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Here is the question we put before readers last week:
T.B. in Waterloo, IA, asks: I'm turning 50 in September and to celebrate, a friend of mine and I are going to London for a week. (She turns 75 the same day I turn 50.) This is a lifelong dream of mine, as going to London has been #1 on my bucket list for the last 30+ years. To say that I'm excited is an understatement. I was wondering if any of your readers have suggestions for sites to see, or restaurants to visit (perhaps with favorite dishes to try)?
And here are some of the answers we got in response:
V.W. in Wilts, England, UK: What sights to see depends a lot on what T.B likes, but here are a few suggestions:
- Get a Thames Clipper down to Greenwich. See the Cutty Sark and the Royal Observatory, Harrison's clocks, cross the Greenwich meridian (you can have a foot in each hemisphere at the same time if you want).
- The British Museum and National Gallery are both worth a visit. Both are free (though donations are invited).
- An alternative to visiting Westminster Abbey as a tourist is to go to a service—Evensong is quite nice.
- The Tower of London is expensive but the Yeoman Warder's tour is worth it, in my view.
- If you've got a week, consider doing a day trip to somewhere outside of London—Cambridge, Oxford and Brighton are all within an hour or so by train, and Bath is not much further afield if you like Roman ruins and Georgian architecture. In Cambridge, you can have lunch in the pub where Watson and Crick figured out the double-helix structure of DNA (or, at least, the pub that claims that honor).
As for restaurants:
- Rules in Covent Garden is a London institution—ask for the table under the giant allegorical portrait of Margaret Thatcher.
- J Sheeky in Leicester Square, if you like fish
- If you want something more relaxed and economical, the chain Cote is usually a safe option (French Bistro style).
- For a family run Italian trattoria or Greek Cypriot taverna, Fratelli Caprini in Waterloo or Vineyard in Camberwell are my usual go-tos.
- There are also lots of traditional British pubs out there, ranging from dives frequented by alcoholics with no teeth to Michelin-starred gastropubs and everything in between.
Restaurants in London typically add a 12.5% service charge to your bill. There is no need to tip on top of this unless the service was truly exceptional. You can generally take this off the bill if the service was truly awful.
R.E.M. in Brooklyn, NY: I'm sure the guidebooks will be sufficient to suggest sightseeing (Parliament, the Cabinet War Rooms, Trafalgar Square, St. Paul's, and museums for whatever taste, from the Imperial War Museum to the Tate Britain/Tate Modern). So, I'm going to plug theatre. Before you leave, google "London Theatre Shows" to see what's on. I wouldn't presume to tell you what you'll like (I hate musicals, for example), but two of my family's favorites are Witness for the Prosecution (legal drama) and The Play That Goes Wrong (parody of country house murder mystery with broad, and brilliant, physical comedy). But go see something! (Oh, and there are discount tickets at TKTS in Leicester Square on the day of performance if you want to take a chance.) Bon voyage and happy birthdays!
G.K. in Blue Island, IL: T.B. in Waterloo will no doubt get many recommendations with regard to London tourist attractions, all of them worthy of attention, I'm sure. As far as something bespeaking "birthday celebration" though, I can only relate what I did in the same situation when I turned 40. We made an evening of finding a good West End show—something distinctly not an American re-tread—then went early to a nearby upscale Indian restaurant and had a wonderful, leisurely dinner through several courses. (Tip: Avoid the vindaloo before deliberately sitting for 2 hours among a crowd of people.) After a show that featured many top-notch performances, there were drinks in a local pub, then back to the hotel. I know this may sound boring to some, but it was one of the most delightful evenings of my life.
R.T. in Arlington, TX: Experience every form of transportation the city offers, the Tube, the (non-tourist) double-decker city buses, the real London taxis, the Ubers. Don't be a snob or afraid to mix in with the locals. Spend some time in the bigger train stations for the full intersection of transportation, shopping, eating, and services. Victoria Station, in particular, is wild, as the real trains, tube trains, city buses, etc., all converge there and it is the center of the West End theater district. Google Maps will give you detailed routing that will get you to the right bus stops, stations, platforms, and the right directions on the lines. (Pro tip: If you see a vehicle with a square white sign with the big letter "L" on, it means the driver is a "Learner" for that class of vehicle. You will get Uber drivers showing up with an L sign, and sometimes you see them on big commercial vehicles too.)
London is big on grab-and-go food and every grocery store/market has offerings for take-away lunch for working people. Lots of sandwiches on offer, in combos you've never seen here. Experiment. What you will not get is a really cold soft drink out of a cooler in a store. If you are needy, reach to the very back of the cooler because the stockers keep shoving warm ones into the open space at the front.
About restaurants: If you set your expectations very low in regards to the existence of flavor, you will be more content. On average, British food is bland, even the ethnic foods, because they have been dulled down to local tastes. Keep taking swings at bat and you will find exceptions and get a great meal here and there, but it seems pretty unpredictable where and when that will happen.
J.B. in Newport News, VA: Domesday Book at The National Archive, Kew.
I saw it and a score of other documents, including Shakespeare's will, in a small room at the Public Records Office five decades ago.
One of the display items, as I recall, another will from that period, was absent. There was a note in its place stating that it was in use in a court case.
K.H. in Albuquerque, NM: Two years ago my wife and I flew to England for her 75th birthday (sounds familiar) and spent half of 3 weeks in London, since it was on her bucket list (sounds familiar). Just off the top of her head she came up with her favorites:
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- The Wallace Collection
- High Tea at Brown's and/or drinks and bar food at their Donovan Bar
- Kew Gardens
- Lunch and a pint at Nicholson's on Stafford St. (we enjoyed sharing a large seafood combo while waiting out a rainstorm)
- Have a chat with a cabbie about politics and places to eat
You'll notice we didn't list the usual Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, St. Paul's Cathedral, Kensington Palace; I'm sure they're already on your list, but there are only so many hours in the day. Due to a sports injury, we had to pass on the City Visitor Trail. Most National Trust museums and sites have a café with good food and a cuppa tea, so you don't have to lose momentum by searching for lunch unless you want to.
Finally, you have time to prepare by immersing yourself in Monty Don, Jamie Oliver, and Alice Roberts videos between now and your departure. Have a smashing good time!
C.B. in Hamden, CT: I lived in London for a year back when I was a student, and the place I go back to every time I visit is the National Portrait Gallery. They have iconic portraits of royals and luminaries down the years—you'll recognize some of them immediately—as well as many striking depictions and descriptions of lesser known folks. Gives a wonderful feel for the extraordinary history of Great Britain and its people.
E.S. in Maine, NY: We visited London a few years back, and came upon the Monument to the great fire of 1666. That and London's Tower Bridge were one price to get to both of the tops, and in easy walking distance from each other. The bridge has a tour of the Victorian engine rooms, which is a must for engineer nerds like me.
E.S. in Providence, RI : Get an order of fish and chips wrapped in newspaper from a "chippy." Spend a day getting lost in Camden Market. Most of all, go to any pub when there is a football match on the television. It's entertaining even if neither of the teams are British. I once walked into a pub where the match was Portugal vs. The Netherlands and the fan passion was just as intense as if it were Arsenal vs. Tottenham Hotspur.
F.V.C. in DeLand, FL: My wife and I were in London for a week a few years ago. The two most memorable things we did were to visit the Churchill War Rooms and to see Shakespeare at the Globe Theater.
The Globe Theater experience may be difficult to recreate. The show we saw was The Tempest, and Prospero spent almost the entire show in a yellow Speedo:
Definitely memorable.
S.G. in Newark, NJ: It's awfully hard to suggest one thing for a bucket-list visit to anywhere (unless the "anywhere" is one thing, like "riding the Cyclone at Coney Island"). But from my first visit to London, the one thing that knocked my socks off more than expected was the Cabinet War Rooms. Yes, it's in all the tourist books, so it's not exactly a hidden gem, but it's also not listed as a "worth the trip" sight like the Tower, the British Museum, or the Victoria and Albert. But getting a glimpse of How the War Was Run, from deep enough underground to be (probably) safe from German bombs, was spine-tingling.
M.C. in Shaker Heights, OH: My wife and I just got back from a trip that included a few days in London. I would highly recommend visiting the Churchill War Rooms. It really gives you a feel for where many important decisions were made in the earlier dark years of World War II and who Churchill was. Make your reservations early, as it frequently sells out. As a World War II history buff, the Imperial War Museum is fantastic. A long walk through Hyde Park is nice. Take care pressing the buttons on the trick fountain near the restrooms—I sprayed my wife with water! Have a great trip!
A.J. in Provincetown, MA: I have had the opportunity to visit London approximately 10 times over the last 30 years and still feel like I've only scratched the surface. Rather than providing a list of places to visit, I have one piece of advice: Give yourself time to wander! The easiest way to do this is to take the Tube to a place you want to visit that is in walking distance from where you are staying, and plan to walk back. Some of my fondest memories involve an afternoon of exploring London this way with friends. London is a very safe, friendly, energetic city with excellent transportation. Getting lost is half the fun, and you are never very far from a Tube station if you get too far off track.
A.M. in Toronto, ON, Canada: I first went to London 50 years ago and stayed for 10 days. I stayed in a B&B in Chelsea. Every day I would get on a different bus and go to the end of the line. Then I would ask the driver in which direction should I walk to get to Chelsea. Obviously, my walks were for hours but they were truly enlightening and the memories are still with me. History is embedded in the fabric of this city and I found history and wonders on every walk. Local cemeteries coughed up tons of history. No doubt London is way bigger than 50 years ago, but maybe, just maybe, there is one bus a local will recommend for you to have a true London adventure.
S.T. in Worcestershire, England, UK: I hope you enjoy your first trip to London. You will not be lost for places to visit and enjoy. But my advice is not to stay solely in the center but get out and about especially to the villages and towns, long since absorbed into the sprawl, but still retaining their own character and charm.
Which inevitably brings you to Richmond (which, fun fact, was once West Sheen). It has it all! The vast park with its own deer, the breathtaking view over the Thames from the Hill, the Green just off the main town area and enough beautiful buildings to satisfy any architecture buff. Regularly voted one of the best places to live in the U.K. (all you need is a substantial lottery win), you might even spot some of the local wildlife such as the lesser spotted Attenborough or the speckled Jagger.
Highgate, including the highest point in London, is similar. It has its own stately home at Kenwood (complete with the Iveagh art collection, including Rembrandt's self portrait as a artist), and much period property. The improbable highlight, though, is the cemetery founded by the Victorians and now semi-wild and fascinating. Guided tours of the west side are recommended.
You can walk across Hampstead Heath from Highgate to—well—Hampstead, originally a rural spa retreat but now as up market as it comes. Again choc-a-block with impressive period buildings and the view over central London from Parliament Hill is unbeatable.
Other honorable mentions to Greenwich, with its naval museum, park and observatory (where you can stand in both hemispheres simultaneously); Kew, for its world-renowned botanical gardens; Blackheath, for its vistas and yet more jaw-dropping architecture; Islington for its fine Georgian and Victorian housing and squares and the buzzy Upper Street and Camden, for its youth-oriented market and fine canal walks.
And while in the center, remember the National Gallery is free to enter (as are many of the main museums) and can probably claim to have the finest and most representative collection of Western European art anywhere. Look out for acquisition number 1: Rubens' landscape from his manor house, the "Het Steen."
A.J. in Baltimore, MD: I highly recommend reading Bill Bryson's book Notes from a Small Island (or, at least, the section on London) before traveling to England. Bryson is an American expat who has lived most of his adult life in England. His book gives a fascinating perspective from someone who is an insider in some ways and an outsider in others, and he has a keen interest in English history. It's a good way to get a feel for the country.
A.M. in Boston, MA: First, the British Museum. Bring a sketch pad. Wonder at the same time about the sheer scope of the British Empire's reach, whether you find the entirety loathsome or exhilarating.
Second, Dingwall's—a definitive punk club. Wear your Doc Martens. "The T.E. Dingwall Building in London's Camden Market is a historic live music venue, famous for hosting legendary acts like The Clash, The Sex Pistols, and Amy Winehouse since it opened as Dingwall's Dancehall in 1973."
We got a lot of good answers, and we think readers would like to have a de facto custom travel guide to London. So, we're going to do one more week on this. There is still time to submit suggestions to comments@electoral-vote.com, preferably with subject line "London Calling"!