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Travel Recommendations for London and southern England, based on our previous experience. |
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| What to See in London
If this is your first trip, there are several obvious sites worth seeing: Westminster Abbey, The Houses of Parliament, St. Paul's, The Tower. We recommend taking the tours at Westminster and the Tower. If you are pressed for time, skip the tours of St. Pauls and Parliament. We thought it was a yawner, but if you're interested you must write ahead for an invitation to the Ceremony of the Keys, locking up the Tower for the night. While checking out Trafalgar square and the National Gallery, walk behind the Gallery and pop into the National Portrait Gallery. Half price tickets for the theatre are available at Leicester Square, separate queues for matinee and evening. For classical music, chamber or solo, see what's playing at Wigmore Hall, great venue, sometimes stuffy audience. A somewhat looser clientel is at the jazz club Ronnie Scott's Try to see St. Bartholomew's-the-Great, a Norman church without the crowds. Try to see one of Shakespeare's plays at the restored Globe Theatre. Tickets can be purchased ahead of time on line. The British Museum is a must, especially Bog Man. If you have time, you can also check out trinkets like the Elgin marbles and the Rosetta Stone. The Queen's Gallery, on the Buckingham Palace grounds (side entrance) is a treasure box of an art museum, displaying rotating small samples of the Queen's collection (may be closed for expansion). Do check out the Walking London book mentioned above for 30 great walks that combine on and off the beaten trail sites. The Inns of Court, Covent Garden, and Fleet Street walks together give you a great feel for the City. For a quicker overview, don't dismiss the Double Decker tour buses. They are a great way to get your bearings, especially on your first day. More Museums The Museum of London is a comprehensive look at the history of the city. For the younger set, Royal Britain, near the Barbican covers the checkered history of the monarchy. For a not-too-young set, the London Dungeon gives a more "colorful" view of british history. The Tate Gallery is worth a trip, especially the Turner. The new Tate Modern looks good, hopefully better than the Pompadou. |
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 Houses of Parliament |
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| Where to Eat and Drink
Restaurants: Bumbles Restaurant, 16 Buckingham Palace Rd, 0171 828 2903 Ebury Street Winebar The Grenadier: The Duke of Wellington's officers' mess. You'll need the map.The unnamed road connecting the Grenadier with Knightsbridge is the Old Barracks Yard. Grumbles Restaurant 35 Churton St 0171 834 0149 Seafresh Fish&Chips 80-81 Wilton Rd. (tube: Victoria)0171-828-0747 Maharani Indian Restaurant, 77 Berwick St. Belgo Centraal: lots of fun Right off Leicester Square, the Cork and Bottle is a centrally located wine bar. Pubs: The best pub in London is . . . the next, closest one. Really, try them all. Since we stay around Victoria, the Bag O'Nails on Buckingham Palace Road is our "local" in London. After shopping on Jermyn street, stop in the Red Lion on Duke of York. Small stunning interior, large crowd on the street. On the south side of the Thames, the Anchor is close to the Globe theater. Further along the Thames, past Southwark cathedral is the George Inn, a real throwback. In the city, off of Fleet Street is Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, a happy exception to my rule of avoiding all "Ye Oldes" in England. Also on Fleet is Ye Olde Cock Tavern, notice a trend? Up on High Holborn is our other "local", the Cittie of York, if you are lucky enough to get a pew, you won't want to leave. Rumour has it if you can recite this song you get a free pint. Also on High Holborn, closer to the British museum is the Princess Louise. Shopping: Harrods: is it worth it? Yes. See the food halls, brave the crowds, it's the experience. Harrods Duty free in Heathrow is even better. If you are going to Scotland go to Cadenheads in Edinburgh and deliver yourself into their hands for the best scotch whiskey. Otherwise, duty free at Heathrow (Go for Ardbeg or Laphroaig or Lagavulin) Back in London, for foodstuffs try Fortnum and Mason on Piccadilly. For a cheese experience, Paxton and Whitfield 93 Jermyn. More cheese is found at the Neal's Yard Dairy near Covent Garden. Around the Covent Garden area are a wide variety of good shops for food and tea, including the Tea House, Drury Lane Tea, Neal's Yard Bakery. In a browsing mood, stroll the Burlington Arcade, on Regent Street, check out Hamley'sToy Store, the Reject China Shop, and Liberty. For chocolate, Charbonnel et Walker in the Royal Arcade, 28 Old Bond Street. |
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 Glasswork in the Red Lion Pub |
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| Around the Countryside
Soon to come, coverage of Bath, Salisbury, Canterbury, Winchester, Oxford, Cambridge. For transportation and an easy guided tour, the Guide Friday buses are a convenient way to get around larger towns (like Oxford and Cambridge) and get an overview at the same time. |
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 Kings Chapel, Cambridge |
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