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What to do in London?
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Hello! Me and a friend are going to London next week to watch a musical at the Adelphi Theatre. The train tickets say we'll get to Charing Cross about 4:30pm, but the musical doesn't start til 7:30pm so we'll have a few hours spare. We've never been to London on our own before so we want to explore a little bit, but we don't want to wander too far away from the theatre in case we get lost.
I know hardly anything about London, it all seems so confusing to me! Is there anything that you could recommend to do in this area? Thanks in advance for replying
I know hardly anything about London, it all seems so confusing to me! Is there anything that you could recommend to do in this area? Thanks in advance for replying
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It was only a pub lunch but it was a nice pub.
there a few to choose from - and you could walk Through Trafalgar square - down Whitehall (past Downing st etc) Parliament Square and then to the River at Westminster for the boats (about 30 mins) - say 1 hour on boat .... then about 30 min back to the Adelphi along the embankment...
Or you could walk down Villiers Street to the Embankment and cross the Thames by the footbridge, which gives good views downstream towards St Paul's etc. Turn left at the far end, and walk along the South Bank where you'll find the National Theatre, BFI (National Film Theatre), Royal Festival Hall and lots of people strolling by the river. There are bars, restaurants, shops etc and on a nice day it's a very pleasant walk.
Charing Cross is right in the centre.
You are very very close to Trafalgar Square so that will be an ideal place to start.. If you're into art then there is the portrait gallery there.
You are also very near Oxford Street and Regents Street if you want to shop.
You could try the new Shard building if you like architecture which is near London Bridge..
Do you plan to eat when you get there?
If you like Sushi there is a lovely place near South Kensington station called Itsu..
PS - if you ever get lost (the cabs are helpful although more pricey... but once on the tube just look for the line for Charing Cross and change accordingly - I hope you have fun
I get all excited every time i'm on a boat that goes under tower bridge
Not true , maybe its just you
The link tells you what is around theatre land. Don't forget the tube gets busy at rush hour and are you there when the Olympics are on? If so I would get myself to theatre land and not stray too far, I would stay within walking distance, find a nice place to eat and people watch. Always a good way to while away some time.
Go to another pub. Buy a beer
Repeat as necessary...
If you find London boring then you really shouldn't try living anywhere else on planet Earth.
I would go with a Thames boat cruise and you can catch all the main sights. Also itsu is a chain, they are dotted all around London. If you don't fancy sushi, then there are lots of sandwich places such as eat. You could instead explore borough market and grab some food for brandisa, though that will take you a bit far from the adelphi. You need more time!:D
Got to agree with this.
eta just realised you'll be there in the evening, I think the market closes around 5pm but not sure.
There's actually only 2 Itsu restaurants in London, the rest are shops where you just by boxes. A whole different experience..
There is one in South Kensington and one in Docklands which is too far out hence why I suggested that one.
As I said, the Shard would be nice if you are into architecture. I know it's not open in the inside but it's still a good photo opportunity if you don't get the chance again and it's at London Bridge so there's other things to do there too.
Well you just said itsu was a 'lovely place', you didn't specify that you meant the restaurant. I aint psychic bruv.
Free to get into, and you don't have to be an art boffin/lover to appreciate the place.
Otherwise London Monument to the Great Fire of London (tube: Monument) - 311 steps if you can manage it and good views off London from the top. £3.
Alternatively #23 bus from Charing X up Regents Street and Oxford St to Marble Arch/Hyde Park - see a lot of sights from the top deck. Get a Boris Bike in Hyde Park.
It were lovely sitting up there in the sun. It smelt beautiful with all the plants up there - it's also non-smoking, which is nice (and I say that as a smoker myself).
Edit: They also serve a refreshing selection of fruit juices.
so i personally would wander over to Covent Garden and dawdle there for an hour or 2 (at most) then just mosie on over to the theater!
charing x IS trafalger sq. just cross the road.
awkward time of day to arrive.
national gallery and national portrait gallery both there but not sure when they shut (consult websites). free. worth a v quick look.
above suggestion about looking round covent garden v good. the next street effectively. very touristy. interesting shops. probaly some live performers in the piazza (where eliza higgins sold flowers in My Fair Lady).
its also very easy to cross the thames on new footbridge direct from charing x station. takes u straight to south bank area. with national theatre/ film theatre/ festival hall/ london eye wheel etc. lots of people around and stuff going on. cool scene.
my suggestion is u go straight from station across bridge to national theater and something to eat in the foyer. just to experience it. "greek box" and cup of tea. then quick peek inside festival hall and back across footbrifge through station. 5 mins in traf sq then turn right forlcovent garden. distances small and u can very comfortably do all this inside 2 hours.
then 1 hour to wander around a bit not too far from theatre.possibly leicester sq and picadilly circus. plenty of takeaways. public loos leicester sq.
should all fit together quite ntcely without rushing.
therefore ...... revised cunning plan suggestion.
from station cross traf sq into nationall gallery if open and i i sugest rembrant room.
back thro station to south bank and eat in national foyer and look round as above.
back across bridge then turn right off traf sq into covent garden.
the other place u might look at is the soho gay area just above leicester sq and north of shaftsbury av.
u can do all this quite confortably assuming 3 hours.
.... other think is on the footbridge u get wonderful panoramic view of london along thames east or west. major landmarks easy to spot. what it was built for really ........
but i suggest my revised plan above nat gallery / cross footbridge to south / south bank/ footbridge back to covent garden ...... adding chinatown and gay soho as well is not feasable in just 3 hours. unless u miss out covent garden which is probably more worth seeing ......