Can anyone tell me why all the tourist areas in London are only open from 10-6 (or shorter) Even the shops close early! This is severely inconvient when you only have a few short days in the city.

Hate to tell you but business hours in every country are set by LOCAL custom. Not for the convenience of American tourists.<BR><BR>If you want everything to be like at home stay home.

The people who work at the tourist venues and retail establishments also have a life and a family. Would you like to work longer hours? I think not.

I suppose they run their country in accordance with their own values around shops' openings and closings, not those of foreigners. Why do places in Spain, south of France close for 2+ hours every afternoon--because it's their custom. Do we serve tea every late afternoon to accommodate the Brits over here in US? It might help to think about these issues from others' points of view, despite how "severely inconvenient" it may seem to us.

I apologize if I can across as rude! It just does not make sense to me that all the attractions and shops seem to close up early. I understand that every country has their customs, AND I DO RESPECT THAT! I was merely curious if there was a specific reasoning behind it!!

Not to unnecessarily rip on xxx, but this is how we get our reputation as being self-absorbed, entitled as tourists in Europe. We all get a bit annoyed from time to time when we run up against something that differs from what we take for granted back home, but the mature traveler reminds him/herself that these countries, cultures, do not exist for the benefit of traveling Americans. They do "have a life" independent from us, and traveling is one way to open our eyes to this fact. It ain't "always about us"!

<BR>xxx, I do understand what you're talking about. London has so much to see and do during the mid-morning through late afternoon hours, then not as much to do in the evening and you feel like you're wasting your short time there not DOING something.<BR><BR>1. Well, there's always the theatre. <BR><BR>2. Original London Walks has a great assortment of themed evening walks, including ghost walks, pub walks and "gaslight" walks, etc. <BR><BR>3. Some of the museums now have later hours one or two evenings each week. The National Gallery is open until around 8 one night a week, the British Museum has late hours on Thursday and (I think) Friday, the V&A is open until 10 on Wednesday. <BR><BR>4. The British Library has later hours one night. <BR><BR>5. In nice weather you could go on a Thames boat cruise, or a dinner cruise. <BR><BR>6. In summer you can go on the London Eye until 9:30 or 10.<BR><BR>That should get you started....<BR>;-)

Actually, we wondered the same thing during our week in Washington DC!

THANK YOU!!!!<BR>Thank you for understanding!!! And you hit the nail on the head. Also thank you for some wonderful ideas! <BR>The theater, walks and boat cruise are on my list. I have heard conflicting opinions on the London Eye, and cannot decide.

Yeah, but people who like to make some money work mighty long hours. And why you bother to have a shop in touristy area, if you do not care about tourist's bucks? Then again I am from the city of 24-hrs groceries and 80+ hrs work week.

Is there not an American phrase 'different strokes for different folks'?<BR>

topping this great thread, with its great message header<BR>

why not?

yup yup yup

ttt, it's so obvious you're the one who's topping all those ridiculous one worded messages and then replying to them under other names. <BR><BR>You seriously need to get a new life and hopefully a brain this time around.

The National Gallery has one late night each week; ditto the National Portrait Gallery. Ditto the British Museum on Thurs and Fri evenings.

Backroads Touring offers a tour of historic pubs that starts at about 6:30 for $35.00. Backroads offers tours in a mini-coach with no more than 10 people on the tour.<BR><BR>http://www.backroadstouring.co.uk/HistoricPubTour.htm

We remember our first trip to Europe and did not understand people closing their shops for a 2 hour lunch when the streets were full of people wanting to shop. Then I understood something I had been told, Americans live to work but the people in Europe work to live.

You can always go shopping. Selfridges opens til at least 8p (some days longer), and many shops in the centre of town stay open til at least 7pm. And if you're not at work, then why would you want to shop later? The evening is for eating, drinking and going to the theatre. I hardly think you can say that London has little to offer after 6pm.<BR><BR>I'm not sure what you mean when you talk about "Tourist areas". Are you talking about specific attractions (Museums etc), and just central areas of the city? Because, like every other city in the world, the vast majority of people shopping and eating around town are NOT tourists.