I'm traveling to London for a week. What are some cool places to go that are not "Tourist" traps?

Answer 1

the natural history museum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


its amazing and free to get it!!!!

Answer 2

It's all a tourist trap, especially in summer, but it's worth every moment you spend trying to fight your way through the crowds. London is pure magic. Stand on Westminster Bridge and look at the Thames and imagine the history that river has seen, then take a boat trip down to the Tower of London. It gives you a different perspective seeing the city from the water. Check out the pubs along the river in Hammersmith (Picadilly tube). Westminster Abbey is my favorite place, no matter how many people are there. Covent Garden is fun, too. There are always street performers that are great to watch. If you're into shopping, check out Portabello Road on a Saturday morning. Have a wonderful time in the best city on earth!

Answer 3

London Eye, you can book on the Internet and it is well worth going. The life sized model of The Globe, Shakespeare's theatre. It is brilliant, you can go and see a play there but I am not sure how to get tickets, but if you just go and see it it will give you a real feel for Elizabethan London. Don't bother with Madame Tussauds, there is a long queue, it is very expensive, and you have to pay extra for the Chamber of Horrors.

Answer 4

London is awesome. I've loved my time here.

Hi, Here's what I always pass along re: what to see in London!
Wear good walking shoes because London is a superb walking city. Bring a good map of the city and begin. Be a happy tourist and first hop on one of the major red double decker tour buses which afford you a perfect overview of London and you can "hop on and off" as often as you please...some for two days! I love www.theoriginaltour.com ! Highlights (see www.londonwalks.com): National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, Tate Modern Museum, London Eye, Covent Gardens (great shops n restaurants), St. Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, see a play!, Harrods, Harvey Nichols, Tower of London.
Know London has many beautiful parks which can be your oasis when needing a rest. Kensington Gardens in one of the world's wealthiest areas - See Princess Di's Kensington Palace and shop Kensington High St. and wander up Church St. for boutiques and such. Nearby: Royal Albert Hall, Science Museum, Natural History Museum and Victoria & Albert Museum. Hyde Park connects to Kensington Gardens. Explore Chelsea for boutiques as well. St. James Park - beautiful, sole restaurant inside. Green Park - high tea at the Ritz, Fortnum & Mason, Picadilly Circus (think Times Square). Shopping streets: Oxford, Bond, check for weekly markets...BUY "TIMEOUT LONDON" weekly magazine. Boat trip on the Thames - a must. Don't forget - you can take the EUROSTAR Chunnel train to Brussels or Paris for day trips (2.5 hrs +/- each way!) Hope this helps. Have a fantastic time! :)

Answer 5

There is a pub called the Kings Head in Islington (North-East London) which doubles as a small theatre. It is in Upper Street. One gimmick in the pub is that prices are often charged in old pounds, shillings and pence - novel! The whole area is pleasant to stroll around - nearby is a famous pub called the Angel too.

Answer 6

I've never been there, but you can see the biggest Hindu temple outside of India in north London. It's very exotic-looking, free and is far off the tourist track.

Answer 7

English people are far more reserved and introverted than other countries. Whenever I get a little too friendly or demonstrative, I’m always awarded with that ‘How did you escape from the asylum and why haven’t they found you?’ look. And so one always has to watch if you’re being a bit too loud or demonstrative. It seems I may have to give up my hobby of chatting to strangers around me. It’s interesting how hectic the litigation is here. People seem to get upset and offended by the smallest things. I really am not too worried if someone bumps me when climbing off the tube. It’s normal. It happens every day. Like the rain.


I do however love the new legislation that forbids a bobby to wield a hand weapon. They are armed only with, wait for it, a cell phone. Can you imagine: “Freeze!(not hard to do in UK), don’t you dare stab that person again. Now stay there while I call it in. You’ll be sorry you will mate..as soon as…er… as soon….um… constable Smithers gets his voice-mail message, there’ll be trouble.”


I have learnt that there are 10 commandments concerning London that cannot be broken under any circumstance, otherwise you will be carted off smartly and given a very stern look:

1..Thou shalt not speak to anyone on the tube (or any form of public transport. Doing so will instantly mark you out as a perv/fruitcake/drunk/tourist or possibly all four. (The tube is also known as “the cattle train” for obvious reasons. I keep imagining that they will soon be using highly trained sheep dogs to help keep everyone in line.)
2. Thou shalt not sit next to someone on public transport if there is another seat further away.
3. Thou shalt not speak about “mind the gap.” It’s just an announcement, no need to go on about it like the tourists do.
4. Thou shalt not stand on a street corner with a map. You might as well wear a sign that says: ‘Mug me’.
5. Thou shalt not stand still on the left hand side of the escalators. (Or else you’ll get the stare…or a tut tut.)
6. Thou shalt not smile at anyone on public transport, make eye contact, or in fact show interest in anything else apart from yourself. This can be handy though, if you want some space to yourself, as a cheesy grin will clear a tube carriage in seconds. I have also found that anything more than a polite clearing of the throat, or a slight rustle of a packet will get a “Are you trying to wake the dead with all that racket??!!” stare.
7. Thou shalt not suddenly stop walking in the middle of a busy pavement. Londoners in a hurry-and Londoners are always in a hurry-can under, bylaw 2008, subsection 2, kill you. (ok, ok they can’t, but they’ll want to).
8. Thou shalt learn to love the queue. It’s a national sport. Don’t complain, don’t comment, don’t say anything, just get in line mate.
9. Thou shalt learn to love the weather.
10. Thou shalt not whinge! If you don’t like it, you know where Heathrow is.

And you know you’re going native when:

1.A cup of tea is the answer to any problem.
2.You know East enders’ (English TV serial) Albert Square better than your own neighborhood.
3.You wheel out the braai (or barbie) at the first glimmer of sun and continue with the Barbie in the pouring rain.
4.You call your centimeter of grass in the back a garden.
5.As soon as the sun comes out you run to the nearest park, strip down to your knickers and roast yourself red.
6.You start referring to chips as crisps.
7.You start to play “spot the Aussie/Kiwwi/Saffa(what we’re referred to as)”
8.Tourists start to annoy you
9.You use words like ‘quid’ (pound), ‘chopsey’ (informal chat), ‘spend a penny’ (go for a wee), ‘chave’ (girl who has a baby just to get the dole benefits like a house), ‘on the rock and roll’ (on the dole), taking the Tommy Jones (ripping someone off)
10.When your parents visit they talk way too loudly on public transport.
11.You start telling your cabbie the best route to take.
12.You always drive prepared for a four hour traffic jam.
13.You realize that London’s title of being ‘The polite city’ is a load of bol_cks. Trust me, they ain’t very polite.
14.(The ultimate one) Tourists think you’re a Londoner.

Answer 8

Whatever you do, make sure you visit Tinseltown 24 hr diner. Lovely lovely food and the most amazing milkshakes you will ever have. Its right next to the historic Smithfields meat market in Holborn. Here's the website;
http://www.tinseltown.co.uk/

Answer 9

everything is tourist trap!

Answer 10

yehhh that place is nice - then after tinsel town you can go to fabric !