What are the best museums/attractions in London?

Question

I'm looking to go to some museums and tourist attractions when I'm in London but I don't know which ones are "must-sees"

Answer 1

The "must see" things depend on interest: don't be tempted to just go with the popular if it bores *you*.

The Diana Memorial Fountain (South edge of Hyde Park, near the Serpentine) would be a must for some, and a complete waste of time for others, similarly the Imperial War Museum or Tate Modern.

I've found the site below shows a good range of suggestions without being as pushy at selling tickets as some.

(not many things need booking in advance, including my suggestion below)

My personal recommendation: a river trip from Embankment pier (near the Houses of Parliament: you're likely to be there at some point  anyway) at least to Tower Bridge, or a bit further out to the Thames Barrier and back.

It will show you a lot of Central London in context of the river Thames, and give you great views of a lot of the main features and attractions.  It might help you decide what else you want to see:  St Pauls or HMS Belfast? Shakespeare's Globe or the London Eye?  

And it saves your feet.

Answer 2

There's lots to see.and visit. Here's a brief list of the main attractions.

Palaces - Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace, Hampton Court Palace. All of these are open to visitors.

Museums and Galleries - Natural History Museum, Science Museum, National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, The Tate and Tate Modern, British Museum, Imperial War Museum.

Famous Buildings and Monuments etc - The Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, Whitehall and Downing Street, Clarence House, St James Palace, Tower of London, Trafalgar Square, Marble Arch, Monument, Tower Bridge, London Eye.

Churches - Westminster Abbey, St Paul's Cathedral, St Clement Dane, Temple Church, Saint Martin in the field.

There's such a lot to see I can't possibly list them all here. I'd recommend an Eyewitness Travel Guide as they're very comprehensive and include attractions, opening times, photos and maps.

Try the website for The Original London Walks as they do loads of guided tours around the city, They're very cheap and you can take Jack the Ripper, Harry Potter, The Da Vinci Code, Charles Dickens, Museum and Ghost walks. They are very good indeed and you get to see the places lots of tourists don't eve know about.

Travel by tube or bus, It's cheaper than by taxi and very convenient. You can get travel cards from your nearest tube station.

The main shopping streets are Oxford and Regent Street. You can try New Bond Street for Designer labels. Camden for alternative clothing. There's a big mall in Brent Cross also. Fortnum and Mason of Picadilly, known as the Queen's grocers s a fantastic store as is Harrods of Knightsbridge. Leadenhall Market is lovely also and its been in one of the Harry Potter movies.

As for food, there are places to eat everywhere. China Town in Soho is good and Brick Lane for Indian Food in particular.

There are lots of public parks and green areas in London. I'd recommend lunch al fresco if it's fine.

Have fun.

Answer 3

Natural history museum

madamme tussauds

London eye

Parliament square

Picadailly circus

oxfor street - shopping

and many more

Danish

http://www.iamlondoner.com