Abrupt London tour for a first timer

Stephanie,

WHEN will you be going on your trip?

Getting Rick Steves book or any travel book would be of great help. Even googling "whats to do and see in ....." can give you ideas. Remember google is your friend!

You may want to say what you all like and dont like to do since not everyone is wired the same. I can rattle off what i like, but again, I'm not wired like you so what i may like and list as number 1,2 or 3 to do may not fit you alls likes.

Even with the little time (how much?) you can do a lot. Im assuming you already have a place to stay? if so, what else do you need? Shelter and food is about it. The rest is in the details. You dont say where you are from/located, but from where I live, its a 10 hour flight to Amsterdam and probably the same if i flew from SEATAC. So, i would have 10 hours of fun reading up on what to do/see. Im sure you all will have some time on your flight. Why not make the best use of the time and do some homework?

London is sooooo easy to get around using the Tube. The only thing they can do to make it easier is to carry you from where you are into the train. I havent used the buses any since i love using the tube. But you can use both or just the bus if you choose.

If you get Ricks book it will have a tube map. If not, you can get free ones at the tube stations once you arrive. They have new ones out too. Or you can download one off the web. Even if you dont get a map, they have them on the trains, tube stations and up top where there are some maps of the area and depict a 5 minute walk radius from that point. I didnt see them everywhere, but i thought they were a really nice touch.

One nice thing about London is that most of their museums are FREE! Free is a really good price for travelers!

in my opinion and when i was there, theres not much you need to do in advance other than show up and have lots of fun.

there are a couple things to note though if you choose to do these things.

• Crown Jewels and the Tower of London. There will probably be a long line to see the Crown Jewels. So, if you plan to see that, do it first thing once you get into the Tower of London.
  • London Eye. When i was there, there was a long line to buy tickets. I bought my ticket on line and they want you to choose a date/time so you are committed. Others have mentioned you can buy once you get there, but thats up to you. But once you have your ticket, the line to get on was non existent.
    

misc stuff

• Plug adapters. If you are going to be using any e devices, i would get a plug adapter or 2.
• perscriptions. If you have any, make sure you bring enough for your trip and also a copy of your prescription. Also, i wouldnt put them in your check in baggage just in case your check ins get lost.
• contacts/glasses. Again, if you have a spare, i would bring them.
• make 2 copies of your passports. keep one set somewhere and give a trusted and non technology challenged the other.

happy trails

We will be in London the beginning of December - just found out yesterday - and we have never been to England - we will also be in Western Ireland for 3 days. We are so excited to do ANYTHING! We will have a teen, so want to have a lot of learning. It is a work trip, so some of us will be touring whilst others work. We have been to the Parthenon - so thinking the museum with the artifacts from the Parthenon will be awesome. As I am watching the videos from Rick Steves', there is so much to do. I have been to Europe 2 times before and have used his resources solely to plan a trip and have not been disappointed, I have even used his tour guides from the show. I do not have our hotel name at this time, but want to go to the locations where we can learn. We are homeschoolers and have learned a great deal about European history from our elementary history course, so would love to use that. We have learned a great deal about Shakespeare and the Globe, but that was not mentioned, so thinking it is not a good way to spend our time while we visit. I would love to see some theater utilizing the "day of" ticket sales. We are from Kansas, we have been to Turkey, Italy and Greece and are tremendously excited about our trip to England and Ireland, however abrupt the plan has become. Thank you so much for reaching out - I appreciate and and all thoughts.

Much to my surprise, Westminster Abbey was my favorite thing in London. So much history from long ago and more recent times.
We were fortunate to be able to tour it with a headset, go outside and then go back in for an Evensong service.

I'm not into seeing things more than once, but I would love to go there again.

Then you should put the British Museum (free) at the top of your list - ancient history in spades, including the Elgin marbles. When you arrive check at the info desk for a list of the gallery talks. These are usually 1/2 hour mini-tours through one small section of the collection, led by enthusiastic and knowledgeable volunteers. Be sure to pick up a floor plan too.

The National Portrait Gallery (free) has paintings of all the major figures in British history. It's "around the corner" from the theatre district, so it's easy to pop in for a short time.

I would not bother with the expensive London Eye. If you want a bird's-eye view, go to the Shard, which has an observation deck.

The Victoria & Albert Museum - usually shortened to "the V&A" - (free) is another great visit. If your teen is a girl, you and she will probably enjoy the Costume Gallery - examples of clothing for the last 400-500 years, men's and women's. There's a lot more.

Go to the theatremonkey.com for everything there is to know about London theatre . . . what's on, where to get discounted tickets, which seats are better/worse in every theatre.

The Museum of London is another great place to visit. They also have free gallery tours.

Also look at the London Walks website. There are many guided walks, choose one or two that are of particular interest to you. You don't need to book ahead, just turn up at the meeting point a few minutes before the scheduled start and pay the guide.

There are lots of Christmas-y things going on too. I just browsed and found this http://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/sightseeing/one-day-itineraries/christmas-itinerary which kind of made me want to buy a plane ticket and go myself.

Half price ticket booth is at Leicester square. Go when it opens and get your tickets for that night's performance. You can look at their TKTS online the day of and see what's on sale. New since my last visit is West End Wednesdays which highlights performances in the West End Theatres! Seeing theatre in London is a MUST from my POV. Other must sees for first time visitors would be The Tower of London. Go early. See the Crown Jewels first. Westminster Abbey. Churchill War Rooms. Wander around Regent and Oxford streets window shopping. the Xmas lights on Oxford street are well done! Camden Lock market would impress the teen. Definitely get Rick's book. Will make your trip sooooooo much easier. Great fun at Xmas time. Grab a copy of Timeout magazine when you land. Might find a Panto to attend or a free choral performance. Always a good reference for London visitors. Have wonderful time. Try made fresh daily sandwiches and soups at Pret a Mangers. cafes in the free museums are also great spots to rest and revive with a nosh. Remember its winter. Wear layers and understand it will start getting dark around 4pm. GREAT CITY! ENJOY!

St. Paul's is definitely worth a visit. The audio tour is very good, and you can climb to the top of the dome for a fantastic view of the city.

The Churchill War Rooms, near Parliament and Westminster Abbey, give you a real appreciation for the man and a feeling for how perilous Britain's situation was in 1940-41. This is the place where Churchill actually directed the war, spoke with FDR on the phone, etc., buried beneath one of the government buildings on Whitehall. It was closed up the day the war ended in 1945 and untouched till recently. Must have been like opening a time capsule. The immediacy of the surroundings is very powerful.

Re Westminster Abbey -- we loved it, as history and architecture fans, but not sure it would appeal as much to a teen, who's maybe not so interested in tombs. Depends on how many of those buried there he/she is really interested in.

You may enjoy the Tower of London and its long and bloody history. My other favorite sights are Westminster Abbey (awesomely beautiful, with many of the ancient kings and queens of England buried there) and the British Museum (you could spend three days here there's so much cool stuff to see--Egyptian artifacts, the Rosetta stone, ancient British swords and shields, plus a lot more). Those are my top three sights for London.

You may also enjoy a Hop-On-Hop-Off bus tour around London. You board the bus, your ticket is good for 24 hours. You can hop off the bus anytime to see a sight, then hop back on. If you stay on for two hours, the bus makes an entire loop by all the most popular tourist sights, with a guide narrating. It is a good way to get an overview quickly of all the landmark sights in London that you have heard about. Rick Steves London guidebook has all the details.

So far, we don't know how old this teen is, the gender and what his/her interests are, so it's hard to say what s/he might be interested in. It's also hard to know what the OP would like for the kid or the family to see. I'm going to speak up for Westminster Abbey as a "must see" regardless of age or gender.

Here's a link to the Abbey's website for more info: http://www.westminster-abbey.org/home. Shoot, I'd go back just to see the 700+ year old King Edward I's (and almost all other British kings' and queens') Coronation Chair. I also think it's poignant to see where Princess Diana's funeral service was held and cool to see where Kate and William, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, were married.

There just aren't very many places in the world where a thousand years of the history of a people and their country can be found in one magnificent building, and where that history continues to be made. I can't imagine going to London and missing Westminster Abbey.

Our kids loved the Tower of London and a visit to Windsor (castle and town). Below is a link to an article I wrote and modified for Trip Advisor. It included our favorite places (after more than 40 trips to London) and some ideas for day trips by train. With 5 days, you could do Windsor (easy 1/2 to 3/4 day - we often went there on our 'theatre' days- easy to get back in time to get ready and eat prior to a show) and maybe one other if you wanted. I'd also check out the numerous threads on this site about the Transport for London (TfL) Days Out offers and about Oyster Cards so you can decide which will be best for you.

[http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g186338-c176673/London:United-Kingdom:London.And.Day.Trips.html][1]

Steph,

If you go to the British Museum you can spend all day if there really easy.

just an fyi, the Rosetta Stone is there too. i forgot about it and came across it accidentally. It was an awesome surprise.

happy trails.