London Things to Do Tips by Callavetta

Take a train from Waterloo Station to Hampton Court for an escape from the hustle and bustle of the city and step into the past..... 500 years past!

Hampton Court was home away from home to the likes of Henry VIII (and a few unlucky wives) as well as William of Orange. Take tours guided by costumed experts to see Henry's quarters and those of William. Borrow the free CD player to take the "guided" tour of the Tudor Kitchens.

Wander around acres and acres of gardens. Stroll along the Thames. Get lost in the Maze.

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Address: Hampton Court
Directions: Take the train from Waterloo, exit the station and the Palace is just to the right.

Built for the Millennium, this looks kind of like a ferris wheel but is NOT a ferris wheel. Sponsored by British Airways, the Eye is large capsules that take you in a giant circle at the rate of 2 miles per hour. It takes 1/2 hour to complete the trip and you get an incredible birds' eye view of London.

You can prebook your tickets online and simply show up and insert the credit card you purchased the tickets with into a computer. Out pops your tickets. A pricey 11 GBP per ticket, it's worth every pence. The views are fantastic and providing the weather cooperates, the photo opportunities are outstanding.

Don't worry if you are fearful of heights. The capsule is sufficiently big and enclosed enough to not get a sense of being suspended hundreds of feet above the ground (river).

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Address: Embankment Tube stop on the river Thames

I absolutely LOVE the Big Bus Tours for getting a great overview of the city without much work. These Hop on Hop off buses have open tops and thake three different routes through the city. Most come with a live guide who gives a running commentary and imparts interesting tidbits of information about the area you are in. (For example, did you know that the writer of the screenplay "Notting Hill" was attempting to raise house prices in the area when he couldn't sell his flat? The Hugh Grant/Julia Roberts movie did exactly that, causing the area to sky rocket.)

The 16 GBP tickets are good for 24 hours (although the buses stop running at about 7 pm) and also give you one Thames River cruise and one guided walk.

Be sure to pick a dry day for this trip and ride on top. Wear a coat and hat as it gets cold and windy up there. But the views on the inside are frankly not worth the trip.

Buy your ticket on the bus and you'll find stops throughout London and certainly where the big sights are.

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Now that the exchange rate is so horribly unfavorable to American's, London is getting to be difficult to commit to. The Big Bus Tour is always high on my list of MUST DOs for a first timer in London, but let's face it; at 15 GBP per head, that's getting to be a pricey ride around the city.

But don't worry! The double decker city buses are cheap and have just as good views as the Big Bus. You even get to ride on top with a roof, where the BB versions are uncovered and can get cold and wet.

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Address: Any bus stop
Directions: Bus Route Map
Website: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/pdfdocs/cen_bus.pdf

Take a tour of the Tower of London to really step back into history. Waaaayyyyyy back. Start with the oldest parts of the tower, getting a peek at "traitor's gate" where the prisoners were brought in from the Thames in the dark of night.

Regular tours are led by actual Beefeaters, retired military men who actually live on the Tower compound. These tours are free. Alternatively, rent a taped tour to go at your own pace.

The White tower, in the large building in the center and serves as a museum with layouts of the history of the Tower. Giant displays of armour and weaponry give the visitor a sense of what life throughout the ages was like.

Finally stop in to see the Crowned Jewels. Videos of the Coronation of the current Queen are quite moving and you walk by crowned jewels from the centuries.

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Address: Tower Hill Tube stop

The ravens at the Tower of London are very well fed and cared for. Huge rib bones and other animal carcasses attest to that! Congregating on the grassy areas around the White Tower, ledgend has it that as long as the ravens remain, England will be safe.

And so those wiley Brits clip the ravens' wings!

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Phone: 0 20 7709 0765
Address: Tower Hill, EC3
Directions: Tower Hill tube
Website: http://www.armouries.org.uk/tower/

120 people live in the Tower Complex on a full time basis. Be sure to visit the Crown Jewels while you are here. The line is usually the longest around but it moves quickly. A moving sidewalk takes visitors past the many ornaments and jewels.

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Phone: 0 20 7709 0765
Address: Tower Hill, EC3
Directions: Tower Hill tube
Website: http://www.armouries.org.uk/tower/

Another view of the Tower of London. The moat is now grass and visitors can walk around it or walk on the walls of the old moat.

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Phone: 0 20 7709 0765
Address: Tower Hill, EC3
Directions: Tower Hill tube
Website: http://www.armouries.org.uk/tower/

.... Heads will roll! This is the site where the beheadings happened. Rent the audio tour and learn about who was beheaded here.

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Phone: 0 20 7709 0765
Address: Tower Hill, EC3
Directions: Tower Hill tube
Website: http://www.armouries.org.uk/tower/

Years past, I got a glimpse of the buildings that comprise "Legal London" from a boat on the Thames.... so beautiful, such a formal, elegant campus of buildings. This trip we explored the maize of buildings while searching for the Temple Church.

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Directions: Exit the Undergound from the Temple stop and hang a right. Best time to visit is Saturday (the Temple tube stop is closed on Sunday) when the streets are empty and you have the area nearly to yourself