Do Not Die Today: Southern California, 2022 (COMPLETE 2/23)

[irene_dsc]

I agree that you don't need to see a lot of the official sites to see London! DD and I went there in 2022 for Pokemon Worlds, so not a typical sightseeing trip, but we did add a little bit of extra time. What she really wanted was just to walk around and soak in what it was like to be in a different country for the first time, so that's what we did. We did see a bunch of famous places from the outside, and then we also spent a day at Cambridge with one of her friends who was a student there. I also went to the Victoria & Albert Museum by myself one day, tho that's probably not as interesting to you. Plus lots of time at Excel Center (the convention center). We also went on the Underground a bit, which I recommend as a quick way to get around at times and also to see more of a cross-section of Londoners than you'll see at the major tourist spots.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

I have spent a lot of time in London as a poor student, you don’t have to do all the expensive stuff, but you can have a fantastic time with free things!

Well, that's great to hear! I know London is not a cheap city to visit.

Free and quintessential London:
Changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace
Walk through Hyde Park, Regent’s Park and St. James Park
Visit Harrods
Look at Tower Bridge
Cross the Millennium Bridge (and marvel at the engineering failure it was)
Walk along South Bank on the Thames
Camden Market - make sure to look at the canals there or another place
Borough Market
Visit Greenwich and the Prime Meridian
Also, lots of the museums are free. My favorites are Tate Modern (the building itself is impressive!), the Imperial War Museum (a very sobering look at the history of war, but still done in an engaging way. I know it sounds strange, but this is a fantastic museum!), Museum of London Docklands (explains how England got so rich in the slave trade amongst other things)

I had a lot of these on my list! I know it's impossible to see everything, so no matter what, we'll leave some meat on the bone. But it will be fun to try and see all that we can.

I know it’s easy to say when you have already done the big sights: but in my opinion you can have an excellent visit to London without seeing the Tower of London (I actually much prefer Hampton Court) or the British Museum.

Interesting. I've heard so many good things about the Tower of London I figured it was a must-do.

Also: I would suggest to walk a lot, London is incredible walkable. When I lived there we walked all over the place to save on the bus fare. And otherwise take a bus if possible, especially if it’s a two story bus where you can sit upstairs. You will see so much more of the city!

Hope you have a great time.

We will definitely be walking quite a bit, as well as using the Tube. That was the plan, anyway.

I agree that you don't need to see a lot of the official sites to see London! DD and I went there in 2022 for Pokemon Worlds, so not a typical sightseeing trip, but we did add a little bit of extra time. What she really wanted was just to walk around and soak in what it was like to be in a different country for the first time, so that's what we did. We did see a bunch of famous places from the outside, and then we also spent a day at Cambridge with one of her friends who was a student there. I also went to the Victoria & Albert Museum by myself one day, tho that's probably not as interesting to you. Plus lots of time at Excel Center (the convention center). We also went on the Underground a bit, which I recommend as a quick way to get around at times and also to see more of a cross-section of Londoners than you'll see at the major tourist spots.

Thanks! The nice thing about the museums being free is that I won't feel obligated to see everything in there if we're just not feeling it that day.

 

[bookgirl]

Yeah, that "paying for 6 people" thing is still jumping up to bite us. I need these kids to start paying their own way. So I'll probably skip the bus. I think we'll end up trying to hit various attractions in geographical areas of the city so we can walk between them as best as we can.

Near as I could tell, a lot of the attractions open up reservations about 2-3 months in advance so I guess I'll have to keep my eye on it!

Thanks so much!

Both times I went to the UK I would book a hotel right by a Tube (subway) hub. The Tube is a quick and cost effective way to get around and it was really easy to hop on just steps from my hotel then hop off right in the middle of a bunch of 'attractions'.

The downside of this is you travel underground (yikes) and you don't see much of the city. But your subway pass works on the busses as well. Also try to avoid commuter times as public transportation is more popular than car there.

London was one of the best public transportation cities I've every traveled.

I stayed right by King's Cross (and yes there is a HP souvenir shop and photo op inside) St Pancras is right next door and Euston Station is a block or so down. Also it's a bus hub as well since the stations are there.

In that same area are a ton of hotels in a variety of price ranges and lots of pubs/takeaways/and a Tesco and a mini M&S to grab food.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Both times I went to the UK I would book a hotel right by a Tube (subway) hub. The Tube is a quick and cost effective way to get around and it was really easy to hop on just steps from my hotel then hop off right in the middle of a bunch of 'attractions'.

The downside of this is you travel underground (yikes) and you don't see much of the city. But your subway pass works on the busses as well. Also try to avoid commuter times as public transportation is more popular than car there.

Our hotel is not in downtown London (just way too expensive), but I did find one within easy walking distance of a tube station. I'm basically planning on taking the tube everywhere. I figure we'll probably do plenty of walking once we're in the city and can see the sights that way. Not sure I'll be able to avoid commuter times but we'll see how it goes.

London was one of the best public transportation cities I've every traveled.

Good to know! The guide book I bought said there is one rule about driving in London: don't.

I stayed right by King's Cross (and yes there is a HP souvenir shop and photo op inside) St Pancras is right next door and Euston Station is a block or so down. Also it's a bus hub as well since the stations are there.

In that same area are a ton of hotels in a variety of price ranges and lots of pubs/takeaways/and a Tesco and a mini M&S to grab food.

Thanks for all the great tips!

 

[rdkeim]

Always have loved reading your TR's. Thank you for taking the time to come back and finish this trip. You have a lovely family and it's wonderful you've given your kids the experience of travel. We leave in 3 weeks for our second visit to the UK - this time is London and then a couple weeks with a rental car (scary!). Not sure when your UK trip is but I hope it is (was) awesome!