London Things to Do Tips by tvor

How can anyone reccomment a Must See in London without knowing what the traveler is interested in? For me it was history and architecture. I'm still working on my Must See list! Favourites have been the Tower of London, Museum of London, Shakespeare's Globe, the London Eye and Covent Garden. I also love just walking. You find so many interesting nooks and crannies down a lane or behind another building. There are lovely large department stores and small shops, markets, culture, arts, music, food and greenspace to relax and get away from the noise and crowds. Get a good guide book and go!

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The Victoria and Albert museum has a little bit of a lot of things. Its focus isn't antiquities but it does have a lot of items concerning art and design from the middle ages and Rennaissance forward to the 20th century. There are paintings, ceramics, sculpture, textiles, jewellry, furniture, photography and more. Most of the focus is British and European but there are some Asian galleries as well. It's a huge old building on Cromwell road but is accessible for people with disabilities, with a step free entrance on the side of the building and several elevator stations through the building's wings.

We went in May of 2006 and didn't see everything. One thing that we both absolutely loved was the Cast Courts, two galleries filled with carved stone, columns, statues, plaster casts, carved wooden doors, celtic crosses, just awesome! I also enjoyed the British galleries from 1500 - 1900 with a close look at the Great Bed of Ware. You see the photo in books but the detailing on the headboard is fantastic (see photo)

Open: 10.00 to 17.45 daily
10.00 to 22.00 Wednesdays and the last Friday of the month
Free admission, except some special exhibitions. donations accepted. Several cafes and restaurants, shops, the museum will keep you occupied all day but probably best to see everything over several visits or pick and choose your interests. Photography in most parts is allowed but you may not use a tripod or monopod without permission.

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Phone: 0 20 7942 2000
Address: Cromwell Road, SW7
Directions: South Kensington tube, there are directions via tunnels to the museums.
Website: http://www.vam.ac.uk

This museum traces the history and evolution of the city of London, from pre-Roman days to the present. I've been there twice and i will return again. I find the exhibits well presented, easy to understand and really interesting.

There are artifacts, dioramas, reproductions and multi media all of which present London in an easily understandible format. Even the main galleries are decorated and formatted to give the feeling of the era. There has been a lot of renovations over the last few years and the result is spectacular.

There is no charge for the permanent galleries and a changing amount for special exhibitions. It's easily my favourite museum in London.

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Phone: +44 (0)20 7600 3699
Address: London Wall, the Barbican
Directions: Nearest tube stop is Barbican. You can walk there in about 10 minutes from St. Paul's Cathedral as well.
Website: http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/

Hampton court is a great way to spend a day out of London. You can get there by train using a 6 zone pass ticket, or by river boat which will take a couple of hours one way from Westminster. (Took us an hour and a half from Richmond). You can get guided tours there, or have a tape or cd to go around yourself. There are lots of things to see, from the old kitchens to the old Tudor rooms to the newer rooms built by Christopher Wren. There are several cafes, one in an old kitchen area, and gift shops strewn about the grounds. There is a maze outside, the old tennis courts, the Great Vine and lots of formal gardens.

Approaching Hampton Court from the river is a sight, a palace rising from the river. It used to have golden rooftops and chimneys painted and must have looked very impressive back in the days of the kings and queens. It has a few grace and favour apartments but mostly it's there to be explored. There are staff members wandering the grounds in period costumes, willing to tell you about what their character's way of life would have been in that period.

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Directions: Take the train from Waterloo for the day with a 6 zone travel card. Palace is across the Thames from the town.
Website: http://www.hamptoncourt.org.uk/

If you like Shakepeare, or the theatre, this is a wonderful attraction. The whole history of the project to restore and rebuild this theatre is on the website. It has been open less than 10 years and they hold open air productions in the theatre. You pay an entrance fee and you can take a free tour of the theatre and hear all about how it was built.

The theatre exhibit in the museum details the history of the current building, the history of the south bank area and theatre, and there are a lot of interactive displays, touch screens, video clips. There are work rooms, a large printing press like that which might have been used to print the first folio in the 1600's. There are audio clips of famous actors right back to the turn of the 1900's. The cafeteria has a small but delicious menu and the gift shop is extensive with books and tapes and dvd's. Most of the video may only be viewable to Europe so ask first before you buy if you don't have a machine that can play PAL format.

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Address: Bankside, south bank of the Thames
Directions: London Bridge Tube is closest, plus busses go there... see website for good directions
Website: http://www.shakespeares-globe.org/

Just a photo of the actual Globe theatre, reproduced as faithfully as possible to give the look and feel of the original Elizabethan theatre.

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Address: Southwark, SE1
Directions: Southwark tube
Website: http://www.southwark.gov.uk/discovering

Art for all tastes, the Tate offers modern art and classic British art. At the Tate Britian, in a late Victorian building along the Thames which has had additions and refurbishment in recent years, you can discover the history of art in Britian. There is a separate gallery devoted to JMW Turner as well as great works by Hogarth, Constable, Tudor portraits, pre-Raphaelites. The cafes offer tasty meals and the shop is extensive.

The Tate Modern is housed in a huge old power plant on the South bank of the Thames. There's a new pedestrian bridge across the Thames leading to St. Paul's Cathedral. Admission is free with donations accepted. The Tate focuses on modern art and sculpture. I confess it's not to my taste, preferring the more classic works of the Tate Britian but the views from the building alone might be worth a stop.

There's a boat that runs between both Tates with a stop at the London Eye. See website for details.

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Directions: Tate Britain: Millbank, nearest tube is Pimlico, many busses including 2, 3, C10, 36, 77A, 88, 159, 185 and 507.

Tate Modern: Bankside. Nearest tube is Southwark. Busses serve the area. Walk across the Millenium Bridge from St. Pauls
Website: http://www.tate.org.uk/home/default.htm

Covent Garden is a wonderful little neighbourhood. Narrow winding streets, lanes and courtyards, with lots of shops and restaurants and pubs. The focus is the main square where the old flower market used to be. It's now filled with shops. there are street performers in the square, a flea market on mondays. There are designer shops circling the square and old St. Paul's church. The Royal Opera house is here and there are other theatres in the Covent Garden area as well. The Museum of Transportation and the Theatre Museum are nearby, well worth a look. There's a wonderful little shop that sells miniature theatres and the Apple market is usually set up in the entrance halls of the market building. There are also a lot of funky shops like one selling Australian goods, and an astrology shop. Wander. Enjoy.

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This might also be considered Off the Beaten Track. A lot of tourists don't bother to go too far out of their way and head out to Greenwich which is a pity. It's not difficult to get to and there are some interesting attractions there.

The Observatory is the point where Longitude 0 is located. You can see the official marker where the east and west hemispheres meet. THere are exhibits on astronomy and on the history of the discovery of longitude and a multitude of other special exhibits in the Observatory. The views are pretty good too.

Greenwich is a World Heritage site as well, combined with the Naval college and Queen's House. The Cutty Sark is on the waterfront and there is a lovely market, the Fan Museum and some lovely pubs and restaurants.

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Directions: Docklands LT or British Rail to Greenwich or the river cruise to Greenwich. Shuttle busses that will bring you to the top of hill or you can hike up through the park.

Admission is now free to the Observatory, Queen's House and the Naval Museum.
Website: http://www.rog.nmm.ac.uk/

There has been a church on this spot for 1000 years. The Southbank, or Bankside, was not part of the City of London for centuries, and it was it's own diocese with it's own bishop. It is the oldest Gothic building in the city and has survived fires and disaster. It has a lovely rose window and has been renovated and changed many times. There are some remains of two NOrman door ways and some lovely medeival tombs and choir screens.

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Address: Southwark, SE1
Directions: Southwark tube

http://www.pooloflondon.co.uk/visiting.builder/places/0008.html
Website: http://www.southwark.gov.uk/discovering