# Going to London for a week: What should I do? (Need answers fast!) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 24, 2013, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-london-for-a-week-what-should-i-do-need-answers-fast/669579 "2013-09-24T14:15:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2013, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-london-for-a-week-what-should-i-do-need-answers-fast/669579/41 "2013-09-26T14:14:37Z")
> [@Floater](#): > > I’d say that every zebra crossing in central London has a big “LOOK RIGHT” or “LOOK LEFT” painted on the ground. But rather than looking for painted instructions, most people rely on habit when crossing roads. Perhaps because I was once in a London cab that hit a Canadian pedestrian (who was looking the wrong way), I recommend that pedestrians resolve to look both ways twice before stepping from a sidewalk. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2013, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-london-for-a-week-what-should-i-do-need-answers-fast/669579/42 "2013-09-26T14:21:06Z")
HOW CAN YOU BE GOING TO LONDON IN TWO WEEKS AND NOT HAVE ANY PLANS… I’d kill to go to London. It’s one of my dream trips. TAKE ME WITH YOU. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2013, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-london-for-a-week-what-should-i-do-need-answers-fast/669579/43 "2013-09-26T14:43:52Z")
It’s not that I have NO plans but I like recommendations. Also, I’m not good at planning vacations. I prefer just to fall into things. So definitely doing the big bus tour – that would probably help me focus on places. Definitely want to see Westminster – parliament. Big Ben, Abbey, etc. Probably the British Museum. Trafalgar Square. Three suggestions are great. Keep them coming. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2013, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-london-for-a-week-what-should-i-do-need-answers-fast/669579/44 "2013-09-26T14:58:29Z")
One of my personal favorite wierd little London Museums is the Hunterian Collection. [http://www.rcseng.ac.uk/museums/hunterian](http://www.rcseng.ac.uk/museums/hunterian) Great if you are into real-life mad scientists. 😃 Where else can you find the remnants of experiments in human-animal grafting and the stolen skeleton of the Irish Giant? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Butterfly\_s\_Ghost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_butterfly_s_ghost/32/3462_2.png) [@The\_Butterfly\_s\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Butterfly_s_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2013, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-london-for-a-week-what-should-i-do-need-answers-fast/669579/45 "2013-09-26T15:05:05Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > I’m not really interested in the restaurant scene. I have plenty of that at home. But I am interested in interesting, cheap street food. Does that happen in London? I was in London last week and went to the Real Food Market at Southbank Centre Square ([http://www.realfoodfestival.co.uk/market/](http://www.realfoodfestival.co.uk/market/)). Lovely street food there. ---
**Author:** ![truthSeeker2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7cd45c/32.png) [@truthSeeker2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/truthSeeker2)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2013, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-london-for-a-week-what-should-i-do-need-answers-fast/669579/46 "2013-09-26T15:52:20Z")
Bus tour ( Hop on , hop off ) Madam Tussad’s museum Oxford street Piccadli circus Lord’s cricket ground London eye and london bridge Hyde park Soccer match at Stamford bridge ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2013, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-london-for-a-week-what-should-i-do-need-answers-fast/669579/47 "2013-09-29T03:19:27Z")
I’ve found several literary history tours I want to go on. Along that theme, the first thing I want to do in London is get a nice notebook and pen/pencils. Any recommendations along those lines? If it helps to know, I’ll be staying near Victoria station. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2013, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-london-for-a-week-what-should-i-do-need-answers-fast/669579/48 "2013-09-29T09:09:04Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > I’m not really interested in the restaurant scene. I have plenty of that at home. But I am interested in interesting, cheap street food. Does that happen in London? Of course! Check out the food markets - Borough, Brick Lane, Broadway market, Brixton Village… Plan your days as they aren’t all open everyday. [10 Best Street Food in London Worth Tracking Down](http://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/londons-best-street-food) ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2013, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-london-for-a-week-what-should-i-do-need-answers-fast/669579/49 "2013-09-29T17:27:05Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > I’ve found several literary history tours I want to go on. Along that theme, the first thing I want to do in London is get a nice notebook and pen/pencils. Any recommendations along those lines? If it helps to know, I’ll be staying near Victoria station. Liberty on Regent Street usually has some nice things. It’s worth a visit in its own right anyway. It’s a bonkers shop, partly built from the timbers of a couple of old war ships. ---
**Author:** ![Gladys\_Overnow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Gladys\_Overnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gladys_Overnow)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2013, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-london-for-a-week-what-should-i-do-need-answers-fast/669579/50 "2013-09-29T23:05:36Z")
I love London! Hire a guide for the day. Do it your first full day. It’ll give you the real story behind what you’re looking at and a general idea of the lay of the land. You’ll never get lost or wonder how to get somewhere the rest of the week. Winston Churchill museum is a must. Do less - you’re not going to see it all in a week so don’t even try. Pick one or two things a day, relax the pace, pop into a pub, savor it. ---
**Author:** ![spotthegerbil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@spotthegerbil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spotthegerbil)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2013, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-london-for-a-week-what-should-i-do-need-answers-fast/669579/51 "2013-09-29T23:08:13Z")
Not sure if this will fit in with your agenda. [Crossness Pumping Station](http://www.crossness.org.uk/visit.html). A very ornate bit of engineering, built to get the poo out of London. [Highgate cemetery.](http://highgatecemetery.org/) The dead centre of town. An exceptionally ornate graveyard that is still in use. Dr Who fans should beware the weeping angels. In a similar vein, the deceased of London had their own [railway station](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Necropolis_railway_station). Unusually for a British rail, none of the passengers ever complained. [St Olave’s church](http://www.sanctuaryinthecity.net/St-Olaves.html) is not too far from the Tower of London. If it’s the same church I’m thinking of, then there’s a genuine Roman floor in the basement. I discovered this church by chance when I took a walk back to the centre of town. On the subject of walking, don’t base your travel decisions solely on the tube map. some of the distances may be deceptive, some shorter, some longer. The A-Z is the definitive map for London. If you are walking in London, don’t look at the street level of shops. We have a bad habbit of ripping out the genuine appearance of buildings and sticking on the same bland corporate storefronts. Look above the street frontage to see what the original building might have looked like. Or go upstairs on a double decker bus. [Whitechapel bell foundry](http://www.whitechapelbellfoundry.co.uk/foundry.htm#tours). Where the Liberty Bell was cast, amongst others. The tour requires advance booking, Mobile phones. If you are planning on using your phone, you may wish to purchase a pre-paid mobile sim for use over here. I’m with a network called [Three, and you can buy a sim for £10](http://www.three.co.uk/Store/SIM/Pay_As_You_Go). Assuming your phone is compatible then you will be able to get mobile data for maps etc, without incurring roaming charges on your own contract. yo9u can buy the sim in their shops which are everywhere. Try a real ale or two. Spitfire is a pleasant beer. Also Fullers London Pride goes down well. > [@asterion](#): > > …if you do decide to go to Camden Market you might want to not get off at Camden Town but at (snip) Mornington Crescent. [Huzzah!](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mornington_Crescent_%28game%29) 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-london-for-a-week-what-should-i-do-need-answers-fast/669579.md?page=2)