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The Royal Mews were interesting. It's the 'garage' for Buckingham Palace and has all the carriages and cars for the royals as well as Irish and other carriages.
I LOVE books, I went into every old dusty book shop I found. I love odd shops and places where you don't find the touristy stuff but then again I adore Harrods...When I went the first time with my parents we went into every store that we ran across that had a Royal Warrant I believe it was called, meaning the coat of arms of whichever Royal they supply things for is over the door.
1. Tower of London and nearby Tower Bridge
2. Eye of London
3. Parliament and Big Ben
4. Churchill's War rooms
5. St. Paul's Cathedral
6. Westminster Abby.
7. Buckingham Palace
8. Hyde Park
9. Royal Parade Grounds
10. British Museum.
It's interesting that the Tower of London doesn't get many raves. From looking at a map, it's a little out of the way compared to most of the sites that interest me. So I'll very likely bypass that one for my first London trip.
I love the Tower. It's real high among my favorite London sites. I go there every time I'm in London, and spend most of a day there. But then, I'm a Shakespeare fan. Take the tour, but then take the time to really wander through and absorb the feel of the place. I've always thought it was a really great representation of what life was like in that era for royals.
Got to agree with others, though ... Madame Tussaud's is not worth either the time nor the money.
Considering London for my next vacation. It would be my first trip to the UK.
It wouldn't be a long trip, about 10 days. I'd like some input to trim down my list of things to see and do. I plan on sticking to central London (large as it is), without taking any day trips outside the city.
So what are the must-do sites in London?
What can I put off to a future trip?
What should I just skip altogether?
Why don't you want to take any day trips?
Since it's your first trip to the UK, I would strongly recommend a trip out of London, especially since you have 10 days which is plenty. We rented a car for 6 days, but you can also take a train. Take a train to Oxford and/or Bath at least, and maybe try to see a bit of the countryside. Going to England without seeing the charming countryside would be a real shame. If you can drive, basing yourself out of Oxford and staying at a motor inn (as we did) and exploring the Cotswold and sights such as Blenheim palace (a must see, IMO) would be great for you. Certainly was for us.
Since it's your first trip to the UK, I would strongly recommend a trip out of London, especially since you have 10 days which is plenty. We rented a car for 6 days, but you can also take a train. Take a train to Oxford and/or Bath at least, and maybe try to see a bit of the countryside. Going to England without seeing the charming countryside would be a real shame. If you can drive, basing yourself out of Oxford and staying at a motor inn (as we did) and exploring the Cotswold and sights such as Blenheim palace (a must see, IMO) would be great for you. Certainly was for us.
I guess because the "big city" is the draw for me. Crowds, noise, traffic, pollution, tall buildings that blot out the sun... give it to me!
I'd love to see some other part of Britain on an extended stay, maybe Devon and Cornwall, or the Lake country. That would be for a future vacation, though. I like to give the countryside its due... instead of speeding by everything, I'd like to stay overnight for a night or two, and poke around in some tiny villages or a small town.
If you are staying 9 or 10 days, a day trip (or two) out of London is definitely worthwhile. I have never rented a car in England, but have done a number to day trips by train. In both cases, we just checked the train schedule and purchased our tickets on our own. I have also done a number of organized day tours by bus, which included all entry tickets and a professional guide.
You can get books or look online for more suggestions for day trips by train, but I can recommend both Warrick Castle and Winchester England. Windsor Castle is also very cool.
If a more organized trip with the services of a professional guide appeals to you, I can recommend day trips to Bath-Salsbury-Stonehenge and Leeds Castle-Canterbury-Dover.
If you are staying 9 or 10 days, a day trip (or two) out of London is definitely worthwhile. I have never rented a car in England, but have done a number to day trips by train. In both cases, we just checked the train schedule and purchased our tickets on our own. I have also done a number of organized day tours by bus, which included all entry tickets and a professional guide.
You can get books or look online for more suggestions for day trips by train, but I can recommend both Warrick Castle and Winchester England. Windsor Castle is also very cool.
If a more organized trip with the services of a professional guide appeals to you, I can recommend day trips to Bath-Salsbury-Stonehenge and Leeds Castle-Canterbury-Dover.
Not sure about Stonehenge, I never found it that amazing and I am British, just a lot of big stones, however it is more impressive than Spinal Taps stage prop of Stonehenge.
Wells Cathedral is an impressive place to visit not too far from that area.
Not sure why Carlisle is on this list but outside of London places such as Bath, Oxford, Cambridge, Stratford Upon Avon, Chester, Lincoln, Norwich, York, Durham, Edinburgh, St Andrews are all very picturesque. Whilst the coastline in the South West of England, Wales, Northumberland and much of Scotland is fabulous. Places along the South Coast of England such as Brighton, Bournemouth and right across to Torquay and Lands End are also worth a visit if you have time.
Not sure about Stonehenge, I never found it that amazing and I am British, just a lot of big stones, however it is more impressive than Spinal Taps stage prop of Stonehenge.
Wells Cathedral is an impressive place to visit not too far from that area.
Not sure why Carlisle is on this list but outside of London places such as Bath, Oxford, Cambridge, Stratford Upon Avon, Chester, Lincoln, Norwich, York, Durham, Edinburgh, St Andrews are all very picturesque. Whilst the coastline in the South West of England, Wales, Northumberland and much of Scotland is fabulous. Places along the South Coast of England such as Brighton, Bournemouth and right across to Torquay and Lands End are also worth a visit if you have time.
I loved Stonehenge. Clava Cairns in Scotland and Newgrange in Ireland are very cool as well.
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Crowds, noise, traffic, pollution, tall buildings that blot out the sun... give it to me!
