London - something "different" to do

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onekeano

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Wife and daughter (18) heading to LOndon in 2 weeks for weekend. They've both been a few times before and enjoy the shopping and a show but are trying to see if there's anything different to do.

Any suggestions welcome.

Thanks
Roy
 
If they haven't been to any of the many fabulous museums and galleries then that might be one option.
 
Thanks for that CM maybe a bit of culture wouldn't go astray.

anyone else any suggestions?

Roy
 
always liked the tower bridge tour, or walk about soho it's like the zoo !
 
Columbia Road Flower market (in the east end) on a Sunday morning is lovely ... more than just flowers and plants
 
Go to portobello rd on a saturday or maybe camden market...not sure if sat or sun is the best day.
 
What about the London Eye - maybe not different enough ?
Looked fab on New Year's Eve though !
 
Thanks folks - they've done Camden Market, Tower Bridge tour and The Eye.

Columbia Flower Market sounds goods or maybe the zoo would be different.

Any other offers?

thanks
Roy
 
I heard there's a Jack the Ripper walking tour of London - I wonder would that be different enough?! I love Greenwich - never get bored of jumping from one side of the GMT line to another at the observatory. The Cutty Sark is there too and a boat trip down the Thames is a nice way to get there.
 
Columbia rd flower market is on sunday morning all over about 1pm.
The science museum is very good.
ALSO oxford st...selfridges is vast.
 
Portobello Rd is on Saturday only. Camden at the w/e is packed, so get there early.

Spitalfields market, beside Liverpool St. is also worth a look & is beside Brick Lane so you can have a curry after.
Greenwich area is a nice area & has a lot of history.
 
gnubbit said:
I heard there's a Jack the Ripper walking tour of London - I wonder would that be different enough?! I love Greenwich - never get bored of jumping from one side of the GMT line to another at the observatory. The Cutty Sark is there too and a boat trip down the Thames is a nice way to get there.
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If you're doing the Jack The Ripper Tour make sure it's not the one led by the vodka-swilling incomprehensible 60 year old male tour guide that you can book through lastminute.com. The content of the tour is hugely interesting but a lot depends on the tour guide...;)
 
The Tower of London. The beefeaters give entertaining tours. The crown jewels are there too.

The Cabinet War Rooms and the Churchill Museum are good too. They're very near Downing St,
Westminster, and Big Ben too.

Avoid London Zoo it isn't as good as Dublin Zoo. Not worth the trek out from the centre to see it.
 
Covent Garden Market is worth a look.
There are sometimes good street performers/opera singers there, nearly as good as Grafton St.
 
a walk down the king's road on a saturday afternoon is great for people watching and shopping.

there is a cocktail bar on berkeley street in mayfair that is just opposite nobu. also for pre-dinner drinks consider no. 1 aldwych & claridges (they ought to hand out tranquilisers with the receipt but they are fantastic places to people watch).

have breakfast in the restaurant in harvy nicks and then walk through green park via buckingham palace then up the mall and then through st james's park, up pall mall to trafalgar square to visit the national gallery.

a walk through hampsted heath on sunday is always enjoyable. it is the highest point in a fairly flat city. it is a lovely suburb too and there is a good chance that you will spot a celebrity - very few females can resist this!

if celebrities are their thing then try getting a booking in the ivy (not nearly as expensive as you might think).

lunch in carluccios in st christophers place (an oasis of calm off oxford street)

eat dinner in cocoon (just off picadilly) - full of lovely looking people trying to get noticed and the food is good too.
 
C'leb spotting in Primrose Hill or Hamsptead Heath. When in Hampstead hop on the no. 24 bus for a cheap sightseeing tour, it travels through Camden and down Charing Cross Rd (hop off here for serious book-lovers), past Leicester Square to Trafalgar Square, then along Whitehall, past the Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey and Westminster Cathedral, Victoria station and then carries on to Pimlico, which is handy for the Tate Britain.

The East End is a great place to explore, Jack the Ripper, the Kray twins and the home of immigrants for centuries, Hugenots, Jews, Bangladeshis, Irish, you name em - they've lived in slums here. The best curries and bagels I've had. Combine with a meander round Petticoat Lane market.
 
Sounds wierd but to get the most of of London, avoid the tube. Instead use buses or, preferrably, walk - you'll see so much more of the city and the distances are shorter than you might think. For example, I really like the whole of the newly done-up "south of the river" area but this area is not well serviced by the tube. Here's an itinary, for example: start with a pint in the George on Borough High Street. Head towards London bridge but don't cross it - turn west keeping as close to the river as possible. There's a kind of "trail" with pedestrianised sections, cobblestoned lanes, etc. During your walk there are loads of reasons to stop - not only lots of great pubs and restaurants but stuff like Borough Market, Southwark cathedral, the reconstructed Globe theatre, the Tate modern, the Clink, old sail ships, etc. You'll also get great views of London across the river. Eventually you'll reach the South Bank complex - great for movies and plays if you want a bit of culture. At that stage you can cross the river, if you want, and walk up to the West End - Covent Garden is only a 10 minute walk - and doss around there.
 
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