What's the one things you cannot miss in London? (the more offbeat, the better)?

Answer 1

Ice skating at Somerset House in winter.
Albert Bridge at night.
Bonfire night in Battersea Park.
Borough Market.
High tea at the Ritz.

Answer 2

I like Islington... especially in the evenings... and Highbury too.
And there's a chipshop (Dixy Chick) around the corner from Angel tube that does THE best fries. And that's not just a personal opinion!!

Camden market is a must... turn right at the tube, walk on the left side of the road, cross the bridge over the canal and walk to the left along the river (on the right side of the river that is), follow the narrow little footpath and on the building on the right you'll see a little ledge. Climb up and you can sit there all day long, watching people do their thing as the canal flows past.. Serene in a totally bizarre way!
Sat there last guy fawkes night watching the fireworks reflect in the water. So beautiful :)

The living statues at Covent Garden are cool too, but very touristy.

And if you are from abroad, there's a Sherlock Holmes themed pub near Trafalgar Square that serves the most authentic british dishes; we're talking toad in the hole and bubble and squeak... I'm not british - I had to have someone translate the menu for me in order to understand it!!

Go to Holland Park (off Kensington High St), and wander into the Koi garden in the centre of it. Go check out the fish and throw in a coin for good luck, then sit down on one of the benches and enjoy! You can hear the waterfall in the background, and there's peacocks and rabbits wandering about. And loads of totally tame squirrels!!

Those are my personal favourites...

One thing I assume is cool is a garden with memorial placks for people who died helping others. (if you've seen the movie Closer you know what I'm on about!) I'm yet to find that one.... can't be that hard tho!

:)

Answer 3

Personally I love the Camden Markets. Especially the lock market.

It is full of all the different "breeds" of rocker, ranging from true punks, to goths, emos and just your straightout metalheads, but even then, the markets are still full of assorted goodies that anyone can enjoy!

The food market near the Stables Market is great. I've never found a cheaper AND nicer place to find a chinese takeaway. £3.50 for a big tray of noodles and sweet & sour chicken, plus a can of coke. Where I live in Bromley (South East London), that'd cost at least £6, and it's much nicer in Camden anyway.

To get there, simply take a Northern Line train on any branch and get off at Camden Town. If you're looking to go directly to the Lock and Stables Markets, I would personally recommend getting a Northern Line train to Chalk Farm, which is on the Edgeware branch of the line.

Answer 4

The London Eye is hardly offbeat - you can't get much more mainstream. There is a Hindu temple in Neasden - the largest outside India. Sir John Soane's Museum in Lincoln's Inn Fields is free and has a great atmosphere - it was the home of an architect and has lots of nooks and crannies, making it feel larger than it really is. It is also stuffed with bits of ruins and drawings.

Answer 5

There are loads of things to do depending on what you like. Here are some things that spring to mind:

Visit the flower market on Columbia Road
Do a bicycle ride along the Thames Path
St Katherines Docks - This is a great little dock area surround by old buildings, with some lovely places to eat and drink in
Boat ride along the Thames to Greenwich
Do the 'Jack the Ripper' walk in East London

mmm lots more, but have to get back to work. PS that Buddist Temple is in Wimbledon.

Answer 6

The London Eye

Answer 7

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.

For wonderful food items try Borough Market and for Harry Potteresque surroundings try Leadenhall Market.

If you're feeling a little posh you could try Fortnum and Mason for shopping followed by tea at the Ritz.

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 8

London zoo: do a canal barge trip from little venice (paddington) to the middle of the zoo....you can get an inclusive ticket with entry to the zoo and return canal trip.

go to St Katherines Dock, by the tower of london. it has old sailing ships, pubs, retaurants, etc and is also a modern marina.

Museum of London, in the barbican

Portobello road market, on saturday, in Notting Hill

{anyone who says 'the fog' has never seen london except in old 'sherlock holmes' films.... Smog is something you'll have to go to LA to find}

Answer 9

Thames Barrier

Answer 10

Going to Camden market, in Camden Town.
A whole area full of punks, goths and tourists taking pics!
Go for a drink next to the canal there.