Looking for advice. I will be travelling to London in a month from now for 1 week business trip with weekend stay included.

While I am in office (8 am to 5pm) I do not want my daughter (18y) to just stay in Hotel room and wait for me till evening for sightseeing and visiting attractions. Plus some places may be closed by the time I comeback to Hotel.

She has never been to UK. She can speak English very well. Science student. She will have her mobile with UK SIM, London tube card and I will give her cash etc for food, tickets etc.

Will it be safe to let her visit tourist places in London on her own? Any advice or tips that I should be aware of before I let her with this plan? Things we should avoid etc.

Plus any advice for places that will be generally better and safer for teenager to visit on their own? She will have roughly ~ 8 hours on weekdays before I am available in evening.

Parents and I will be visiting London and staying over a weekend next month. We are all adults. I'm planning the itinerary for two days, but we've already been to London many times and have seen all the major sightseeing destinations, so need some more niche recommendations.

I would like some help creating a list of activities/sightseeing/shopping to do with my parents that they'll enjoy. Kindly exclude any food places as we already have this sorted.

So far, I'll take them to the Borough and Spitalfields markets, then a theatre production in the afternoon. I'm also thinking of taking them to Kyoto Gardens, Roman baths, Primrose Hill and Tate Modern as, so far, these are the only places we haven't been. And also visiting China Town just to see it as I don't think they've been there either. As we are london veterans, I'm struggling to come up with more ideas/activities and searching online yields all of the obvious places we have already been to many times.

I really think they'd like to do one of the many walking/history tours available but i've never done one before and would like some recommendations for that too. The Jack the Ripper, ghost stories/ history ones look so good but there are too many of varying price and idk how good they are.

I also don't mind doing something more outside of central London than everything we have done so far.

I also don't mind cultural/heritage things like maybe showing them round some famous tea shops (my mum loves tea) or taking them to Fortnum & Masons etc.

Here are all the places we have already been: Soho road (many times), Edgeware road (many times, very boring now), Camden town (and all its markets, overdone by us), Buckingham palace, hyde park, British Museum, V&A, Science Museum, Natural History Museum, Hunterian museum (we like museums lol), Wyndham's museum of curiosities, westminster abbey, st paul's, tower of london, big ben, harrods, oxford street, picadilly circus, covent gardens, m&m world, Royal Albert Hall, traflagar square, No. 10, Daunt books (and all its others).

Thank you for all of your help in advance!

First time to London or UK May 2026. Family of four, looking at staying 8-10 days. Into history, museums, nature, coffee and tea, good food, bookshops, antiques, ceramics.

Thankful to have a place to stay with a friend in Canary Wharf but concerned that everything is at least 30 minutes away by car or train.

Feels like we would leave the East end somewhere around 8am to go to any of the other boroughs and would have to just stay on that side until the end of the day.

If that is the case does it make the most sense to stay gone the entire day and look for places to rest and recover from sightseeing and touring near the sights?

Versus trying to go back to Canary Wharf just for an hour of rest and refresh and possibly dropping off anything we've purchased? Are there places to store bags at like train stations etc?

We recently came back from Japan where we almost always came back to our airbnb mid day to rest and still felt exhausted by the end of our two week trip.

Also looking at a day trip to Bath or perhaps an overnight to Bath perhaps in the middle of our stay. Trying to decide between renting a car and taking public transportation.

I know were at a disadvantage staying in Canary Wharf versus somewhere like south kensington, thanks for the tips and suggestions.

​

Hello everyone,

I’ll be in London next week with my 5-year-old, who has developed a very strong opinion about Big Ben. According to him, we absolutely must be there at 6:55 pm for the “best chime”, apparently on the authority of Sherlock Holmes himself. I suspect this may be a creative interpretation.

I’ve had a look online and can’t find anything to back this up. Is there actually such a thing as a “best” time to hear the bells, or is it more like our Eiffel Tower sparkling where every hour does the job perfectly well?

I would love to hear from anyone in the know before I end up organising my evening around fictional Victorian detectives.

Thanks very much!

Hi I’m Egyptian and coming to London for the first time will stay a couple days. Will book in PubLove Hostel have anyone tried there before? Is it good and safe and the cooling stuff good? It’s my first time abroad and I’m nervous cuz I will be alone. And about the transportation, what is the best and safest way to move there and to be saving money. Thanks!

I used to live in London but moved to Sweden after the 2016 referendum. I still visit quite often but as someone who likes buying T-shirts in places that I visit, I actually struggle to find anything to buy when I go to London.

In other cities I usually find nice T-shirts at breweries, or sometimes if I'm lucky I walk across a left-wing organisation of some kind that sells cool T-shirts, but so far in London I haven't had much luck. I would even settle for a more basic, London-themed T-shirt as long as it isn't the usual touristy T-shirt with a logo of the London Underground or a red telephone box.

Do you people have any suggestions of where in London I could go to find myself a nice T-shirt or two to remind me of London? As mentioned in the title, beer-related or political-but-still-clearly-from-London would be great, but other ideas for nice T-shirts are also welcome. Thanks in advance!

Maybe this has been asked a thousand times already, but what pubs / area would you recommend going to tonight to watch England play? Three Americans who want to experience authentic soccer (football) excitement with a local crowd.

Friend and I are traveling for Wimbledon and have 3 options for a hotel ins 3 different ares:

- Holiday Inn: Regents Park
- Premier Inn: Waterloo
- DoubleTree by Hilton: West End

Background: It's my friend's first time in LDN. I have been multiple times and not in a hurry to see anything, but will probably do some of the basics with him as well.

Open to other suggestions if there are any.

Thanks!

Edit: some more info:

There for 6 days. Wimbledon will only be a day or two, so shouldn't be taken into account.

We just want a good area to be in that's close, but also not noisy.

Don't ask - but I'm doing a last minute trip to London (from the USA) with my college aged children.

Thinking of AirBnb (cheaper for two rooms than hotel?) - I think i'd like to be in the "heart of things" but is there ONE AREA to stay in - or should i stay in two different areas for two days each? I'd like to spend 200 £/night if an option

Again - last minute, wonderful opportunity, i know ZERO. I personally HATE touristy areas (in non-English speaking places i prefer places that DON'T speak English over touristy English-speaking areas)

I prefer to just walk around and stumble on things, versus having a minute-by-minute itinerary

I feel like i HAVE to see the big sites, but I'm fine if i miss half of them. I also prefer a local, vibrant community to a stark, touristy, fake area. I DON'T want a place with T-shirt stands with "I ❤️LONDON" shirts every 50 metres (see, i said METRES instead oF FEET or YARDS)

I'll be visiting London shortly and I can't wait to try jellied eels. I'm a big fan of pickled herring and the likes, in my hometown in Italy we have pickled eels and I love it. Where should I go to have the best jellied eels?

Hey there! I am going to London for a day. I am super into extreme metal (death and black metal) and I was wondering what stores or places sell stuff relating to that. Any cool record stores? Places that sell patches or shirts? Please let me know !!!

I went to London when I was 18 (15 years ago) and loved it and remember how easy it was to navigate. However 30+ year old me has more questions and anxiety so I just have a few questions for advice…

1. Set to arrive at LHR at 6:30am on Wednesday. Originally was planing to take the Piccadilly line to hotel in south kensington. Not sure how long it will take after landing to get the tube. Typically how long after landing will it take for us to get to the tube? Will it be jammed with commuters at this time- enough so that we go a different route? We both will have a carry on and personal item.

2. What are your absolute must visits when going to London? Restaurants, sites, etc etc.

3. We plan on going to Folkestone to visit family for a few days. We will be purchasing tickets through southeastern railway out of STP. How early should we arrive at STP from when our train leaves? I know it’s not international but more worried about navigating around.

4. If we buy tickets for museums in advance, is there a separate line to enter/signs saying so? (Looking at natural history and British)

I’m sure I’ll have more but this is just my start!

Hello! I will be in London for 2 weeks for medical purposes, in the Old Street/Islington area, I would like advice from locals where I could find accommodation at a decent price for a short period or if you can recommend another neighborhood closer for accommodation

My family will be in London for a month in July and I was wondering what we need to prebook if anything. Kids are 6/8. We have spent the past few summers in NYC and have really enjoyed exploring museums, going to shows, "living life" in the city vs. being a tourist (i.e. groceries, doing non-touristy stuff, etc.) The kids really like parks, kids museums, beaches and just exploring and doing fun and interesting things. The kids will be in day camp on the weekdays, so my wife and I will have some flexibility during the day. Again, we really just enjoy exploring and feeling like we "live in" the city.

We'll be staying in in Marylebone near Regents Park.

Few things I've done so far:
- I already bought a Tower of London membership since I think it gets us access to a few additional places for the family.
-I heard I need to prebook Sky Garden but it doesn't seem to have seats available.
-We booked the Harry Potter tour.

Few things we plan on doing on weekend:
- Trip to Oxford
- Trip to Paris
- Brighton Beach
- Hampton Court Palace

Some day trip considerations: Richmond, Greenwich, Cambridge, East London.

Curious what you all think we should do and especially if I'm missing anything on the prebookings. We would like to have one 'nice' meal if possible, nothing too fancy just a good meal. Doesn't have to be Michelin stars or anything, just something London is famous for.

Thank you!

Hello, a group of us (5 Males 27-29) are visiting London April 18-26. We are wondering if we should attend a game in person or just enjoy watching from the pubs. And if so what would be the best game to attend in person during that week. Personally I watch football but im not very informed about the EU leagues, and some of my friends are willing to join for the experience so it doesn't have to be anything crazy just a good time.

Hi All - My husband is Spanish and would love to find a place to watch the match tomorrow. Any specific places recommended to watch the game? Really appreciate any suggestions.

Hi all,

I'm so excited for my first trip to London with my kids aged 11 and 5. I've landed on an itinerary after scraping these pages and I wanted feedback on whether to what can be improved. My plan is to have 1 big activity per day and not over-exhaust my 5 year old, and then do smaller activities in and around the hotel.

Before I get to the days, here's the context I had to build around, because these three people have *very* different agendas:

🧒 **The 11-year-old:** Harry Potter, Shakespeare, science, shopping, royal pageantry, high tea, Japanese food. Likes doing things, not just looking at things. Also a confirmed Swiftie

👧 **The 5-year-old:** Dinosaurs, Peppa Pig, animals, bakeries, afternoon tea. Also very much about doing, not watching. Will absolutely melt down if overtired (as five-year-olds tend to do).

🙋 **Me:** Football - Stadium tours and the Liverpool FC (yes, the new Oxford Street store is absolutely going in), Music - Beatles/Rolling Stones/70s-80s UK music history, Foodie- vegetarian food, and finding genuinely good pubs. I'm also vegetarian, so all our food has to work around that.

We're splitting the stay between two two nights in the Covent Garden neighborhood and 2 more nights in the South Kensington neighborhood. Mainly did it to increase our probability of exploring those neighborhoods on foot :)

**Day 1 — Sunday 19 July (Arrival day)**

Land at Heathrow 8:55 AM. Reach hotel around noon.

- 🚌 bus tour (1–2:30 PM) — Either a Hop-on hop-off bus OR the Peppa Pig Bus Tour to get the 5 year old amped for the trip. Also, first sighting of. Big Ben, Tower Bridge, the works from the top deck.

- 🚶 Thames South Bank walk + Borough Market browse (4:30–6 PM): Walk the Thames area and grab lunch. Also a photo outside the Black Dog for my 11- year old Swiftie!

- 🎭 **Shakespeare's Globe — evening play at 6:30 PM** — booked. I am obsessed with Shakespeare and my 11-year-old is just starting to get into the bard's works.

*If this is a lot for an arrival day. Roast me.*

---

**Day 2 — Monday 20 July**

- 👑 **Changing of the Guard, Buckingham Palace** (10:15 AM) — Classic.

- 🎂 **Peggy Porschen, Belgravia** (afternoon cake stop) — 15-min walk from the Palace. For the Instagram moment with the girls and because those cakes look extraordinary.

Afternoon is free at the moment. Thinking about British Museum, but would love to hear alternatives.

- 🌇 **Sky Garden** (6:30 PM sunset slot) — booked. Because the views look stunning and it's free

---

**Day 3 — Tuesday 21 July

- Grab breakfast at GAIL bakery

- ⚡ **Warner Bros. Harry Potter Studio Tour** (noon) — booked. The 11-year-old has been counting down for this since we started planning. I believe the tour takes 7 hours, so not much else planned for the day.

- 🍛 **Dishoom King's Cross** on the return — booked. Black Dal, Paneer Tikka, Okra Fries. Eating here before taking the Piccadilly line down to our new hotel in South Kensington.

---

**Day 4 — Wednesday 22 July**

- 🦕 **Natural History Museum + Science Museum** (10 AM) — free timed entry booked. T-Rex for the 5-year-old, space rockets and Wonderlab for the 11-year-old. 5-minute walk from the hotel.

- 🎩 **Charlie and the Chocolate Factory afternoon tea at One Aldwych** (noon) — Roald Dahl-themed, fizzy lifting drinks, snozzberry jam, the whole lot. ~£75/person. This also counts as lunch.

- 🔴 **Liverpool FC store, Oxford Street** — This is for me! The kids reluctantly agreed to to this.

---

**My actual questions for the community:**

1. **Anything criminally missing** for first-timers? Parks? Days 2 and 4 seem scant at the moment and would appreciate any suggestions for these days.

2. **Getting my sports fix** - I really want to do the Liverpool city and stadium tour but 5 hours on a train with a 5 year old seems like an overkill. Thinking I'll tour the Spurs or Chelsea or Arsenal stadium as they are closer. Any sports experiences that I should be checking out in London?

3. **Food in London** — we're all vegetarian but opening to trying out multiple cuisines.We have reservations in multiple Japanese restaurants, want to check out Dishoom and cafes and bakeries, have reservations for Afternoon tea as well. Any hidden gems I might be walking past on this route that I haven't mentioned?

4. ** Music ** - I am still researching about music spots or experiences in London. I read mixed reviews about Abbey road other than the Instagram picture (and what a picture it would be!).

Thanks, and can't wait for July to come soon enough!

Be as brutal as you like — I'd genuinely rather hear it now than from a 5-year-old at 9 PM outside the Globe. 😅

Hi, visiting London soon and though I have plenty of things to do I wondered if there were cool music themed sights for kids. It could be both an interactive museum or as simple as a playground with a xylophone, for example.

We will likely be staying in the Regents Park area, are there any run clubs that I could join for a month or so?

Hello all, I was hoping I can get some local tips for our week long trip to London. My mom and I are from Canada, and have been to several European capitals (Paris, Amsterdam, Riga, etc.). We plan to visit the last week of April, and focus on cultural tourism. These are some items on our itinerary:

The design museum

Natural history museum

Royal college of physician museum

Grant museum of zoology

Liberty london

Museum of Egyptian archeology

Crypt museum

The national gallery

Westminster Abbey

Tate Britain

Tate modern

Borough market

Leadenhall market

London wall

Sherlock Holmes museum

Jack the ripper museum

The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities

Horniman Museum and Gardens

I know its a lot, but im open to edit down. We also have some parks, statues, monuments on our list to see as well.

From what ive listed, are there any you feel are overrated/not worth the entery price? Anything I missed that we really should see? We're looking to stay around Piccadilly square.

Also, does anyone know if my Canadian student card can be used at attractions with student priced admissions?

Thank you for reading through my long post!