Four days solo in London coming up.
Have nothing planned except a concert at O2 arena on the last night and probably going to Royal observatory on Day 2 (flexible on the day)
Like: History, scenery, feeling the local vibe, art, nature, unique food, museums, seeing the view from the top of tall buildings, cool bars
Dislike: Shopping, crowds, touristy things
Take it or Leave it: Fancy restaurants
Staying in Chinatown
You all are always spot-on with advice. What can you suggest?
I’d look at the London Walks schedule.
They’re a fun way to see and learn something about London. You’ll get temporary companions and every guide I’ve met has been excellent
Old Operating Theater. https://oldoperatingtheatre.com/
Hampstead -- Hampstead Heath, Kenwood House, Highgate Cemetery
There is an exhibition at the National Gallery called After Impressionism: Inventing Modern Art. You'd need a timed entry although looking at the calendar there are lots of openings for tomorrow, Easter, so you may not need to book this very far ahead or at all. I'd sort of freaked out after the Vermeer exhibition in Amsterdam was completely sold so jumped on this a few months ago. Of course, it's not the same as the Vermeer but wanted to see it.
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/exhibitions/after-impressionism-inventing-modern-art
In addition to London Walks, I'm trying out a tour thru the London City Guides in a few weeks. They have some walks on very focused subject matter. There may or may not be anything of interest to you.
https://www.cityoflondonguides.com/tours
If you need time in nature, Kew Gardens is my go to for that.
Kew Gardens. If the weather is nice, take the boat from Westminster Pier to get there and the Tube to get back to London.
I usually combine the Tower of London with the Royal Observatory in one day. First, I go to the Tower of London as soon as it opens and explore and enjoy as much as I want. This can take me about 2-3 hours. Then I exit and walk about 100 feet to the Tower Pier where I pick up a boat that takes me to Greenwich pier. I start off with some lunch and then explore the Royal Observatory, the Cutty Sark, and the Naval Museum. By the time that is done I'm ready to head back to Central London . I enjoy the boat ride back on the Thames and get off at the pier most convenient to my hotel.
It is time for dinner and if you want, a West End Show.
You might look into the British Museum or Victoria and Albert Museum docent tours. They typically cover a specific section and are very good.
https://www.britishmuseum.org/visit/tours-and-talks/eye-opener-tours
https://www.vam.ac.uk/event/lw3Y6yd5b3/treasures-of-europe-tour-2023
I usually combine the Tower of London with the Royal Observatory in one day. First, I go to the Tower of London as soon as it opens and explore and enjoy as much as I want. This can take me about 2-3 hours. Then I exit and walk about 100 feet to the Tower Pier where I pick up a boat that takes me to Greenwich pier. I start off with some lunch and then explore the Royal Observatory, the Cutty Sark, and the Naval Museum. By the time that is done I'm ready to head back to Central London . I enjoy the boat ride back on the Thames and get off at the pier most convenient to my hotel. It is time for dinner and if you want, a West End Show.
That day sounds perfect. Did not know there was a boat from the Tower of London to the Royal Observatory. Do you recommend touring Tower Bridge as well as the Tower of London? I understand you can walk up one of the towers and then cross a glass-floored bridge and go down the other side?
@Moss. I did this (The Bridge) once several years ago and have never felt the need to do it again...... For me, it was not worth the time and effort. I'd rather spend that time at the Tower or at Greenwich.
Here is a link about the Thames Clippers (Uber Boats). Don't let the "uber" fool you. These are regularly scheduled boats that have Uber on the side of them.
https://booking.thamesclippers.com/
Shoreditch Wall Murals
The Design Center near the O2
Bletchley Park
View from The Garden @ 120 Fenchurch
Walnut Shrimp at Joy King Lau in Chinatown
Sverendrog Castle
Sunday Roast at Spread Eagle Pub or Kudu Grill in Peckham
The Attendant
Old Bank of England Pub
Horniman Museum
Take The Line Art Walk
Mercado Mayfair
Theatre: check to see what productions are occurring during your dates
https://www.whatsonstage.com/
Witness for the Prosecution at County Hall is well
done. Hamilton too.
Walk through Richmond Park to see the fallow deer. Have lunch at the Whitecross Pub.
Dine at Dishoom at Granary Square
Walk along the Little Venice canal path
moss,
In order to determine the best sightseeing choices for your trip, you might find it really helpful to pack along a copy of one of the Rick Steves guidebooks for London. The RS Pocket London has a lot of good information, and it's small enough to pack along on your touring. There's also a larger RS London guidebook that's been recently updated. In addition to finding good sightseeing choices, the guidebooks offer good information on open & close times, admission prices, transportation, etc.
If you're interested in military history, there are some good sights in London to check out.......
I really liked Bletchley Park, but you can spend essentially the whole day there, and on a short trip like this, I'd skip it. Then again, a lot of the museums in London are monsters (most definitely including the British Museum and the V&A), so you may opt to make sampler visits to several places so you can explore a bit more broadly.
I love London Walks for seeing obscure parts of neighborhoods I'd probably never stumble on myself. At 15 GBP, they are a steal.
