First Day in London - Suggestions?
Kerry
Thursday in April and staying until the following Friday. We're trying to
decide what to do on the first day (Friday) so that we get a look at the
city. We're reluctant to hit one of our personal must see attractions
(Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, British Museum) on that day, because
we're afraid we'll be tired from the flight and won't be able to get an
early start. Any ideas? Thanks in advance.
Kerry
ter...@indirective.ca
>Hello - two friends and I will be arriving in London late at night on a
>Thursday in April and staying until the following Friday. We're trying to
>decide what to do on the first day (Friday) so that we get a look at the
>city. We're reluctant to hit one of our personal must see attractions
>(Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, British Museum) on that day, because
>we're afraid we'll be tired from the flight and won't be able to get an
Don;t worry. If you;re flying over the atlantic, wake up early (which
you will probably anyway), DON'T sleep on the flight, and go to sleep
at the normal UK time when yo get there.
These daytime flights are quite popular wiht business travellers as it
helps minimize jet lag (due to lack of sleep on overnight flights).
Deb Cole-Weber/Kurt Weber
wander about at your own speed, see exactly how much or how little you
choose.
Our flights always arrive in London very early in the morning, and we can
never get into our room for at least a few more hours. We spent one such
morning and early afternoon wandering about Kensington Gardens and Hyde
Park, ending with tea at the pavillion in HP, and it was lovely. There was
really a lot to see, but we just sort of drifted into and along with it. A
wonderful memory.
We spent another one of those days at Portobello Rd market, and it was
hell. Too much jet lag for such a crowded spot, so full of sensory
overload.
Any park would be nice. How about a late morning visit to the Horse Gaurds
(very cool), followed by a stoll around the nearby parks? You could wander
past Buckingham Palace, then see how you feel. I have a suspicion that
travel adrenalin will set in, and you will want to do more than you now
think you will. This always happens to us.
Have fun,
debbie
Kerry wrote:
> Hello - two friends and I will be arriving in London late at night on a
> Thursday in April and staying until the following Friday. We're trying to
> decide what to do on the first day (Friday) so that we get a look at the
> city. We're reluctant to hit one of our personal must see attractions
> (Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, British Museum) on that day, because
> we're afraid we'll be tired from the flight and won't be able to get an
Rise Keller
Big Bus tour ticket. Your ticket is good for 24 hours on three routes.
One takes you by the Tower of London. You can hop on and off at
any of the designated spots, of which there are many, usually at an
attraction (museum, Madame Tussaud's, etc). The ticket is not cheap
but the tourguides are knowledgeable and funny, giving you lots of
good detail that you might not glean elsewhere. Plus, included in the
ticket is a ride on a boat down the Thames (from London Tower). We
thought it was a great deal. We were completely jet-lagged and welcomed
a few hours of sightseeing in this way, and took advantage of the ability
to hop off and see a museum or do the Tower tour along the way.
The only caveats: if it's cold outside, it's really cold on the bus. Dress
warmly. Also, get the ticket that lets you ride the buses with live narrators
instead of doing the "language tour".
Have fun!
nora
This would allow you to eyeball the city from the river---take a
map with you so you know what you're looking at---but you'd be
sitting down, in case you're tired from travel. You could take
the boat to Greenwich or the Thames Locks in one direction or as
far as Kew or Hampton Court in the other. Remember that much
city history is located along the river and you'll have a good
view of the Tower, the buildings at Westminster, and so much
more.
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The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet - Free!
Douglas W Hoyt
> I thought a great way to get an overview early in the trip was to buy a
> Big Bus tour ticket.
If you think you might be strung-out on your first day, then this is
actually a very nice idea. You can take the tour bus, get off and on
whenever you feel like it, and either just cruise by Buckingham Palace or
actually stop, or get off at Westminster Abbey, poke your head in, then get
right back on--knowing that you can go back later in the week and give
everything its full due--while getting a very good look at the lay of the
land. That's one possibility. Another is to do things a little more
independently, getting an all-day travelpass, and taking a swing through
shops, churches, and general hubbub from Oxford Street, through St. James,
Picadilly, past St. Paul and the city district, to the Tower (either
visiting that day or coming back for the proper tour later), and finishing
up at Covent Garden or Leicester Square or Chinatown for dinner (you can
even swing out to Harrod on the bus or tube). If you have jet lag, keep
moving, walk a lot, and see a lot superficially, while eating healthy food
along the way. This gives you a broad (though bleary) perspective that you
can go back and see in greater depth later.
J J MIO
Among the various places to catch ther bus is Victoria Station.
The following are places to see once you recover from jet lag.
LONDON SEE & DO
HIGHLIGHTS( *PLACES WE LIKED )
*Orig Lndn Sightseeing Tours 6 starting points (Vic Sta. Picadilly, etc)
9:30-5pm A good introductory tour of the highpoints of the city. Can get off
and back on.
*Orig Lndn Walks 20 7624 3978 several walks from listed tube stations
£5 http://london.walks.com
*Trafalgar Square The heart of London. A place for pictures
*National Gallery Great paintings. We saw it on an “Original London
Walk”
*St Martin’s Actually “St-Martin-in-the-Fields” Has brass rubbing
center in the basement.
Below Charing Cross is a wonderful garden area on the Thames, the Victoria
Embankment Gardens
*Courtauld Gallery It was one of the places we kept putting off and were
amazed at the wonderfulImpressionist paintings. Van Gogh, Monet, Cezanne,
Renoir, Manet, etc
*Banqueting House Charles I was beheaded on balcony. Great paintins on
the ceiling by Raphael You see
them best by looking into a mirror on the floor
*Horse Guards This building has the guardsman which everyone stands next to
for their picture. It’s also
the starting point for the “Changing of the Guard”. We saw them much more
closely here than at Buckinham Palace.
Downing Street Not that much
*Cab. War Rooms This was good because we like WW II history. The
basement headquarters of Churchill and his cabinet.
Surprised how small it was. Clive Steps, King Charles Street
Daily 10-6 U=St. James or Westminister
*Parliament One day we were walking by, saw a line and got into
Parliament to watch the House Of Commons do
their thing. Were allowed to also see the House of Lords. If they are open
when you’re there, it’s worth the visit.
Victoria Tower Garden in the rear has a copy of Rodin’s ‘Burghers of Calais’
*Big Ben Another must for pictures. Supposedly named after
pudgy Benjamin Hall, the
Commisioner of Works when the bell was hung
Westminister Br. Great photo spot
*St Margaret’s A church next to Parliament. Frequently overlooked because
Westminister Abbey is so near. Has
body of Sir Walter Raleigh
*Westminister Abb. A great place. So much to see. M-Sat 9-3 special
tours U=Westminister
Admiralty Arch On the road from Trafalgar to Buckingham
*Buckingham Pal. Another ‘must’
*Royal Mews On the side of Buckingham Palace, overlooked by many
but we liked the ‘Cinderella’ coaches
Westminister Cath. Catholic Cathedral Only a block from Victoria Station.
Wanted to climb the tower but never
made it.
*St James Park We loved the three parks. St James. Hyde Park and Green Park
Vic & Albert Mus. Haven’t been there yet
*Hyde Park Speaker’s Corner is most noteworthy but lots more to
see. Far end has Kensington Palace (Diane) and Kensington Gardens
The ornate ‘Albert Memorial” is near the Harrod exit.
*Brompton Oratory Roman Catholic church with ornate interior and
beautiful organ
Ritz Hotel On the edge of Green park $$$$$$
*Picadilly Circus Another photo shot under the stature of Eros
*Portabello Market ‘One of a kind’ on a Saturday
Madame Tussaud’s Wax museum as good as they get Daily 10-5:30
U=Baker St.
*Regent’s Park Another park having the most beautiful of flowers. Tulips in
Spring; roses in summer. If you
like flowers, like we do, it’s worth a visit when they are blooming
Camden Markets Another unique market experience. Best on weekends Take boat
from Little Venice
*British Museum Awesome. Good to take a preliminary tour of
highlights.
*Sir John Soane’s A real ‘sleeper’ museum. Ask the guard to see
Hogarth’s “Rake’s Progress”
*Covent Garden Much in the center but also has ‘St. Paul’s-The Actor’s Church’
on one side where you can relax after
walking your legs off
*Backstage Tours Varying hours Theatre Royal Drury Lane U=London
Br
*St Paul’s Cathedral is a must. Climb to the very top-not just
half way M-Sat 8:30-4 U=St Paul’s
*Mus. of London Build along the old city wall showing times from the
Romans to now. Very well done.
Might be more appealing to a youngster than the English Mus.
*Tower of London Another ‘must’ M-Sat 9-5 U=Tower Hill
*Tower Bridge Go up in the elevator
*Southwark Cath. Tour this on “An Original London Walk”. Shakespeare’s
brother buried here
After seeing this, go for lunch at ‘George Inn’, 17 Borough High St.
Golden Hinde Near Southwark Cathedral
London Dungeon Daily 10-5:30 U=London Bridge
The Globe Haven’t seen it since rebuilt. Sounds good
*Windsor Castle Daily 10-4 Tour of castle £8 Trains leave every 1/2
hr from Waterloo Sta. 30 minutes
*Greenwich 15 min from Charing Cross Sta. or boat from Embankment
Pier (£7.5) or Dockland Light Railway
to Island Gardenand walk through tunnel under Thames
Observatory (£4),Golden Hinde, and Cutty Sark .
*Hampton Court Tu-Sun 9:30-6 Train from Waterloo, Boat from Westminister Pier
Kew Gardens Daily 9:30-4 U=Kew Gardens
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
Brit. Tourist Center 1 Lower Regent Street London SW1
London For Less 1800 463 6753 $20 discount book
2748
www.usagateway.visitbritain.com website for Americans
http://www.LondonTown.com/ Official Internet Site for
London Very Good
http://www.adnama.force9.co.uk/act_indx.htm London activities
http://www.demon.co.uk/hotel-uk/markets.html Flea Markets
http://www.uktravel.com/london/londonmap.html Underground
http://www.londontheatre.co.uk/ Theatres
GALLERIES & MUSEUMS
Nat’l Portrait Gal. M-Sat 10-6; Sun N-6 U=Leicester Sq
Nat’l Gallery 2000 paintings M-Sat 10-6; Sun N-7 U=Charing Cross
Tate Gallery M-Sun 10-6 £5 U=Pimlico
Vic & Albert Mo-Sa 10-5, Sun 2:30-5:30 U=Kensington High
Coutaud Gallery Somerset House, Strand U=Covent Garden, Temple
Impressionist and Post-Impressionists M-S 10-6
Imperial War Mus. Daily 10-6 £5 U=Lambeth North
Mus of London Tu-Sat 10-5:30; Sun N-5:30 £4 150 London Wall
U= Barbican, Moorgate
Vic & Albert Mus Tu-Sun 10-5:30; Mon N-5:30 £5 U=South Kensington
MARKETS
New Caledonia Friday 6-2 The flea market for the die-hards 3/4 mile SW of
Tower Undergrnd
Camden Passage Sat 8-5, Wed 7-4, Thur 7-4 U=Islington, Camden Passage
Camden Antiq Mkt Th-Sun U=Camden
Portebello M, Tu, Wed, Fri 8-6; Thur 8-1; Sat 7-6
Petticoat Lane Sun 9-2 Middlesex St U=Liverpool St, Aldergate,
Aldergate
Brixton Mkt Fri 9-4 U=Brixton
Gray’s Antique Mkt & Mews 58 Davies St U=Bond St
.
Jack (California)
Jumyow
city.
Audrey
>
> Hello - two friends and I will be arriving in London late at night on a
> Thursday in April and staying until the following Friday. We're trying to
> decide what to do on the first day (Friday) so that we get a look at the
> city. We're reluctant to hit one of our personal must see attractions
> (Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, British Museum) on that day, because
> we're afraid we'll be tired from the flight and won't be able to get an
> early start. Any ideas? Thanks in advance.
>
> Kerry
I took my first trip to London this past November. I'm a bit puzzled
about you saying you'll arrive late at night -- but you are considering
seeing the Tower of London or Museum?
Anyways, upon arrival to London (very early morning), we checked into
the hotel, freshened up, and headed to Kew Gardens on the tube. Spent
the afternoon in the gardens and conservatories, then walked back
through [the beautiful] town, stopped at the Patisserie shop and had
pasties and drinks as our early supper. Grabbed the tube back to the
hotel for another quick break, then went out and caught the first
double-decker (HAD to get up on top) and rode to Piccadilly Circus and
Trafalgar Square... spent some time walking and sightseeing... IT WAS
WONDERFUL!
I can't imagine doing anything better on the first (or any) day in
London. :)
If you'd like to reply, remove the NOMORE. from the address.
Have fun!
A.
bobburke
Last year, my wife & I arrived at Heathrow about 7.00 A.M. on a flight from
Singapore. After dropping our bags in our hotel in Kensington, we bought 24
hour tickets on one of the "Hop On, Hop Off" bus tours of London. This
enabled us to see some of the sights, orient ourselves and to some extent
review the places we wanted to visit during our trip. Mostly we just sat on
the bus and did several of the tours, but we did visit a couple of the minor
sites on our list.
It was a chance to set our body clocks to London time after the long flight
and actually see some of the sights at the same time.
We had an early night that night and used the balance of our 24 hour ticket
the next morning.
Have a good trip,
Bob
Kerry wrote:
> Hello - two friends and I will be arriving in London late at night
> ........ We're trying to decide.......... what to do on the first day Any
C7cheryl
writes:
>I thought a great way to get an overview early in the trip was to buy a
>Big Bus tour ticket. Your ticket is good for 24 hours on three routes.
>One takes you by the Tower of London. You can hop on and off at
>any of the designated spots, of which there are many, usually at an
>attraction (museum, Madame Tussaud's, etc). The ticket is not cheap
>but the tourguides are knowledgeable and funny, giving you lots of
>good detail that you might not glean elsewhere. Plus, included in the
>ticket is a ride on a boat down the Thames (from London Tower). We
>thought it was a great deal. We were completely jet-lagged and welcomed
>a few hours of sightseeing in this way, and took advantage of the ability
>to hop off and see a museum or do the Tower tour along the way.
>The only caveats: if it's cold outside, it's really cold on the bus. Dress
>warmly. Also, get the ticket that lets you ride the buses with live narrators
>instead of doing the "language tour".
The London on-and-off tour that I took a few years back allowed us to pick up
our tickets after 3 p.m. one day, giving us more than one day. If I remember
correctly, this is not a 24 hour/day bus...it operates from sometime in the
morning until a little after sundown. Is this the case? My sister and I are
going next month and this information would help.
Thanks.
Cheryl
C7cheryl
up and down the Thames?
Martin Rich
>Don;t worry. If you;re flying over the atlantic, wake up early (which
>you will probably anyway), DON'T sleep on the flight, and go to sleep
>at the normal UK time when yo get there.
>
>These daytime flights are quite popular wiht business travellers as it
>helps minimize jet lag (due to lack of sleep on overnight flights).
I've once taken a daytime flight from the US to London (for me of
course this is coming home). It's pleasant enough, because you don't
lose a night's sleep, but a bit disorienting because you can be
wandering about at well past midnight with no inclination to go to
bed. But provided you can get to bed in time to get a reasonable
night's sleep, you should feel fine on your first full day.
Martin
--
Martin Rich M.G....@city.ac.uk
City University Business School, London, UK
(020) 7477 8627 (Home email mar...@jackdaw.u-net.com)
Fax (020) 7477 8628 http://www.city.ac.uk/martin
bvl...@my-deja.com
"Kerry" <fra...@erols.com> wrote:
> Hello - two friends and I will be arriving in London late at night on
a
> Thursday in April and staying until the following Friday. We're trying
to
> decide what to do on the first day (Friday) so that we get a look at
the
> city. We're reluctant to hit one of our personal must see attractions
> (Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, British Museum) on that day,
because
> we're afraid we'll be tired from the flight and won't be able to get
an
Ride around on a bus, maybe even one of those double decker tour buses,
or just a normal bus with an interesting route. Take a boat down the
Thames to Greenwich or up the Thames to Hampton Court. If the weather is
nice, sit around in the gardens at Hampton Court. Admission to the
gardens is free, so you won't waste your money if you get tired and have
to leave. (But do go back another time to see the interior.) For that
matter, if the weather is nice, go to one of the many London parks and
watch the ducks.
Don't rule out the British Museum. Again, admission is by optional
contribution, so I usually go several times when I'm in London, so that
I can see it in manageable chunks. Unlike the "optional contribution" at
the Metropolitan Museum in New York, there is no "suggested" amount at
the British Museum and no pressure to contribute. However, do give them
a generous contribution, figured on an hourly basis.
Also, you can go to a service at Westminster Abbey without paying
anything, and it's a restful way to get a first look at the place. Once
I went to a Morning Prayer service after an all-night bus ride from
Scotland, because it was too early to go to my hotel and I was too tired
to do any walking. I was amused to read later in Trollope's _The Warden_
that the hero did the same thing when he was tired, in order to avoid
going back to his hotel, where he was afraid his son-in-law would be
looking for him.
--
Barbara Vaughan
Princeton University
email my first intitial my last name at my university dot edu
(Or reply to dejanews email address)
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Michael Forrest
> Take a boat down the
>Thames to Greenwich
View now rather spoilt by that dome shaped thing. (no smiley)
--
Michael Forrest