Jonathan helpfully reminded me that today is exactly 100 days until the royal wedding. That means it’s about 96 days until the day that I arrive in London for my first-ever excursion to the UK.
Due to a lucky bit of fortune in having a wonderful person offer me lodging while they, as many Londoners apparently plan to do, escape the hoopla entirely. Because of that, I will be spending seven days there. I will be doing coverage of the festivities for Anglotopia and possibly other places, and there’s also one other event I plan to attend, but other than that my itinerary is very free. Partially because it really does seem like every local I know seems to be fleeing the country that week.
So if you were going to London during that week, what would you absolutely HAVE to do whilst you’re there? The floor is completely open for suggestions. There are only a few things to keep in mind.
- It’s got to be cheap. You can only imagine how much the airfare cost. So anything like, “You must go eat at Heston Blumenthal’s new restaurant” is straight out. I would rather go for everyday sorts of things like curries and free concerts at the park. But what’s the best of those kinds of things, in your opinion?
- I plan to only do a limited number of “touristy” things, because I suspect those will be absolutely slammed that week. And frankly I’m trying to avoid being a tourist. I like the thought of trying to do things as much like a native as possible.
- It has to be within reach of an Oyster Card. See the “got to be cheap” part. Although I have been getting some suggestions like a Thames river taxi to Greenwich, so anything along those lines is fine.
- Because of the festivities, I’m afraid that many things that I would love to do as a British TV obsessed person will be limited, such as show tapings. But anything in that direction would be lovely.
I’m looking forward to hearing your ideas, and I promise that those I do end up carrying through on will be documented and posted here. Also, if anyone would be interested in a special Anglotopia reader meetup, speak up! Just please save me from being unmotivated and spending the whole week watching daytime BBC programmes like I would do if left to my own devices. I suspect that would be a waste.
About Dana Franks
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Anglotopia was founded by Jonathan and Jackie Thomas for people who love Britain - whether it's British TV, Culture, History or Travel - we cover it all. Anglotopia was started to get us back to the UK for a trip and it did that in 2009. Now, the goal is for Anglotopia to make our dreams of traveling to the UK whenever we want a reality.
I’m heading over there with a friend for the same reason. It’ll be my third time, her first. Definitely hit up the British museum. Everything except the specialty exhibits are free so that saves some money. Save your money and see a play. Matinees and half price booths can help you save money. Check out Portabello road, its always free to browse!
The Victoria & Albert Museum, definitely.
I second this!
I’m British but I live in the USA. I lived in London for 10 years.
My main advice is to invest in an A to Z: It will help you immensely.
All the museums are free and are beautiful buildings. (Natural History, V&A, Science Museum are in Kensington – -just wanter the first two for the architecture – I find the cast gallery in the V&A astounding: http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1016/532227046_39462d9d26.jpg). These museums are also right next to the Royal Albert Hall (beautiful from the outside) and opposite the Albert Memorial.
Two summers ago, we did a walk from Regent’s Park, down Portland Place (past the BBC radio centre), Regent’s Street (fabulous architecture), to Picaddilly Circus (Eros), Trafalgar Square (National Portait Gallery – free), down Whitehall (Downing Street, Westminster Abbey, Palace of Westminster), across the Thames via Westminster Bridge (note the Coadestone Lion at the south end). Then walk along the south bank, past County Hall, the London Eye, the Oxo Tower, (visit the Tate modern – free) (also here cross over the footbridge and vist St Paul’s Cathedral). Further along the South Bank is The Old Globe (look in through the gates) and the Golden Hind. There is usually loads of free enterainment on South Bank outside the Royal Festival Hall. Carry on the south bank past the ancient cathedral and Borough Market (also worth visiting when it’s on) and walk all the way to Tower Bridge, across the Bridge to the towers.
There are loads of ancient churches in the area just north of the tower.
The streets of Soho are good to walk round too and free.
I also recommend going to Camden Lock at the weekends (I used to live there) – it’s free and it’s like Haight-Ashbury in San Fran multiplied by a million.
If you fancy a nice view, carry on north past Camden to Primrose Hill: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Primrose_Hill_-London_Zoo_-BT_Tower_-18n2006.jpg
Also free: Highgate Cemetary: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highgate_Cemetery
A good bus ride you can use with your Oyster card is the 24 from Victoria station all the way to Hamstead via Westminster, Tottenham Court Road, Bloomsbury (The British Museum) and Camden.
A good walk is to go from TRafalgar Square through Admiralty Arch, down the Mall to Buckingham Palace (park on your left), then towards Victoria where you can get bus 24.
Another good set of views and free musuems is in Greenwich. I was there in October last year and it was magnificent. http://www.londontoddler.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/view-greenwich-300×225.jpg
It’s fairly cheap to go up the monument to the Great Fire of London in Pudding Lane and tends to be off the tourist route.
That should give you some pointers.
Hi Dana
I’d suggest going to a comedy show at Kings Place, they do a very good weekly show on Thursdays with tickets just £9.50.
Also the Southbank Centre will be starting their celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the Festival of Britain so there’ll be lots going on there, many of which will be free.
I know you don’t want to do touristy things but the free daily Sandemans walking tour would be interesting as you’ve never been to London.
And finally why not try the Columbia Road Flower market and Spitalfields market on Sunday morning as opposed to the more touristy Sunday markets.
You can tour the BBC’s iconic BBCTV Centre. I did a CBBC (Children’s BBC) tour in the Summer – it was great and my 10 year old loved it. Anyway, there are lots of other tours available for grown-ups within the Centre- book them on the website. Not too expensive, either.
Well, to be honest – and as an Anglophile myself – I would get a good map of London, one that has some of the more well-known sites marked on it, and then organize your days from there. I wouldn’t spend all that money on a trip to London and then ask other people what I “should” be seeing or doing. If you’re truly an Anglophile (which you are!) make the most out of it and see and do what YOU want to. My husband was born in London and he doesn’t mind doing the “touristy” things at all. At the end of the day, our goal is to see and do as much as possible whenever we have the chance. Just because, for example, the London Eye is a “touristy” thing, doesn’t mean that I don’t want to experience it – because I do! If you’d rather spend your time visiting the more unique, one-off type places, get on the net or get some books (there’s hundreds of them out there) or British magazines and do your homework. The best way to learn about a place and become intimately familiar with it is to research it yourself. The more you read, the more you’ll learn.
And one more word of advice, and you probably know this if you’ve traveled here before, but you’ll be lucky to do 2 activities per day, with *possibly* a 3rd in the evening. As you know, transport is bad enough and that week the city will be slammed with people. And if that tube strike does materialize, we’re all in for a major mess.
Good luck with your research, and hope you have a great trip!
P.S. I meant to add regarding the map thing, organize your day so that each day’s activities are kept within the same area, and be sure to check all the late-night openings on websites for the V&A, Naitonal Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, etc., and the free concerts at St. Martins-in-the-Field, etc. The internet is your FRIEND!
FInally, I’ll share one of my favourites:
http://www.dennissevershouse.co.uk
First, I have to agree with Laura – a walk from the Houses of Parliament to Tower Hill along the Thames is a must. I visit London about once a year and I never fail to take this walk. My favorite spot is just past the National Theatre, in the South Bank area, where you can look to your left and see Parliament Square and to your right is St. Paul’s.
One of London’s unexpected gems is the Sir John Sloan Museum in Holborn (it’s very close to the British Museum). They do tend to have limited opening hours so check the website before you plan your trip over there. Sloan was an avid collector and his Egyptian collection is particularly interesting. The house is full of historic artwork, museum pieces and is a fantastic example of an 18th century English home. It’s almost like a mini-British Museum and even in London’s peak tourist season tends to not get terribly crowded.
I believe, without fail, the best “neighborhood pub” in central London is the Kings Arms in Mayfair. From the Green Park tube stop, take a right on Half Moon Street, a left onto Curzon Street and duck into Shepherd’s Market (on your left). The Kings Arms is about half way down the street on your left. Have a Magners for me.
My favorite treat to take home can be found at the Covent Garden Market. (This place is ALWAYS packed to the rafters with tourists so I would imagine it will only be worse this spring. That said, venture over there anyway.) A man named Christopher Rogers sells prints of his artwork which features various London landmarks in a stall at the Jubilee Market. I’ve made it a tradition to purchase one print during each visit and they are hanging in my home as a reminder of my trips there. They’re reasonably priced, too, so I’ve also purchased them as gifts for other Anglophile friends.
Finally, although you’re watching your spending, not taking advantage of London’s amazing theatre offerings would be a crime. Check out TKTS for discount tickets (I’ve seen criticisms of that organization but as long as you’re open-minded about what you want to see, you can usually find a deal or two) or be a “groundling” at the Globe. (I’ve sat in the seats and it’s fine but the groundling experience is so much better there.) Finally, the National Theatre usually offers a select number of seats at many performances for 10 GBP. You’d have to pre-book as they sell out quickly but almost everything and anything there is typically worth seeing.
If it’s your very first trip to London, I think you need to do a few touristy things. British people from all over the UK go to London as tourists all the time. If you have a little money to spend and you like history, I would definitely recommend that you see the Tower of London and Westminster Abbey. Both are spendy but you get a lot of bang for your buck. You can spend half a day in each easily. I think most of the other suggestions I would have made others have done already. As for food I recommend picnicking a lot if you can. By that I mean, for breakfast, go to a grocery supermarket and pick up some rolls or breakfast bars. For lunch grab sandwiches and bottled water, or better yet carry your own bottle of water and fill it from the hotel tap or drinking fountains during your day. Sandwiches are fairly cheap and readily available all over London. The cheapest ones are in supermarkets like Sainsbury or Tesco. Simply Food by Marks and Spencer are pretty good too and in almost all of the major train stations. Some of the supermarkets have hot selections in their deli. You can get sandwiches and some fruit and your good to go. If you want a hot cheap meal for lunch go to the cafe in the Crypt of St. Martin in the Fields church in Trafalgar square. It’s good food, fairly resonable and a fun place to eat. For dinner go to places like Wagamama Noodles, several locations and not too bad for price. There is a pan-Asian restaurant in Bloomsbury called Tortoise and Hare that’s pretty reasonable. Fish & chips is still pretty cheap as is Conish pasties and there are those all over the city. Stay out of the tourist areas for those and you’ll get a better deal and often better food. The same goes for pub food. If you go to pubs not in the tourist areas, you can often get meal specials that are fairly cheap. Order at the bar and you don’t have to pay a tip. Walking around Buckingham Palace, down the Mall and around Trafalgar square is free. So are the parks, Regents Park, Hyde Park, Green Park and St. James Park. Speakers Corner on Sundays in Hyde Park is fun and free. Listen to the various common people making speeches about current events, political debate, religious debate and lots of eclectic discussions. You can get into major churches like Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s Cathedral if you attend an evensong service. You won’t be able to wander around much but you can get a sense of history as well as listen to some very pleasant music. Check their websites for times and what’s on. Rick Steves has great guidebooks for living like a local. His London guide is pretty good and can give you a lot of tips on saving money. Good luck and have lots of fun!
I know you said the cost must be low and within the range of an Oyster card, but if you can stretch your budget a bit, you should take the opportunity to see a town outside London. Oxford and Canterbury are both worth visiting. To get to Oxford, take the Oxford Tube bus (from Victoria), while to get to Canterbury take the high speed train from St Pancras (takes 1 hour) or the slow train from London Bridge/Victoria (takes about 1.5 hours). Book early enough in advance, and leave after 10 on a weekday and you won’t pay _too_ much for a train ticket (£30.20 return for the high speed train, or £25.40 for the slow one from London Bridge). Not sure on the cost of the Oxford Tube however.
For train tickets look at TheTrainLine.com or mytrainticket.co.uk
I’ve been living in London for seven years and I still do touristy things. My favorite is to go on a London Walk (google this and you’ll get the page). It allows you to see London from a different perspective and is VERY inexpensive. I love the Hampstead, Kensington and pub walks!
*Denise is right that it is hard to do more than 2 sites per day.
*As for food, pub grub is substantial and not expensive and what can beat bangers and mash—sausages on mashed potatoes with gravy.
*I would echo the sentiment above that London Walks tours are brilliant and a lot of fun. I believe most are 5 pounds.
*When you are at the Houses of Parliament area, make sure you see the Boudica statue beside Westminster Bridge—”Regions Caesar never knew, thy posterity shall sway.”
*Also, London Walks does excursions to most of the day trip sites around London–Oxford, Cambridge, Canterbury, Salisbury and Stonehenge, etc.
*If you are interested in Tudor history, a lesser visited place is Hatfield House, with the old palace where Queen Elizabeth I lived as a girl. The entrance is directly across the road from the train station. Trains leave for Hatfield from London Kings Cross Station.
I will traveling to London the week of the royal wedding to visit friends. i have been to the city many times over the decade ans never get tired of a trip to London. My question is to the anglofiles Where will be the best spot to watch the festivies as they go by ? It seems my friends from London are not interested in the wedding and plan on going to local pub or getting out of town all together. LOL In addtion, I still make it a point to do touristy things in LOndon and can suggest a very helpful website for planning. http://www.viator.com. High Tea is a must for every vistor the perfect way to wind down in the late afternoon.
You do have some very original friends and visitors to your website.
I would like to introduce to our MP3 Tours of London at http://www.strollon.co.uk/audio-guides.aspx?cat=1000. They are cheap, entertaining and informative – thanks to our team of professional guides, actors and writers.
I particularly like the South Bank and the Covent Garden walks. They take you away from the crowded tours to see some sights, galleries, pubs, theatres and parks.
I would love to hear what you think.
Best thing to do on the day of the Royal Wedding is take a ferry to France. The 9.40am from Dover will be docking in the port of Calais at just about the time that William and Kate meet at the altar.
Go to an east end pub, like the prince of wales in Stratford.
Top cultural experience : )