London travel help?

[Kat]

We are currently back in Windsor and trying to prioritize what to do the next 4-5 days. We went into London Saturday which was absolutely WILD. We saw the Churchill Museum and walked over 7 miles!! I was literally in tears from the foot and back pain. I am not used to that much walking. We tried to go to Hyde Park but the Winter Wonderland they had there is more like an amusement park and everyone was essentially drunk so we spent less time inside than we did in line to go in.

So now we are trying to plan what to do and find better ways to do it so I don't keel over, lol. We are also looking for restaurants to safely eat at. We have food allergies and love how knowledgeable they are here but everyone we tried Saturday night turned us away.

I just thought maybe some of ya'll here had traveled in this area and could tell me what ya'll did and liked and how you got around London.

 

[Angela Toucan]

I don't know London sorry, I live in the Midlands area. Most of the seasonal activities will be evenings only, if at all, this week as schools generally don't break up until the end of the week, after that there will be more local options during the day hosted by churches, libraries and other community groups.

 

[cfile]

Kat @Kat When we were there we did the hop on hop off bus which helps re the walking.. one of the restaurant pubs we loved was right on the thames. called the Rose .. I googled the hotel we stayed at (river plaza ) and then scoped out places from there... You can also get an Oyster Card and travel the subway which also helps re getting around to where you want to go. There are tons of places to go and see... I would start though with the hop on hop off tour ... go to tower of London and St Pauls etc

 

[bestcee]

How fun! I hope you have an enjoyable time!

I am of no help. London is still on my bucket list.

 

[Kat]

How fun! I hope you have an enjoyable time!

I am of no help. London is still on my bucket list.

Be warned of the jet lag... we are over halfway through our trip and still can't get up early enough. It's basically like getting out of bed at midnight or 1 am and starting your day. By the time I adjust, it's going to be time to go home. lol

 

[Kat]

Kat @Kat When we were there we did the hop on hop off bus which helps re the walking.. one of the restaurant pubs we loved was right on the thames. called the Rose .. I googled the hotel we stayed at (river plaza ) and then scoped out places from there... You can also get an Oyster Card and travel the subway which also helps re getting around to where you want to go. There are tons of places to go and see... I would start though with the hop on hop off tour ... go to tower of London and St Pauls etc

I was just looking at a 48 hour hop on hop off option, you pay for 24 hours and get the other 24. We have the oyster card from when we lived here so we just refilled that. We are in Windsor so it's an hour and a half into London by train(s) and tube which is part of our problem really. But we are in our old flat so we are super familiar and comfortable and a third of the cost of a hotel in London. We have a great view of Windsor Castle and are a short walk from there and some great shopping. We just feel super guilty we aren't doing all of the tourist-y things in London. We have a list but I don't know what's best and what's not.

 

[Kat]

I don't know London sorry, I live in the Midlands area. Most of the seasonal activities will be evenings only, if at all, this week as schools generally don't break up until the end of the week, after that there will be more local options during the day hosted by churches, libraries and other community groups.

We did find that central London was INSANE on Saturday night. I expected it to be busy but it was way worse than I expected. We didn't plan very well. It's nice a quiet today (in Windsor) but also very cold and rainy.

 

[cfile]

I was just looking at a 48 hour hop on hop off option, you pay for 24 hours and get the other 24. We have the oyster card from when we lived here so we just refilled that. We are in Windsor so it's an hour and a half into London by train(s) and tube which is part of our problem really. But we are in our old flat so we are super familiar and comfortable and a third of the cost of a hotel in London. We have a great view of Windsor Castle and are a short walk from there and some great shopping. We just feel super guilty we aren't doing all of the tourist-y things in London. We have a list but I don't know what's best and what's not.

Well good luck. We did a lot of the stuff on our own just by googling as we were there 2 days before our tour trip started.. we went to trafalgar square, saw where parliament was etc. I know there is Christmas Market there which is supposed to be good. Also there is Westminster Abbey etc. I would google London and see where all the tour companies go and start there for touristy stuff., there is the London Museum also over by Kings Cross... free museum and right there as you get off the train/subway

 

[tkradtke]

When we go to Europe, we do the Rick Steves audio tours (free in Apple Podcasts), but they can be a bit of walking. However, it's fun to listen and learn and actually the sites are relatively close together. I like doing them because you can go at your own pace if you need to sit for a bit, you can... if you want to skip something, you can do that too. We did the Historic London one with the kids last trip.

https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/audio/audio-tours/london

We also have an old guidebook that was written in the 50s or 60s that I found in a thrift shop 20 years ago. It's called Turn Left at the Fountain and it's a walking tour/guidebook to the major cities of Europe. Of course, some things have changed and we've run into a few dead ends before... but we've also got to experience some really cool places that weren't mentioned in our other guidebooks... like the London Silver Vaults. I can look up that info for you if you would like.

 

[cfile]

@Kat Joolz is very good too... check this on YouTube he has a lot on sightseeing in London
https://joolzguides.com/

There is also the Sherlock Holmes museum on Bakers Street.. 007 stuff Madame Taussad London all those things besides the actual history of stuff. Also go back to HP tours as they have added a few more things since you were there last

 

[djp332]

The museums are free. And they are fabulous!
Covent Gardens for some shopping.

Also, not too far away is the Warner Brothers Studios where Harry Potter was filmed.

 

[bestcee]

It's basically like getting out of bed at midnight or 1 am and starting your day.

I don't sleep much anyway! It'll be perfect. Just kidding! Good warning to keep in mind.

 

[Kat]

I don't sleep much anyway! It'll be perfect. Just kidding! Good warning to keep in mind.

Man I wish we had that "problem". lol... I got up at 11 am here (5 am my usual time) and my husband slept until 4:30 pm (10:30 am our usual time)... most things close here by 5/6 pm so we have now spent two days inside being bums. I don't mind really though, it is very cold and rainy.

 

[cookingmylife]

I first went to London in 1965, lived up north for 7 years and have gone back to visit London probably a dozen times over the years. Remember @MrsPeel is now a Londoner and if she's well, you might try to visit.

I love the Tate Modern and the little stalls along the Thames in that area. The National Theater has some wonderful plays and some various free things. We heard Ravi Shankar's daughter Anouska performing for free two years ago. Cross the Wobbly Bridge and look at the man painting the gum bits. Also The Courtald Gallery is fascinating and has a special Christmas branch of Fortnums. I usually get tea towels as an relatively affordable souvenir. Sitting outside there along the river at 3ish will give you some wonderful golden light for photos or misty ones depending on the day.

A walk along Regent Street to look at the window displays and definitely a stop in Libertys of London. Sigh. Oh and the Apple store just cause it's HUGE! The City of London Museum?

What else? A curry on Brick Lane? a walk around the East End? though I'd suggest avoiding the Whitechapel Market area on a Friday. I wanted to get some spices there but as a non-Muslim woman alone I did not feel welcome and I've lived in Muslim countries. Just cultural awareness. If you like or collect maps as I do, the map man in Spitalfieds Market. The shops in Islington and restaurants round the Angel. I'm salivating now.

We've also enjoyed taking the train to Greenwich and walking under the Thames to get to it. Also if you're in Windsor, how about a day in Bath? We would definitely go back there and if you can time it for the Christmas pageant at the Cathedral you'll have a very special treat. The children's singing, the donkey ...it was truly lovely.

Can you tell I love England?

 

[cookingmylife]

For Jet Lag...https://www.flowsforlife.com/case-5-the-power-of-the-thumb/

As Astrid says hold the thumb - if you can for 5 minutes, then each of the other fingers in turn. Doing this on the flight will help you when you land and my doubting engineer husband even said, It kinda sorta helped. That's strong praise for him! I do this and while I usually sleep on long flights, I also do this and have for 20 years.

 

[cfile]

For Jet Lag...https://www.flowsforlife.com/case-5-the-power-of-the-thumb/

As Astrid says hold the thumb - if you can for 5 minutes, then each of the other fingers in turn. Doing this on the flight will help you when you land and my doubting engineer husband even said, It kinda sorta helped. That's strong praise for him! I do this and while I usually sleep on long flights, I also do this and have for 20 years.

We don’t sleep on the plane going over.. perhaps a cat nap but not really.. then when we get there to the U.K. or Europe we stay up the entire day and go to bed at night and while we are up for 24 or more hours it gets us right in line with the time frame of where we are visiting.