Going to London!!!

[eli macrohon]

Hey there! I am so thrilled with the idea of traveling to Europe next month. My mom allowed me (finally finally!!!) to go to Europe with some friends. We will be staying with a friend's aunt to save some costs. I'd just like to ask about the beautiful places in London. What should we go see first? I've never seen a palace before, I guess this is my chance!!!

[eli macrohon]

Ooops! I'm sorry, is London in Eastern or Western London?

[lauren313]

I take it you mean Eastern or Western Europe?! It's West, don't worry, I'll move the thread!

London is a great city, really diverse, lots to do. I guess it all depends on the sort of stuff you like! There are parks, palaces, museums, theatres, shopping... so much stuff!

[eli macrohon]

Haha.. I'm getting crazy over the idea of going to London, I make so many bloopers!

[worldwidemike]

There is honestly so much to see and experience in London, that it is almost impossible to present a list here. I recommend going and getting a guidebook from the public library -- especially one on just the city, as it'll have great maps, likely. Historical stuff, there is the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, The British Museum, and on and on. Landmark sites like Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Parliament, etc., are must do's (but will probably take less time than you think).

First and foremost, though: Get comfortable riding the tube (i.e., London's subway system). It's easy and efficient, and will be your cheapest way around. It's great you have a free place to stay, as that'll save lots of money. One more thing: Plan a day trip out of the city. You can go to Canterbury, Cliffs of Dover, see any of numerous castles -- just don't spend your entire time in London. Seeing the countryside (I'd recommend taking the train) will give you a more well rounded experience of England.

As for specific sights, feel free to ask questions about them: Many, many Tpunkers have spend time in this city...

worldwidemike

[lauren313]

Def take a trip to Canterbury. I lived and studied there for 3 years, and it's a great place for a visit.

[SGRHewitt]

How long are you staying anyway? If you're staying a week or more, I would definitely say get out of the town. There are the touristy spots of Stonehenge and Stratford-upon-Avon, and there is always Oxford which was an awesome university town.

In London, of course you must head to Piccadilly, Leceister Square, and Trafalgar Square... These are all within the same area. And just down the way is Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey leading you to the river Thames.

Where I stayed was a couple of blocks away from Hyde Park, definitely a neat place for a picknic or a walk. I really could go on and on with suggestions, but I would really suggest getting a guide book and reading through it.

There much to do in this city, I didn't get to see much, and I live there for 4 months. Since you have a person you're staying with, they would be the best to tell you about the London that tourists don't get too.

Good luck! Let us know if you have any more questions.

[RobertoG]

West :-)

You will see the difference between East and West Europe when you come here. It's still visible from the different architecture. Central Europe (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland) are already Eastern Europe but still wealthy nations. But once you go more East, Ukraine, Russia, Bulgaria and Romania you will see the difference in poverty very clearly.

[ajb3000]

EDIT: Ah crap, I've just seen someone revived a two year old thread... Nevermind.

How long are you staying and how many of you will be going? You can sometimes get really cheap group train tickets for daytrips if there's 4 of you. Otherwise it's almost always cheaper to go by bus (although it takes longer).

I live in London so here are a few tips:

Get an Oyster card as soon as you arrive. You'll need it whenever you travel in London on the Underground, DLR, Trams or Buses and it's considerably cheaper than paying the cash fare each time. If you're staying for at least a week and will be travelling around London a lot every day you can also get weekly passes put on it for unlimited travel.

Try to avoid using the underground (metro? I don't know where you're from...) when going short distances as it's really easy to walk between sights in central London and you miss so much when you're underground.

Most museums are FREE!! They can be a great way to spend a day without having to spend any money at all. There are also some really nice walks such as along the south bank of the Thames from the Tower of London heading West to Westminster Palace and Big Ben, you'll go past HMS Belfast, London Dungeon, Tate Modern, the Royal Festival Hall and the London Eye. It's one of my favourite city walks, partly because there are some great bars on the way to stop in for a pint ;-).

For cheap street food head to Camden if you want Chinese, or Brick Lane if you want Indian. Brick Lane and Hoxton/Shoreditch are also great places to go for a drink in the evenings away from the touristy areas in the centre. Although Soho also has some really good places to go, but can be expensive.

I could go on for hours but let me know if there's anything specifically you'd like to know.

Are you visiting any other countries while in Europe?

[marrabel]

It is impossible to count all the places you may visit in London! Just enjoy your stay and remember that whatever place you visit it will be beautiful, because London is great! My congratulations to you! Share with your experience when comming back!

[robinchan123]

Goodluck! I wish I could go to Europe too -,-

[jasonkenny]

London is always be my one of the favorite city to go for trip. There are lots of stuffs in London that you can do. Parks, Palaces, Museum, Malls, Hotels etc. London is such a great city and expensive too. Happy Journey to London.

[PamelaWalker]

There are lots of places to visit in London like : Madame Tussauds, world famous British Museum, National Gallery, National history museum and the most famous Wax museum where you will find the wax statues of famous personalities like Michale Jackson, Bill Clinton and many more....