London Things to Do Tips by Dabs

Daytrip-Hampton Court Hampton Court Review

I've visited Hampton Court at least twice, maybe three times, not sure why I never got around to writing it up as a tip. A very common question is should I visit Hampton Court or Windsor Castle and I lean towards Windsor Castle but they are very different to visit.

Cardinal Wolsley lived at Hampton Court until King Henry VIII decided that the Palace should be his so the Cardinal "gifted" Hampton Court to the King. After all a Cardinal can't have a palace superior to the king's, now can he?

There are many ways to get to Hampton Court but I suspect the easiest and most popular is by train. If you have a travelcard, you can show that to get a slight discount on your ticket, ask for a cheap day return, no need to buy in advance. If you have an Oyster you can use that, Hampton Court is in zone 6. The last time I visited I went by riverboat from Westminster but that is a long journey so only something to do if you have some leisure time.

Address: East Molesey, KT8 9AU

Directions: Network Rail from Waterloo to Hampton Court

Phone: 0 20 8781 9500

Website: http://www.hrp.org.uk/HamptonCourtPalace/

One weekend day in London

One of the most asked questions on any city is what to do with however many days they have. Of course there is not one answer to that question but if I were to devise my perfect weekend day in London for a 1st timer this is what I'd suggest assuming the weather is perfect and that it is a weekend day

I love markets, I don't always buy something but I love wandering through. London has a lot of markets but we always seem to end up at either Portobello Road (Saturday) or Camden (Sat or Sun)

After the market I find a quick lunch unless I've eaten at the market, fish and chips or a doner kebab always hits the spot. After fortifying, I would at least pass by the iconic London sights-Houses of Parliament/Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus. This website has a self guided tour that hits all of those spots starting from the Westminster tube station

http://www.londonforfree.net/walks/royal/royal.php

Now it's time for a spot of dinner, perhaps grab some Indian food. In the evening, I would suggest either picking up tickets for the theatre at the 1/2 price ticket booth in Leicester Square or taking a walk with the excellent London Walks. The Jack the Ripper walk is the most popular

The Shard

The Shard is the newest skyscraper on London's skyline, the tallest building in Europe and as of right now the 59th tallest building in the world so obviously not built to compete in the arena of the tallest. I first spotted the Shard as I was walking near Monument, I had read that it was in or bordering a rough neighborhood but when I went to get a close up look, I found it standing on top of the London Bridge Station just around the corner from the popular Borough Market.

In February 2013 the Shard will open The View from the Shard, charging a whopping £24.95 for an adult, I'm guessing just for the view from floors 68, 69 and 72. The view will be unobstructed as there are no other buildings in London even close to the height of the Shard. People pay $25 to go to the top of the Empire State Building, so I'm guessing that people will pony up for the Shard as well.

Website: http://www.theviewfromtheshard.com/

Natural History Museum Natural HIstory Museum Review

Natural history museums are usually not top on my list of things to see, it took me 18 visits to London to visit the natural history museum and only because it was raining and I was tired of being wet.

The museum is divided into four colored sections, you'll find the impressive dinosaur skeleton in the Blue Zone, this section is devoted to animals, both past and present. The Green Zone is full of plants, insects, and ecology, I'm pretty sure that I didn't wander into the Green Zone. The Red Zone is where you'll find minerals, rocks, and gemstones, I spent at least an hour wandering through the cases and cases and case of rocks. I'm pretty sure I didn't get to the Orange Zone either which is the Darwin Centre.

The museum is free to visit.

Address: Cromwell Road, SW7

Directions: South Kensington tube

Phone: +44 (0)20 7942 5000

Website: http://www.nhm.ac.uk

Victoria & Albert Museum Victoria & Albert Museum Review

Last visit July 2012

I love the Victoria and Albert Museum, more commonly known as the V&A, named for Queen Victoria and her consort Prince Albert. I've been here three times and still haven't gotten through the entire collections at this amazing museum. If you only have a couple of hours, pick up a map at the entrance and tried to get to the list of highlights printed on the map.

The V&A Museum's focus is on the decorative arts, one of my favorite things to look at in museums. The museum is broken down into sections covering certain eras in British history as well as a collection of Asian arts and rooms full of silver, fashion, jewelry and ceramics.

Although your list might be different, my "Don't miss" selections are:

-The Chihuly chandelier in the main entrance
-Fashion exhibit with all those fabulous clothes
-Tippoo Tiger
-Silver galleries
-Jewelry galleries

Address: Cromwell Road, SW7

Directions: South Kensington tube, you can walk underground all the way there if it's inclement weather or are directionally challenged as there are signs leading you from the tube station to the museum.

Phone: 0 20 7942 2000

Website: http://www.vam.ac.uk

Original London Walks Walking and Walking Tours Review

For £9 (£7 for students and those over 65), you can go on a guided walk of London with Original London Walks. We have been on the Jack the Ripper walk, the ghost walk, the Kensington walk, the Hampstead Heath Pub walk, Chelsea and Inns of Court and enjoyed them immensely.

Jack the Ripper is the most popular walk and although quite interesting, the crowds can be quite huge. I'd recommend going to see an area that you might not see on your own, I really enjoyed the Hampstead Heath walk because it was a section of London that I had never even passed through before.

London Walks also has Explorer Days that go outside of London, I did one of Bath with them when I discovered that the train fare if I went on my own would be more than the tour. The tour was very well done, gave you a little free time around lunch to explore and you can always stay on if you want to see more but check with the guide in case it's group seating on the train. The Explorer Days cost £16 plus whatever the fees are for the train and admission to sites which are usually obtained at a group discount.

Website: http://www.walks.com/

Tower of London Tower of London Review

Last visit July 2011, got 2 for 1 entry with a valid travelcard

The Tower of London is my #1 must see attraction, I have visited at least 5 times now on different trips to London and still find it fascinating. The Tower has a long, intriguing, sometimes bloody history, full of colorful characters from the 9 day Queen Jane Grey, the two Princes killed and buried in the Tower by their evil uncle, King Henry VIII and his 6 wives, two of which were beheaded inside it's walls.

The best time to visit the Tower is first thing in the morning before the crowds arrive. On our most recent visit we got there around 10am, there was a short line to get tickets and no line to see the Crown Jewels but later in the day there was a huge line for them so go see the Crown Jewels first so you can spend as much time gawking at the baubles as you please. You can then double back to the entrance and take one of the amusing and informative beefeater tours, not to be missed. That was also crowded but the beefeaters have loud voices.

Several of the buildings are open to visitors, the White Tower has the armoury and the Hands on History Exhibit which is an interactive section for kids, you can walk along the walls and visit some of the towers, visit the Medieval Palace and check out the ravens, legend has it that the kingdom would fall if the ravens ever left so they've ensured a few stick around by clipping their wings and having understudies!

Be sure to check out the visit planner on the attached website and check to see if there's anything special going on while you are there, we almost missed the siege weapons demostration in the moat that is exclusive to the summertime and only performed a couple of times during the day. We spent about 4-5 hours here and saw everything, we ended up eating lunch at the Tower as well. You can also bring a picnic lunch, I wish we had thought of it.

Directions: Nearest tube: Tower Hill

Website: http://www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon/

Beatles In My Life Walk with London Walks Walking and Walking Tours Review

I had never seen the zebra crossing at Abbey Road and I always enjoy the walks with London Walks so I decided to do this on Tuesday morning. It was misting so I didn't think too many people would show up but there were at least 20 of us for the walk which starts at Marylebone Station where the Beatles filmed "A Hard Day's Night". From there you go see the Claxton Hall Registry where Ringo married his 1st wife Maureen and Paul married his 1st wife Linda and his 3rd wife Nancy (maybe that means she'll stay around longer than wife #2!). Then a couple of apartment buildings where various Beatles live including the one Paul shared with Jane Asher, I'm sure the folks there now love having people peer in their windows. A short ride on the tube to St. John's Wood where you can see the outside of Abbey Road studios and the famous crosswalk.

The crosswalk is located on a very busy street, you can stand out in the middle of the street and take the photo but at the risk of getting hit by one of the buses and cars who must be extremely tired of people standing and posing in the middle of the street. Obviously Paul wasn't dead when the photo was taken (or after), the guide said the reason he wasn't wearing shoes was because it was hot that day and he had been wearing sandals. And the white VW beetle? It belonged to someone on the block and was entirely coincidental it was in the shot. The license plate was repeatedly stolen and eventually the car was sold and put on display in a museum in Germany.

Westminster Abbey-verger tour Westminster Abbey Review

Lat visit July 2011

It's been about 6 years since I last visited Westminster Abbey and I thought my niece might enjoy it since the royal wedding just took place there, come to find out that she couldn't care less about that marriage although after seeing a few of their palaces she thinks that Harry might be a good catch! We wandered over on a rainy Thursday afternoon, there was a bit of a queue to purchase tickets but not so bad that I wouldn't stand in it. She wanted to do the Verger Tour so I plunked down the additional £3 per ticket and waited for the next one to start.

I was a little shocked at the £16 admission fee to the Abbey, it was 1/2 that when I visited 6 years ago. At least my niece was young enough to get an £6 ticket for under 18s. The 90 minute tour is very informative and allows you access into places that the ordinary tourists can't go. I'd highly recommend this if you are planning on going to the Abbey.

After the tour you can visit the museum or go back around the Abbey at your leisure. I believe they said the Abbey ticket was good for the entire day but ask when you get there.

Address: Deans Yard, SW1

Directions: St James's Park or Westminter tube

Phone: 0 20 7654 4900

Website: http://www.westminster-abbey.org

Kensington Palace Knightsbridge, Kensington and Kensington Palace Review

3rd visit July 2011

Kensington Palace is perhaps best known as the home of late Princess Diana prior to her divorce from Prince Charles, in the years just after she died you could see cards, flowers and stuffed animals adorning the gates but I haven't seen any of that on my last few trips to London. It was also the birthplace and childhood home of Queen Victoria.

The 1st time I visited the highlight of the visit was the dress collections of both the current Queen, Elizabeth II, and also Princess Diana. In April 2011 that was gone. The palace is currently undergoing a major renovation and while that is taking place you can still visit the palace, currently running is the Enchanted Palace that tells the story of seven princesses that lived at Kensington Palace-Queen Mary II, Queen Anne, Queen Caroline, Princess Charlotte, Queen Victoria, Princess Anne and Princess Diana.

You don't see as much of the palace as I did on my 1st visit, parts of it are closed off due to the renovation and while is sounds like it's going to be quite wonderful I'd advise to hold off visiting until the renovation is complete although people visiting with their kids, especially young girls, should enjoy the current displays as much of it is geared towards kids.

There is no photography allowed inside the Palace. The Orangery is also location near the Palace in Kensington Gardens, it's a nice place if you want to enjoy a casual afternoon tea.

We got our admission at 1/2 price by buying our travelcards at a rail station and taking advantage of the 2 for 1 offers

Address: Kensington Gardens