Visiting London as I type this: Pretty much have a good slate of things to do - Museums, Tower of London, Cathedrals, etc, etc. Nnonetheless, any good suggestions as far aas restaurants, shopping and attractions would be appreciated. Thanks!
Take a boat tour on the Thames. Check out Big Ben and Parliament. Go on the "Eye," that HUGE ferris wheel on the Thames. I went on it the last time I was there and the views are amazing. Go to Windsor. Windsor Castle is one of my favorites. See the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. Visit Madame Toussad's wax museum. Check out some London theatre. I saw The Phantom of the Opera when I was there last time, and it was great. I've seen Phantom in Houston and in New York, so I had high expectations, and Phantom in London passed with flying colors. I'm sure I'll think of more, but my personal favorite thing to do in any foreign country is vist a local pub and just strike up a conversation with someone. Culture is my favorite thing to experience. The English are known for being polite, so this shouldn't be too hard. Try some good English ale; I love that stuff. London has excellent restaurants, but pub food is great, too, so don't passs that up, especially when you're looking for a semi-quick lunch. Shepard's Pie and Fish and Chips are my two English favorites.
Guided walking tours are also excellent. You can take a walking tour of the Jack the Ripper murders, haunted buildings, etc. However, how good these tours are depends on the guide you get. When I went on the Jack the Ripper tour, our guide was excellent in that he was VERY charasmatic. He was the perfect guide for the tour. The next night, I went on a Haunted London walking tour, only to have a guide with the charisma of a piece of stale cheese. The tour was interesting, but a better guide would have made all the difference. Don't forget the Tower of London. Also, if you like spicy stuff (which I love) give traditional English mustard a try. Its hotter than hell (usually, anyway) and very good. If you want good shopping, you can't beat Herrod's.
Go to Hyde Park. It's great to take a walk there. If you want to meet celebrities and see the "rich" area of London, South Kensington is the part of the city where they live. That is also where you can find a very good (but - for London - not expensive Italian restaurant) called DaMario's, I think it is on Gloucester Road, not too far from Queen's Gate. That is where Lady Di used to order her pizza and she also went there herself to pick it up. The owner is completely in love with her and there are paintings of her all over the place . The parts of the restaurant that are not full of her pictures are covered with Ferrari flags and stuff like that. If you have the time to take a trip out of London, then you could take a train to Cambridge. I studied there - for me, it is without a doubt the most amazing place to study in the world. More tradition than you will find anywhere else. Harvard, as great as it is, is basically the attempt to be like Cambridge (or Oxford). Just seeing the buildings and "breathing" the tradition will already make you feel smarter . Depending on what kind of food you like, I could give you some more recommendations for restaurants... Oh, one more thing, if you are an American and open to experiencing the most popular sport in the world and the incomparable atmosphere at a soccer game, then go to one, there are several teams in the London area and I think it could be a great experience.
Yes, Hyde Park is interesting. Go listen to some nutzos give ridiculous speeches. Westminister Abbey is pretty cool if you're in the Thames/Big Ben area. If you want to see the hood, check out the East End. Also, eat at an Indian restaurant- there's plenty of good places in London. Tower of London is badass as well. Trafalgar Square is okay as is the Museum. For nightlife check out Leicester Square. And for shopping look at Oxford St. and Picadilly Circus.
When I was there, Covent Garden was a pretty neat place to visit during the day. All sorts of random stuff going on there with street performers, shops, etc. I don't know if that was "everyday" stuff or if something was going on while I was there.
If you like interesting Egyptian stuff, the British Museum of History has the greatest collection of Egyptian artifacts anywhere including King Tut's tomb.
Damn, after reading all that stuff here my decision to move there is confirmed! If that damn city just wasn't so expensive and if it didn't rain there like 365/24/7...
If you're a music fan go to Soho and check out all the shops (just don't let the hookers distract you...). Camden Market is pretty cool for music and clothes and all kinds of people watching. And definitely catch a show in addition to the obvious museums and the like.
Do one of those hop on hop off double decker bus tours, they seem to take you past everything and you can choose. I really enjoyed the Tower of London tour. Now as for food, can't say i found anything good value.
Thanks forr the suggestions: Unfortunately the Millenium Wheel, which has a very neat 18th cenntury worlds ffair kinda feel, is closed this week for repairs. Whats a vindaloo?
Take the tube to the St. John's Wood stop and go see Abbey Road Studio, otherwise known as Mecca. The zebra crossing is right by the studio and you can write your name in graffiti on the wall.
Dude! When you're in London, you have to eat what the Londoners eat...CURRY!!! Go to an Indian restaurant and get some Chicken Dhansak. That stuff is freakin awesome. O how I love it. O how I miss it. mmmmmmmm get some onion bharjes as well...delicious.
Don't forget the new Tate Modern along with the old Tate. Victoria and Albert museum should be visited as well. Yes, do go out to Indian. Plenty of theater to check out as well. If you ar there long enough take a day trip outside of the city. There are plenty of wonderful cathedrals, etc relatively close by in the countryside.
