Things To See In London

Bank of England Museum
Changing of the Gaurds
HMS Belfast
Hyde Park
Parliment & Big Ben
Tower of London
London Dungeon (actual and the wax museum)
Original Hard Rock Cafe
Madame Tussauds was museum
Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre
St Paul’s Cathedral
Tate Gallery
Tower Bridge
Westminster Abbey

Hopefully this list will help!

Almost forgot! If you have time take a day trip to see the White Cliffs of Dover! Really awesome place.

With 7 days you can certainly do a couple of day trips out of the city.
I suggest taking the train out to Windsor and also another day trip is taking the train out to Oxford. Buy Cheap day train tickets after 9.30am
Also for first time visitors to London, do a hop-on hop-off bus trip on the first day, you will be jet lagged but it is a great way of seeing the place without losing a day sleeping, you do pick up little hints on those buses

What pubs and nightclubs do you recommend? And what’s the best kind of transportation?

p.s. If anybody can explain me how to get from wood green station on picadily line to the Alexandra palace? Thanks!

When I say nightclub, I mean good nightclub for teens and those in early 20s without dresscode. Thanks!

http://tube.tfl.gov.uk/ From Wood Green to Alexandra Palace you say? Maybe this link can help. Sorry I don’t have my London’s guides with me here. Wish I was going to London the next week too. I can promise it will be love @ first sight. Where are you from Iggy CHE. Zdravo

Hehe, Zdravo!

I’m from Belgrade…

Wood green is on the Picadilly Line, so catch the tube to Finsbury Park or Kings Cross and catch a local train up to Alexandria Palace

As for transportation, best bet is to buy a travelcard after 9.30am each day, just check what zones you will be travelling within that day and just purchase for that zone

1. On the Alexandra Palace website they said that wood green tube station is the nearest tube station, so I’m asking, how to get from there to the Alexandra Palace. Thanks!
2. I heard that I need a photo card for buying a travel card. Do you know how much they cost? (photo cards)

I’m not sure I understand… a photo card? Maybe if you want to buy a discount travelcard or something. But I never needed any kind of photocard to buy a travelcard. I just walked up to the machine, put in loads of money, and out came the card. No worries (except going broke… at ₤4.40 for an off-peak travel card 5 days in a row, converted to Canadian dollars, I kept blowing my budget on transportation every day.

If you go to the Hard Rock Cafe, it’s really not worth it for the food (crappy American fare at 3 times the price) but the "vault" under the shop is amazing, with original guitars and possessions belonging to music legends like John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, etc. Try to get there when it’s really crowded and maybe they’ll offer you a free vault tour, like they did for us. (We even got to hold the guitars).

For the kid at heart in you, check out Hamley’s – it’s a HUGE toystore with at least 5 floors or more that you can go absolutely nuts in.

There are pubs every 5 feet. Head to Covent Garden for some fun ones.

Sorry can’t tell you directions from the tube station, we caught the train to Alexandria Palace station, but outside every tube station is a local map of the area, and there is bound to be signs directing you to the Palace.
As for the photo for the Travelcard, I think you need one for a 7 day pass, if I remember you need 1 or 2 passport photo’s and you take your form down to the tube station, I think (correct me if I’m wrong) you have to apply for forms before you arrive in the UK

No offense to JonDD but his list is full of expensive typical touristy things – they are, in fact, the "main tourist attractions". Of course you’ll want to see some of them, but like it’s been mentioned, don’t go to freakin Hard Rock Cafe! Haha, who wants to go there, unless you’re from a developing country and you’ve never been to a chain restaurant before?!

If I had to choose between the Tates, the Tate Modern is 100x better than the Tate gallery. Tate Modern’s architecture is spectacular and I think that a lot of visitors miss out on this gem. If you only go to one museum in London, go to the Tate Modern. The location, on the Thames, is great too.

Don’t go to the London Dungeons or Wax Museums unless you’re into really over-priced/cheesy stuff. so expensive!

Cheaper and more backpacker-friendly things to do:

Take a walk over the Tower Bridge (free!) and get a look at the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben…and the London Eye (a rip-off to go on, but great to look at). This is a great walk, if you get off the tube at Embankment and walk all the way down on a nice day.

You should also go down to Leicester Square and have a look around – walk up Gerard Street to Chinatown and have dim sum, perhaps at Wong Kei. Then you walk (don’t take the tube, it’s very nearby) to Covent Garden and have a look round there – the shopping/bars/nightlife in that area is quite good…so is the live music (though pricey, still can be worth it).

For the evenings, go into Soho, around Tottenham Road. Many bars, lots of people outside…good bookshops and record shops in that area.

Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre is great if you’re into that (I am, but some people aren’t).

If the weather is good, Hyde Park on a Sunday is a must. You can watch the people on their stereotypical ‘soap boxes’.

Take a double-decker bus in central London; it’s cheaper just to hop on one and ride it for a little while than to buy the tourist hop-on-hop-off tour bus ticket.

Open-air markets are also a lot of fun. You might enjoy the Camden Market area (Northern Line). Hopping with young, alternative people and lots of cheap goods! It’s got a good vibe. A lot of clubs are in that area too — around Camden Town and Old Street tube stations.

Your best best is to buy TIME OUT (weekly mag) when you get there and ask around for the best club at the time. It changes all the time in London.

DO NOT go out (for drinks/club) around Piccadilly or Leicester Square. Spells Tourist Trap.

Another thing to do that is expensive but might be worth it: try to buy tickets to a Premiership game. They’re amazing!!!! Even if you hate the players, the atmosphere is great.

Come on hope! My list was good! It is their first time to London of course your going to go see the touristy sights and see all the atractions. Might be a bit pricy but what isnt in London! Oh.. and Hard Rock? Come on it the original its better than any other!!

I liked the British Museum. It’s free (or small donation), but chock full of the best antiquities in the world.

If you don’t mind crowded places go to any of the Walkabouts around London. Usually packed with people at night time especially the one at Tottnam Court Road and the one at Hammersmith. Expect to be hit on by every horny australian guy in the place. But they play good music there and it really goes off. and because it’s a pub it’s usually free to get into before like 9pm or something. Always make sure you go to those place before then because other wise you have to pay 10 pounds or something. The full on Techno clubs are cool, but bloody expenisve to get into. There was a couple of places me and my firned went to. One was called Heaven, which is a gay nightclub, but bloody good, lots of rooms with differnet djs. The other one was in Leicester Square, where all the movies are. I forgot the name of it.

The only problem with the Walkabouts is that they’re filled with Australians who went to London to hang out with other Australians. OoOoOoO

Edited to add: the club Schmatt went to in Leicester Square is exactly the one I was telling you to avoid! Horrible. Schmatt probably stumbled upon The Hippodrome, London’s most greasy and disgusting tourist trap club. Like I said, check out Time Out – you’ll find most quality clubs around Camden, Farringdon, Angel and Old Street tube stops.

True. But you’d be surprised how many differnet nationalities go there besides she isn’t Australian. She could always go to any pub, but they usualy close really early.

Hmm – I always thought Iggy was a guy?!

I went to the Walkaboot (as I pronounce it) with my Kiwi mates for some test matches, and the atmopshere is amazing, a really good party, and a great place for those of us who don’t (or didn’t) know so much about the game to learn some more in a brilliant atmosphere. And the Canadian bar is right next door, and unlike its southern compatriot, doesn’t smell like vomit and tinkle!

I’ve unfortunately been to the Hard Rock Cafe in Tokyo, Beijing and Seoul, and can hosently say… they all suck.

Shit that only a moron would love. Just the worst place(s) you could EVER spend money or time in. Really now.

For the food you are right sickboy but its all the guitars and shite like that which makes it worth going to. The Vault in the London one was pretty sweet.

Hope is right in that while London can be expensive, the best sites are free: Tower Bridge (to walk on/photograph), Westminster Abbey, Parliament, London Eye (to photograph), Covent Garden district, Leicester Square district, Picadilly district, changing of the Guard (pretty boring, actually), and all of London’s lovely parks.

And of course you have the Tube: possibly the best attraction in London.

I think the one I went to in Leicster square was not the Hippodrome, I think it was called Hydro or something. Something to do with water at least.

Hey don’t think I’m some sort of sleazy guy just because I went to Walkabouts a couple of times. And I mean a few times over a year and a bit isn’t actually that many and most of those where either to watch the World cup with my compatriots while I was there or I was dragged there by my friends who most of them where from other countries other than Australia.

You may also want to look at clubs in Brixton. It’s kind of a grotty area with drug deallers and stuff so go in a group. There was a club there that was pretty cool just off the main square.

The arguments on this thread illustrate my point perfectly: Beware of taking advice from strangers on a message board, cause their interests can be totally different from yours.

It’s ok to do the cheesy touristy things. It’s ok to do the off-the-beaten track things. It’s ok to go to the theatre, to the wax museum, or to the hard rock cafe. It’s ok to go to the countryside.

Do the stuff you think you’ll find interesting, not the stuff people on this board tell you to do. All we can offer is our opinions. But we’re not you, so feel free to ignore any or all of us.

Jesus Christ, Schmatt, can’t you take a freakin joke? I really thought the wink would’ve at least given it away. I’ve been to the Walkabout myself before and had a good time, I was only joking. Get a grip.

Second, Segacs, Iggy asked "What do you recommend except the main tourist attractions?" which I thought was meant to indicate "off the beaten track" stuff, which is why I thought places like London Dungeons and Hard Rock were not what he/she was looking for.

All you have to do is to pick up a stupid tour book if you want the main attractions…I thought he/she wanted personalized advice.

Problems with taking peeps too seriously!

quote:
Hmm – I always thought Iggy was a guy?!

I’m a guy, why?

Sorry Hope but what you said is true. Alot of Aussies do go over to London and hang out at Walkabouts with other Aussies. I just wanted to point out that I am not one of those Australians. I like to try and emerge myself in the culture of the country I’m in. i.e. stay away from Wilston Green.

Hi Iggy Che.

To answer your question regarding Alexandria palace, my advice would be buy a travelcard. Then take the tube from central london, The picadilly line north, until wood Green. Exit the station and turn left, and cross the road heading towards the large leisure center which has cinemas etc. To the left of the entrance, just round the corner you will see a Bus stop. You want to hop on the W3 bus, which comes every 10 minutes, and ride it up to alexandria palace, which should take no more than 5 to 10 minutes. You can walk and it is fairly easy to get too, but it can take about 30 – 40 minutes as its up hill all the way! Also, wood green is not the nicest place to go through, especially for a tourist. The W3 bus drops you off right outside the entrance? How come your going to Alexandria palace, its a pretty cool place (if you have time i advise you go for an ice skate while you are there!)

Secondly you do not need a photo to buy a travel card. A travel Card looks like any other rail ticket except it pops back out of the machine so you can use it again and again.

If you do want to walk to alexandria palace then ask and i can give rough directions (but like i said i wouldnt exactly advise it)

Actually you do need a photocard when you buy a travelcard or a season ticket. I AM LOOKING AT MINE RIGHT NOW and on the back it says,

"you must show this photocard when you buy a season ticket or travelcard; and produce it for inspection when requested, together with your ticket…."

I used it constantly during the summer for the 2 months I was in the UK. You need a passport photo and I forget how much it cost.

As for what to see, I agree with hope and sickboy. I went to all of those and some of the overpriced touristy bits and if you don’t want overpriced and touristy then hope is spot on. Though, if you can… get the boat tour of the Thames and go to Greenwich (sp?) and see the museum and the time line.

Oh and the name Iggy Che makes you sound male. I thought the same thing .

Don’t forget London has a ton of great free museums such as
The National Art Gallery
National Portrait Gallery
Mueseum of London
Science Museum
Imperial War Museum
British Museum

donny_b_3, Thank you very much! My flight is tomorrow (Friday) morning.

Also I would like to thank everybody here for these really helpful advices.