off the beaten path that we were informed that we were the first Americans ever to visit the site, visit the Tewin Orchard project, which is preserving antique fruit cultivars and which incidentally serves as a site where you can watch wildlife emerge in the evening, ranging from deer and foxes to badgers that come right up to the hide for their dinner: http://home.freeuk.com/mike.tewin/orchard.html http://members.lycos.co.uk/hertsbrock/

Katrine You have to be a Tudor history buff for this one, but on my last visit I went to Sutton House, One of the last preserved Tudor buildings in London. I went by tube and Silverlink train to Hackney to see it. If you're interested I can give you more explicit directions if you email me. Closer in is Spencer House. Spencer House: 27 St James’s Pl, tube Green Park, open Sundays only. Phone 207 499 8620. closed entirely in August and January. www.spencerhouse.co.uk/tourist.htm Ancestral London home of the Spencers, Princess Diana's family, though the family hasn't lived in this house since 1926. They had to rent it out as offices to raise money, and now it is run by a trust. Seeing this house was one of the best things I did on my Feb 02 trip. The house was magnificently restored in the late 1980s and I can best describe it as a miniature palace: rich furnishings, mirrors, gilded or silk-covered walls, etc. Admission with a tour guide only, tours last about 80 minutes. Go early in the day (it opens about 10:30) because as the Sunday goes on you'll likely have to sign up and then wait for a tour. Also, the Queen's Gallery next to Buck. Palace has recently reopened after an extensive expansion and renovation, and it is currently displaying the "best of" the Queen's collection of masterpieces. For less culcha, have you been to some of the outdoor flea markets?

Duke of Wellington's house (#1 London) Wallace Collection Courcault Museum (and the attached house) Richmond Park Dennis Sever's house The Old Bailey Notorious London - there's a great book that lists all sorts places of illicit and nefarious activities (rats, only historical) Horseback riding or paddleboating in Hyde Park I like to do my own walking tours - pick a neighborhood, then read everything you can find on it, both in books and on the web. Get a map (web has several) and plot out an itinerary. You'll find little churches and funky shops and odd buildings along the way (bring a camera and lots of film, and a notebook so you can keep a record of "what the heck is that?" to go look it up later)

Marna, glad to see you are safe. We've been watching the fires out there with growing horror...

Katrine: I hope you are spending equal time on the continent. London is ok, but ... I was half tempted to suggest that on your fourth trip to London, go to Paris! :) That said, there is a rather bizarre exposition called Bodyworlds in London through September, I think. Dissected humans and animals preserved for viewing. Now that is out of the ordinary. But interesting and educational.

If it's a nice day, try a trip out to Kew Gardens, you can combine it with Richmond by taking a nice long walk out there. For museums, the Wallace Collection and the Soane museum are good recommendations if you haven't been there. Another good idea is to take a day trip by boat out to Greenwich and go to the Royal Observatory and learn why they call it Greenwich meantime.

Thanks to all who replied, I´ll look into your suggestions. Oh, and as for spending equal time "on the continent", I should add that being from Norway I spend most of my time in Europe. ;)