Ideas for a days out in London

west-andy

Hi all,

I am taking my fiance to London for a valentines present, going on friday 15th coming back sunday afternoon, i have booked two theater shows one for friday and one for saturday so there is no problem with he nights.

However i am not sure what to do during the day, i know there will be plenty to do and see but not sure what is good and reasonably priced. I think she may want to go through the dungeons but thats all i can think of. Any money saving ideas out there

misscomickat

I go to London a lot and don't have much money. It's nice to go for a walk along the South Bank/Embankment area, up past the Houses of Parliament. You can go to the Tate or any museum for nothing, and take your own food in that you buy from a supermarket. Or go to china town for a cheap buffet lunch.

London Zoo is a good visit if you are interested in animals. But it's a bit of a walk through the park.

You could walk round the lake at Hyde Park and stop for a coffee/hot chocolate at the Serpentine cafe.

furrybloke

http://www.londonducktours.co.uk/

jojo2004

There is a thread further down this page on the london 2 for 1 offer - a valid train ticket gets you two for one entry at London Dungeons and loads of other places - you can go to the website (which is on the other thread) or pick up a leaflet at most mainline stations in london when you arrive.

Also, all the main museums are free - the British Museum, the National Gallery, the Portrait Gallery, the Tate and Tate Modern, etc.

I recommend looking to see what's on at Somerset House - once saw an awesome Tiffany's exhibit there, and it's quite reasonably priced, I recall.

If it's dry and warmish, Kew Gardens is lovely, but around £12 a head - there's a Henry Moore exhibtiion in the grounds until March, and lots to see.

Kensington Palace? Westminster Abbey? Try the Timeout london website as well, it's pretty comprehensive for events.
Good luck
Jo xx

west-andy

Thanks for the ideas guys much appreciated, it might be case of going into the museums. I'm slightly paranoid about over planning it as well. I want her to be able to do things she wants when she finds out as well.

davetrousers

London Eye is good.

Science Museum and Natural History are also free, if you go to the Science Museum I recommend the IMAX, it's about £7.50 each but fantastic. Madame Tussauds is overpriced imo, so wouldn't really recommend it. Maybe you'll just end up going round the shops!

How are you planning to get around? If on the tube I would recommend getting an (well 2 I suppose) Oyster cards for convenience and a small saving.

MONEYMAKINGMUM

travelcard does all zones tube, train & bus. It might work out cheaper than oyster if you want to travel around a lot. Museums are great, the V & A is near to science & natural history - all free. A huge imax near waterloo stn., near the film British Film Institute. South bank is nice always something on, Gabriel's Wharf, London Eye & aquarium.Short ride away - Covent garden, Carnaby st, Trafalger square, Greenwich observatory, o2 dome omg I'm gonna run out of room. If you like gruesome the Clink oozes grim, near the Dungeons too. hth
Have fun

stefejb

Check out www.londonfreelist.com nearer the time - everything on there is free or under £3 and ranges from entry into clubs to festies and galleries etc. All the major museums VandA, Science etc are free entry although there may be some exhibitions that you have to pay for. also use www.tfl.gov.uk for travel planning and to check out the cheapest transport - probably a pay as you go oystercard. have a lovely time

destresserai

If you want to be relaxed about your planning I would suggest sticking to the museums - most are free and you can come and go as you want. I personally think the Victoria and Albert (V&A) is the best.

If you are going to spend money think about one of the hop on and hop off buses. You get a brilliant ride around the main attraction with a tour guide suppling the commentary. This means you get to sit back and relax as well as being educated. For example did you know that Green Park is called so because there are no flowers only trees and shrubs. One fine king was asked by his queen to pick a flower and present it to the prettiest maid around. He gave it to a lady in waiting and being rather disappointed the fair queen ordered the removal of all the flowers and the park was renamed accordingly. Useless bit of information I know but sticks in the mind so you will come away with some memories!

ali1972

The last time I was waiting at the train station and flicking through the 2 for 1 deals leaflet, I noticed that Tower Bridge (you can go inside etc) and The Golden Hinde (on the South Bank near London Bridge) were really rather cheap in the big scheme of things. Also, if you are mooching around the South Bank then Borough Market (by London Bridge) and Southwark Cathdral are worth a look.

Another great daytime thing to do is to go to Greenwich. You can either get a direct train from Charing Cross, Waterloo East or London Bridge (the quickest option, only about 15 mins on a fast train) or you can get the DLR from Bank Underground station and go on a rip roaring journey through Canary Wharf (worth a look) to get there, getting off at "Cutty Sark" DLR station. Greenwich Park gives you fantastic views over London and the Thames, and you'll find that The Observatory, Queens House and The Maritime Museum are all free to get into. There is also a great market in the centre of Greenwich on weekends. Plenty of places to eat and some nice riverside pubs.

west-andy

cheers all, some good ideas in there, we're staying in kensington area and i believe the museums are near by so that's probably one of the main features. But as long as i have some ideas we can sort out when we get there.

I can't believe its in 2 weeks i feel like i planned this ages ago,