I know the OP asked for what NOT to do/see…but I would recommend stopping the first newsagent you see and get yourself a TimeOut - it is always checkfull of things to see/do/eat. It will mention touristy thingies but is more geared towards Londoners in my opinion so it will list a lot of little-known, off-the-beaten-path bars/restaurants/clubs/galleries/etc
ianzin writes:
> Also be aware that Indian food may not have a very high reputation in the US
> (so I’m told), but over here it’s considered wonderful and more or less essential
> to the London experience.
It’s not that Indian food doesn’t have a high reputation in the U.S. It’s just that in the U.S. Indian restaurants are only one of many other sorts of ethnic restaurants that you’ll find a few of in any big city and only rarely in smaller towns. In the U.S., an Indian restaurant is just another slightly exotic restaurant, just like the Thai restaurant next to it, the Ethiopian restaurant across the street, or the sushi bar a block away. The Indian restaurants in the U.S. are reasonably good if not quite as good on average as those in the U.K.
The equivalent of Indian restaurants in the U.S. are Mexican restaurants. Just as Indian restaurants are everywhere in the U.K., Mexican restaurants are everywhere in the U.S. Mexican restaurants are the standard fairly cheap, fairly spicy place to eat in the U.K., just as Indian restaurants are in the U.K. Just as there are U.S.-only variations on Mexican restaurants in the various regions of the U.S., there are U.K.-only variations on Indian restaurants in various regions of the U.K.
That’s the same here (apart from there almost always being an Indian restaurant, and usually a Chinese, in every small town)… we have all the ethnic restaurants you could want. There seem to be a lot of US Dopers coming to the UK at the moment. Perhaps someone should start a thread asking for personal recommendations from London Dopers for their favourite restaurants. I have three or four that I go to a lot in various parts of town and would definitely recommend to anyone.
Things not to do… I definitely agree about Madame Tussaud’s and Harrods, and agree with the recommendation to get an A-Z and walk. I’d also recommend getting a bus pass on your Oyster and taking the bus in preference to the Tube. It’s not that much slower, and you get to actually see different parts of town. Do this in preference to taking one of the rather crap tourist buses, which are expensive and won’t tell you much that the average intelligent person can’t work out for themself. I’d also recommend doing a bit of research about what’s where inside museums and galleries. The National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery, for instance, are next door to each other on Trafalgar Square, but you couldn’t see the whole lot in one go, so focus rather than wearing yourself out and then missing something you really wanted to see.
If you haven’t already booked your accommodation, do some research into hotels/B&Bs (yes, there are some) in South London. It tends to be cheaper because the Tube doesn’t really run much in South London, but it’s easy to get into town and you can see some cool stuff down here that you might miss if you stay in the centre. Thinking of saving money, black cabs: I don’t find them hideously expensive. The last one I took was from Soho to Peckham, on a Sunday, crossing the river and everything :eek:, and it cost I think £15. Minicabs might at times be cheaper, but you’re a lot more likely to get lost (I’ve never been lost in a black cab. I’ve been to some very odd places in minicabs) and you can see exactly what the fare is. Someone suggested getting an agreed price before you get in a minicab. Often they won’t do this, but will charge you by distance. If they get lost, it’s your problem because you’re paying for the mileage.
Teacake, you quoted my first paragraph but not my second paragraph, which was the important one. It was the second paragraph where I explained the difference between the significance of Indian restaurants in the U.K. and the U.S. (Incidentally, I spent three years and seven vacations in the U.K., so I know a fair amount about the variety of restaurants in the two countries.)
As I said, the real difference is that Indian restaurants in the U.K. serve the same function as Mexican restaurants do in the U.S. They serve as the standard fairly cheap, fairly spicy place to eat in their respective countries. In the U.S., on the other hand, Indian restaurants are less common and just one of many ethnic cuisines that can be found in big cities, but they are generally reasonably good. In the U.K., it’s quite rare to find Mexican (or any other sort of Latin American) restaurants, and they aren’t very good when you can find them.
In case anyone flying into Heathrow and then traveling into central London is unaware of this, the Heathrow Connect train service is *a lot *cheaper than Heathrow Express, although it takes twice as long to get to Paddington at 30 minutes. An open return ticket from Paddington to the airport on Heathrow Connect currently costs £14.80, according to the website, compared with a mind-blowing £32 for an Express Class return ticket on Heathrow Express.
As a typical male, I hate shopping. But Harrod’s was a fun place to visit, if only as a nostalgia trip. It still is what Macy’s USED to be when I was a kid: a department store that really does carry EVERYTHING.
When I was a kid, Macy’s in Herald Square was like that- it carried every type of merchandise imaginable, from clothes to books to toys to pets to appliances to furniture). Today? It’s just 10 floors of clothing, with a smattering of other things (china and crystal for wedding gifts, et al.).
Harrod’s was a lot of fun to visit and wander through… but of course, I didn’t BUY anything there except a few Harrod’s t-shirts! It’s hard to imagine that ANYONE, Britisher or tourist, actually buys anything there, when you can get what you want much more easily and far less expensively elsewhere.
When I travel from Heathrow I just get the tube. From there to Paddington it takes significantly longer - 50 minutes as opposed to 20 - but it’s dirt cheap: £3.80 peak, £2.20 off peak, which would get counted as part of the travelcard if you carried on travelling elsewhere that day.
To be contrarian:
Love the London Eye (have been three times) and the Tate Modern (seriously, I go to the Tate Modern every couple of months). Obviously, if modern art isn’t your thing, don’t go.
Hate the Tower of London - even discounting the Crown Jewels thing, so much of the Tower you get to see is a Victorian reconstruction. And it’s overpriced and often crowded. Go to Hampton Court instead - it’s further out (Zone 6, IIRC) but a better castle (and there’s a hedge maze - yay!).
Sadly the Greenwich food thing is true - my wife works there and foodwise it’s pretty much Pizza Express or Gourmet Burger Kitchen. Or the pubs.
[ETA] Oh and feel free to go to Harrods to marvel at the kitsch and the creepy statue of Uncle Mo, but BUY NOTHING. Also avoid tea at Fortnum and Mason - go to the Wolseley a bit further down Piccadilly instead for a much better experience.
Re the ongoing Harrods discussion. I think if you’ve never been there, it’s worth at least one visit just to see what all the fuss is about. Normal people don’t go there to actually buy anything much, because all the prices are astronomical. But it’s great for just looking around and feeling astonished that anything like it can actually exist. It is a unique place, easy to get to, and the amazing Food Hall is well worth visiting. I sometimes take overseas friends for afternoon tea on the fifth floor, because it feels so quintessentially English. It’s hideously expensive, but possibly worth it as a once in a while treat. If you have a choice, avoid going at the weekend because that’s when the crowds are at their worst (and because weekends are for Camden Lock, see above).
Bear in mind that there is a dress code of sorts for Harrods, although it is rather vague and is essentially just a way of turning away anyone they think looks too scruffy. If you’re a guy and you turn up in sneakers, shorts and a sports vest, you are probably going to be refused entry.
Some people (mainly women IME) like the fact that Harrods is within walking distance of Harvey Nichols (universally referred to as ‘Harvey Nicks’). This is another big, famous department store with (supposedly) a good reputation for fashion and top designer brands. Some people rave about the coffee shop on the fifth floor although I personally don’t understand the appeal (small, cramped, insanely expensive).
Anyway, the chance to visit both of these places is, for some tourists, sufficient reason to take the bus or tube up to Knightsbridge.
I wasn’t trying to cast aspersions on your knowledge of the UK, I just didn’t want the OP, who doesn’t seem to have been to London before, to think all we had were Indian. You can sample pretty much anything here!
As for good Central/South American food, again, the place to go is South London. Take a bus down the Old Kent Road, with its extensive and varied newly-immigrant population.
London Eye. I find it hard to imagine anyone thinks this isn’t worth going on at least once. It’s not unique, in that there are similar attractions elsewhere in the world, but it is one of the largest such wheels ever constructed and its position on the Thames does afford an excellent view over the city. The ride itself is roughly 30 minutes, which feels about right. The strange thing for me personally is that whenever the subject of the Eye comes up, people geenrally report bad experiences of long lines and delays. I’ve been on it three times, and in each case just walked up, bought a ticket, and walked on. I’ve literally never even seen a line of people waiting.
Madame Tussauds. Complete rubbish, a joke, a ripoff. Londoners are consistently amazed that this ‘attraction’ is so popular with tourists. Maybe they have very good marketing. Go there if you want. It will be over-crowded and expensive. When you get in, you’ll look at the waxworks and realise they look nothing like the people they are supposed to be, with very rare and fluke exceptions. Never have so many pursued disappointment so zealously.
Hampton Court Palace. I agree with Gyrate, a terrific, wonderful, fun, enjoyable, educational and hugely impressive place to go. Not really ‘London’ as such, at least as far as overseas visitors are concerned, but very easy to get to by bus or tube. Plan on spending most of the day there. It is incredibly well preserved. It really does feel like stepping a few centuries back in time, and even if you’re not much of a history buff, you can’t help but get a wonderful sense of how different life was in the 16th century.
One other thing about the Sherlock Holmes Museum: I’ve only been to London once, and I had 3 days to pack in as much as possible.
I loved the city, and am eager to return one day. I could have spent all day at Westminster Abbey alone, if my wife had let me. There’s so much to see, I couldn’t scratch the surface. Most tourists are in the same boat.
And THAT’S why the Holmes Museum struck me as an utter waste. If I’d had a month to explore the city, an hour at that museum would STILL have been underwhelming, but I wouldn’t have such regrets about going there. As it was, I felt it was a waste of precious, dwindling time. Time I could have spent doing or seeing something MUCH more interesting.
I just don’t get much out of seeing a view that you can see from other places too. Lots of the people I’ve taken there have enjoyed it, though, so I wouldn’t say ‘definitely don’t go on it.’ August is a time when there will be long queues, though (unless you go very early in the day), and they do detract from the experience a lot.
Hampton Court is as good as the Tower of London, IMO. What makes the Tower for me is the Beefeaters, the graffiti by Lady Jane Grey’s supporters, and the re-enactments and so on that they do in high season. Hampton Court also does reenactments, including really fun ones in the kitchen. I’m really surprised Gyrate didn’t like the Tower.
Wow, there’s a ton of great replies to this thread. I’m afraid I won’t be able to address everyone’s points but I am grateful for all the contributions. This is my first trip to London but hopefully won’t be my last. So far I have as my must-sees:
Tower of London
Westminster Abbey
British Museum
Windsor Castle
St. Paul’s
Victoria and Albert Museum
National Gallery
Maybe
London Eye - only takes 1/2 hr and I won’t go if there’s a huge line
Harrods - I’m curious to see it but won’t buy anything except maybe food
Camden Lock - sounds interesting but I probably won’t do a lot of shopping on the trip
Hampton Court Palace - if I have the time, I’d be interested in going but I don’t want to cram in too much
Probably not
Changing of the Guard - if I happen to be in the area, I would look over but I don’t see the point in waiting for it.
I like Indian food and will definitely sample some restaurants while I’m there. I’m staying with friends in Slough for a few days and will be taking the train in (yeah, I know this isn’t such a great area but hey, free accommodations) but I also booked a hotel in London itself for one weekend. I’ll be staying at the Hilton in Islington which I got for a great rate through Priceline. Anyone familiar with the area?
I also plan to spend some time just wandering around through the parks and city on foot and via Tube. I might do a walking tour. I’m not determined to see every last thing on this trip, I think that sounds exhausting. Oh, and I’m going on a day trip to Paris during one of my vacation trips. My cheap ticket leaves St. Pancras at 5:25am, can anyone recommend a cheap, safe, clean hotel or hostel in the area?
Somebody asked why the tube trains aren’t air-conditioned. If they were then the waste heat would be pumped out of the train and into the tunnels, thus making the tunnels even warmer. There is an experimental scheme whereby water from the Thames is used to cool some of the tunnels and stations.
From Slough, getting to Hampton Court is very easy, since they’re both west of London. There are a lot of hotels around King’s Cross/St Pancras, including some sort of backpackers’ hostel on Gray’s Inn Road of which I have no experience; I can only offer that it seems to exist because I have seen it. Searching, it appears to be called Ashlee House and offer dorm rooms from £14 a night. This as opposed to the Travelodge on the next street which appears to want £86 a night. Eeep. I’m glad I live here and don’t have to pay for hotels!
Totally agree on that one.
However, Harvey Nicks does have stunningly good tea. I buy my loose tea from the food hall there (pretty much the only thing we buy there) and love it.
I went there once and stood in line for a long time about 8 years ago. My seat for the play was way up in the back so that all I really saw was the top of the actor’s heads. I think I was further away from the stage vertically than horizontally. The ticket was cheap, but wasn’t worth it. What I did from then on was to go directly to the theater itself and buy tickets there for either that night or the next one. A couple of pluses were that I then knew where the theater was so I didn’t arrive late (I usually walk everywhere in the central part of London, but I’m cheap and refuse to take cabs anywhere in a city with as good public transportation options as London has when I need to go onger distances), and I never sat more that 4 rows back. Why cheap out on once in a lifetime opportunities? Given that I was paying regular price it was still far cheaper than any road show that would travel through Calgary, Alberta. I figure I saw more of London by doing this rather than the back of some other tourists head standing in line for cheap tickets, or at the play itself by being so close to the stage.
You know, now that I read this I want to withdraw my objection to the JTR walk because it doesn’t really qualify for this thread. The OP is asking for things not to do in London, and I have to say the Walk was definitely worth going on if for no other reason than to listen to the guide talk. I did really like that part. And it’s not fair to disparage the entire thing just because one small point of it disappointed me a little. Overall, I *did *enjoy the Walk, so it doesn’t belong on this thread. Sorry.
(girl, by the way. ;))