So what's fun to do in London for a few days?

[sbj405]

I'll be there for about 5 days at the end of April. What are some cool, offbeat things besides the standard tourist stuff?

[Speck Tater]

1. Make faces at the palace guards.

You win a prize if you make them smile.

[candy]

2. I love London but am too old to suggest "cool" activities-----

I want to get there to see the brand new Churchill Museum,though,at the War Rooms location(which IS cool,I think).

Have fun!

[datasuspect]

3. you can go to heroin park

near wainscotting by the mini roundabout in smegsfordshire.

[greatauntoftriplets]

4. I like to take a walk along Cheyne Walk in Chelsea ...

for an interesting taste of a great London neighborhood. The King's Head and 8 Bells pub is a nice stop for lunch or a drink.

Enjoy!

Cheyne Walk
London SW3

Before the Chelsea Embankment was constructed in 1874 Cheyne (pronounced 'chain-ee') Walk was a pleasant riverside promenade, now it overlooks a busy road.

However, Cheyne Walk is notable for its 18th century houses that display a great number of 'Blue Plaques'. These testify to the extraordinary concentration of literary and artistic talent that was drawn to this area of Chelsea in the 19th century.

Amongst the distinguished residents was the writer George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans), who lived the last few weeks of her life at No. 4 Cheyne Walk.

http://www.touruk.co.uk/london_streets/cheynewalk_street1.htm

[LiberalEsto]

5. too bad you'll miss the royal wedding

:cry:

[xchrom]

6. shop portobello on saturday!

greatest flea market ever!
and the neighborhood is so cool.

i don't know where you are -- but it's near bayswater.

go to the tate.

at night go to soho -- gay bar{that's the name} is cool if you are into it.

have lunch at harrod's.

see a play at hay market.

i LOVE london!

[sbj405]

9. Flea market sounds fun.

I'll have some time on my own and that sounds fun.

We'll near Olympia where the conference is. I haven't gotten the guide book yet, so I'm not sure where that is in the City.

[LiberalEsto]

16. Watch your wallets

Portobello Market is fun but it's pickpocket city.

[amazona]

7. natural history museum is free

You'll lose the whole day there if you like dinosaurs etc.

Because there is no charge to get in, when you are tired, leave the museum and go to the Museum Tavern (or is it Pub?) and have a drink, then return refreshed for more terrific fossils and minerals.

I don't know if it's cool but it's what I like to do.

The conservation movement is a breeding ground of communists
and other subversives. We intend to clean them out,
even if it means rounding up every birdwatcher in the country.
--John Mitchell, US Attorney General 1969-72

[sbj405]

10. Free is good. The exchange rate is going to kill us. nt

[amazona]

11. most major museums free in London

Not sure if you've been there before or if it has been awhile, but British Museum, The V&A, the art galleries such as National Art Gallery, etc. are now all free. The only one I can think of offhand that still charges fees and causes horrible lines is the Tower, and frankly I think the other museums are better. Why stand in line at the Tower when you can be wandering for free through the British Museum?

There are even jewels in the London Museum which is also free -- lots of treasures people have found while doing construction in London. I think the Cheapside Horde with the Emerald is there!

The conservation movement is a breeding ground of communists
and other subversives. We intend to clean them out,
even if it means rounding up every birdwatcher in the country.
--John Mitchell, US Attorney General 1969-72

[seemunkee]

8. speakers corner on a sunday

Lots of fun

[tinfoilinfor2005]

12. I was there three weeks ago...

and it was my first time so I really wanted to do the "standard tourist stuff" but really do consider seeing the Tower of London if you've never been there. Historically impressive plus the Royal Jewels are very cool. Also the Beefeaters do the tours and they are interesting and clever.
My friend went on the Eye (the huge ferris wheel) and really loved it.
I had to go to Harrod's to see the food courts which everyone raves about and that was lots of fun. The Diana and Dodi memorial is there too, but very tacky in my opinion.
There is a fabulous Indian restaurant called Cinammons about a block from Westminster Abbey that I highly recommend.
Also the new Churchill Museum that was mentioned earlier in one of the posts was fascinating...as you are going through the actual underground war rooms, they have sirens going off through the speaker systems from time to time, and you really get a feeling of what it must have been like back then.

[sbj405]

14. Adding Churchill Museum to my list.

Sounds neat.

It's really my first time there as well (had a 12 hour layover once), so I'm planning on taking in the usual tourist highlights as well.

[Hardrada]

13. British Museum (cool for all ages

and millenia!)

[Iterate]

15. Well, since you can't G&T with the Queen Mum,

poor lady, she's so missed and Chuck is such a bore, you'll have more time for other things. Chuck might need help mowing the lawn.

Try a pub quiz, Tuesday nights usually, check at any neighborhood pub. Think of it as Trivial Pursuit with no board and plenty of pints.

Food is great, especially the classic English breakfast, Indian, and Moroccan. If you find great wine, be surprised.

Ride the tube, pick a stop, pop up, and wander. Always good for some serendipity. Look for Sherlock Holmes or Dicken's London. Walk plenty, but do splurge on a cab ride. No thrill ride can match it, and you may survive. Public sculpture hunting in Hyde Park, people watching too. I met a Russian spy there once, though she pretended to be merely a charming staff member at the Embassy. St. Paul's, fashion shops, antiquarian book stores. The National Gallery and Westminster too. A concert at St. Martin's in the Fields. Eccentric walking tours.

"there is in London all that life can afford" -Samuel Johnson, 1777

Theater, large and small. Museums, see all of them. Enjoy, enjoy. I'll be in Cambridge and Portsmouth at that time. Hope the weather is nice.

[LiberalEsto]

17. Get an all-day pass for the Underground

so you can ride everywhere cheap.

The double-decker bus tours are a great way to see a lot of things and decide which places you want to visit.

I loved Kew Gardens and Windsor Castle, which are both a bit out of the way.

[onager]

18. Couple of my favorites

The City of London museum: traces the history of the city. You walk thru life-size dioramas of typical London houses from the pre-Roman era on up. As another poster noted, the stuff people are STILL digging up is amazing. e.g., burned Roman coins from Boudicca's rampage!

Walk around the Roman Wall: absolutely free and healthy too. Traces the route of the old Roman Wall. Markers show how, in earlier times, parts of the wall were incorporated into houses, etc.

Tower Of London: touristy, yes, but fascinating and the guides make it so. By law, those guides--the Beefeaters--have to be retired Warrant Officers from the British military services.

They always come up with the goriest stories, usually delivered in ghoulish, Vincent Price-ish manner.

One time when I was there, a little kid was trying to pet the famous (and bad-tempered) Tower ravens. Our guide barked: "Pet that thing, sonny, and your friends will be calling you Cap'n Hook!"

Another time our guide explained that only 6 people had actually been beheaded inside the Tower walls, all of them high-ranking types. Or as he expressed it: "You had to be well-connected to get disconnected in the Tower."

[Aiptasia]

19. There's also a little park square near parliment

Where the electrified Winston Churchill statue is located, where they do a lot of protesting and colorful name-calling.

If I only had a few days, i'd do:

London Eye: Located right next to the London aquarium. Get there early and bring a video camera. It takes about a half hour to go all the way around but the view is incredible on a sunny day.

Picadilly Circus/SoHo/Oxford St.: Shop your ass off and pub crawl.

Trafalgar Square: Great place to feel historic.

If everything in downtown London starts to feel stuffy, walk around Hyde Park (near speaker's corner and the Marble Arch) and Kensington Park/Palace.

Also, bring a tote umbrella and/or a windbreaker, even if it's bright and sunny. Rain showers are way too common at all times of year.