Best Places to see in London, England

Everyone's tastes and interests are different, but in my opinion the top three are: 1. Westminster Abbey 2. The Tower of London 3. (tie) The British Museum or the Imperial War Museum. But there is so much to see, I could give you a top 20!
Have a good trip.

Depends on your interests - museums, churches, markets, pubs, etc. Any good guidebook will list the main sites in each category.

You need to do some research and see what interests you. Then we can give you some suggestions. Doesnt make sense for you to visit the sights that I find interesting if they dont seem interesting to you

Get Rick's London 2011 and follow it - we've never been disappointed on our European trips that way. Sure you'll miss some things; have a reason to go back. We're making our first trip to London this summer and are planning around the types of things we enjoy (culture, shows, outdoor venues, local flavor, shopping, etc. and then see what in those categories Rick mentions as "must see" or "try very hard to see". Prioritize and do the things you really want. Hey we did the "Sound of Music" tour in Austria...cheesy and very touristy, but made my wife a very happy companion the rest of the way!

Tower of London Westminster Abbey British Museum Cabinet War Rooms/Churchill Museum National Gallery Buckingham Palace, if open (usually through September I think)
Courtald Gallery (small, uncrowded gallery with quality not quantity)

I agree that we could give you more pertinent suggesstions with a bit of guidance from you about your interests... but just going on what I like about London...:
The Tower of London the walk from Covent Garden through Picadilly Circus to Leicester Square (with maybe a detour through China Town), then down to Trafalgar Square, Big Ben/Parliment, then down the Mall to Buckinham Palace Covent Garden Market, Camden Locks Markets Kew Gardens the quality of the theatre productions Windsor- town and castle the ease of doing day trips to interesting places by trains People watching on the tube and at Leciester Square and Picadilly Circus etc, etc, etc

Thank you all for your suggestions! As for more information, I can provide that. I'm interested in the history of the city, museum, local odds and ends and anything cultured. However, the wife is into shopping and architecture. Hope this helps!

In that case don't miss the Museum of London - it's in the Barbican in the City. I also love the V&A, the decorative arts museum. Can't help with the shopping if we're talking clothes, but you should check out the Portobello
road market on a Saturday. If you're reasonably energetic look into London Walks - some of their tours are good on history.

Shopping: the obvious suggestion is Harrods. however probably more practical is anywhere on Regent Street, Piccadilly and the arcades off of Piccadilly. Jermyn Street (immediatly South of Piccadilly- reachable through the arcades) has traditionally been for men's clothing. Bond Street is also interesting for very high end (window) shopping

It depends on how long you are in London. Fast items to see is the outside of Big Ben/Parliment, Trafagler Sqr, Tower Bridge, etc. You can see them while taking care top sites requiring time to tour: 1. Tower of London, 2. Westminster Abbey, 3. National Gallery, 4. St Paul's Cathedral, 5. British Museum, 6. British Library, 7. Tate Modern. Try to have one night for the theater and maybe take in some music. And definitely lots of pub time at night. Hit at least one street market. Most folks do Notting Hill but Camden is good too. If you are a foody then one place to see is the Borough Market. Don't leave out walking through the parks & maybe have a picnic. Changing of the guard is over rated, but if you have time go for it over at Buck house or the horse guards. Above all have lots of fun!
Cheers!

Off the beaten tourist track, but check out the Whitechapel Bell Foundry....home of Big Ben, and home of the Liberty Bell - and still in existence after all these years...Easy access via the tube to Whitechape, exit the subway to the right, about three blocks across the street from you,just down from the large hospital there. Interesting, and certainly historical!!

A few suggestions that I haven't seen so far. For markets, Borough Market near Southwark Cathedral is wonderful: Thursday-Saturday. Harrods has been mentiioned; two other stores of note are Liberty of London on Regent near Oxford Circus, and Harvey Nichols at Knightsbridge and Brompton Rd. I would also highly recommend Frommer's 24 Great Walks in London, if you like to walk. You will see places that you would definitely not find otherwise.

Definitely take in a show or 2. And the sacred music at St. Martin in the Fields is amazing. It's in the heart of London on trafalgar Square. The London Transportation Museum is very interesting if you are interested in that kind of stuff. But kind of low priority for a first visit. Queen Victoria grew up in the Kensington Palace which has a good tour including royal fashions. Princess Diana lived there too. Again, low priority for a first visit unless this is really what interests you.

If you have an interest in London the city, I cannot recommend highly enough the Museum of London, Docklands (not to be confused with the more well-known Museum of London location.) Since the Docklands location only opened, I think, in 2003, I see very few people discuss it here nor find it in many guidebooks. I was there in October 2009 and spent several hours. The space is large and airy and has excellent exhibits about the role played by ships, shipping, and shipbuilding over the centuries. London has been a major trade center throughout its history and the museum documents its rise from a small trading village, to imperial capital, to the devastation of the dockyards during WWII and the docks' postwar reconstruction and the controversies surrounding its redevelopment.

For a quirky museum, it's hard to beat Sir John Soane's Museum - he was a well-respected architect during the 19th century and the museum is his house, crammed full of the paintings, sculpture, and other objects he collected. I also recommend the Original London Walks for a great couple of hours of English history; they have a wide range of topics, and I've always enjoyed my time with their guides.

Note on Kensington Palace: it is currently set up as a mystery tour for 10 year old girls. Very dramatic for an empty warehouse, but very disappointing if one wants to see the Palace. The Palace appears to be a wonderful architectural building, but it is too dark to see much. No furnishings. This will be the case for the remainder of the year.

If you can get tickets, the guided tour of Parliament is well worth the time. Few visitors seem to do it. The website is: www.parliament.uk. The British Museum is one of the best in the world, packed with some unique treasures, many "acquired" during Britain's imperial heydays. A walk along the south bank of the Thames from Westminster Bridge toward Borough Market is a favorite of mine. The Thames is the backbone of London, and the reason the city came into existence. If you're feeling energetic, you can cross over and walk all the way to the Tower