Visit #1 - Stop # 1: Westminster Abbey and other London, United Kingdom Things to Do Tips

Stop #1:
Take the Underground Jubilee line (gray) to the Westminster stop and get onto either the Circle or District lines (yellow or green) and take that to the very next stop, St. James Park. Follow the signs directing you to the Abbey when you get off of the train. You will see the Abbey in front of you at the stop lights.
When we arrived they were in the process of a ceremony commemorating the Battle of Britain. There were no "famous" people attending, as the Queen only attends on major anniversaries. We could not go into the church, but viewed the amazing architecture of the entrance. We had meant to go to Buckingham Palace first, but turned the wrong way and only accidentally ended up at the Abbey. We did get around to seeing the back side of it later in the day, but did not go inside. This is something we will have to save for another trip, but it should not be missed if you have the time.

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Phone: 0 20 7654 4900
Address: Deans Yard, SW1
Directions: St James's Park Tube Stop
Website: http://www.westminster-abbey.org

After viewing Westminster Abbey, we walked along up Storey's Gate Road and made a left onto Birdcage Walk, which runs along St. James's Park. As you approach the Palace, turn right and enter the courtyard through the gate. The courtyard has a large statue memorial for Queen Victoria and you will find many opportunites for interesting photos. If you're lucky, you'll find yourself there on a day where the Changing of the Guard happens. Our guidebook told us that in September, it happens on odd days at 11:30am. However, it did not commence on the 15th of September this year. We were very disappointed. Please call 0839-123411 to find out when the Changing of the Guard occurs on the days you are in town.
You can tour the Palace's State Apartments for about ?10.50. However, our guidebook had this to say, "Many people find the visit overpriced and disappointing." Also, the queues were very long for the tour. We also decided to save some time and we skipped the tour.

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Address: The Mall, SW1
Directions: Green Park Tube Stop

Take the Piccadilly Underground line to the Knightsbridge line. There are two exits in the station - when Harrods is open you can take the exit which lets out directly next to the huge store. However, we were visiting on Sunday, when the store is closed. Let me just say that Sunday isn't the easiest day to visit the city - many things are closed. However, crowds do seem to be smaller.
The area around Harrod's is full of upscale shops. Some of them are open on Sundays, but most are not.

The store is interesting to see, even if it is closed. It's enormous and very impressive. If you do get the chance, see it at night when all of the hundreds of lights on the facade are lit up.

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Address: 87 Brompton Road

Take the Circle or District lines (yellow or green) to the Tower Hill stop. The exit from the Underground leads right to the Tower.
Admission to the Tower is ?11 for adults and includes the opportunity for two free tours. The Royal Yeoman Warders (Beefeaters) give a overview of the tower tour and also a more in depth Punishment and Prisoner tour. The standard tour leaves every thirty minutes and ARE NOT TO BE MISSED!

The Beefeaters (who are retired, highly-decorated military officers) give an insightful, largely funny tour. During these tours you also gain access to the Chapel Royal of St. Peter. Other sights to be seen within the Tower include the Crown Jewels. A long queue leads you along corridors where you are shown scenes from Queen Elizabeth's cornonation and in-depth descriptions about the jewels. You can view some of the gold serveware on your own, but the actual jewels must be seen from people-movers. Because of the crowds, this is a great feature which allows you to get as close to the jewels as you are allowed without having someone standing directly in front of you. The White Tower holds an impressive collection of Royal Amouries. There are two gift shops on site and a cafeteria-style restaurant.

Do walk along the River Thames on your way out of the Tower and view the amazing landmark Tower Bridge.

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

This was the most disappointing part of our trip. We really had our hearts set on going to Abbey Road and seeing the famous crossing. Our guidebook didn't have an entry for this, so we tried to go to it on our own. We made our way to the Bakerloo Underground line and got off at the Kilburn stop, which looked to be the closest to Abbey Road on our map.
We realized immediately as we got off of the train that we were in a not-so-touristy area. There was a map of the area at the station exit, but Abbey Road didn't appear to be in walking distance. We walked over to the bus shelter, but felt VERY uncomfortable as we were being stared at by some people waiting for the bus. Because of the way it made us feel, we decided to not attempt to go to Abbey Road. So we went back to the station and got on the first train out of there! If you attempt to go to Abbey Road on your visit to London, I suggest doing your research and maybe trying it in a car.

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Address: Abbey Road

One of the best things about London is that many of the museums are free because they are "public museums." The Imperial War Museum is one of those wonderful places!

The museum is quite hands-on and is a delight for children to visit as well as adults. There are many interactive exhibits like the 1940's house, which is based on a BBC program where a family from the 1990's lived in a house which was created to look and feel like a home in London during WWII. The family wore clothes, made and ate food, and worked as though they lived in the 1940's. The museum has created a smaller version of the home where they lived and has provided information on the family's experiences.

Another exhibit, the WWI trench, allows you to go back in time as well. You are able walk through a trench which is modelled after what war trenches were like during WWI. It is SO realistic that it even SMELLS like a trench! Every effort was put into making all of the details correct.

The Holocaust Exhibition was very moving and very complete in what it contained. It isn't as large as the museum in Washington DC, but it is no less effective in portraying this moment in history.

There is a cafe and gift shop inside of the museum. Open daily except 24, 25 and 26 December.
10.00am - 6.00pm

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Address: Lambeth Road
Directions: Nearest underground: Lambeth North, Waterloo, Southwark, or Elephant and Castle
Website: www.iwm.org.uk/

The exhibition is the museum side to the Globe Theatre. A ticket to the exhibition can be purchased with a guided tour of the theatre. A guide will take you through the theatre where they explain the history of the original Globe, how it was destroyed and how the replica was built. They also speak a little bit about theatre and performing in Shakespeare's day.

The museum gives a much more broad scope on Shakespeare, his plays and theatre during his lifetime through today. There are many interactive exhibits which allow you to put yourself in the shoes of a Shakespearean actor (you can record yourself saying any famous lines from his plays).

There is a very extensive gift shop at the museum. Tickets can be purchased for Globe performances online at their website. Bring clothing for all weather if you see a performance, as the theatre is open-air.

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Address: South Bank
Website: http://www.shakespeares-globe.org

editing

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Directions: Travelling by London Underground ("Tube")
Travelcard zone: 3

To Kew Gardens station

District Line (the green one, take a Richmond train, not Ealing Broadway or Wimbledon)
Website: http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/

Come on...you know that it is a cheesy, overpriced tourist trap...but you're in London and you have to go to Madame Tussaud's!

It is where you can get up close and personal to the stars of movie, television, music, sports and history without having to deal with their bodyguards! Some highlights of who is displayed in wax: Tom Cruise, Kylie Minogue, David Beckham, Hitler, Henry VIII, the Beatles, Tom Jones, Steven Spielberg, Alfred Hitchcock....etc, etc, etc. The figures change from time to time depending on who is popular or in the news. The first room that you enter along the route is Premiere Night where the wax figures appear to be mingling with the crowds. It can get very crowded and hard to get up to anything worthwhile when it is busy.

Included in your ticket is the planetarium, which is basically just a video about planets set to music and the Spirit of London ride, which was a lot like "It's a Small World" at Disney.

Madame Tussauds' usual opening hours are:
Weekdays: 9.30 - 17.30, Weekends: 9.00 - 18.00

Pricing for tickets depends on when you arrive at the museum and if you come during the week or on a weekend. The price ranges from £19.99 to £12.00 for adults.

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Address: Marylebone Road
Directions: Just one minute's walk from Baker Street underground station.
Website: http://www.madame-tussauds.co.uk

The museum is probably one of the funniest I have ever seen. The house is made to look like it is right out of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's books and it is decorated with really really old, dusty wax figures of characters from the stories. One good part of the visit is the study, where the guide will let you put on hats and take a photo as though you are Holmes and Watson. They have a very large gift shop below the museum which sells all things "sherlock."

The Sherlock Holmes Museum is open every day (except Christmas Day) 9.30 am -6pm.

Admission: Adult £6 Child (Under 16) £4.

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Address: 221b Baker Street
Directions: Baker Street underground station
Website: http://www.sherlock-holmes.co.uk