I’m really excited to be going to Europe for the first time. I’ll be leaving this Friday for a week in London. My real reason for going, of course, is Carson Systems’ Future of Web Design conference. I’ll be giving a three-hour workshop titled Elegant Web Typography next Tuesday (April 17th) and participating in a session about Flash and Web Standards with Florian Schmitt the following day. I couldn’t be more honored to have been asked to speak at what I’d consider the most well-respected series of conferences in our industry. And, after meeting the Carson clan at SXSW, I’m stoked to see them all again — they’re great people.
But I will have several days on my own to bum around London, and I’m looking for some tips.
I’ve typically waited until the last minute to really start thinking about what I’m going to do in the UK. So please, give me your suggestions. What touristy sightseeing should I do? What bars and clubs should I hit? What are my best options for transportation?
Really, any international travel tips in general, or London-specific thoughts would be very much appreciated.
Thanks in advance, everyone!
001 // Ryan Miglavs // 04.10.2007 // 12:14 AM
Oh, man, you’re in for a treat. London is brilliant.
I see the Tate Modern as an absolutely essential stop. It’s a publicly-funded (read: free) art museum with a huge variety of modern and contemporary art, housed inside an old power plant. The Design Museum is worth a visit, for sure. Any of the other major galleries (Tate Britain, National Gallery, etc.) are also good for consideration. There are plenty of smaller galleries that are fabulous as well, but you should look up what shows are on while you’re there.
A drama in a small theatre (perhaps even a pub theatre) can be a fantastic evening event, and very cheap, too. Go an hour before the show starts, and hang around, and you can get cheap last-minute tickets.
For the best information about current London life (art, entertainment, music, theatre, etc.), pick up a Time Out magazine. They literally list everything going on in the city, and it’s very usefully organized.
As far as transportation, the tube is really the way to go. If you’re splitting taxis with several other people, the black cabs can be okay, but otherwise it’s too expensive. The underground goes everywhere (and the underground map has a delightful and important design history).
Most of the pubs are great. I have a soft spot for the Blackfriar Pub (shockingly, it’s located just above the Blackfriar tube stop).
Have a great trip, mate! [ryan]
002 // Oliver // 04.10.2007 // 1:41 AM
Wow, there’s so much to see and do!
Right, as Ryan mentioned, the Tube’s the way to get around (though you won’t exactly see much — so it’s good to take a bus every now and again). When you get there, you want to get yourself an Oyster Card from one of the despenser machine thingys they have on the wall at Tube Stations — this way it’ll be a hell of a lot cheaper (a single for Zone 1-2 I believe is usually £4, with Oyster it’s like £1.20). Like Ryan mentioned, the design of the Tube map is brilliant!
Once you’ve sorted your mode of transportation out, there are some great places to go. Of course, with you being the person who buys everything Apple, you can’t miss the Apple Store on Regent Street which is absolutely beautiful (the building it is in is gorgeous too — I believe it used to be a Chapel and is called Regent House, either way it’s stunning architecturally).
While you’re at Regent Street, take a trip off one of the side roads to Liberty of London. They don’t sell stuff that’s really up my street, but it’s housed in an old Tudor Building and it’s absolutely stunning inside & out — just don’t go buying one of the £75,000 rugs they have on sale upstairs ;)
There are plenty of wonderful shops tucked away all over the place, too. One of my favorite bookstores, which has an absolutely brilliant collection of design-oriented books can be found near Seven Dials in Covent Garden. All around that area there are lovely shops (they are a little pricy though — but that’s Covent Garden for you).
While you’re in that area, be sure to go to Caffe Vergnano, which is really nearby on Charing Cross Road — they make the most fantastic drinks you could imagine!
At night, don’t be tempted to stay in your hotel to eat. There are loads of brilliant places to eat absolutely everywhere in London. Try pubs or bars at night — but go to the littler ones with the tables and chairs outside in the street if it’s hot. If it smells good, it probably is as I always say!
For lunch, at least onc try Pret à Manger — their salads and sandwiches are to die for (you can find them all over London, in fact I believe there are one or two right outside the Confrence Centre in Kensington!)
continued…
003 // Oliver // 04.10.2007 // 1:42 AM
continued…
Finally, don’t neglect to visit the Museums or Parks (if it’s nice especially :) that London has to offer. I think Ryan pretty much covered the museums, though things like the Tower of London are great (got to see those Crown Jewels!). Also, if you’re into seeing a bit of painting, take a trip to the National Gallery at Trafalgar Square — theyve got a stunning collection.
Above all, I think it’s fair to say that you’re bound to hae a wonderful time whatever you do, Jeff!
004 // Andy Croll // 04.10.2007 // 1:49 AM
Realise it’s cheesy and tourist-y but the London Eye really is worth a visit. I’m a native and I’ve been on twice. The views really are something else.
005 // Russell Keith-Magee // 04.10.2007 // 2:15 AM
As others have mentioned — getting around town is a no-brainer. The Tube will get you everywhere.
Two tourist destinations that haven’t been mentioned (and don’t get the credit they deserve, IMHO):
1) The permanent exhibit at the British Library. Their collection is small, but well worth the visit. Lots of illuminated manuscripts, Guttenberg Bibles, copies of the Magna Carta, music scores… from a typographical perspective, its amazing to see how the art has evolved.
2) Greenwich Observatory. Admittedly, I’m a bit of a horology nut, so I found the observatory museum fascinating. If you haven’t already read it, pick up a copy of Dava Sobel’s book “Longitude” for the flight over so you get the full back story on the observatory and the Longitude Prize - then go and look at the Harrison clocks. They are truly beautiful machines, with a marvellous history.
Russ Magee %-)
006 // Andrew Ingram // 04.10.2007 // 3:04 AM
I really should visit the Tate Modern at some point since it’s literally a minute’s walk from my work.
It’s weird, I’ve been working in London a month now but I’ve yet to see any parts of it except the bits on my way to work. Hopefully this will change at some point.
I hope you enjoy your visit.
007 // Luke // 04.10.2007 // 3:28 AM
On top of all the rest of the places mentioned in the other comments, I suggest going to Covent Garden. You can get to it fairly easily on the Tube. It’s full of streeet entertainer’s and the famous Covent Garden Market where you can often find quite nifty things.
008 // Andy Beeching // 04.10.2007 // 4:09 AM
I’d echo what the others have stated about going to the Tate, and also Covent Garden, but I’d also suggest some of the markets as well to get a slightly more edgey view of London. The best ones IMO are Camden and Borough markets, both accessible via tube. Portobello is also worth a visit, particularly with its proximity to Notting Hill.
If you want nice views of London, Primrose Hill is good, and there’s some great architecture down by St Pauls in the city.
009 // Joanna Murray // 04.10.2007 // 4:16 AM
Definitely shell out £3 for an Oyster Card. They more than halve the price of any travel (buses/tubes) and Londoners tend to laugh and look smug at tourists who don’t have them (I’ve heard that tourists basically fund Transport for London by paying full price for everything).
If you go to the Tate Modern, you can walk across the Millennium Bridge from there to St. Paul’s Cathedral (if Cathedrals are your thing) and the old City of London (the real business bit). There are some really famous pubs down there as well. The British Library, the British Museum, The National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery are all free to get into. I second votes for the Tower of London and Greenwich (which also has a great Maritime museum and the Cutty Sark), and the London Eye is brilliant. Shopping - you should probably go to the Apple Store, although it will look familiar and be more expensive, and if you like books, Foyle’s is the best independent bookshop in the country.
Finally, don’t underestimate walking around London. Get an A-Z and walk between places if it isn’t too far, you’ll see a lot more and get the feel of the city. Don’t be tempted to take the tube somewhere, see the sight, and then get back on again, a stroll through Hyde Park to Buckingham Palace, or down the Mall, or along Oxford Street can be really rewarding. London is brilliant and has so much history and character, and you don’t necessarily have to spend £12 per attraction to enjoy it. And be warned, London eats your money like nothing else.
There’s a great pub called The Tottenham on the corner of Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road, it’s really cosy and atmospheric, very reasonable, and the restaurant downstairs makes amazing pies. (There’s also an amazing comic book shop on the opposite corner).
I hope you have a fantastic trip :o)
010 // Faruk Ateş // 04.10.2007 // 4:29 AM
Step 1) send me an email Step 2) jot down cell phone number from my response email Step 3) give me a call when you get in town Step 4) let yourself be toured around by Faruk for a day
=)
Seriously dude. We should meet up. Which days exactly will you be here and which ones will you have to yourself (entirely) ?
011 // Olav B // 04.10.2007 // 5:17 AM
I love the fact that someone suggest you should take the subway because “the underground map has a delightful and important design history”.
Some might find that weird; I find it essential. :)
012 // dave g // 04.10.2007 // 5:54 AM
Looking forward to the conference, my first webby conference and it looks like it will be a good one.
I’d second Hyde park and the Tate Modern, and a stroll along the south bank to the london eye is a must too.
There is a fantastic Moroccan & Lebanese restaurant near Shaftesbury Avenue (where all the theatres are) that I’d recommend too http://www.maisontouaregue.com/index.asp
013 // Kyle // 04.10.2007 // 7:32 AM
I’ll second a lot of the above mentioned (Tate, Design Museum, London Eye, Tube, etc.)… it seems like every attraction costs at least £10, but how many times are you in London?
Do not miss Nando’s. We were in London for 3 or 4 days last year and we ate there twice.
014 // Henrik V // 04.10.2007 // 7:45 AM
Walk through Hyde Park from Marble Arch or Hyde Park Corner to High Street Kensington, and have a rest at the cafe by Kensington Palace.
Walk from Battersea park to London bridge(a couple of hours) and enjoy how it changes from block to block. Just 100 yards inland from the riverside you see a different London.
Sloane Sq/Sloane Street/Knightsbridge/Old-New Bond Street are the classic luxury shopping streets. If you like cafes/pub gardens you want to go to Kensington/Knightsbridge/Pimlico.
Avoid Oxford Street in general, it is overcrowded and fairly unremarkable. Soho is alright, but I think seven dials is more charming.
The Design museum on south bank perhaps.
Lots of options, depends on what you like really.
Drop me a line if you want to go out for a beer, I live in Earls Court.
015 // David Yeiser // 04.10.2007 // 8:17 AM
I second Oliver (comment #2) on visiting Caffe Vergnano. It was really good.
016 // Eric Eggert // 04.10.2007 // 8:22 AM
My first visit to london, too. Thanks for the valuable tips, I’ll consider them. Sadly I’ll be there only tuesday to thursday, so there will be not much sightseeing which is a shame.
I hope we’ll meet.
017 // Jeff Croft // 04.10.2007 // 8:44 AM
Wow! I’m absolutely blown away by the number of great tips here. Thanks so much, guys. No time to respond in detail right now, but I wanted to say thanks. Keep ‘em coming!
Frauk, I’ll definitely be e-mailing you. :)
018 // Paul Schreiber // 04.10.2007 // 8:50 AM
As funny as it may sound, go see Marry Poppins. It’s showing at the Prince Albert Theater. My wife and I had a business trip their in February. We also saw Wicked. Both were awesome, and I’m not even into musicals. Well worth your time.
019 // Chuck // 04.10.2007 // 9:46 AM
I’ve been to London a couple times, and it’s an incredible city. The Tube is an excellent way to get around. In fact, London’s very walkable—in my opinion, little need to take a taxi for anything! Just don’t forget to look right!
Tower Bridge (the one many people mistake for London Bridge [which is really quite boring]) is my favorite London landmark. There’s a cool tour that you can take which includes a walk across one of the upper platforms.
I enjoyed just walking around the city and taking in the atmosphere. The double-decker hop-on/hop-off tour buses are excellent for that. They make rounds all over the city, so you can take in a lot of sites with ease.
Walk along the Thames and enjoy the well-known landmarks of Parliament, Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey (which is an excellent place to visit!).
Enjoy your trip!
020 // Mike D. // 04.10.2007 // 10:21 AM
Definitely go to the Design Museum, near the Tower Bridge. Also, definitely take the 1 hour bus ride to Oxford for the day (quicker than the train).
Also, try to avoid British food at all costs. Stick with the foreign stuff.
021 // Oliver // 04.10.2007 // 11:16 AM
I’m the first to admit that some of British food (generally the more traditional stuff) may be pretty revolting (Haggis, anyone?) — but I also think that Britain has been represented somewhat poorly abroad. A lot of the more modern food to be found in ‘Gastropubs’ is really good.
022 // Glenn // 04.10.2007 // 12:57 PM
Hit up the Princess Louise for a pint. It’s a really chill place with Samuel Smith on tap. It’s right near the Holborn Tube stop.
023 // Sean S // 04.10.2007 // 1:35 PM
I believe the Rosetta Stone is still on exhibit at the British Museum. You shouldn’t miss it.
Mind the gap.
024 // William M // 04.10.2007 // 2:08 PM
Make sure you buy a travel card, so you can go round the place whenever you want. Then have a quick search for the current exhibitions around London museums on google. Don’t feel you need to go on the London eye, it’s nothing terrific but rather a waste of time. Bring a lot of money, London is not a cheap city. Make sure you go for afternoon tea for some scones and cream. http://www.londontown.com/London/AfternoonTeaTime/
Then the general advice for food, if the locals are in there it’s usually good. “Also, try to avoid British food at all costs. Stick with the foreign stuff” that’s not necessarily true at all and I’m French but in general most places sell foreign stuff anyway in metropolitan London and British food in pubs do vary in quality a lot from poor to very good! If you are out with Londoners then make sure you go eat in a nice Restaurant/Pub serving British food at least once, it’s a must!
Hope this helps.
025 // Brian // 04.10.2007 // 2:14 PM
Look for a “Overground Underground” Map. It maps up the surface streets in central London to the tube stops. Makes understanding how the tube map relates to the surface streets much easier. As others mentioned do some walking. The whole city is full of interesting places and it’s easy to use the tube to get everywhere and miss some of the city as a result.
Pret Au Manger is a great place to grab quick and inexpensive lunches on the go. Be sure to eat at least one meal in a good ol’ neighborhood pub. They are so different from bars and typically the food is quite good.
Another great way to see parts of the city is a walk along some of the canals. I like the Camden Lock area for this. There are some neat clubs with live music. Others mentioned checking out some of the Markets such as Camden or Portobello road. Great way to experience the city.
Finally if you are looking to get out of London, Cambridge, Oxford, Bath, or Stratford upon Avon all make great day trips and are accessible by train from London.
Enjoy…..
026 // Peter Kaizer // 04.10.2007 // 2:22 PM
Jeff,
I was just in London in Feb for 4 days. It’s a great city. Definitely get an oyster card for riding the tube. You have to buy it for a week but it’s absolutely worth it. Will also give you unlimited access to the buses.
Be sure to see the Tate Modern, it’s a fantastic museum and has a great Rothko room. Take the tube to the new Westminster Station and cross the river and walk the south embankment, it’s a great view. Be sure to hit the Borough Market for some great food grazing.
A couple of must go to restaurants: Yaucha (for dim sum) St. Johns Bread & Wine Moro (a fabulous Spanish/Moroccan place)
I have a word document with a bunch of tourist tips that a friend of a friend who lives in London sent me so if you would like it email me and I’ll send it to you.
PK
027 // Brian Ford // 04.10.2007 // 2:50 PM
If an alcoholic beverage can’t be compared to a fruit of one kind or another — Jeff probably doesn’t drink it.
028 // Kirk // 04.10.2007 // 3:35 PM
As an American who’s been living in the UK for the past 9 years I can confirm that British food has become better, but I must say - it’s still pretty poor on the whole. Still, that hardly matters. You’re here for a short while so you might as well jump in feet first. Don’t be one of those sad ass tourists who will only eat things they know. Where’s the fun in that?
Btw, Jeff - I’m looking forward to seeing you at FOWD. I won’t be at the workshop but I look forward to the conference!
029 // kyle // 04.11.2007 // 12:47 AM
Also, try to avoid British food at all costs. Stick with the foreign stuff.
Amen.
Seasoning… the Brits are still waiting to catch that wave.
030 // Fahed // 04.11.2007 // 1:16 AM
Although it might sound cheesy, i would recommend you to take one our double decker tours as soon as you arrive.
This will let you see the whole place first hand and you can then decide where you’d like to spend the rest of your time.
031 // David Zülke // 04.11.2007 // 2:04 PM
I guess you’ll arrive at Heathrow airport. Do not take the tube from there. Takes forever, and even longer if you have one of the typical signal failures or so. Take the Heathrow Connect (25mins, or, if you want to pay the money, Heathrow Express (15mins) to Paddington Station.
You absolutely have to visit Tate Modern. Awesome. After that, walk over the Millenium Bridge ;) Remember, gallery, museum, library admissions are free (mostly). British Museum is tremendous, too. But Tate Modern should be your #1 place to visit, it alone is worth a trip to London.
If you’re going to the Regent Street Apple Store, go to Oxford Circus, and walk Oxford Street up and down a bit (Regent St and Oxford St intersect at Oxford Circus). Selfridges is on Oxford Street, too. And you might want to consider visiting Harrods, too, just for kicks, even though you probably won’t end up buying anything there ;o)
Most Marks&Spencers have a “bakery” cupboard with fresh pastry, buy a White Chocolate Chip Cookie for 55p. Best cookie you’ll ever eat.
If you’re at Covent Garden, try to get cheap tickets for The Tempest at The Royal Opera House. Worth it. Really.
And I agree walking around is the way to go. Here’s a recommendation:
Go to Trafalgar Square. Chill there for a minute and enjoy the scene ;) Then walk up Pall Mall to Piccadilly Circus (must visit), and then down Regent St to Oxford Circus. Walk up and down Oxford St, go back to Oxford Circus and continue on Regent St until you hit the Apple Store. Then back home. Or something :p
032 // Joshua Works // 04.12.2007 // 8:34 AM
Comfy shoes, dude. Comfy shoes.
033 // Adam Polselli // 04.12.2007 // 10:57 AM
Wow, you are in for a treat! I visited Europe for my first time just this past February, and I was in London for about five days. It instantly became my favorite place I have ever visited.
As some have said, don’t just limit yourself to the tube. An Oyster pass will get you on the buses as well, and words can’t describe how amazingly fun it is to sit on the second floor of the buses right at the front and take in London as you whizz around the narrow streets feeling like you’re about to soar right into street signs and buildings. It’s a great time for photo ops.
I did the “Red Bus Tour” and while some might say it’s a bit touristy, I found that it was a perfect way to take in all of London in just a couple hours. The bus literally took us EVERYWHERE and the tour guide was fantastic. She never stopped talking for the entire two-hour tour, and she gave some fascinating details that you probably wouldn’t learn anywhere else. Of course, sit on the second floor of the bus, which will be in the open air as it lacks a roof, and you’ll have hundreds of great photo ops.
If you plan on shopping at all, I found that Selfridge’s was the best. It’s simply an incredible department store, with tons of fun stuff to look at on the first floor. They sell some of the funniest greeting cards I’ve ever read. There’s also this incredible sushi bar there that color codes all the plates and sends them around on a conveyor belt. You take stuff off as you’re hungry and then they add up all your plates when you’re done. It was a really cool experience.
Besides Selfridge’s, I thought the best shopping was Carnaby Street. You can find some really amazing stuff there - I got a great pair of purple sneakers. There’s another great department store there, Liberty, that I would say was one of my favorite places to shop and look around. It’s not your typical department store, but more like a big, antiqued mansion that you can wander through finding lots of goodies. Check it out.
Finally, if you feel like dropping about a hundred pounds, check out Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theatre. It is without a doubt the most incredible musical I have ever seen, and thought that it was worth every pound and pence my sister and I paid. The sets, the music, the costumes, the singing, the story… everything was perfectly incredible.
Take lots of photos! I’ll look forward to them.
034 // Ed Sharrer // 04.15.2007 // 8:56 PM
So many tips, so little space…
Comfy walking shoes. A must. Essential. Multiple pairs, so you can rotate them and let them dry out.
London is the best pedestrian city you’ll find. If the streets get confusing, pop into the Tube and you’ll actually get your bearings faster, thanks to the brilliant maps.
British food is absolutely fine. Not heavily seasoned, is all. Best cheap eats (in a city that’s very spendy) is to hit a pub for a cheese sandwich or a curry. Good way to stretch your meal dollars.
I enjoyed London’s Chinatown near Picadilly Circus, but that’s been several years ago. Maybe others could confirm?
Have a serviceable amount of pounds or euros with you when your plane lands. Exchanging money at the airport is a ripoff, and you’ll need cash the minute your feet hit English soil.
If nothing but for experiencing an important piece of the history of free speech, be sure to take in Speaker’s Corner in Hyde Park, at least for a few minutes.
Above all else, schedule lots of unscheduled time spent wandering the streets just to allow for random bits of awesome experience. There’s something new and interesting around every corner, so don’t get hung up trying to jam pack an agenda.
035 // Josh Pope // 04.15.2007 // 11:09 PM
I recommend taking a train out of the U.K. You can be in Paris within hours, belgium or amsterdam in a day, east germany in a day and a half (sooner if you book the right trains).
London is great.. But it’s not that great. The comfy shoes comments sums up my problem with London. Sure you can get around on the tube, but I enjoy a good walking city. London is NOT a walking city.
Other than that, just make sure you aren’t staying 2 hours out of downtown. I’ve made the mistake of booking a hotel “just one tube stop from downtown” when really they meant “just two trains, about 40 stops from downtown!”
036 // Nate Whalen // 04.16.2007 // 4:23 PM
Pick up a little map book called A to Z (pronounced “Zed”). I found this in the Parliament book store on the same street, across the bridge next to Big Ben in the book shop. (sorry if that was confusing) There are 2 version, what I’d call a pocket size and then a half-page size. I got the pocket size for what the name implies. It is ring bound, but still fits in a pocket if you want to not stand out that way.
I went with my college in the summer of 2004, so I was kinda rooted to the group, but still had times when we could break away. I actually did lots of walking (Regent’s park area/ Picadilly Circus to Parliament building).
Outside London, I’d hit-up Stonehenge (kind of far to the west in Salisbury area). This was important to me as a Art History minor.
Can’t miss Tate Modern, the Saachi gallery has moved from next to the London Eye. I did not ride this ride. 20 quid or more for a 20 min. ride I think. Might be more. I also was in Northern England and visited many places there, but I’d thought I’d keep the ideas to the southern area.
Have Fun!
037 // Oliver // 04.19.2007 // 12:30 AM
Same, Jeff — thought your panel was really good — ‘twas great to meet you, too!
038 // Ali Reid // 04.19.2007 // 3:05 AM
I haven’t read everyone’s comments, but a few, and i have to tell you this, having spent many months there with the locals.
Central London is not large. From edge to edge of interest is probably an hour’s stroll, i would say. The Tube is no YouTube that’s for sure. Old, outdated, filthy, inefficient, and downright dangerous at times.
I much prefer to wander through the backstreets. Often times you will find that its quicker to walk! Some stations are 15 flights of stairs underground with slow, deathtrap lifts. Get a map. The busses are cool and really well signed (an excellent study of user interface design!)
I like Camden Market. Day and night. Great market stalls, great pubs and cafes.
Enjoy your stay! London is great.