What to do with two days in London? My fiance and I are going to London, for the first time! Then off to Italy for two weeks.
I'd like to see some theater, have a little afternoon tea, visit the main attractions, and do a some off the beaten path work...
What do you all think? Thanks!
When are you going?
Once you've got over any travel fatigue I would suggest you head for Covent Garden. Once there you are in the heart of theatre land and can look at what is being staged and try for discount tickets. You can get an excellent afternoon tea at any of the many cafes and if the weather is good sit out in the open and watch the Covent Garden performers ( spare a little cash if you can for the ones that are good ). You can even do a bit of 'celeb' watching. A lot of the well known theatre names cross Covent Garden in the afternoons as they head for 'make-up and costume' in the theatres ( when he's in town Kevin Spacey is a regular sighting ). From Covent Garden you are just a 15 minute walk to Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, Picadilly Circus, The British Museum, The London Eye and a whole host of other attractions. One final thing - take care when you cross the road, remember we drive on the left, so the traffic is coming at you from the opposite direction to what you are used to.
Larry, I think you want to squeeze a lot into your jet-lagged first days. Al's advice is great, but remember that you will be changing your time by 1/2 a day! You'll be so tired it will be hard. "Off the beaten path work"? What do you mean? I've walked a lot of the area getting to something else, but in London off the beaten path is hard to find. The neighborhoods are nice if you're staying in an area, but other than the fact that you won't be in the park with too many tourists, I'm not sure what you are looking for. Let us know.
I second "people watching" at Covent Garden. It is a really cool marketplace too. Then I'd suggest the Tower of London. It makes a good "historial" 1/4 to 1/2 day. You can take the Beefeaters tour, see the crown jewels, and take in tower bridge. Also consider a 1/2 day trip to Windsor. Take the train from Paddington station. Widnsor castle is one of my favorites!
