London this Friday

[Stillcountingbeans]

What can we do in central London this Friday - late morning and afternoon, for two adults?

No churches or cathedrals (seen enough to last a lifetime)
No art galleries - unless something really different
Not Buckingham Palace (pricy, feel like I've seen the best bits on their website)
Not Westminster Abbey (too expensive for too short a slot)
Not the Tower of London (done it)
Not the London Eye (done it)
Not Madame Tussaud's (done it)
Not Kew (done it, and too far out)
No wine (alcohol-free party member)

So far on my list I have... the planetarium 😕

We like history and architecture and gardens
We don't like sporty activities, loud music, or hordes of children.

Our itinerary so far is:
Arrive Thu lunchtime, spend early afternoon seeing the 'boring' bits of the Natural History Museum that we never see with children/grandchildren in tow.
Then walk past Albert Hall and across Hyde park, then tube to hotel.
Meal booked, then see Les Misérables (thanks to the MN hive mind for that advice).
Then so far we have Friday free, before starting the journey home late pm or early evening.

All suggestions very gratefully received.

We went to the Bow Street Police Museum in Covent Garden which I thought was a little gem. Admittedly you could get round in an hour at most but very interesting all the same.

The V&A
Handel’s house/Hendrix flat

(I don’t really think of the V&A as an art gallery - more a beautiful things gallery - but you might disagree!)

I thought the Planetarium at Madame Tussaud's had closed down?

Borough market is always nice for an hour of mooching around.

The Museum of the Home in Hoxton

Sky Garden if you can still get (free) tickets. Great views.

Chelsea Physick Garden

Walk up to Primrose Hill and get an ice cream in the shops at the bottom. Have a walk around and look at the houses on Elsworthy Road.

Churchill war rooms are definitely worth a visit

Thanks to everyone. I am Googling them all.

The transport museum?

Battersea Power Station. Shops, but the building is really interesting. You can pay to go up the lift.

Walk along the river south side from Tower Bridge along to Westminster.

Get the Thames clipper from Greenwich to Westminster. Or other direction.

A tour of the Globe Theatre

Old Operating Theatre & Herb Garrett at London Bridge (convenient for Boroygh market lunch, or the Mithraeum.

Barbicab /cheeky little visit to the Fan Museum

City of London walking tour.

Greenwich for the Maritime Museum, Observatory and Cutty Sark. You could combine with a trip on the river bus.

One of the excellent London walking tours. Some great ones looking at all the amazing architecture.

Dennis Severs' House is fascinating. As is Sir John Soanes' Museum.

The Bank of England Museum is oddly interesting if you're in the area.

Sky Garden if you can get tickets.

Dennis Severs House

Transport Museum is very interesting but will be full of preschoolers on a Friday.

Sky garden is pretty near to Tower Bridge. Book in advance

Or

Not quite Di high broe but I loved the Thames rib ride from embankment pier. 45 mins and quite a lot of sightseeing in the part of the river they can't go too fast on then an absolute blast.

Then a long boozy lunch somewhere lovely

Has been mentioned already but I second a tour of Shakespeare Globe theatre, and or watch a performance of Midsummer Night's Dream. Just checked and there is availability this Friday!!!

I also recommend the Churchill war rooms. I am not overly into history, but DH is really into ww2. It was fascinating, and we both really enjoyed it.

We also went on the HMS Belfast which was really interesting.

You've probably done the Imperial War museum? But if not it was really interesting, but if you were short on time you could select which bits to see, there's a few different floors dedicated to different things.

I want to visit the klink museum, my friend went and said it was brilliant.

Other museums on my list to visit are the bank of England museum and the transport museum.

I really fancy doing the duck boat tours where it goes on the river and land!

We like a mooch about in Camden when we're in London and need to fill a few hours, there's so many interesting and quirky shops and great food choices!

And we are desperate to visit the dinahs cat cafe! But that's not everyone's cup of tea 😹

I have seen the Globe - highly recommended. DH has had enough Shakespeare, though I am a big fan.

I like the look of some of the special gardens mentioned

Dennis Severs House in Spitalfields.

Great ideas here, can I ask where you find out about the best walking tours please? x

Not seen the Imperial war museum before - it is now on the list.