Central London Attractions

[vernonk]

What are the most amazing or enjoyable things you've seen or done in Central London?

[boxtops]

Not done it, but a trip on the London Eye, or the new cable car across the Thames.

[FredPuli43]

Methyl's are good (I hope the floating dining room was on a boat; even then it sounds like the Titanic!) Proms in the Park is fun; it's in Hyde Park , opposite the Albert Hall, on the Last Night of the Proms, and has its own programme, but the last bit of the Last Night is relayed to it. The Last Night inside is worth attending for the experience, but you need to be lucky in the general ballot or in the one for those for have been to several Proms.

Myself, I found a really mundane thing the most memorable. When I arrived as a student , my landlady said to get on the top deck of a bus on Sunday, at King's Cross, and travel to the end of the route, so I could know "your London" as she put it. I ended up in Crystal Palace Park. And she was right. The biggest city I knew then was Cambridge !

My partner found an equally mundane thing the best. We had a meal in Veeraswamy's at Christmas, at a table by a window overlooking Regent Street's Christmas lights. She'd done the Last Night and the Royal Opera House and lots of special things of that sort, but she found that magical. Strange lot, these Canadians !

[New Judge]

I worked in Central London for almost thirty years. The most enjoyable thing I did was caught the train home.

[davetuc]

New Judge - that's a bit miserable isn't it?
We enjoyed a few guided walks. Jack the Ripper, Haunted London, Dickens' London. If you get a fun and knowledgeable guide, they are very interesting, and you get to see some of London you didn't know existed.

[New Judge]

Not miserable, dave, just a different perspective.

Most areas that attract tourists are rarely frequented by people who live and/or work there. I have relatives in the West Country and I have probably seen more of their area than they have. London to me holds no attraction. I have seen all the regular tourist haunts, I know most of the West End and the City like the back of my hand (including many of the areas off the regular tourist beat). To me these days it is just an overcrowded, outrageously expensive, busy city with not much going for it apart from the sights.

But I accept it holds certain attractions to those who have not seen it just as new places that I have not been to attract me.

[FredPuli43]

That's true, NJ. We seldom visit sites and attractions in our own city. I worked off Fleet Street. The Old Bailey is at the end of it, in a side street off Ludgate Hill. St Paul's is on Ludgate Hill. It must have been 15 years before I visited St Paul's and I have never visited the Tower of London, about a mile further on. Westminster Abbey was the same, yet right opposite a court and about 2 miles from where I lived.

[spudqueen]

Afternoon tea at the Waldorf and probably the London Eye.

[pusskin]

Walking along certain canals near the Thames.
And a good night on jack The Ripper Tour.
If we get fed up with this rotten cold weather, we will once again jump on a bus and go through London eating some luinch on top deck! Love it, and have done this a few times, starting from liverpool St. lol.

[shoota]

A visit to Purdey's followed by a visit to Holland & Holland......

[mikey4444]

I went right up to the top of St Pauls a few years ago, which was great fun.

Avoid at all cost the bl00dy London Eye. You will queue up for hours, its will cost you a fortune, and its just goes round, very slowly. At this time of year you don't even get a very good view.

Tower Bridge is also lots of fun...you can walk along the gallery between the two towers.

The South Bank has lots to see and do, some of it free. You can take a backstage tour of the National Theatre, which was very informative when I did a few years ago.

HMS Belfast is well worth a visit, if you have some boys with you.

[Prudie]

The London Eye, ballet at Covent Garden, tea at the Ritz, Science Museum,Natural History Museum,Tower of London, Harrods. Once was enough though.

[spudqueen]

mikey obviously went at the wrong time for the London Eye. I booked online in advance, for about 9 o'clock in the morning (always a good time to do popular attractions). It went so smoothly it was unbeleivable, we were on the Eye before 9 and had a great time.
And it sounds like Prudie visited London just the once! I must say I lived there, in central London (Bloomsbury) for a number of years, and to be honest, the best thing for me was seeing the Post Office Tower (it will always be that to me!) every morning on my way to work, but I didn't think that was in the spirit of the question!

[BlueToffee]

The Shard is a must.

[237SJ]

Live8 but it was (obviously) a one-off

[237SJ]

Another really good thing to do in the summer is the Westminster Passenger Services boat from Westminster to Hampton Court. It lasts about 3.5 hours and is really good value.

[grasscarp]

I have been on London Eye, Shard (but wouldn't go again) Madame Tussaud, Planetarium, many museums. Only very recently did Tower of London then Thames clipper across to Greenwich Observatory. of them all tower of Lindon best and I need to go again as there is a lot to see.
I went up Monument many years ago.

[grasscarp]

Spudqueen I ate in Post office tower revolving restaurant before it was closed. Unforgettable.

[diddlydo]

Some of the best things are free e.g. all the major museums, a walk through Chinatown, Harrods (especially the food halls) and, if you're over 60 you can't beat multiple rides on London buses for hop-on, hop-off sightseeing!

[Cathyhuns]

Walk the Capital Ring, see walklondon.org.uk

Takes you through some amazing parks and woods which you'd never otherwise know were there.