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Things Not to Miss in London


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We will be in London pre-cruise for 5 days (August 31-September 5). We have never been to London before. What are the things we should not miss seeing or doing. Does London have a HOHO bus and would that be the best way to see things? I appreciate any and all info.

 

Marilee

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Yes there is a HOHO bus in London, check out their website as you can buy your tickets online (which I've done for our June trip). Things to see in no particular order:

 

Buckingham Palace (I personally wouldn't waste my time standing around for the changing of the Guard)

Westminster Abbey

Halls of Westminster

Big Ben

Tower of London

St. Pauls Cathedral

Tower Bridge

Fortnum & Mason's food store

The list is endless

 

London is a great city for walking in. I suggest you do the HOHO bus on your first day to get a feel for the city and where everything is situated from your hotel.

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Yes there is a HOHO bus in London, check out their website as you can buy your tickets online (which I've done for our June trip). Things to see in no particular order:

 

Buckingham Palace (I personally wouldn't waste my time standing around for the changing of the Guard)

Westminster Abbey

Halls of Westminster

Big Ben

Tower of London

St. Pauls Cathedral

Tower Bridge

Fortnum & Mason's food store

The list is endless

 

London is a great city for walking in. I suggest you do the HOHO bus on your first day to get a feel for the city and where everything is situated from your hotel.

 

Thank you so much do you have the web site for the HOHO bus? Also, do I need to buy the tickets on line ahead of time. Is there a problem with just walking up and getting the tickets?

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http://www.bigbustours.com/eng/london

 

I'm really lousy at posting links but if you type in the above, it should take you there. No problem with walking up and buying them on the day you want them. I bought ours ahead of time as we only have two days in London and didn't want to waste any time! Since you have five days, you should also consider a couple of day trips outside of London - Windsor, Stonehenge, Canterbury - are great spots.

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http://www.bigbustours.com/eng/london

 

I'm really lousy at posting links but if you type in the above, it should take you there. No problem with walking up and buying them on the day you want them. I bought ours ahead of time as we only have two days in London and didn't want to waste any time! Since you have five days, you should also consider a couple of day trips outside of London - Windsor, Stonehenge, Canterbury - are great spots.

 

Thank you so much for these suggestions. We live in the USA, do you? If so how long did it take to get your tickets? Did they mail them to your house?

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What are the things we should not miss seeing or doing.
Try to do the London Eye if the visibility is good - in London, this is not necessarily the same thing as a sunny day, as sometimes the visibility is best when it's been raining a lot and the clouds are still grey and heavy.

 

With 5 days in London, though, you'll have quite a lot of time to see a good selection of the main sights.

Since you have five days, you should also consider a couple of day trips outside of London - Windsor, Stonehenge, Canterbury - are great spots.
Although these are great places to go, I personally wouldn't recommend it for a first-time visitor to London who only has 5 days. If someone were here for two or three weeks, or had been to London many times before, then these would be worth considering. But there is enough to see in London to keep you occupied for a month or two, so a first time visitor might prefer not to waste time travelling away from London.
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I'm one of your northern neighbours (Canada). If you purchase the tickets online, you can instantly print them off, no waiting for them to show up in your snailmail.

 

Again, thank you so much.

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Try to do the London Eye if the visibility is good - in London, this is not necessarily the same thing as a sunny day, as sometimes the visibility is best when it's been raining a lot and the clouds are still grey and heavy..

 

Great idea, thanks

 

With 5 days in London, though, you'll have quite a lot of time to see a good selection of the main sights.Although these are great places to go, I personally wouldn't recommend it for a first-time visitor to London who only has 5 days. If someone were here for two or three weeks, or had been to London many times before, then these would be worth considering. But there is enough to see in London to keep you occupied for a month or two, so a first time visitor might prefer not to waste time travelling away from London.

 

Hmm, I guess I need to think about this.

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Harrods Food Hall

Market at Covent Garden

Tower of London

At least 1 or 2 or 3 pubs, maybe more :D

 

Take in a theater show one evening, you can check out the half price ticket booth to see what's available.

 

This may seem weird but a grocery store. We love to wander around them and see all the different items they have that we wish we could get here.

 

You didn't say if you will have kids or not that will be travelling with you, but if you do they will like wandering around Hamley's on Regent Street - a large toy store.

 

Definately pick up a London guide book to help you plan what you want to see.

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Harrods Food Hall

Market at Covent Garden

Tower of London

At least 1 or 2 or 3 pubs, maybe more :D

 

Take in a theater show one evening, you can check out the half price ticket booth to see what's available.

 

This may seem weird but a grocery store. We love to wander around them and see all the different items they have that we wish we could get here.

 

You didn't say if you will have kids or not that will be travelling with you, but if you do they will like wandering around Hamley's on Regent Street - a large toy store.

 

Definately pick up a London guide book to help you plan what you want to see.

 

No kids, just the two of us. I really appreciate all the info. I want to see as much as possible. I am making a list of all these great things. What is the Market at Covent Garden?

 

Marilee

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Found this website on Covent Garden that looks really nice: http://www.coventgardenlife.com/

 

 

Here's the listing of what is sold on various days at the market:

 

Covent Garden Market has been in its current form since 1980 but has a long history dating back to the 1600s. Today, the Apple Market in Covent Garden Market and the Jubilee Hall Market on the south side of the Piazza both sell an unusual and imaginative range of antiques, handicrafts, china, jewellery, clothing and gifts.

APPLE MARKET / COVENT GARDEN MARKET

 

Open: Mon-Sun 10:00am-6:00pm

 

Mondays: Antiques

Tuesday-Friday: General market, crafts, clothes and food

Saturday and Sunday: Hand made crafts

 

Covent Garden Market

020 7836 9136

breakline.gif

JUBILEE HALL MARKET

 

Open: Mon:5:00am-6:00pm, Tue-Fri 9:30am-6:00pm

Weekends 9:00am-6:00pm

 

Mondays: Antiques

Tuesday-Friday: General market, crafts, clothes and food

Saturday and Sunday: Hand made crafts

 

Jubilee Hall, 1 Tavistock Street

020 7379 4242

www.jubileemarket.co.uk

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I'm one of your northern neighbours (Canada). If you purchase the tickets online, you can instantly print them off, no waiting for them to show up in your snailmail.

 

Why would you go through all this trouble when all you have to do is walk on the bus and hand over your money to driver who will give you a ticket? There is no waste of time involved... It takes more time to do the computer purchase and print the tickets than to hand over cash money.

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Some other good ideas:

 

Tower Bridge, machine room and the the walkway - great view.

 

The Monument, commemerating the Great Fire of London, great view from top.

 

St. Pauls Cathredral WHispering Gallery

 

Riverside pubs, Anchor Bankside, Mayflower and Angel Rotherhithe - all great views of the Thames.

 

St. Katherines Dock, otherside of Tower Bridge.

 

Globe Theatre

 

Boat trip down to Greenwich

 

Greenwich - the jewel of London

 

Docklands Light Railway - no drivers

 

Borough Market, great food stalls.

 

Have a great time.

 

Ron

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With 5 days in London, though, you'll have quite a lot of time to see a good selection of the main sights.Although these are great places to go, I personally wouldn't recommend it for a first-time visitor to London who only has 5 days. If someone were here for two or three weeks, or had been to London many times before, then these would be worth considering. But there is enough to see in London to keep you occupied for a month or two, so a first time visitor might prefer not to waste time travelling away from London.

 

Depends on your travelling style. Sometimes it is nice to take a day and break away from the museums, shopping, etc. or else they start to blur together. I tend to need a "rest" from the city. You can grab a tour from London easily and hit one or two places in a day. I'm not sure how easy they are to get to on your own.

 

I also recommend Globe Theatre. It's a pretty cool experience to see a play outdoors. West End shows are also excellent, but then again, my opinion is slanted since I love to see shows. :)

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There's obviously loads to see in London, it is fabulous, but 5 days there can be a bit exhausting - consider taking a train out to somewhere quieter for a day or half a day. Try and see a bit of real England - London may be the capital, but is in no way representative of the rest of the country.

 

Steve

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Great lists and suggestions for London. No end to the potentials there, if your time, body and wallet hold up.

 

Add also to the list such little longer day trips such as to the Cotswolds/Oxford (which might require a car rental) or going to Cambridge (which is wonderful and will not require a car rental). Both are full of great history and architecture, plus CHARM. Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

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The old fruit and vegetable market in Covent Garden has been turned into a piazza full of small shops, cafes, bars and restaurants. It's also a centre for street performers and buskers.

 

Hmmm, shopping, sounds good to me. I love shopping.

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Found this website on Covent Garden that looks really nice: http://www.coventgardenlife.com/

 

 

Here's the listing of what is sold on various days at the market:

 

Covent Garden Market has been in its current form since 1980 but has a long history dating back to the 1600s. Today, the Apple Market in Covent Garden Market and the Jubilee Hall Market on the south side of the Piazza both sell an unusual and imaginative range of antiques, handicrafts, china, jewellery, clothing and gifts.

APPLE MARKET / COVENT GARDEN MARKET

 

Open: Mon-Sun 10:00am-6:00pm

 

Mondays: Antiques

Tuesday-Friday: General market, crafts, clothes and food

Saturday and Sunday: Hand made crafts

 

Covent Garden Market

020 7836 9136

breakline.gif

JUBILEE HALL MARKET

 

Open: Mon:5:00am-6:00pm, Tue-Fri 9:30am-6:00pm

Weekends 9:00am-6:00pm

 

Mondays: Antiques

Tuesday-Friday: General market, crafts, clothes and food

Saturday and Sunday: Hand made crafts

 

Jubilee Hall, 1 Tavistock Street

020 7379 4242

www.jubileemarket.co.uk

 

The market sounds like fun to me. Thanks so much.

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Some other good ideas:

 

Tower Bridge, machine room and the the walkway - great view.

 

The Monument, commemerating the Great Fire of London, great view from top.

 

St. Pauls Cathredral WHispering Gallery

 

Riverside pubs, Anchor Bankside, Mayflower and Angel Rotherhithe - all great views of the Thames.

 

St. Katherines Dock, otherside of Tower Bridge.

 

Globe Theatre

 

Boat trip down to Greenwich

 

Greenwich - the jewel of London

 

Docklands Light Railway - no drivers

 

Borough Market, great food stalls.

 

Have a great time.

 

Ron

 

More good ideas. I'm adding to me list. Tell me more about this:

 

Boat trip down to Greenwich

 

Greenwich - the jewel of London

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Depends on your travelling style. Sometimes it is nice to take a day and break away from the museums, shopping, etc. or else they start to blur together. I tend to need a "rest" from the city. You can grab a tour from London easily and hit one or two places in a day. I'm not sure how easy they are to get to on your own.

 

I also recommend Globe Theatre. It's a pretty cool experience to see a play outdoors. West End shows are also excellent, but then again, my opinion is slanted since I love to see shows. :)

 

How do you get tickets to the shows?

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London is a great city for walking.

 

Indeed, if you enjoy walking try one of the London Walks with an interesting guide in unique little corners of London. We did the Charles Dickens walk in May. To see that particular excursion go to:

http://www.*****.com/london.htm

 

There are others that you may enjoy as well. Google "London Walks" and you can see the details.

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