what would you do?

This is probably more for people who have gone to London before. I'll have about 12 hours of free time to keep myself occupied from early morning to early evening, and a few hours late at night.

what should I hit up?

3/20/2009 11:19:02 AM

sit at a bar and drink

3/20/2009 11:26:18 AM

12 hours, huh?

Walk around Buckingham Palace (maybe during a changing of the guard if you can catch it), quickly check out the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge, and maybe walk by the Parliament Building (I can't remember exactly where it's at. I don't think it's too far from Buckingham Palace, though.)

You can walk to a lot of stuff, but the London cabs are pretty easy to hail. It's kinda like New York, except for the cabbies are a helluva lot more proper, haha.

[Edited on March 20, 2009 at 11:28 AM. Reason : also, go to a pub and drink a pint or two.]

3/20/2009 11:27:12 AM

Fuck the queen.

3/20/2009 11:27:38 AM

Quote :

"sit at a bar and drink"

thats probably what I'll do that night.

3/20/2009 11:28:33 AM

Have you already been to London before or is this a first time visit?

3/20/2009 11:31:26 AM

buy an umbrella?

3/20/2009 11:34:52 AM

ella?

3/20/2009 11:37:30 AM

First thing you will wanna do is go to a local shop (they are EVERYWHERE) and get an all day transit pass. It's been a few years since I was there so the price has probably gone up, but it was about 4 pounds for one when I was there in 2005. This will allow you to ride all the buses and tubes all day, anywhere in the city.

If you are looking to do tourist stuff these are good ideas: check out the British Museum. They have the original Rosetta Stone and King Tut and a bunch of other stuff you learned about in history class. Madam Tussaud's Wax Museum is AWESOME, check it out if you can but it is usually pretty crowded. Get fish and chips for lunch from a fish bar. Don't get it from a pub. Check out the Millenium Wheel (although it's kinda pricey for a giant ferris wheel), Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, and the aforementioned London/Tower Bridge. If the Tower of London is open, check out the Crown Jewels. If you are venturing out of the inner city and find yourself in North London (around the Tottenham or Muswell Hill area), check out Alexandra Palace. Get some Indian food for dinner. There will probably be about 10 pubs within walking distance of wherever you are staying, check a few out and have some drinks with the locals.

^^And it's called a "brollie" in the homeland



[Edited on March 20, 2009 at 11:48 AM. Reason : Actually that's quite a lot to do in one day, but it gives you a lot of ideas.]

3/20/2009 11:39:23 AM

^

Has clearly been to London. The only thing I'd add to that is try to use the Underground as much as possible to get around. You will be amazed at how much you can see in under 12 hours by using the Underground. I really liked the British Museum, because it literally contains artifacts and relics from all over the world. Another thing you may want to try are the Red Bus Tours. They are usually about 2 hours in length and are reasonably priced AND many of them drop you off near the British Museum. You can then use the underground to get back. You may want to catch the changing of the guard as well, but check on the times. I think it's only on certain days and in the morning hours.

[Edited on March 20, 2009 at 11:47 AM. Reason : -]

3/20/2009 11:45:29 AM

This is my first time. It will also be a sunday. (I think that may rule out changing of the guard)

I'll buy an Oyster Card before I leave, so transit is covered.

My evening will be at the o2 arena, not that I need to stay in that area, I figured I'd kind of make my way across london since heathrow is on the west side and o2 is on the east.

I'll probably do some touristy stuff, but if anybody has tips for other off the wall things to do thats cool too.

[Edited on March 20, 2009 at 11:48 AM. Reason : .]

3/20/2009 11:47:35 AM

- British Museum
- Indian Food
- Eat at Archipelago

3/20/2009 11:55:38 AM

if it's nice out i'd walk around the parliment area and bring a blanket to lay on the grass and read for a bit. I'd go to the white horse for a few pints and a meal, and then ride the london eye for a trip around.

i'd probably hit up a few stores as well.

this is all assuming i didn't have plans to see any of my friends while I was in town. More than likely my day would end up being a mixture of lunch/dinner/drink dates with friends in town to spend the 12 hours.

3/20/2009 11:57:33 AM

british museum. seriously.

3/20/2009 12:09:16 PM

Fight soccer hooligans

3/20/2009 12:10:55 PM

They sell mushrooms legally at Camden market, if you're into that sort of thing.

3/20/2009 12:13:10 PM

Wraith & Stimwalt pretty much covered it.

i go several times a year for work (minus the travel restrcitions since Sept'08) and spend any free time i get with family & friends.

the Indian food there is the best in the world (better than in India). If you're a vegetarian, Wembley's got some great restaurants.

3/20/2009 12:26:59 PM

http://www.thedungeons.com/en/london-dungeon/index.html

3/20/2009 12:56:24 PM

CUBAN CIGAR!!!

3/20/2009 1:14:12 PM

Tower of London
Tower Bridge
Westminster Abby
Globe Theater

We did a lot of things in one day but it was so long ago that I can't remember it all.

3/20/2009 1:15:26 PM

[quote]They sell mushrooms legally at Camden market[quote]

winner

3/20/2009 1:42:05 PM

Quote :

"^fail"

3/20/2009 1:46:29 PM

Tate Modern is pretty cool if you like modern art.

3/20/2009 1:57:12 PM

definitely British Museum and Westminster Abbey....honestly i thought just walking around central London and buying shit was fun

go to a book store and look through one of those London travel guides to see if anything grabs your interest

3/20/2009 2:32:39 PM

Quote :

"Has clearly been to London."

lol, you could say that. London is my hometown.

3/20/2009 2:51:11 PM

Quote :

"Check out the Millenium Wheel (although it's kinda pricey for a giant ferris wheel), "

yeah, that's kinda cool, but with 12 hours, I'd probably spend the time somewhere else.

British Museum is cool too, but again, I'm not sure that's where I'd personally spend any of my 12 hours if it was me.

Quote :

"Westminster Abby "

Totally meant to mention that in my earlier post.


Also, there's an exhibit that shows some of Churchill's stuff and WWII bunkers/hideouts/command posts and stuff. It's very interesting...I can't think of what it's called offhand, though.

3/20/2009 3:49:32 PM

3/20/2009 5:14:23 PM

i'd check message_topic.aspx?topic=542852

3/20/2009 7:24:57 PM

British Museum, Trafalgar square, Windsor Castle

3/20/2009 9:50:42 PM

two chicks at the same time

3/21/2009 12:04:01 AM

get a girl with a sexy British accent.

3/21/2009 12:16:27 AM

get pissed drunk and watch a real football match

3/21/2009 12:39:51 AM

Changing of the Guard is a waste of time. I lived in London when I was a kid and still want my 2 hours back that we spent out there.

The Imperial War Museum is probably the coolest military museum I've ever seen. The collection there is amazing.

The British Museum is wonderful, but it is so big you're just going to want to fly back as soon as possible. I think I probably went there over a dozen times and never saw everything.

If I only had one day, I'd probably hit Trafalgar Square, walk down Whitehall to Westminster Abbey, head across the street to Parliament (I remember taking a tour where we got to Walk on the floor of The House of Lords and House of Commons). Then walk down the Thames along the Victoria Embankment to the Embankment tube station and take the Circle/District lines down to Tower Hill and see The Tower of London and Tower Bridge.

3/21/2009 2:33:48 AM

If you go to Westminster Abbey, get the free audio tour. It's narrated by Jeremy Irons. There are so many great things to see there. It's also right around the corner from Big Ben and Parliament.

3/21/2009 4:46:46 PM

go to a pub.

3/21/2009 5:51:42 PM

The abbey is really unique. Walking over and near Darwin's, Newton's, and Chaucer's graves was surreal.

3/21/2009 11:15:40 PM

do they still have Sega World?

3/21/2009 11:17:04 PM

we have a really nice brass rubbing that we did at Westminster Abbey framed. that was a lot of fun to do as a kid, and if you can make a good one, is a very unique keepsake

3/22/2009 4:18:34 PM

Hit up Westminster Abbey and all the sights to see nearby, then go find a random pub located off of one of the mews (kinda like an alley) and drink it up to some awesome british beer and chat up the local chics.

I loved London when I went there.

3/22/2009 6:15:43 PM