Hey,

 

I'm heading out to London this Spring Break and I was wondering if anyone has been out there before?  I need some advice on what the "can't miss" attractions are. 

 

Thanks!

Big Ben, Parliment...

1.  If you see nothing else you have to see the Tower of London.  The Beefeaters give a great guided tour and once that's over they let you just walk around and explore on your own.  The White Tower portion was built in 1100 and is very impressive.

 

2.  Do some people watching at Victoria Station.  There is a bar in the middle of victoria station that is on the second floor of a little retail building which makes for a great birds eye view of the hustle and bustle of the train station during the afternoon rush. 

 

3.  Buy a day pass for the London Underground and use it often!  The Tube will take you everywhere you need to go.  You should be able to get to all the touristy stuff if you buy a card that is good for Zones 1 and 2.

 

4.  Take at least one Tour Bus trip outside of London.  The best one I've been on went to the city of Bath which has a 2,000 year-old Roman bath.

 

5.  The last time I was in London the pubs still closed at 11:00pm (but there was talk of changing that law).  If the pubs still close at 11 then you'll need to find an "off-sell" bar which stays open later.  I stayed at the New Atlantic hotel in Paddington which had a bar within the hotel that stayed open until 3am (some of the best times I had in London took place at the hotel bar  :wink: )

Since it's not mentioned here and was one of my favorite weekend activities when I lived there, I have to insist that you check out both the Camden Market and the Portobello Road Market.  These are both on the fringe of the central city and are two of the best urban street markets that I've ever been to.  Portobello is more antique-y and quirky and Camden has more of that counter-culture feel to it.  Regardless, they're both huge tourist attractions, but they're also attractions for locals, so there's something for everyone there...including delicious food!

 

Other than those, I'd recommend Neal's Yard, Marylebone High Street, St. Christopher's Place, and all of the many beautiful parks that the city has to offer.

Thanks for the feedback guys!  I knew about Big Ben and Parliament Ink  :-P , I am trying to find some of the less famous but really cool stuff to check out.  Keep the input coming  :-D

I really liked Madam Tousouds (sp??) wax museum.  I went to it just because its a touristy place that everyone goes to, but it turned out to be pretty cool.  I also took a tour of Shakespear's Globe Theater down on Clink Street which was cool.  I think the London Dungeon is in that area too.