anyone up for a challenge? How to 'do' London pleeeease

[laurawaterford]

I am coming to London for a week in summer with Irish hubby and children. They have never been and I want to REALLY impress them with Ye Olde English and the beauty and history and entertainment and and and.....

What are true 'must sees'? and what show should we see? boys are all teenagers.

I have found a brilliant site called londontown.com but I am still boggled. Can't do it all so how should I plan my precious 6 days?

Please sort me out an itinery. We will toast the best one with some real Ale when we get there!!!

DH would LOVE the Tutenkamen exhibition - he has wanted to go since he was a child. Where is it on?

you must do an open top bus tour, i was dragged on one last year. it was fab.

if you go to borough market fri o sat you can combine the golden hinde, the clink and see how old london town used to be, fab tapas restaurant called brindisa to have lunch, really facinating AREA.www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-georgeinn/this pub is the oldest in london.

www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-georgeinn/

oh hifi I lurve the look of it!!

look here

www.thamesclippers.com for the fast boats - you can get unlimited all day tickets which might help, depending how much you want to pack into a day. It's by far the best way to travel, not crowded and shut in like the tube! It stops at the Eye, Tate Modern, Tower, Canary Wharf, Greenwich, and the Dome (O2). Not sure you can do all those in a day though!

Tate Modern, wobbly bridge, St Pauls all close together. Plus city things like the Bank of England.

Hifi, is the pub in the same area as all you have mentioned? I'm thinking itinery wise. Where should I pick the bus up from for the route you suggest?

Oh and the driverless DLR trains

flippin heck!! The knowledge of London link is very curious and good- I have to put out some washing or do something other than this soon, so will explore that with boys later I think- They will love it.

DH also wants a river tour so thank you catilla. We are staying in Wimbledon. !'ll check to see if we can pick it up from there.

the pub is on borough high st, where are you staying?

check this before you come

another

Boa to Greenwich is fab - Maritime Museum and Observatory both great.

Tower is also fantastic. Do a Beefeater tour as they tell you about the gory history and ghosts. You can also do a walk along the top of Tower Bridge which is supposed to be great.

Another vote for Eye but definitely pre-book.

Both Science and Natural History Museums are great.

From Wimbledon get overland into Waterloo to pick up boats.

Agree re. Borough Market on a Sat - it's ace. And the breakfasts in Brindisa are nice as well as the tapas. From there there is loads you can see inlcuding, as mentioned, Clink, Vinoplis (win museum), Golden Hind, Globe and Tate Modern.

if you are doing the British museum / covent garden / bloomsbury / john soanes - which are all near eachother, get a good street map or print one off from googlemaps.com. Otherwise get one day travel cards or else you will spend a fortune on fares.

Personally I love the Wallace collection which is near Baker Street. You can walk to selfridges from there if you like flash dept stores. Then get the bus down Piccadilly and go to the ritz for tea - if you can afford it! alternatively loiter outside and look jealous...

I am so impressed by you all and grateful.

More questions I'm afraid. Any walking tours? also noone has mentioned madame taussauds - is it worth seeing? Went myself about 25 years ago and I loved it!! but havent seen anything else so maybe it doesnt compare..

Any Olde english tea rooms? Although Hifi your george Inn looks fantastic. Are children allowed in? They are in Ireland upto 9 at night, but not sure about Britain?

Oh, and Globe Theatre? is that worth seeing something at? The boys are doing Shakespears plays for their junior and leaving certs (GCSE and A Levels equiv) so a production could work - or will it just be over their heads - they are not classical scholars I'm afraid.

Sorry about all the questions, been jotting them down throughout the day. I have more but I'm abit embarrassed to ask anymore!!

Ooh, I was thinking of doing a thread like this. We're going to London for a few days in August.

Will read up.

i would steer clear of tussauds, supposed to be very disappointing, children are allowed in pubs.
you could try regents park theatre for any shakespeare, lovely experience.you could walk it to globe i think from borough market, also pop into the tate modern, all along the south bank.

for teens i would consider camden, covent garden, Leicester sq and Piccadilly for hanging out.

What happens in Borough Market?

a market selling organic fruit, veg, game. its a really lovely area, a snapshot of old london.cobbled streets etc.

Borough Market is lovely, full of gorgeous food and great atmosphere.

Globe is great for seeing Shakespeare but get seats (and take or hire cushions) as it's hard work standing up.

There are some good walking tours in the City (most meet at Tower Bridge tube around 18:00-19:00). I've been on a Jack the Ripper and a Ghost one and both great. I also bought the Time Out book of London Walks and have followed soem of those myself - also fab. One of the funniest nights we ever had was DP and two mates treating us to the Ripper Walk commentary while touring the East End, including a v. funny DP doing Clay Pipe Annie!

borough market is ridiculously overpriced and strictly for the tourists IMO. Abit like Harrods.

Take the Number 11 bus from Liverpool Street to Chelsea. It takes in lots of major sites (St Pauls, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square). Great views if you sit upstairs. If you've got a day travel-card you can practically use it as a hop-on hop-off without the expense, and you've done a proper Red London Bus (not a routemaster sadly, but still a good trip)

but donnie thats what they are.

The Olde Cheshire Cheese is a great characterful pub on Fleet Street, with an old Chop House attached. The Cittie of York on High Holborn is also very impressive - and also a good value Sam Smiths pub

Disagree re. Borough Market. Yes it is expensive but it's a fab thing to do on a Sat morning. DP and I love treating ourselves while we're there. There's a small farmers market where we live but it's just not as good.