London Tourist Trap Tips by yooperprof

It's a great building, but. . . It is impossible to understand it, let alone "appreciate it" with hundreds of photo-snapping tourists hanging about. Going there on the "tourist trail" is one of the least pleasant of all London experiences.

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At Least Do This: To really enjoy Westminister Abbey, go there for an event - for example, one of the free organ recitals they have every Sunday. If you are lucky, you can sit in the choir stalls, and as the magnificent chords of the pipe organ soar around you, it is possible to get some sense of what the Abbey is really all about. Or - for the truly brave and unconventional - consider going to Westminister Abbey for a religious service.
Alternative: A more splendid medieval church in London - in the City, near Smithfield Meat Market, is St. Bartholomew the Great. No crowds!

Do you really have to watch the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace? It's just some soldiers wearing funny hats and walking around doing kicksteps. Okay, I guess some people are into that sort of thing. A couple things you should be aware of: this is actually the back of the building - sort of the servants' entrance. That might be why it is so -- well, ugly. And the facade that you see facing Pall Mall is not particularly old - it was created only in 1913 by that arch-mediocrity, Aston Webb.

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At Least Do This: Bucky Palace is most attractive in the evening, with the backdrop of the setting sun. And there are no tourist hordes later in the day!
Alternative: If you really want to see how the Royals live, take the 20 minute train ride (from Paddington) out to Windsor. It's incomparably older, more impressive, more historical, more regal than Bucky Palace.