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4. Also not sure how many or which museums - thinking Tate modern and British museum.
There are a good number of museums that are free entry like those and the Victoria & Albert. The big names also tend to have 1-2 days a week when they're open evenings, so check those days as you start to put a plan together.
Reviving this thread because I'll probably be in London for my birthday during the first week of August. Would love to hear more about your birthday weeks - what was worthwhile or not - most memorable now that a year has passed (positive or negative).
Also would appreciate any insights or suggestions from locals or others with experience of London and the surrounding area. We should have 8 full days - most in London but we're considering an overnight in Bath with a drive by Stonehenge on our way back to the city.
Some points about us:
1. Not posh or party people - not much on shopping (prefer grocery and stationary shops to fashion)
2. Food is important for us but not high-end - love trying local street food and grocery items. In London we'll want to have Sunday roast, pasties, pies, custard, tea, fish n chips, curry, crumpets, and more - open to suggestions!
3. We love cities, walking around taking in the view and the vibe, history, art - street, performing, and museums. We plan to see many of the must-see sites in the city (historic, not cheesy like wax museum) but are unsure which will be best to go inside and tour vs just seeing as we're out and about.
4. Also not sure how many or which museums - thinking Tate modern and British museum.
5. Hope to see live theatre - not a musical
6. I love bridges, heights, and public transportation (yes really - always make it a point to experience bus, metro, train, water taxi, funicular, you name it)
7. He's into castles - we've had the most fun exploring castle ruins like in Germany - as opposed to oppulant restored palaces.
8. We also like trying quirky, unique or adventurous things - like zip lines, an amusement park or traveling circus, or pop-up dine in the dark - those kinds of things - either exciting or that you can't find everywhere.
Hope that narrows it down somewhat. Looking forward to your comments!
Hiya toosie
Right first things first you HAVE to stay in central London!..... It has everything there plus the transport links to get out and about......
1) you don't have to be posh to come in at 5am smashed from partying!... I've proved it many a time toos , but again in central there's such a choice you'll go blind LOL
2) you have portobello market, and Covent Garden are your best shots...... PM is a lively street market that's in Notting hill and very close to me , Covent Garden is brilliant..... It has street vendors, food, absolutely everything it's one of the best places in London in my opinion, it's right next to Leicester Square, the strand ....
3) Covent Garden also has street performers as well, you can't beat Hyde park and Kensington palace gardens for a stroll in my opinion..... Also walking through Oxford street/Piccadilly circus. Museums you have the British museum, the national history museum, the Tate is nice for example.
4) also the imperial war museum in Lambeth is a good shout
6) well tower bridge is the main attraction for bridges in London there's quite a few others but basically look the same LOL, Little Venice guide have a look for little Venice... It's where I live and it's a lovely place...... You can goes on a canal boat and take a trip up to London zoo in Regent's Park
7) Alexander palace in north London is nice, you also have the Tower of London and not to mention " her " house!.... I know there not castles but well worth a look. But a nice day out at Windsor castle is the best choice.... Plus they have a national park there so you could make a day of it and escape from London for the day
8) London has anything and everything you could think of ...... ( too much to list )
Toos..... You will need an Oyster card for travel on the tube/rail/bus etc
If you need anymore specifics or idea I'd love to help
beachmouse thanks for the museum late opening info - I'll check that out and use it to our advantage!
LC! what!? You, my friend, are the coolest and most awesome - a million thanks for taking the time to put this fantastic itinerary together! The details, recommendations, and links are perfect and definitely will help make this a special trip. I'm all and you're all Thank you!
beachmouse thanks for the museum late opening info - I'll check that out and use it to our advantage!
LC! what!? You, my friend, are the coolest and most awesome - a million thanks for taking the time to put this fantastic itinerary together! The details, recommendations, and links are perfect and definitely will help make this a special trip. I'm all and you're all Thank you!
You're most welcome!.... If anything else is required or you need give us a shout
Will do! By the way, given my love of bridges and heights, you missed the opportunity to tell me to get a job as a scaffolder for the week!
Off to explore some of those links...
Well I've worked on many London landmarks...... St. Paul's cathedral, the gherkin, Big Ben and many more so that would be a day out seeing all them
Plus another market is Camden.... It's right off the canal ( boat trip I mentioned ) and it's great if you like the unusual..... A few characters to say the least lol
Reviving this thread because I'll probably be in London for my birthday during the first week of August. Would love to hear more about your birthday weeks - what was worthwhile or not - most memorable now that a year has passed (positive or negative).
Also would appreciate any insights or suggestions from locals or others with experience of London and the surrounding area. We should have 8 full days - most in London but we're considering an overnight in Bath with a drive by Stonehenge on our way back to the city.
Some points about us:
1. Not posh or party people - not much on shopping (prefer grocery and stationary shops to fashion)
2. Food is important for us but not high-end - love trying local street food and grocery items. In London we'll want to have Sunday roast, pasties, pies, custard, tea, fish n chips, curry, crumpets, and more - open to suggestions!
3. We love cities, walking around taking in the view and the vibe, history, art - street, performing, and museums. We plan to see many of the must-see sites in the city (historic, not cheesy like wax museum) but are unsure which will be best to go inside and tour vs just seeing as we're out and about.
4. Also not sure how many or which museums - thinking Tate modern and British museum.
5. Hope to see live theatre - not a musical
6. I love bridges, heights, and public transportation (yes really - always make it a point to experience bus, metro, train, water taxi, funicular, you name it)
7. He's into castles - we've had the most fun exploring castle ruins like in Germany - as opposed to oppulant restored palaces.
8. We also like trying quirky, unique or adventurous things - like zip lines, an amusement park or traveling circus, or pop-up dine in the dark - those kinds of things - either exciting or that you can't find everywhere.
Hope that narrows it down somewhat. Looking forward to your comments!
Hey, toosie! Sorry for the long delay in getting back to you. With respect to my birthday... Well, my husband forgot it, which is pretty typical of him. He's actually a one-in-a-million guy. He just has a lousy memory when it comes to dates. He remembered in the middle of the afternoon, but by then, I was kind of irritated. I actually prefer Bath to London, pretty much because (as I mentioned in my other thread), I find smaller cities much more enjoyable. Bath was the perfect size city for me. We actually spent an entire month in Great Britain and most of my favorite places were not the largest, most well-known cities.
We did spend a morning at Stonehenge; a quick drive by would not have sufficed for me. I have heard people say that they were disappointed by it. I wasn't at all. It was actually everything I had hoped it would be and more. That's one place I wouldn't have missed for the world. Also, near Bath, you might enjoy Cheddar Gorge. The countryside is beautiful (well, all of Great Britain is, when it gets right down to it). The town of Cheddar is, as you might guess, the birthplace of Cheddar Cheese. (Skip the "tour" of the factory. It's a waste of time.) Nearby, we also enjoyed Wells, Glastonbury and Salisbury. By the way, Mad Max Tours, which operates out of Bath does an exceptional job of taking day tours to several of these places. We were on our own for so much of our 30 days that the break from driving was just what we needed. Anyway, if you're at all into tours of that type, I can definitely recommend them.
As for London, and the museums in particular, don't miss the British Museum. One suggestion, which may or may not work for you... When we went in (this was our second visit, so we were already prepared for how huge it is), we didn't have as much time as we'd hoped to, so we picked up a brochure that was supposed to highlight the ten or twelve pieces in the museum that you supposedly shouldn't miss. That was a huge mistake. Except for the Rosetta Stone, we didn't find any of them particularly interesting. As a matter of fact, we hadn't even heard of them. If I were ever to go back, I'd pick the sections of the museum that, based on the kind of artifacts displayed, would most likely appeal to me, and I'd focus on them. The museum is so huge that I don't think you could see it all in a lifetime, and I'm being totally serious there.
We love art museums. Both the Tate and the Wallace Collection are excellent, as is the Victoria and Albert Museum. I'll probably spend most of my time in London's museums if I ever go back.
Since you love public transportation, be sure to take a river boat down the Thames. We went at sunset and it was gorgeous -- in many ways, the highlight of my birthday.
If I think of anything else in the next couple of weeks, I'll be back to post again. Anyway, I hope you have a wonderful trip!
Katzpur! Thank you for this terrific and thorough write-up! Some great ideas here. First, though, we have opposite problems - I think my husband is planning something for my birthday and I don't want him to! Lol. Poor guys can't win, eh?
I enjoy a range of experiences but my head is in big city mode for this trip. We've decided not to do any day trips - we'll have all 8 days in London. I'm saving your outside London notes in my future trips file because we'll definitely be back to see other parts of England and the British Isles. A month would be incredible but I don't see that happening any time soon.
Right there with you about how to approach the British museum. That's what we did at the louvre too - planned ahead of time what few iconic pieces and what collection or two were most important to us. So much more manageable and enjoyable that way - not overwhelming. I'm struggling narrowing down the museums but don't want to spend my entire first trip to the city in museums (ok half of me does, half doesn't)
Yes I think a boat is in our future - maybe the canal cruise LC30 suggested in Little Venice. There's a rolling bridge not far from there that I want to see too - it curls up into itself! I'm also hoping to go to Greenwich and the Docklands - some cool bridges and watery footpaths there (mini Chunnel lol) - plus the emirates cable car and the prime meridian.
But whenever you are free for a hour or 30 minutes let me know and we'll go through EVERYTHING.... Plans, what's needed, travel arrangements the lot
Again, thank you for being so generous with my trip planning! I do now have a general idea of what I want to do on certain days. We have tickets to a show one night but dont want to book much else ahead of time - even if it means missing something. The only places I'm considering booking (but would rather wing it) are Tower of London, Churchill War Rooms, and maybe the Eye. Hmmm there's no way I'm gonna book all of those in advance - maybe 1 or 2. I don't usually travel in August and am a little concerned that the city's going to be absolutely mobbed with tourists. I don't mind queues but hate fighting crowds.
Now I need to investigate a little more and find things and places I want to eat at in the areas we plan to be on any given day. For example, I was thinking of Greenwich for Friday and found a fish and chips place near there for lunch.
Would you rather I DM you or post here with a basic itinerary and food ideas? I'd love your feedback and any recommendations!
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, Covent Garden is brilliant..... It has street vendors, food, absolutely everything it's one of the best places in London in my opinion, it's right next to Leicester Square, the strand ....
and you're all 
Thank you! 
