In London, every American should see...

When hubby and I were there last month, we travelled by Oyster card, but mainly a 7-day travelcard (WELL worth the money).  We ordered them online at http://visitorshop.tfl.gov.uk/ and received them before we left, so that was one less hectic thing we had to deal with...SO worth it!  It's also good to mention that if they use the Oyster card, they not only tap it to gain entry into the station, but also must tap it upon exiting to be charged the correct fare.  The same would go for the travelcard.

Also, along with the attractions that others posted, one really cool (not to mention free) thing we did was request tickets to the Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London.  It's free and you do have to write to them requesting tickets, but it's a very unique thing to witness.  It's the formal ceremony of the locking up of the Tower at night and it's been happening for the past 700 years or so.  Here's the link for more info and how to request the tickets: http://www.hrp.org.uk/toweroflondon/whatson/ceremonyofthekeys.aspx

Add to my list: the V & A (how could I have forgotten!!  )

Add to my list: the V & A (how could I have forgotten!!  )

LOVE that museum!   

Have your cousin brace them for just how much everything is going to cost too! 

Do you know what time of the year they are considering? How long they will be here? Also, any specific interests? London has something for everyone! My best friend, who is a nurse loved the Florence Nightingale museum.

I highly recommend London Walks.

Personally I am not a fan of Buckingham Palace but Windsor Castle is fabulous! Day trips by bus are plentiful to places like Windsor, Bath, Stonehenge, Oxford etc if they have the time.

I prefer to find those bits of London that are not the "touristy" areas. I agree with squirrlleypoo, Broadway Market is wonderful for a Saturday afternoon. The Dove is a great place for a pint after a bit of shopping. Sundays are a great day for exploring Spitalfields and the Upmarket. It's great shopping for items by local artists and amazing ethnic food from small vendors. If they are fans of flowers and plants (and even not) Columbia Road is like stepping into another world of what markets used to be like years ago. Oh and don't forget Brick Lane in the evening for a curry...my favourite is Aladin.

If they are adventurous to head out for a bit of late night music, my very favourite place is Ain't Nothin But the Blues, on Kingsley Street (right behind Hamley's Toy Store). They play live blues music every night of the week.

Definitely a trip on the river. (Again squirrlleypoo has great recommendations). We did a trip in our narrowboat which was so amazing! A great day out is to take the boat to Kew, and spend a day exploring the gardens. Pack a lunch and it is an amazing way to spend a day.
I also think walking along the canals is a good way to see bits of London that even those that have lived here their entire lives have not seen.

All the museums are free! I just visited the Museum of London for the first time and I would highly recommend it as one of the first places to visit when you get to London. I also love the Tate Modern.

If you know a bit more of their interests, then maybe we could share a few more ideas catered to them specifically.

All the museums are free! I just visited the Museum of London for the first time and I would highly recommend it as one of the first places to visit when you get to London. I also love the Tate Modern.

Just a slight correction there: not all of the museums are free. Museum of London must have only become free recently because it was charging a year ago when I was working at their Docklands branch. But you're right in saying a lot of them are free, which is worth taking advantage of!

If your cousin is looking for a show to go to, I'd recommend the 39 Steps, which has been showing in Piccadilly Circus for quite a few years. I went a few months ago and really enjoyed it. And due to its being around for a while, I don't think it sells out frequently.

If your cousin is looking for a show to go to, I'd recommend the 39 Steps, which has been showing in Piccadilly Circus for quite a few years. I went a few months ago and really enjoyed it. And due to its being around for a while, I don't think it sells out frequently.

DH and I wanted to see this when we were there, but didn't quite get to see a show.  Glad to hear you enjoyed it!

DH and I wanted to see this when we were there, but didn't quite get to see a show.  Glad to hear you enjoyed it!

It was just really well done - and amazing that there were only a few actors doing soooo many characters! My BF isn't huge on theatre, but he really liked the show, so that's saying something. If you come back to London and it's still on, definitely see it!

Ooh, one of my favourite museums I have visted is the Old Operating Theatre

Not for the squeamish, but I love the old surgical tools and techniques and medicine and the history of it all!

Ooh, one of my favourite museums I have visted is the Old Operating Theatre

Not for the squeamish, but I love the old surgical tools and techniques and medicine and the history of it all!

Actually, one of the people going is a doctor who mostly works with people with brain injuries, so he might really enjoy that!    I love all the fun stuff coming out!

Depending where your visitors are from in the states, they may underestimate the importance of the tube system to getting about.

Something that will make a huge difference to their trip is to make sure they book a hotel that's a short walk from a tube station that interchanges easily with other lines. No matter where their hotel is, half of what they want to see will be on the other side of the city, the sights are very spread out. It doesn't matter where about in London, or how central or peripheral.

It was hubby's first trip to London and his prior experience with public transport was "I went on the subway in New York once." When I bought us both an Oyster card he was skeptical that we'd use it much, doubted that it was worth the price.

Before the end of our first night, he was a public transport convert and confident with the tube system. By the end of our 4 day trip he was helping new tourists find their way around London by directing them to a tube station, and couldn't see the point in walking 200 yards if there was a bus coming.

Taxis are four times the price and half as fast.

DH almost always insists on taking buses when we're in London. He was a student there so knows his way around. You do see more than if you go everywhere on the tube and get a better feeling for the lay of the land. Of course, if time is limited you'd be better on the underground.

DH almost always insists on taking buses when we're in London. He was a student there so knows his way around. You do see more than if you go everywhere on the tube and get a better feeling for the lay of the land. Of course, if time is limited you'd be better on the underground.

Exactly this! When my mum and gma visited last spring we took the buses everywhere - partially because gma has trouble with steps. But they really preferred getting around this way. I was able to show them Piccadilly Circus, Harrods and quite a few other places just by riding past them en route to somewhere else. Of course, I accept that getting around on the buses isn't the easiest method if you're completely unfamiliar with the city. But I hate taking the Underground, so I'm slightly biased. 

When I was looking to visit London for the first time (Sept 09) one of my Londoner friends sent me the following email:

All the Historical Royal Palaces http://www.hrp.org.uk/ are worth a
look, but if you're seeing one, the Tower's certainly a good choice. The
Crown Jewels are certainly worth a look. Nearby there is of course Tower
Bridge, which is a great sight in itself, and gives a great view from
the top (although it costs to get up there). You can also see the engine
rooms of the bridge, with the original Victorian steam mechanisms
(although these are no longer used). I think it's a couple of quid, and
it's really worth the few minutes it takes if you happen to be crossing
the bridge.

Across the bridge, just about opposite the Tower, is HMS Belfast, a 2nd
World War Cruiser that's now a floating museum
http://hmsbelfast.iwm.org.uk/ (not everyone's taste, but I have an
interest in Military History, and I'm a member of the Imperial War
Museum, which also runs its main museum south of the river, and the
Cabinet War Rooms from where Churchill direct British operations in WW2.
(The National Army Museum http://www.national-army-museum.ac.uk/ is
also a favourite of mine). Out of town (near Milton Keynes) is the
National Museum of Computing http://www.tnmoc.org/ including the
Bletchley Park codebreaking site.

Between Tower Bridge & HMS Belfast lies City Hall, which does little
beyond looking weird
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:CityHallLondon2007.JPG, although it
occasionally hosts exhibitions.

Other museums worth noting in London are the V&A Museum of Childhood
http://www.vam.ac.uk/moc/ (in East London), the Natural History Museum
http://nhm.ac.uk/ & Science Museum http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/
(these last two are both next to the V&A and, I believe, free). There
are two museums of the history of London itself (well, the same museum
on 2 sites) - the Museum of London http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/
is central, small, and partially closed for renovation; it currently
goes as far as the Great Fire in 1666. The Museum of London in the
Docklands http://www.museumindocklands.org.uk/ is much bigger and
newer; it focusses more on the Thames but I reckon it's also better for
general history.

Regarding the Great Fire of London, the Monument
http://www.themonument.info/ to the fire stands near London (not
Tower) Bridge; you can climb it internally but it's very tight and windy
, and it's
somewhat outgrown by nearby tower blocks although the view's still good



London's St Paul's cathedral was probably the most famous building
destroyed by the fire; it was rebuilt in a very different style and has
some of the most impressive architecture in London
http://www.stpauls.co.uk/. It stands just over the river (via the
Millennium Bridge) from the Tate Modern
http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/, a very different piece of architecture
, and also a very
good free art museum.

London's other cathedrals include Southwark
, situated next to
the gastronomic heaven of Borough Market
http://www.boroughmarket.org.uk/, and (presumably the oldest, if no
longer strictly a cathedral), Westminster Abbey
http://www.westminster-abbey.org/, consecrated 1065 and, together with
the Palace of Westminster (where the government sit), a UNESCO world
heritage site.

Conversely, the Catholic Westminster Cathedral
http://www.westminstercathedral.org.uk/ is an astounding Byzantine
building situated a little way south, near St James' Park and Buckingham
Palace
http://www.royal.gov.uk/TheRoyalResidences/BuckinghamPalace/BuckinghamPalace.aspx.
Just north of Westminster is Trafalgar Square
http://www.london.gov.uk/trafalgarsquare/visit/index.jsp, with
Nelson's Column, the National Gallery
http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/, free I think, has a very nice cafe
too), and National Portrait Gallery http://www.npg.org.uk/ (also the
Embassies of Canada and Korea, the latter often holding exhibitions).

FWIW, most Londoners consider Buck House (as they call it) to be
overpriced and over-busy, so I'm not sure I'd recommend the internal visit.

There's a number more palaces in and around London; one of the most
intriguing is Eltham Palace http://www.elthampalace.org.uk/ which is
part Medieval, part Art Deco.

Anyhow, this city can keep you busy for months if you let it - I haven't
even started on the Markets, Theatres and Art Galleries, but I figure
the above should be interesting for a while.

edited to fix the hyperlinks