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Dixie -> RE: First Visit to London - what to see (7/9/2014 5:31:49 PM)
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It partly depends on where your interests lie. But stuff I've done across a few trips (often with Mrs Dixie in tow) and enjoyed:
RAF Museum Hendon (of course, I would say that!. It's free to get in as well)
HMS Belfast
The Tower of London. You can either wander about by yourselves or join a tour with a Yeoman Warder which was fantastic.
The Imperial War Museum, be aware a lot of the 'usual' stuff isn't there at the moment as they're set up for the 100th anniversary of the First World War.
The Science Museum. Has loads of cool stuff, on a range of subjects. Including a floor of aeroplanes and aero engines (I just like 'planes, don't judge me!)
The Natural History Museum. Next door to the Science Museum and very good too, Mrs Dixie enjoyed it more than the Science Museum.
Buck House. Free to look at, go at the right time and watch the soldiers in their shiny boots do changing of the guard if you can.
London Zoo. It's a zoo. With animals. What else would you expect?!
London Dungeons. Not for the faint hearted. Or claustrophobic.
Churchill War Rooms. Did these when I was a lot younger.
Sea Life Aquarium. It's full of fish! And sharks. And turtles. Even penguins!
Maritime Museum was decent, especially given the price (free!) but didn't appeal to me as much as some of the other stuff. That's not to say it's a bad visit.
We also saw the Lion King musical, normally not my thing (I got Mrs Dixie tickets for her birthday a couple of years back) but that was a fantastic experience.
There are also various walking tours, bus tours and boat tours. The bus tours pick up and drop off at various points, walking tours tend to start near a point (Tower of London) and cover an area like Whitechapel. Loads of memorials to various groups as well (I 'found' the Merchant Navy memorial last time I was there). There are plenty of street performers and the like. Some stuff, like Nelson's Column etc are places just to see and can be rolled into other visits. We walked from our hotel (near Waterloo Station) to the Houses of Parliament, past Downing Street and the Cenotaph and Trafalgar Square. Then past Horse Guard's and St James's park and Buckingham Palace.
I'd recommend getting a tube (Underground) ticket to cover your stay, they can be bought for multiple days and make getting around a lot easier and quicker as long as you can read the map. It also covers the Docklands Light Railway which you'll need to get to Greenwich. I believe that the normal buses are (a) bloody confusing cos I didn't know where most stuff was and (b) do not accept cash any more, you'll need an Oyster Card.
Taxis are an alright way to get around, although more expensive than the tube or walking, and a good driver will know a lot of the local history and be able to do a decent tour in it's own right if you ask them nicely. A taxi is obviously a better choice if you've got a load of luggage with you.
I'm not sure where you're from, so remember the British weather will include rain at some point!
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