London

check out hostels at Hosteling International or Hostelz.com for differnt rooms. As far as what to do and what to see.

http://www.roadtrip.co.uk/daytours.htm

I have never used them before but found the above on line. Check them out plus you can see several plays and attractions right in London.

http://www.londontown.com/

Check it out this site should give you tons of information about London and what to do there.

I would love to hear about your tour after you get done and how London went. It would be great if you could let us know?

Have fun im envious,

Adri

Lots of people take the hop on hop off tours to get the highlights... this will give you a chance to orient yourself....

I say take a boat tour too....nice view of London from a different perspective...

Tower of London, Parliment, the British Mueseum, Westminster Abbey, some plays, the Cotswolds, Oxford.......Rick Steve's books will be "spot on" enjoy!!

Hello Kim. I would stay in London 3 nights. And travel in England the other days. I recommend : read much of two travel guide books : "Rick Steves ENGLAND 2008", and "Frommer's ENGLAND". Rick's book teaches how to travel in England, and it has descriptions of many of the popular places, and transportation to those places. The Frommer's book is like an encyclopedia, but it has descriptions of many more places in England, including most of the many mansions that are open to the public. I do not give much credence to the Frommer's writers' opinions of what are the best places, but some of their descriptions of places are good reading. England is a small country, with railroad passenger trains going everywhere. You will have time to go to any part of England, or Wales. Do you intend to rent a car ?
England has too many good places for a person to see it all in 4 days. Decide what kind of environment you want to be at. Sea coast ? Farm land ? Mountain ? Big lake ? Trees ? Sheep ? quaint small town ? ...touristy small city ? A kind of place in England that you are not likely to go in in the 21 day bus tour of Europe is an old mansion. I think there are more than 22, open to the public in England. I think 2 of the best mansions in England are Chatsworth (near Derby) and Woburn (north of London). Going to Cantebury cathedral is a good day trip from London. I travelled in many countries, and the country that I most desire to go to again is England. I found the English and Welsh people, of all ages, to be affable and amiable, especially out of London. Listening to their beautiful English speech was a pleasure. And there are more than 13 different accents in the speech of English and Welsh people. Get plenty of sleep before starting the 21 day tour of Europe.

Thanks everyone,
I will try and find a copy of Ricks book on the net, not too easy to source here in Australia. Not many people here have heard of him. Shame for them. We are so excited this is our only European trip ever, we travelled to Israel in 04 and Noumea about 9 yrs ago. Have only read great things about ETBD tours so are looking forward to it. We have 2 daughters in the US at the moment working in the summer camps and they will be Europe we think when we arrive so we hope to be able to catch them somewhere. Thanks again and I will check out the books and sites suggested. Thanks Kim

Two of the best things to see and do in London for first timers:
The Treasure Room at the British Library. I'd also do a London walk,one that meets your fancy. Always well done and informative.
http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/whatson/exhibitions/ritblat/ritblat.html,
http://www.walks.com/

Vancouver Studio Apartments are a great place to stay.

Have fun.

London Walks offer all kinds of walks in the daytime as well as the evening, some including pub visits. Google them. They are inexpensive. They also offer some trips out of London to points of interest using the trains. Highly recommended. Their web site has all the details.

I second the recommendation of the Hop-on, Hop-Off bus as it will cover a lot and give you an idea of the city as well as what you might want to go back to.

The boat trip on the Thames is great too as someone else said. There has been amazing development along the Thames in recent years.

A lot of people will suggest THE EYE but personally it leaves me cold. London is rather underwhelming from high up. (but when in Paris definitely go to the second level of the Eiffel Tower..fabulous)

Walk across the Westminster Bridge by the Houses of Parliament for the best view of Parliament, Big Ben, etc. A freebie!!! Definitely tour Westminster Abbey..it is my favorite place in London. And if time permits, attend Evensong in the Abbey which
is so impressive if for no other reason than the fact that the Abbey is empty of all those pesty tourists!!!!

Go to the Tower of London first thing in the morning so you can get into the Jewel Tower to see the Crown Jewels without waiting forever!! They will knock your socks off.

And another favorite place, usually not too crowded, is Kensington Palace in Kensington Gardens. Not only did Princess Diana live here (you don't see her apt) but so did lots of Royals going way back. Nearby is the Orangerie which is not only intersting architecturally but you eat there too. Also nearby is the Princess Diana Memorial Playground and the Fountain in her honor. Besides these attractions, it is just nice to relax there.(Kensington High St. tube stop)

Have a most wonderful visit.

Kim: You could spend 10 days in London and not see everything. If you are doing the 21 day European tour through Rick, you might consider a London City Tour with Rick Steves. It is 7 days. It may be less expensive in the long run since it includes admissions, hits all the highlights of the city, and includes some meals. If your dates allow back to back tours, you might consider it.

First time to London: Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, Thames River Cruise, city walks, off and on tour bus (do this first . . . great overview), Harrod's of course, the London Eye (I loved it but not included in the RS tour), British Museum/Library, just walking around . . . there is so much to see and experience. I have spent probably 1-12 days in London and haven't seen everything. Day trips to outside areas - - - Bath, Salisbury, Oxford.

Enjoy your trip!

Kim,
I just spent 17 days in London and had a ball...everyone here has given you great advise, minus the hop on/off bus...it is NOT worth 22lbs (approx. $44) for an overview of the city...if you want that, go up in the London Eye, where you can see the city and orient yourself, while you enjoy a 30 minute "sky tour" of London. Use the Tube and buy an Oyster card. The tube is easy to use and coupled with any decent map of the city (all over the place and easy to find in most tourist stores ranging from 1.95lb-2.99lbs) you can plan a nice stay in London. As for sites: We are a family of 4 (2 kids, ages 2 and 8) so we mixed it up a little. We liked the Tower of London (Buy the Tour Book and do it self-paced), Tower Bridge Experience, London Eye, St Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey (Sun visits are NOT an option), London Auquarium, Horse Guards, Changing of the Guard at Buckingham (lasts an hour in the summer-go early, around 1000am, if you want a good view), British Museum (depending on your view of history, you could spend a month in here), Covenent Gardens, and Picadilly Circus/Leicester Square. It is also a nice walk up and down the river on the London Eye side. The whole of the UK is expensive food-wise, but you can save money if you do not get sucked into the tourist spots, and perhaps get a sandwich to go or make your own by shopping at one of the many TESCOs; Beer in most pubs averages about 2.80-3.90/pint. I did the "Jack the Ripper London Walk" (starts at Tower Hill tuve stop) before my family arrived when I was there on business and really enjoyed it. Plays are expensive, but Leicester Square has many places to get "day of last minute deals" for reasonable prices. Westminster Abbey takes about 2 hours, if you use the free audio guide to tour, but it is worth it. Temple Church (built by the famed Knights Templar) was disappointing and boring. Depends on what you like to do though, everyone here has given you good tips, just have fun and enjoy yourself!