Is London worth a visit?

[bloomberrys]

I have been to London once in 40 years.
I haven't been in 20 years.
Is it worth a visit ?
Thinking of going for 2 nights at the weekend.
Thinking of going to see wicked at the Apollo then the Sunday doing touristy things.
Is it worth a visit ?

People travel to London from all over the world. I think that should give you an idea.

We normally go to the likes of Manchester/liverpool /edinburgh

Which are all lovely places, but are tiny compared to London, in all ways.

That's an extortionate train price, have a look at tickets a bit further in the future if you can and relevant railcards to bring the price down a 2Together one would be appropriate.

Are you spending on the hotel or just want a base for the night? For work we often stay at the Travelodge at Vauxhall it's cheap but clean, and next to some great food places, near the river, has access to a Sainsbury's and Waitrose next door which is great for stocking up, is a nice walk from Wicked and has a bus depot and tube / overground literally outside - a bit too close really as some colleagues have had rooms above the line.

When on personal trips we stay at Premier Inns, I like the Farringdon one, close to st Paul's there's a Tesco local there for stocking up on essentials, as well as Barbican/Farringdon Tubes and Elizabeth line (E line is great, spacious and has A/C or at least much cooler than central). The Stratford one is good for shops / eateries is a bit cheaper as on the outskirts but still an easy trip into the city proper

A simple Google search would have resolved your query and given you plenty of options tailored to your taste, interests, and location. Your question here is rather vague and quite silly, which is why you have received so many sarcastic replies.

OP, what kind of things do you enjoy? Nobody knows if it will be worth going for you because we don’t know what you like doing.

You are getting sarky comments because you asked if it was worth anyone going, which yes, it’s a global city with tonnes of history, culture and world famous landmarks. Asking if there is anything worth seeing there is like asking if there’s much for kids to do at Disneyland.

@bloomberrys Re cocktails, I really like the Alchemist. I see there's one in Victoria, near where Wicked is on - I used to go to the City one but maybe give that a try if you're nearby?

Only you can answer that question, but I always find something to do in London. There's a lot there.

Train fares are expensive. For me there's a huge difference between the off-peak time and the on-peak time and It sounds as if you are further north than I am. If you decide it's worth going, have a good time.

For months and months I've been meaning to go to London on a Saturday (any time trains as it's Saturday) and go to the National Portrait Gallery, and I still haven't got there. Thank you for the thread because it might be the push-in-the-back that I needed.

Ask a less silly question, then? London is one of the world’s great cities. Of course it’s ’worth a visit’. I never ran out of stuff to do in ten years of living there.

It’s definitely worth a visit although not to see Wicked. Even my eleven year old thought it was rubbish. If you want a musical I’d go with Back to the future, cabaret or Lion King personally

I agree Wicked was dreadful. It has three decent songs — ‘For Good’, ‘Popular’ and ‘Defying Gravity’ and the rest is eminently forgettable.

Yes, it is . London has all whatever you are after: shopping or sightseeings or theatres. Depending on how far from London do you live and where do you want to stay in London it is quite expensive so you need to plan carefully to justify the cost. At least this is my situation, yours might be different.
I saw Wicked and it’s great by the way.

Never heard of it.

Lived in London all my life. Only just moved away after 50 odd years. New things to do still seem to pop up weekly.

I would stick to one area to explore rather than try and travel all over if you're only effectively there for a day once you've factored in travel and dinner/ show/ drinks etc.

So London Bridge: The Shard, The old Operating Theatre, Vinegar Yard, Bermondsey street, The Bermondsey beer mile, Borough Market, The Clink, The Golden Hinde, HMS Belfast, Tower Bridge, Tower of London. A ride on a Thames clipper. Not suggesting you do all of them but it's all within 1/2 a mile of each other.

Spitalfields: The market, Hawksmoor's Christchurch, the silk weavers' houses around Fournier St. Any amount of Jack the Ripper walks, Brick Lane for shops and a curry, great bars, Dennis Severs' house, Bunhill Fields if you like cemeteries, it's not far from Liverpool Street, The Victorian Bath House, Sushi Samba etc

Marylebone: The Wallace Collection, Daunt books, Marylebone High St, The Planetarium, Tussauds, Labour and Wait, short hop up to Regents Park to go boating on the lake...

Bloomsbury: The British Museum, Corams Fields, The Foundling museum, St George's Church, The Brunswick centre, The cartoon museum, The Charles Dickens museum, dinner at Circo Popolare or Dalloway Terrace...

Obviously there are the big draws like the HoP, Westminster abbey, Buckingham Palace, The big museums and galleries. All of which are wonderful and some need best part of a day to appreciate. But any single part of London has tens of little museums, galleries, oddities, churches you can just wander into, interesting bars, coffee shops that aren't chains which are run by people who love coffee, independent shops, food from every part of the globe...

I miss it. I'd love to be able to see it through the eyes of someone who hasn't been in 20 years!

Thanks everyone
How does paying for the tube work?
Where I am we have to buy a ticket before we get on our version of the tube
Is it the same in London?
Or can we tap with our card as we board ?

Tap in and out with a contactless payment card or your phone etc. There's a ceiling for how much you pay daily. Buses are cheaper and a great way of seeing the city if an alternative for your journeys.

The user river boat along the Thames is a good way to pass the touristy sights, you tap in your card or phone. What station will you arrive at. Look at the Time Out guide to London, there's also What's Free in London, cocktails you're better off with Happy Hour. Avoid Oxford street except maybe Selfridges, I'd be visiting the quirky shops or streets you won't find anywhere else.

Paying for tube/train -tap your card as you get on and off even if gates are open as otherwise they charge max fare
Busses only tap when you get on and if you have to change then tap on the second bus but if it's within an hour of the first tap (I think) they won't charge the second one.
CityMapper is a great app- I live in London and use it to choose quickest/cheapest routes including walking.

Thankyou
Does anyone recommend areas to stay ?
The hotels I'm looking at are near Lancaster Gate tube and Queensway
Are these safe areas to come back late at night ?

Intrigued as to where you live that is 3.5 hours from London, costs £140 to get there and has its own version of the tube 🤔

Preston, for example, is 3.5 hours from London and £55 or thereabouts. If you wanted to travel in the next hour it's £115. Doesn't have its own version of the tube mind 🤣

Newcastle, Liverpool and Glasgow all have train systems which are at least partially underground.

I don’t think Lancaster Gate/Qieensway would be my choice, but it’s not a rough area.

If you’re seeing Wicked in Victoria, could you stretch to Sloane Square way?

Liverpool could be it I suppose, except if you want to go today to London it's £45 return 🤷🏽‍♀️

Why are you concerned with where exactly the OP is travelling from? It has no bearing on what she's asked. You seem to be questioning the cost of her travel too, which is odd.