[M_Six]

Originally Posted by DC F97

she will probably just hop a train to paris to go buy some ridiculously overpriced handbags. Guess i cant complain..i get my x3m... she gets whatever she wants.. lol
her money is her money.. and my money is her money

I know that feeling. Although Wifey is the big money earner here, so it's all good.

[kscarrol]

Originally Posted by Clark_Kent

Stumbled across this little gem when my wife and I visited last. Enjoy!

https://www.punjab.co.uk/

Recommended it above, been going there since the mid-80's! Love the Punjab! Get the lamb boti kebob!!

[HFW003]

London is very easy to get around but I would certainly recommend a hop on/off bus tour to get the lay of the land.

Sounds like everyone has given you the normal touristy things to do.

We stay in the Hotel Park Plaza which is right at Westminster Bridge. A two minute walk across the bridge and you are at Big Ben.

For quick breakfast, lunch, quick snacks and coffee we really like Pret A Manger.

There are a couple of good restaurants up the top of The Shard but saying that we went to Hutong and I didn't think it was that good.

Almost any pub in London is good for a beer and food.

I would suggest walking along the river for markets, Borough etc.

I would also suggest a quick trip to Richmond and Kew Gardens.

A day trip to Oxford and Cambridge is also very worthwhile.

Depending on the sport you like, Lords is good for a tour.

The National Gallery and Trafalgar Square in general are great.

Lots to do!

[M_Six]

Kew Gardens was cool, but we were there in the summer when a lot was in bloom. Not sure it would hold much interest for pre-teen boys, though.

Love the Pret a Manger places. Much better in London than they are in the U.S.

[Middy2000]

I'm a Brit so can offer my considered opintion.

Madame Tussauds might also be worth a visit to keep the kids entertained.

There is the Harry Potter Platform 9 3/4 at Kings Cross station. Admittedly once you've seen it for 5 minutes that's your lot but you can get the kids excited talking about it....

In terms of safety don't worry. I'm sure you're accustomed to keeping your valuables safe. Keep valuables away from easy reach etc...
The tourist areas are fine and there aren't any no go areas as such. I doubt you'll be walking through places that are a little off the beaten track at say 3am.




Are you planning on renting a car and travelling outside of central London. There are loads to interesting places just outside of London.

[SenorFunkyPants]

Scott Waters on his trip to England a few years ago:

Almost everyone is very polite
The food is generally outstanding
There are no guns
There are too many narrow stairs
Everything is just a little bit different
The pubs close too early
The reason they drive on the left is because all their cars are built backwards
Pubs are not bars, they are community living rooms.
You’d better like peas, potatoes and sausage
Refrigerators and washing machines are very small
Everything is generally older, smaller and shorter
People don’t seem to be afraid of their neighbors or the government
Their paper money makes sense, the coins don’t
Everyone has a washing machine but driers are rare
Hot and cold water faucets. Remember them?
Pants are called “trousers”, underwear are “pants” and sweaters are “jumpers”
The bathroom light is a string hanging from the ceiling
“Fanny” is a naughty word, as is “shag”
All the signs are well designed with beautiful typography and written in full sentences with proper grammar.
There’s no dress code
Doors close by themselves, but they don’t always open
They eat with their forks upside down
The English are as crazy about their gardens as Americans are about cars
They don’t seem to use facecloths or napkins or maybe they’re just neater then [sic] we are
The wall outlets all have switches, some don’t do anything
There are hardly any cops or police cars
5,000 year ago, someone arranged a lot of rocks all over, but no one is sure why
Everything comes with chips, which are French fries. You put vinegar on them
Cookies are “biscuits” and potato chips are “crisps”
HP sauce is better then catsup
Obama is considered a hero, Bush is considered an idiot.
After fish and chips, curry is the most popular food
The water controls in showers need detailed instructions
They can boil anything
Folks don’t always lock their bikes
It’s not unusual to see people dressed different and speaking different languages
Your electronic devices will work fine with just a plug adapter
Nearly everyone is better educated then we are
If someone buys you a drink you must do the same
There are no guns
Look right, walk left. Again; look right, walk left. You’re welcome.
Avoid British wine and French beer
It’s not that hard to eat with the fork in your left hand with a little practice. If you don’t, everyone knows you’re an American
Many of the roads are the size of our sidewalks
There’s no AC
Instead of turning the heat up, you put on a jumper
Gas is “petrol”, it costs about $6 a gallon and is sold by the liter
If you speed on a motorway, you get a ticket. Period. Always
You don’t have to tip, really!
Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Cornwall really are different countries
Only 14% of Americans have a passport, everyone in the UK does
You pay the price marked on products because the taxes (VAT) are built in
Walking is the national pastime
Their TV looks and sounds much better then ours
They took the street signs down during WWII, but haven’t put them all back up yet
Everyone enjoys a good joke
There are no guns
Dogs are very well behaved and welcome everywhere
There are no window screens
You can get on a bus and end up in Paris
Everyone knows more about our history then we do
Radio is still a big deal. The BBC is quite good
The newspapers can be awful
Everything costs the same but our money is worth less so you have to add 50% to the price to figure what you’re paying
Beer comes in large, completely filled, actual pint glasses and the closer the brewery the better the beer
Butter and eggs aren’t refrigerated
The beer isn’t warm, each style is served at the proper temperature
Cider (alcoholic) is quite good.
Excess cider consumption can be very painful.
The universal greeting is “Cheers” (pronounced “cheeahz” unless you are from Cornwall, then it’s “chairz”)
The money is easy to understand: 1-2-5-10-20-50 pence, then-£1-£2-£5-£10, etc bills. There are no quarters.
Their cash makes ours look like Monopoly money
Cars don’t have bumper stickers
Many doorknobs, buildings and tools are older than America
By law, there are no crappy, old cars
When the sign says something was built in 456, they didn’t lose the “1”
Cake is is pudding, ice cream is pudding, anything served for desert is pudding, even pudding
BBC 4 is NPR
Everything closes by 1800 (6pm)
Very few people smoke, those who do often roll their own
You’re defined by your accent
No one in Cornwall knows what the hell a Cornish Game Hen is
Soccer is a religion, religion is a sport
Europeans dress better then the British, we dress worse
The trains work: a three minute delay is regrettable
Drinks don’t come with ice
There are far fewer fat English people
There are a lot of healthy old folks around participating in life instead of hiding at home watching tv
If you’re over 60, you get free tv and bus and rail passes.
They don’t use Bose anything anywhere
Displaying your political or religious affiliation is considered very bad taste
Every pub has a pet drunk
Their healthcare works, but they still bitch about it
Cake is one of the major food groups
Their coffee is mediocre but their tea is wonderful
There are still no guns
Towel warmers!
Cheers”

[SenorFunkyPants]

Uber is good in London..
No one speaks to strangers in tube trains.
On the tube escalators, stand on the right or walk up/down on the left.
Science museum is good for kids...the V&A museum is on the same road but not so good for kids.
London eye is fun.
Covent garden is busy but interesting to walk round.
Some sort of contactless credit card is handy especially for the underground.
Ask for a quiet room in any hotel...London is a bit noisy 24/7.
Leicester square/piccadilly circus/trafalgar square...plenty of shops and eating places and the National Gallery...also bucket shops for short notice/same day theatre tickets

[DC X3M40i]

Originally Posted by Middy2000

I'm a Brit so can offer my considered opintion.

Madame Tussauds might also be worth a visit to keep the kids entertained.

There is the Harry Potter Platform 9 3/4 at Kings Cross station. Admittedly once you've seen it for 5 minutes that's your lot but you can get the kids excited talking about it....

In terms of safety don't worry. I'm sure you're accustomed to keeping your valuables safe. Keep valuables away from easy reach etc...
The tourist areas are fine and there aren't any no go areas as such. I doubt you'll be walking through places that are a little off the beaten track at say 3am


Are you planning on renting a car and travelling outside of central London. There are loads to interesting places just outside of London.

We don’t plan on renting a car. Will rely on mass transit or taxis to get around. I don’t trust myself driving in London. Not when I’m used to being on the right side of the road for the past 20+ years of driving in the states.

In terms of safety...it is a concern of mine...but in reality...I won’t be roaming the streets with my kids until the wee hours.

[gjm120]

I lived there a good while ago and traveled back often since. These are my favorite things...

Fish and chips. The Seashell near Marlybone Station is upmarket. Popular with tourists and Brits. Micky's near Paddington Station is a good less upmarket one, but, most all are usually good. You'll probably come from LHR into Paddington.

Beer - Fullers London ESB (hard to get in the US) or Brakspears (sp?) about impossible to find in the US.

[gjm120]

And so you don't think I'm a fat lush, the National Gallery. It's easy to get to and has a very good collection of art that I like.

[kscarrol]

^ I'll follow up the fat lush and agree on the National Gallery. Also located steps away at Trafalgar Square is the St Martin in the Fields church. Smaller than Westminster and my kids enjoyed the brass rubbing there...

Edit: Love the Fullers as well. Stick to the local beers when in the pubs though lately I've lot's of Bud and Coor's Light which seems to sell surprisingly well with the locals.

[premier3is]

Originally Posted by DC F97

just scoped out the menu... sounds good. i've never really sampled alot of indian cuisine outside of naan and tikka masala... but my wife loves it... and my older son has taken a liking to it. My younger son is just happy that the hotel we might book has a mcdonalds and burger king nearby...

Heads up, when I was in London I went to Paris too since I knew it was close enough to just hop on a train and go.

Check the pricing though, since it was actually cheaper to fly Air France for me and land in Paris vs. going by train! You may just end up catching a flight.

[The0pportunist]

When my canadian cousins came over we took them on every public transport possible. You just need a 'contactless' credit card for every traveler and it will automatically stop charging you once you have reached the daily max. No need to bother with Oyster cards.

Bus
River Bus
Tube
Overground
Cable Car
DLR

The easiest way to get around Central London is tube & maybe Uber in the evenings.

Have fun

[wrickem]

Bring spoons because in England you only get one spoon when you're born and if you lose it you have to eat your porridge with a fork unless somebody dies and wills you theirs and on the 4th of july they have to spend the day polishing their spoons because they lost the war.


And have a great trip!


* I actually convinced a coworker this was true when he was going on his first business trip to London after I just back from there. He packed 20 spoons to make new friends there

[Germanauto]

There's so much to do.

I'm Indian and find Dishoom to be the best Indian food I've ever eaten in my life. At least 5 people told me about this place and it's reputation is well deserved. There is always a long line outside but it is 100% worth it (plus they give you free chai and wine in line). I went to the Covenant Garden location. Surprisingly their prices are not out of this world.

Venchi has some of the best gelato in the world. I thought it's only in Italy but to my surprise it's in London too.

Brain dump from my end: definitely do the hop on hop off if you've never done it before. Westminster area is nice to stroll around, especially along the Thames. Leicester square, Trafalgar square, Buckingham palace, Hyde park, Bond Street (for shopping), British Museum, Tower bridge, the area around City Hall, and Tower of London (if you're a history buff). These are just the major things that are nice to see.

And if you're into designer goods please splurge in Europe because prices there are significantly cheaper. After conversion things like Burberry polos and Louis Vuitton belts are nearly 50% cheaper! All the stores are in London as well as in Heathrow.

[M_Six]

Originally Posted by Germanauto

There's so much to do.

I'm Indian and find Dishoom to be the best Indian food I've ever eaten in my life. At least 5 people told me about this place and it's reputation is well deserved. There is always a long line outside but it is 100% worth it (plus they give you free chai and wine in line). I went to the Covenant Garden location. Surprisingly their prices are not out of this world.

Venchi has some of the best gelato in the world. I thought it's only in Italy but to my surprise it's in London too.

Brain dump from my end: definitely do the hop on hop off if you've never done it before. Westminster area is nice to stroll around, especially along the Thames. Leicester square, Trafalgar square, Buckingham palace, Hyde park, Bond Street (for shopping), British Museum, Tower bridge, the area around City Hall, and Tower of London (if you're a history buff). These are just the major things that are nice to see.

And if you're into designer goods please splurge in Europe because prices there are significantly cheaper. After conversion things like Burberry polos and Louis Vuitton belts are nearly 50% cheaper! All the stores are in London as well as in Heathrow.

Ooh, Wifey can't do any dairy products at all and this place (Dishoom) looks to have a bunch of non-dairy stuff on the menu. Thank you for this rec. It'll definitely be a stop on our next trip.

That said, our next trip to the UK will be for a conference in Durham. We've been there before, but just for a day. This time we'll be based there. I'll be looking for recs here when we get closer to that trip.

[SenorFunkyPants]

Originally Posted by Germanauto

I'm Indian and find Dishoom to be the best Indian food I've ever eaten in my life. At least 5 people told me about this place and it's reputation is well deserved.

If you like Indian food then Dishoom is definitely right up there...we went to the one in Kings Cross, its pretty funky with a thirties Indian railway station vibe.
https://www.dishoom.com/kings-cross/

[spencers]

Originally Posted by kscarrol

And a word of warning, DON'T let your kids talk you into walking up the stairs in the Covent Garden tube station.... made that mistake ONCE!

My brother in law played that trick on us. Luckily my wife and I don't mind stairs at all!

[DC X3M40i]

Originally Posted by spencers

My brother in law played that trick on us. Luckily my wife and I don't mind stairs at all!

Assuming it's a shit ton of stairs? Lol

[vreihen16]

Originally Posted by DC F97

Assuming it's a shit ton of stairs? Lol

195 of them, IIRC.....

[DocL]

Don't forget a trip out to Windsor. It's not as crowded and you can get a great view of the changing of the Guard. There's also the crooked house there too.

[ToddBlack88]

Imperial war museum in London is a must see in my opinion.
Walk through Hyde park. Pedal boat if the weather is good and warm.
London eye for a birds eye view.