London (England)

Notes about visits to London, England in the UK

                       

Overview

• Before you go: Movies
• Songs
• Shop Foods
• Airports
• Port Southhampton
• Just One Day?
• Eats
• London from East to West and North:
  • East
  • South London Bridge:
  • SoHo West End (Theater District):
  • Whitehall
  • Mayfair (Southbound):
  • Knightsbridge:
  • South
• The Oldest parts
• Itineraries

Before you go: Movies

• 2025 Mission: Impossible Final Reckoning has Ethan Hunt running pass the Big Ben.
• James Bond films
• London Has Fallen
• The Gentlemen
• The Crown on Netflix
• Apple Records studios
• Lord of the Rings
• Harry Potter series - Leaky Cauldron

Songs

VIDEO: Song “London Bridge Is Falling Down” played by Loren Digiori in the style of Ragtime, Jazz, Blues, Tango, 50’s Doowap, Polka, and Satie’s Gymnopedie.

Shop Foods

• Save time and the hassel of lugging gifts home. Skip the British Museum shops and shop online at https://www.britishmuseumshoponline.org/ Items I especially like include:
  • £50 Corinthian Helmet Replica
  • £315 Georg Hartmann Astrolabe Replica
  • assortment of scarfs

World Market and Williams Sonoma stores in the us sometimes carries items from upmarket British department stores:

• YouTube: [Tour by Hannah Ricketts] Fortnum and Mason Bisquits

• Harrod’s

Airports

• Heathrow
• Gatwick

• Stansted

• PROTIP: Book a Fastrack through Security through your airline. It’s £12.50, but worth it to avoid the long lines.

• PROTIP: Exchange your money at a Post Office, which doesn’t charge transaction fees.

• PROTIP: Find out what Terminal you are flying out of. A different terminal for a different city on the same airline. There are four terminals, and they are not connected. You can take a free bus between terminals, but that takes 20 minutes.

  • Delta is in Terminal 3.

• Book ahead for the Heathrow Express from London (£5.50 instead of 25).

  • OpenTable.com Afternoon Teas in London:British Museum, Claridges, Harrods, The Ritz

blackberrycars.com

1. https://www.londonpass.com/london-attractions/tea-and-tattle.html

_posts/2023-11-05-london.md

https://loveandlondon.com/london-101-guide-main/ London 101 Guide

https://www.instagram.com/smilewithjeryl/ The King of poses for pictures

Port Southhampton

That’s where cruise ships dock.

https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

Just One Day?

VIDEO: The Ultimate London Tour: How To See The Absolute Most In One Day

1. Ahead of time, get tickets to the Tower of London.

2. International arrivals at the St. Pancras International station.
3. Get an “Oster” card. Free rides after 5 rides the same day.
4. Get the CityMapper app on your smartphone.
5. Get in a black cab to experience all the room in the cab getting to St. Pauls cathedral,
6. Go past the old “Stable Inn”.
7. St. Pauls cathedral was built in Baroque style in 1675. It’s in Mary Poppins, Paddington2, etc. And it’s also used for coronations of the monarch.
8. Walk around back to the shopping area for pictures of the cathedral reflecting off glass and water.
9. Buy a bakery item for eating at the Tower of London.
10. Get on the Number 15 bus and use your Oster card. Get off at the Tower of London.
11. Go down to see how big the Crown Jewels are.
12. Take a picture with a Beefeater (especially a female one) and the ravens.
13. Use a lous (bathroom)
14. Cross the Thames on the Tower bridge to eat your way across the Burrough Market (closed Mondays)
15. Take a picture at the Harry Potter stall.

16. Walk to the Tower tube station westbound to Westminster

17. Cross to get a picture at the red phone box.

18. Spot Dr. Martin Luther King among the statues

19. Trafalgar Square is where protests are held. Here is the world’s smallest police station. The last scene of “Mission: Impossible 8” was filmed here.
20. Chinatown laterns and bakeries.
21. Leister Square of theaters.
22. Covent Garden market to watch buskers (street performers)
23. The flower-filled conservatory and log fire in the Clos Maggiore is among the most romantic French restaurants.

“Downton Abbey” is filmed in locations in London

In London and much of Europe, churches are converted to pubs, shops, and restaurants. The Mercato Mayfair is a popular two-story food from around the world. It used to be St. Mark’s Church. VIDEO

VIDEO Among high rises, Leadenhall Market has shops from the Victorian Harry Potter shop fronts.

The Warner Brothers Harry Potter Studios is an hour away in NorthWest London. There is a behind-the-scenes tour VIDEO

• Skygarden.london
• horizon22.co.uk

Eats

VIDEO: London’s best restaurants: Breakfast at Regency Cafe. Pizza at Crisp be.

London from East to West and North:

PROTIP: Get a Osyter card for the Tube (subway) and buses. Use it (instead of a VISA card) to get free rides after five rides the same day. Get a refund on the card when you leave.

East

1. MAP: The Royal Observatory Greenwich is on a tall hill five miles from central London – a great panarama photo of the city. For £18
   • Take the train to the line to the Greenwhich station to walk to the largest sundial in the world MAP, Instagram video.
   • Walk up the steep hill to the Observatory.

   • Outside, stand on the Prime Meridian line (0° longitude) for a photo of your feet pointing to on both sides of the line, and visit the museum.

   • In the building, see the uniform (with all the medals) Admiral Nelson wore in the Battle of Trafalgar. The opposite of camo. So he got shot. The English still won on Oct 21, 1805 against France in the battle, which occurred near Gibraltar, Spain and is the last great naval battle with wooden ships. The win opened the way for British colonies and the Industrial Revolution.

   • Turner and the Sea exhibit.
   • TripAdvisor: Greenwich
   • Walk down to the Old Royal Naval College for the Greenwich station on the ___ line.
   • National Maritime Museum
   • FOOD: The Golden Chippy</a> at 62 Greenwich High Road is top-rated for fish and chips
   • Cutty Sark is a 19th-century tea clipper ship museum and restaurant.
2. O2 arena

3. NIGHT: ABBA Experience stadium

   South London Bridge:

4. Borough (Farmers) Market
   • Wild Mushroom Rosotto made with Truffle Oil and Parmesan cheese and Spelt
   • Strawberries with chocolate
5. Residence Inn by Marriott London Bridge

6. FOOD: Bar Douro Portuguese cuisine near London Bridge

7. The Shakespeare’s Globe theater on the banks of the Thames river is a reconstruction of the original Globe theater in London. VIDEO: Shakespeare made up 800 new words</a> that are still in use everyday. VIDEO: Why We Can’t Do Plays Like Shakespeare Anymore (because of many technologies invented yet)

   SoHo West End (Theater District):

8. London Eye (overrated tourist trap)

9. WEST across Westminster bridge for photo

   Whitehall

10. Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben) & Parliament of Westminster
11. NORTH to Instagram video: Sherlock Holmes Pub and apartment upstairs, near Trafalgar Square
12. Trafalgar Square (TUB STOP)
13. NORTH to Instagram videeo: Chintown red lanturns

14. NORTH to British Museum (TUB STOP). Its Albukhary Gallery of the Islamic World is the largest collection of Islamic art in the world.

    Mayfair (Southbound):

15. WEST to Instagram video: Selfridges off Portnum Street station

16. https://thewaroftheworldsimmersive.com

17. Instagram: “Little Ben” London by Victoria stations

    Knightsbridge:

18. Harrod’s

    South

19. Buckingham Palace

The Oldest parts

For Americans, part of the fun of London is seeing old stuff.

VIDEO: Romans created the city of London. In 414, Claudius sent 30,000 soldiers in 1,000 ships and didn’t leave until 1533.

VIDEO: The Guildhall building is the seat of the City of London Corporation – the world’s oldest continuous city democracy. The Potions scene in the film “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” was filmed in its dungeon. But it’s not open to the public now.

VIDEO: The oldest parish church in London is St. Bartholomew’s Church (called St. Barts). Built in 1123, the ground under it has risen such that the benches outside it is higher than its entry door. VIDEO Inside the church is a modern golden statue by Damien Hurst depicting Bartholow, an apostle of Jesus. He holds his own skin from being flayed alive.

Across the park from it is a residence that survived the Great Fire of September 2-5, 1666, German air raid bombing during World War II, and urban revitalizations. VIDEO: 41-42 Cloth Fair in Smithfield is what some say is the oldest house in London. Being built in 1614, it survived the Great Fire which burned 87 parish churches, and about 13,000 houses.

It also survived the slum clearance of the 1920s because architects of the slum clearance purchased it. But what makes this special is that famous visitors (Winston Churchill, the Queen Mother, etc.) had the foresight to give a metal pen to famous visitors to write a note on the glass window on the 2nd floor.

A plint is a horizontal band of stone or brick, where statues are erected. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/nxZLKnHyiIQ

VIDEO: For Victorian/Edwardian era atmosphere, Green Park is lit with gas street lamps from those days. Walk on Bloomsbury and Gray’s Inn Road. Charles Dickens lived on Doughty Street.

Itineraries

JDraper/shorts is my favorite London tour guide, at https://linktr.ee/jdraperlondon which contains links to her book “Mavericks”.

VIDEO: by young enthusiastic couple Wyatt and Reyka The K2 telephone box in front of Big Bend (on Google)

MI6 building (not blown up like in the James Bond movie)

Shopping & Tea

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_Db0lqtj5w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGxYepW3bRE F https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62qQNho-cL4 Parliament (architect of Downtown Abbey) Westminster Abbey - Martin Luther King statute Bells can go on for 45 minutes Royal Horse Guards 11 Downing Street (Prime Minister) Blue plaquaks

I think the London Eye is a rip off. And there is no bathroom. https://www.londoneye.com/tickets-and-prices/river-cruise/ River cruise has live commentary The Windmill Ale and Pie Leicester Square - tkts.com.uk booth (fast food, avoid) by the Odeon theater.

Chinatown bakeries under lanterns street lights West end Buckingham Palace changing of the guards (boring) 11am M,W,F,Sun in good weather Get out from St. James’ Palace. Get tickets to go into state rooms https://www.householddivision.org.uk/changing-the-guard-calendar

Citymapper app to take the underground tube for a picture of platform 5 3/4 Camden Market for vintage concert t-shirts (Amy Winehouse statue) Funky chips War of the Worlds by Camden songkick.com concerts SOHO pubs & clubs. Carnaby Street National Gallery is boring Tate Modern

South Kensington Natural History Museum (with Space) next to VNA

Pre-book Sky Gardon (25 meters higher than the London Eye) & The Lookout The Chard is the tallest building. For the same $32 view, get drinks a floor under it at the Gong cocktail bar or Afternoon Tea at the Ting. Innovative Tea at the Mandarin Oriental

Borough Market is closed on Mondays Above the Tower Bridge for 13 lbs. glass floors

Science Museum

Pub where Warner Bros (Hogwarts) Harry Potter & The Cursed Child theater has 2 parts

Double Decker Bus 11 goes around London in a circle

British Museum tour (all day) * Don’t do the afternoon tea. british wears shop

West End shops & theaters Far from Away theater show

Fish & Chips Tower of London with a Blue Badge tour guide & Crown Jewels picture with Yeoman guards Walks After Hourse night tour ceremony of the keys https://www.takewalks.com/london-tours/westminster-abbey-tour/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8TJTOwZYkE&t=4m42s LONDON TRAVEL TIPS FOR FIRST TIMERS | 40+ Must-Knows Before Visiting London + What NOT to Do! Happy to Wander (Travel Tips & Inspo) 693K views 1 year ago

If you’re new to London and short on time, taking a Tea Bus is a tour of the city in a red bus while you’re have tea. Brilliant.

The Gentlemen movie Saville Row Greenwich

Abba Theater on way East side Harry Potter land is 1.5 hours away

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7qdsR_azEA Kenn Rashad “First Time in London?”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpCYaDgX65w LONDON TRAVEL TIPS FOR FIRST TIMERS | 40+ Must-Knows Before Visiting London + What NOT to Do! Happy to Wander (Travel Tips & Inspo)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8TJTOwZYkE Ranking London attractions from BEST to WORST by Love and London

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PB9AIk0eq7Y I Tried Every Tourist Trap in London Ed Chapman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpCYaDgX65w LONDON TRAVEL TIPS FOR FIRST TIMERS | 40+ Must-Knows Before Visiting London + What NOT to Do! by Happy to Wander (Travel Tips & Inspo)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njOwB9bKNq0 14 HUGE mistakes tourists always make in London Claire’s Footsteps (blue badge guide)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn4aYZLQiHQ hidden gems of London

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZnuOIvT1LA Places Londoners don’t want tourists to visit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fI8ygOauNNA LONDON TRAVEL TIPS FOR FIRST TIMERS | 40+ Must-Knows Before Visiting London + What NOT to Do! by Happy to Wander (Travel Tips & Inspo)

https://londonist.com/2016/05/the-story-of-london-s-smallest-library London’s smallest library

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