Christmas in London

Most of London's big museums are free, saves a lot of money--and if you have a favorite you can see it more than once or drop in for a quick visit and it doesn't cost you. Rick's London book is full of ideas, there's something for everyone in London--although with the weather you're likely to have that time of year you will probably want to stay indoors more than you would at other times of the year.

There are lots of day trips you can do if you get a rail pass. Windsor IS my first choice! Do it on the morning of the day you plan to do the theatre. It is only about a 30 min. trip. We usually leave on the 10:30 train and each an early lunch then spend 3 or 4 hours in the town. We love Windsor Castle. Other trips you might consider are York, Cardiff, Wales, Bath, Canterbury, Dover, and Stratford Upon Avon. All are VERY doable. For your theatre tickets, check out Albemarle Of London. We have used them for more than 20 years. If you need other ideas, contact me (we have been to the UK more than 40 times.)

For a great dinner, try The Farmhouse Table. It is in the Covent Garden/ Neal St. area- great mederterian lamb. Also try Top of the Town in China Town. If you go to York- eat at Gert and Henery's near the upper end of the Shambles.

You may already be aware of this but I don't think there is any train service (tube or other) Xmas day and boxing day - the day you leave. I could be wrong but do check. There will be black cabs but they will be perhaps scarcer than usual and more expensive.

So you might want to plan Xmas day carefully and eat somewhere near where you are staying perhaps.

There are a couple of amazing special exhibits at the London museums, one of which has to be booked in advance.

The British Museum has a special exhibit of The First Emperor's Terracotta Warriors from China. The museum is free, but the exhibit is not. When we were there on 10/17 collecting our pre-reserved tickets, they were sold out until mid-December. It was well worth the cost and you can book online through the British Museum website - they have all the details on the exhibit and booking. We did Rick's tour of the museum (in his London book), had a late lunch in the cafe, and then went for the special exhibit. We spent most of the afternoon at the museum and this wasn't even our first visit.

The Victoria & Albert museum has a special exhibit on the Golden Age of Couture. We didn't have to book this in advance but it was also well worth the special exhibit cost. The details are on the museum's website.

One more tip... London will probably be cold, but the museums and other indoor venues are often warm. Dress in lots of layers. In October (in London and Amsterdam) we had sweaters and jackets on when we were outside, but would peel everything off down to a t-shirt or light blouse inside. Many of the sites have a free cloakroom but some charge a pound per item. We would stuff everything into one bag and then check it so we only had to pay for one item and didn't have to carry it around.

I find London to be far more mild than the continent in winter. After a month in the east last February, London was a heat wave to me with an average of 10 to 15 degrees F warmer. Couldn't stand wearing jacket outside, just my long sleeve pseudo-sweatshirt. But then I don't really get cold until it's near freezing or worse so your mileage may vary. :)