Trip to London?

[Dreamingofbeans]

Would you for sightseeing? Is now a good time to visit because it’s quiet? Or would you avoid like the proverbial plague....

Go but wear a face mask.

Anyone know if bars, restaurants and shops will be open? Sorry For the stupid questions we are in Wales so I’m not sure how ‘open’ it all is.

Do you think the virus is more potent in Trafalgar Square than it is where you live? Or that they're pushing handbarrows down Piccadilly crying, 'Bring out your dead?'
No, millions of us live here, go about our business and are surviving! It's a great time to visit - things are opening up again and there's hardly any dopey tourists on the Tube!

Haha no Of course I don’t think that. It’s just ive seen pics of places like Covent Garden completely empty, not a soul about and I’m not sure whether it’s still like that or whether places are now opening.
Thanks

And bars, restaurants, shops, and quite a few museums/galleries are open. Apart from theatres, it's pretty much business as normal, just less crowded which is great. You do have to book in advance for museums, though.

Strange question, it's "good" because there's less people and it's not so good for the same reason, very odd question

It's very quiet - 80% less footfall apparently in the West end

Natural history museum is opening on the 5th but you need to book a slot

Museums and galleries that are open require you to pre-book.

Takeaways are open, distancing, hand sanitizing and limit to the number of people in the shop

Restaurants are starting to open. A lot of the big chains have some outlets open but not all, and are taking fewer customers.

Most chain shops seem to be opening with restrictions on number of customers.

Public transport is generally quieter.

I think overall, you will be fine to come, but plan carefully, decide where you want to go and check online it's open and whether you need to pre-book

I've been wondering the same - tempted to book a hotel for a few days and go down on the train.

I haven't been to Covent Garden recently; I should think it's probably quiet there as it's very dependent on tourists. But it would be very low on my list of places to visit in London! And while I feel for anyone who is suffering a drop in income, I can't say that I'll feel too distraught if there has been a drop in the numbers of mime statues.
Columbia Road flower market has been reopened which might be nice for a Sunday morning wander.

Do you think the virus is more potent in Trafalgar Square than it is where you live? Or that they're pushing handbarrows down Piccadilly crying, 'Bring out your dead?'

I can't answer for OP, not knowing where she comes from but surely it's not about potency but numbers?

Sorry, to answer the OP, I wouldn't. I live in Scotland though where the daily increase is very low. I would like to contribute towards keeping it that way.

I live in London. It's fine!

I'm not hesitating because of worrying about whether London is fine or not, but because I wonder if it's a bit selfish to go on the train/tube etc when I don't really have to.

We are planning on going in a few weeks. Obviously going to be wearing masks indoors and taking all the precautions we can.

Parks are fairly busy but it’s a great time to explore - just book a few restaurants and have a fab time!

We booked a weekend in London for next month but BA have now cancelled the flights, which I took as a bad sign!

We booked train tickets and 2 nights in a hotel in London just yesterday for August. I can't wait. I was a bit annoyed with LNER though because when I've booked the tickets DP and I can't reserve seats together but whatever...

@amusedbush do you mind me asking where you were going to fly from?

@clipclop5

Flying from Glasgow. There are other flights available but none will work timing-wise, plus the prices have shot up so I won't bother. The whole appeal was that it was a cheap-as-chips three nighter!

Hi, a Londoner here. There is lots reopening now, attractions and restaurants. Last Friday I went to Tower Bridge with the kids, we had the glass floor to ourselves for about 10 minutes and staff were so welcoming and chatty. It was the best experience I've had there. I would recommend pre-booking your visits as lots of places will be fully booked. I've written a blog post on places to visit in London with kids which includes booking links which might give you some ideas. It's aimed at families but lots would work without kids. museummum.com/2020/07/16/summer-2020/

In terms of travelling on public transport in London being selfish, it's not - a lot of people's livelihoods depend on tourism. Try to travel outside peak hours, walk if you can rather than take the tube/bus, wear a mask and keep cleaning your hands.

Hope this helps, and have a great time!

@museummumblogger Thanks so much for your advice! We’ve just booked for mid August and can’t wait to get back to our favourite city. How long in advance do you think we should book attractions? We’re hoping to go the the top of the shard + nat history museum along with others :)

@clipclop5 I would book as soon as you can. For example the NHM is showing availability for all next week, when it reopens, but when you click on the days the slots are at 4pm, when you only have a short time to look around. Even at the end of the August the first few slots appear to have booked out.

The Shard you can buy vouchers until 31 July which work out about a third cheaper and include free fast track, so they would be good to get now, it looks like you could then just turn up when suits you but it's worth checking with them as they haven't yet reopened so it's not quite clear www.theviewfromtheshard.com/book-tickets/

There's also the Sky Garden which you can book up to two weeks in advance and is free. You only need a short visit, but it's a good experience to combine with other places in/near the city. August tickets aren't released yet so keep checking.

Let me know if you have any more questions!

Museums blogger how large is the sky garden? Is it open to elements?