Things to do around Royal Horseguards

Reid, Cant comment on the hotel. You are within a short walk of lots of things. eg walk down Whitehall and past the Banqueting Hall, and get to Big Ben, Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey, Churchill War Rooms also in the area. In the opposite direction is Trafalgar Square with the National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery also St Martins Church. Not much further on and you get to Leicester Square (theatres etc). Also not far from Covent Garden. The Eye is on the other side of the river from you. Would help if you gave some idea of your interests.

Reid you are within walking distance of a great many things and London is a VERY walkable city. If you have ever used Google maps with the satellite view you can see how close you are to Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery , St. Martins in the Fields, Westminster Abby, Parliament, the Horse Guard Museum, St James Park, Big Ben, the London Eye across the river Thames and Buckingham Palace .As far as your planning where to go that's all about what you and your new bride enjoy seeing. There are countless museums, churches,
loads of places to shop, wonderful theatre, etc. If it were my first time in London I'd definitely include the Tower of London in my itinerary, a meal in the Crypt Cafe at St. Martin's of the Field, at least one play, and experience an evensong at St. Paul's cathedral. I'd also make certain to enjoy Camden Lock Market. GREAT city. Have fun and congratulations!!

Thanks Katy and Claudia.. Katy, WE are kind of a blank slate as this is our first time abroad. We will be starting in Amsterdam and going on to Ireland. As far as London, from a good pub, to a good meal to things that locals know about that are nice to see and do. The good news is we seem to be close to pretty much all the tourist things... What I do not want it to go to a "tourist trap" that most seem to think is not worth seeing. Thanks in advance Katy.... RC

I LOVE the Royal Horseguards Hotel. I can't afford it anymore, so I usually stay at the Strand Palace, which is not too far away. The rooms at the Horseguards are small, as are most rooms in London, but they are beautifully furnished and the customer service at the hotel is superb. You are also very near to many of the sights in London. As far as "tourist traps," what is a tourist trap to one person is another person's lifelong dream to visit. For example, I didn't like the London Eye--thought it was overpriced and overrated. But most people really enjoy it. OTOH, a lot of people think Madame Tussaud's is a tacky tourist trap, which it is. But I like it and go there every few years to see the new wax figures. I was totally underwhelmed by the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, but thousands of people flock to it every year and enjoy it. So if there is something you want to see, I say go for it. You may find that your A list sights weren't as interesting as you thought they would be, and the B list sights are a lot of fun, despite what negative things others may say about them. In any event, I think you made an excellent choice by picking the Royal Horseguards.

Reid, a couple of websites to check out. www.fancyapint.com for pubs. Also have a look at www.walks.com - the website for London walks, they have hundreds of walks, on everything you can think of, last 2 hours and you may find some inspiration there.

Just in case you didn't check your private emails here are two pubs to enjoy. From your hotel on your way down to see Parliament is the Red Lion Tavern on the same side of Whitehall as your hotel. Wonderful place for a first pint. Great conversations going on as people from Parliament and the government offices buildings around all stop in. Secondly, in Covent Garden in the Bull Inn Court is the tiny Nell Gwynn Tavern. Pubs like that are fading, closing up, or being turn into faddish bistro pubs. So enjoy a traditional pub while you still can. As far as a good meal I'd consider the Oxford on Kentish Town Road. I love going here. It's a pub and restaurant. Local clientele.True English neighborhood. Nice but not stuffy. Great meals. You might visit the Camden Locke Market and then walk from there to here. About 12 blocks if I recall. Check out the website for their menu.

Thanks everyone! Claudia, I figured out the private message and responded to you, thanks. Katy, thanks so much for your input... Just trying to get everything in line for November...Reid

As everyone said- you are really within easy walking distnace of everything. As for pubs- you will most likely stumble on one of your very own that "nobody' else knows about.