DubCoffman62
Lazy Slob
Hey London is my home away from home! Most of the recommendations I've seen on this thread look spot on but I disagree with a few.
If you have to choose between Oxford and Cambridge go to Cambridge. Oxford is nice but Cambridge kicks it's ass. Go punting on the Cam. You can hire someone to do the hard work but it's more fun to do it yourself. There's a good seafood restaurant called Lock Fyne, I highly recommend it. There's one in the Covent Garden neighborhood in London too but it's not as good. The train from London leaves from King's Cross station. Tour the campuses, they're amazing but don't walk on the grass!
Bath is good recommendation, it's pronounced Bah-th over there. Outside of York it has the most spectacular Abbey.
Rent a car and take a trip to the cotswolds. There's a village called Chipping Campden which is considered the most beautiful village in England. If you eat there there's a pub called The Eight Bells, it has the best food.
cottswolds - Google Images
chipping campden - Google Images
There's good food in London if you know where to go. If your up to spending a little money I recommend this place for dinner.
french restaurant in kensington
It's a husband-wife run place, very small and personal. They drive to France every week to buy a lot of their ingredients. Everything is fresh and seasonal and it's not pretentious.
If you want a snack try going to a Mark's & Spencers, they're everywhere. They have lots of ready-made sandwiches and salads, some even have a diner.
Harrod's food court was mentioned, don't miss it, it's blow you away.
Another day trip you may like is Brighton. It's on the south coast. They have a little amusement park on the pier and the best seafood in England IMO. It's a two hour trip on an overland train. It has a Bohemien feel to it, sort of the English San Francisco.
It's kind of far but Chatsworth House is pretty cool. It was featured in Pride & Prejudice and The Dutchess.
If you like gardens check out Kew Gardens. You can get there on the Hammersmith line I believe
There's an open air theatre in Regent's Park. I've seen A Midsummer's Night Dream and Much Ado About Nothing there. Great experience, you won't regret it as long as the weather is nice. Even if it's sunny bring a blanket, it gets cold at night in London, even in the summer.
Hampton Court is another place worth seeing
hampton court - Google Images
Take the tube from the airport. The Picadily line runs through there. It'll only set you back about 8 bucks. There's the Heathrow express that goes to Paddington station but it's like 28 pounds a person and it doesn't drop you off where you need to go. Just take the Picadilly and cab it to wherever you're staying. Call ahead of time and find out what the nearest tube stop is. You may have to switch trains but it'll save you money. Cab fare from Heathrow to London, depending on where you're going, will set you back about 100 bucks.
If you go to Oxford Street watch out for pickpockets.
Soho is a cool place to walk around. The theatre district is there and so is Chinatown. Go there at night, the place is really wild.
On Sundays go to Hyde Park and check out Speaker's corner. People get up on their soap boxes and talk about almost anything. They're monitored by the government however. Be aware that freedom is speech is limited in England, you can get arrested for being mean :( Be nice to the Asians or you will end up in jail. Be advised that the word Paki is equivalent to the N word, don't say it, ever.
The touristy tours will drain your wallet fast. Depending on your budget I wouldn't do more than one tour (House of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace). The London Eye costs about 40 bucks but it's worth it.
I've been going to London for years and I've never had any bad experiences. It's almost impossible not to have a good time. I hope you enjoy yourself.
If you have to choose between Oxford and Cambridge go to Cambridge. Oxford is nice but Cambridge kicks it's ass. Go punting on the Cam. You can hire someone to do the hard work but it's more fun to do it yourself. There's a good seafood restaurant called Lock Fyne, I highly recommend it. There's one in the Covent Garden neighborhood in London too but it's not as good. The train from London leaves from King's Cross station. Tour the campuses, they're amazing but don't walk on the grass!
Bath is good recommendation, it's pronounced Bah-th over there. Outside of York it has the most spectacular Abbey.
Rent a car and take a trip to the cotswolds. There's a village called Chipping Campden which is considered the most beautiful village in England. If you eat there there's a pub called The Eight Bells, it has the best food.
cottswolds - Google Images
chipping campden - Google Images
There's good food in London if you know where to go. If your up to spending a little money I recommend this place for dinner.
french restaurant in kensington
It's a husband-wife run place, very small and personal. They drive to France every week to buy a lot of their ingredients. Everything is fresh and seasonal and it's not pretentious.
If you want a snack try going to a Mark's & Spencers, they're everywhere. They have lots of ready-made sandwiches and salads, some even have a diner.
Harrod's food court was mentioned, don't miss it, it's blow you away.
Another day trip you may like is Brighton. It's on the south coast. They have a little amusement park on the pier and the best seafood in England IMO. It's a two hour trip on an overland train. It has a Bohemien feel to it, sort of the English San Francisco.
It's kind of far but Chatsworth House is pretty cool. It was featured in Pride & Prejudice and The Dutchess.
If you like gardens check out Kew Gardens. You can get there on the Hammersmith line I believe
There's an open air theatre in Regent's Park. I've seen A Midsummer's Night Dream and Much Ado About Nothing there. Great experience, you won't regret it as long as the weather is nice. Even if it's sunny bring a blanket, it gets cold at night in London, even in the summer.
Hampton Court is another place worth seeing
hampton court - Google Images
Take the tube from the airport. The Picadily line runs through there. It'll only set you back about 8 bucks. There's the Heathrow express that goes to Paddington station but it's like 28 pounds a person and it doesn't drop you off where you need to go. Just take the Picadilly and cab it to wherever you're staying. Call ahead of time and find out what the nearest tube stop is. You may have to switch trains but it'll save you money. Cab fare from Heathrow to London, depending on where you're going, will set you back about 100 bucks.
If you go to Oxford Street watch out for pickpockets.
Soho is a cool place to walk around. The theatre district is there and so is Chinatown. Go there at night, the place is really wild.
On Sundays go to Hyde Park and check out Speaker's corner. People get up on their soap boxes and talk about almost anything. They're monitored by the government however. Be aware that freedom is speech is limited in England, you can get arrested for being mean :( Be nice to the Asians or you will end up in jail. Be advised that the word Paki is equivalent to the N word, don't say it, ever.
The touristy tours will drain your wallet fast. Depending on your budget I wouldn't do more than one tour (House of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace). The London Eye costs about 40 bucks but it's worth it.
I've been going to London for years and I've never had any bad experiences. It's almost impossible not to have a good time. I hope you enjoy yourself.
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4. Will definitely see a show, although Manfred is teaching a theatre class there for 10 days before I arrive. He's seeing 11 shows in 10 days, so I'll let him choose what we see, that is, if he's not sick of theatre by then! 5. British Museum is definitely in the plans. It's awesome that so many of these amazing places are free. 6. I've heard the same about the Imperial War Museum. I will probably check it out to see the Panzer tanks and such (I love WWI and WWII history). 7. Mmmmm....beer. :)