What should one do in London?

[Lemur]

Drink heavily. That's what the locals do. When in Rome, etc.

[Megas Methuselah]

Drink heavily. That's what the locals do. When in Rome, etc.

Going by that rule, you should also not brush your teeth or mouthwash in any way.

[Beefy187]

Watch some soccer match.... Though its off season now.

[The New Che Guevara]

I come from outside of London, yet have family living in the GLA.

Basically, go to the London Dungeons (Once is enough), Take the tube, carry a bag, dont take a tour bus... the guides are annoying. Take pictures, speak your own language, annoy the locals. Go see a show, just to say you have, invade the tower, and always... Go Staines via Waterloo. Catch the shuttle to Thorpe Park! Never a bad time.

[Moros]

Drink heavily. That's what the locals do. When in Rome, etc.

Gah! being Belgian, I'll rather have to teach them what drinking heavily really means!

Also London might not b Paris or something, but you ain't going to tell me that the place doesn't have nice historical monuments and buildings? Or doesn't have great musea?

We were actually planning indeed to see a show. I was thinking about Avenue Q, Monty Python or the great classic Billy Elliot. Though Stomp doesn't look bad either.

Any other ideas for things worth visiting or doing? A city as big as london must have more interesting things to do than what's posted right now!?

[Fragony]

Well the tower is actually very cool, you can do the 'glad I am not really here' tour (from the eyes of a prisoner), pretty creepy. But Londen really kinda sucks imho, has this cheapness over it.

[Jolt]

Well the tower is actually very cool, you can do the 'glad I am not really here' tour (from the eyes of a prisoner), pretty creepy. But Londen really kinda sucks imho, has this cheapness over it.

1. Travel to London Bridge.
2. Take a dive.

[PBI]

IMHO the British Museum is well worth seeing. 200 years of plundering antiquities from ancient civilizations has its perks, lots of interesting Assyrian, Egyptian and Greek stuff.

Otherwise I'd recommend the National Gallery if you're at all interested in art, and the Imperial War Museum. The former is on Trafalgar Square so has the advantage that you can just pop in while wandering around the main tourist bits, the latter however is out in the middle of nowhere on the south bank of the river and is quite a trip to reach.

The above three all have the added bonus that, last time I checked, they were all free admission (as I believe are most if not all the major museums in London).

Otherwise the Tate Modern has two reasons to visit:
1) The building itself (a former power station) is pretty impressive on the inside.
2) The cafe at the top is quite nice (and you can skip straight past the modern art to the top if you want).

Also, it's a nice walk from there along the river bank to parliament square, from which you can then easily get to Trafalgar Square via Pall Mall, thus seeing half the "famous" bits of London in one fell swoop.

The Science Museum and the Natural History museum are OK, though a little too "kiddy-friendly" for my tastes (though I do work in science, so a historian may well say the same thing about the British Museum).

I haven't been to the Tower in years, but IIRC it was expensive and crowded, though quite fun if you fancy something a bit less serious after all the highbrow art and ancient history.

Avoid the Underground at rush hour (though I suppose that applies to any major city), and I would recommend getting an Oyster card when you first use it, it's not any cheaper but makes getting the Tube a whole lot easier. Try not to have a heart attack when you see how much it costs for a cup of coffee anywhere in London. Be prepared to be molested and have your bag searched (and very likely be glared at by panicky-looking policemen with submachine guns) every time you enter anywhere.

I'm not quite sure why London seems so unpopular here, IMHO of the major cities I've visited London is as good as any, and a lot better than most. Certainly I can't think of anywhere where you can find as much interesting stuff to do for free.

[TinCow]

Anyone who says London isn't fun is insane. I lived there for 10 years and it's my favorite city in the world. As PBI said, the British Museum is excellent, but the Imperial War Museum is actually my favorite museum anywhere. It is a glorious place, with lots of fascinating stuff, excellent exhibits, and pleasant staff. If there's nice weather, I also highly recommend a stroll through Regents Park with a picnic lunch.

[Xipe Totec]

The British Museum is Paradise on Earth. It's always full of hotties, and has a great bookshop in the middle.

[Lemur]

Does the Groucho Club still exist?

And yes, as other posters have said, The British Museum is where they keep the loot of Empire. Very impressive.

[InsaneApache]

Anyone who says London isn't fun is insane.

You got me banged to rights there guv.

[PowerWizard]

London is an awesome city, there are some shitty areas, but all in all it's a great place. Visit the museums, some very nice presentations are there, and Imperial War Museum is a must-see for a total war fan!

Gah! being Belgian, I'll rather have to teach them what drinking heavily really means!

I find it hilarious when Westerners boast about their drinking capacity. Come to Budapest, if you want to see how drinking should be done in a mature, masculine way. Or Moscow.

[Moros]

I find it hilarious when Westerners boast about their drinking capacity. Come to Budapest, if you want to see how drinking should be done in a mature, masculine way. Or Moscow.

Well I'd challenge you happily. And every other .orger that is. Though I'm rather small and skinny, I can drink beer without having to swallow and I'm trained at drinking a lot too. I'm quite sure I'm one of the best drinkers on the .org when it comes to beer, if not he best drinker. Whiskey, Wodka,... aren't my thing though as I can't calculate how much and how fast I can drink those as I'm used to beer. Though I'd have no problem to hold a game to drink the most duvels in night out at the bar.

[Louis VI the Fat]

Come to Budapest, if you want to see how drinking should be done in a mature, masculine way. Or Moscow.

Well I'd challenge you happily. And every other .orger that is. I can drink beer without having to swallow and I'm trained at drinking a lot too

I'll come too! You Hungarian sissies can't handle your beer. You girls should drink sparkly pink sodas instead.


I myself, by contrast, can easily manage at least six beers a night.

[InsaneApache]

I bet they're those little wussy stubbies not pints though. I'll come as well, just as long as someone else is buying. I've lived in Yorkshire too long to start putting my hand in my pocket now.