Whole day in London, starting at Waterloo- what do I do???

[littlelamb]

I am meeting my friend in London stupidly early at Waterloo station. We are both country bumpkins and have no idea what to do with ourselves At some point we need to get to Tate Britain as I am meeting my friend who works there and I haven't seen her in years so a good couple of hours there. We have from 9am to 8pm. What else should we try and squeeze in? Where is good (and cheap!) to eat? I think it is mainly galleries we are going to try and get to. Is the Saatchi any good? I fancy the British museum but don't fancy our chances getting round it all. What would you recommend?

natural history museum is free AND amazing! the British museum is not as frightening as you may think either.
its london restaurant week this week with lots of special offers on restaurants. google london restaurant week and pick a deal!

My DP went to the Saatchi and enjoyed it.

You can get a boat down the river to Tate Britain. You could combine a nice walk down the river with a trip on the boat to the gallery. You can get a boat from Tate Modern to Tate Britain for example. I think you should be able to find out details of commuter boats (probably cheaoest option) at www.tfl.gov.uk - or google it to find more touristy versions.

For food, have a look at www.toptable.com and make sure you have a look at their special offers, as you can get like 50% off - although you do have to book ahead so it might not suit if you would prefer to be flexible on time.

Also, if you are going to use public transport throughout the day (particularly the tube) do make sure you get a one day travel card, or it could end up costing you a small fortune!

Oops! Those links are www.tfl.gov.uk and www/toptable.com

Oops! Those links are www.tfl.gov.uk and www.toptable.com

My advice to you in any museum/gallery is AUDIO GUIDE - they have revolutionised my museum experience - it makes so much sense to be able to LOOK at the thing while someone talks you through it, rather than looking/reading little labels/looking again/walking off because eyes going squint. Also there is nearly always a Highlights guide and sometimes some that specialise in different areas.

My favourite thing to do near Waterloo is the London Eye - as good as anyone says. And see what is on at the Royal Festival Hall - there are often free events in the foyer I think. Also check the National Theatre site - if they are still doing Travelex the tickets are pretty cheap and I've seen stuff there that I will never forget, in a good way!

If you like Picasso, the National Gallery has a special exhibition on at the moment. I'm hoping to get down there myself in the next week or two.

Just a quick word - don't worry about trying to "get round" a whole museum! They are mostly free so pick a bit that interests you and just spend an hour or so in there. I popped to the Tate Britain for 20 mins in my lunchbreak the other day just to look at the Pre-Raphaelites. The British Museum is definitely worth a look if only because the building itself is stunning, but again you could just have a little wander around the Egyptian galleries and then head off.

Agree with lowrib that the boat trip is a good idea - how about heading east on foot from Waterloo and walking along the South Bank and then catching a boat back west to the Tate Britain a little later?

Check out squaremeal.co.uk for restaurants, or if you're happy to eat in a chain (Prezzo etc) look on www.moneysavingexpert.com for loads of 2-4-1 vouchers.

PS - the cafe at the V&A Museum is FAB!