London, United Kingdom + Add a trip

Regent's Canal

Finding the South Bank a little crowded compared to a few years ago and wanting a new waterfront walk? Why not try the Regent's Canal, which extends from the Thames at Limehouse to Paddington, via Victoria Park, Islington (where it passes through a quarter-mile long tunnel) and Camden? It's an odd walk, with gentrification sitting next to council estates, but it's still fairly rewarding, and links a few tourist attractions (Camden Lock, London Zoo) as well.

Camden is rubbish; don't bother

Despite what people may tell you, Camden is awful. I'm sure back in the 1960s it was amazing but now it is just a crack-ridden cesspit that should be avoided at all costs.

Theo Randalls: Fabulous Italian Restruant

My wife and I went for lunch on our 10th year anniversary ... the food, wine and service was superb! Since leaving France in August 2007 ... nothing has compared and we can't wait to return.

Getting around by Tube (Underground/Metro) and Bus - get an Oyster card

Oystr cards are available from any underground ticket office and are a stored value card - you put money on them (cash or credit card) and you can take them home with you and bring them back next trip - no fumbling for change etc. They also offer significant discounts over cash fares.

If you are in London for a week or more, get a 7 day travel card put onto your Oyster card - it gives you unlimited travel (between the zones you buy the travel card) - so it is quite a bit cheaper than individual tickets.

Travelling to Heathrow from Central London - Use Heathrow Express from Paddington Station

Trust me - quicker than the underground and much cheaper and quicker than a taxi. £29 return from Paddington Station - stops at Terminals 1, 2, 3 and then Terminal 4. Loads of space for your luggage, WiFi available (T-mobile hotspot) on board and it takes just 15 minutes.

Well worth the £29 return. I live here and I always use this to get to and from Heathrow Airport.

There is also an express train between Victoria and Gatwick Airport - this takes 30 minutes.

Use Tube Guru to know the area around a tube station

If you want to stay or meet at a specific tube station but don't know what else is in the local area, then Tube Guru is really useful. It lets you browse for accommodation, attractions, restaurants, bars, or shopping near the stations on the underground.

Internet availability

It seems that internet is not freely available in London. Most places provide customers with wireless network relying on BTOpenZone. British telecom offers travelers a way to go online that is certainly not cheap (~6£/hour) and not always reliable. It took me a day before I could reach the website in order to register. SOme hotels might offer different services but the Hilton in Heathrow doesn't for example.

Staying at least 5 days? Use the Tube from Heathrow.

The Paddington Express might be interesting for short stays if you're not travelling around, but if you have multiple visits (like in sales) and are moving around the city, take the Tube from Heathrow buying a card that includes zones 1 & 2 with Heathrow return. It is only £26 and well worth it.

Wine at Gordon's Wine Bar/Cave near Embankment

walk down the steep stairs into a bustling 19th century wine cellar converted into barrel seating and candlelit laughter. Crowded with the type that loves wine and a tucked away secret. Great date place.

Yauatcha restaurant

The Best dim sum...pricy but worth it!

st martins graduation show

if you wanna glimpse the future of design, you'll wanna check out the central st martins grad show when it happens.

a culinary experience worth writing home about

Even if the celebrity chef culture is not really your thing, I would still recommend this restaurant for lunch being it a business lunch or a treat to your loved ones. The food is simply top level and he deserves every single star for this place. When you know that the lunch is £40 a head, it is simply a fantastic experience. (On another note, please don't bother with the Gavroche. Okay, I have been only once, but they won't get me back there ever. Service and food are not up to the standards that you would expect.)

Internet guide to London

I've been to London so often, I thought I'd write down what I knew.

Gatwick airport to London

Take the Southern Rail service which is much more cheaper than Gatwick Express

Getting Around

Central London is actually fairly easy to navigate on foot. So many visitors only use the tube to get around you miss so much this way. Buy a pocket A-Z for a few pounds and use that. You'll see so much more

Borough Market, Southwark

Southwark - the area just in behind the Tate Modern - is very cool unspoilt part of old London. The Borough Market happens pretty much every weekday and is a fantastic authentic English foodmarket dating back to Victorian times. Great for a wander, lunch and some great old pubs for a drink.

@media 2008 (web conference)

Not much to say about London this time. But I will say that I went to see @media 2008 and was a really impressive event.

Easy access to public lectures in London

If you burn out of boutique hotels, beefeater tourism and all-night Hoxton mayhem why not get close to some true eccentrics?

Use the Lecture List (http://lecturelist.org) to locate public talks that fit your interest.

Book London Eye online

Book the London Eye online before you go. The queues there are frightening and it's slightly cheaper.

Lord of the rings show

Go and see Lord of the Rings before it closes! And have lots of fun. :)

Very nice Art - Toys - T-shirt shop: Magma Bookshop

I found this Magma Bookshop while walking around..it was very nice..some designer's toys, a lot of art book, pins and t-shirts...you can find also magazines like Juxtapoz..

Tapas at Brindisa

At the entrance to Borough Market, near London Bridge, this is the place to grab a few drinks and nibbles with friends. Don't miss: ham croquettes, tortilla espanola, spinach salad, patatas bravas, and the expensive but worth it hand-sliced jamon iberico. Washed down with many Cruzcampo beers...can't be beat.

Union Jack Club

If you are in the Military, active or retired, a cheap place to stay is the Union Jack Club. Associate Member's BP 52.00. Very reasonable. Steps away from Waterloo Station. 10 minute walk to London Eye. 15 Minute walk to Charring Cross. Excellent location Centre of London.

Every September - London Open House weekend - FREE!

This year the dates are 20 & 21 September for what is always an amazing weekend - doors are thrown open on buildings which are never usually open including: - Brunel's tunnel under the Thames (a world first in its time) - Lloyd's of London - Courts of Justice - BBC buildings - City churches - guild houses - private houses etc etc

Hundreds of places to see and things to do but it only comes around 1 weekend per year!

Nice pub at the Thames with a fantastic view...

"Founders Arms" is a pub with a fantastic view over the Thames to St. Paul's and is located next to Modern Tate at Bankside... Enjoy a beer (or more) and the view...

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&geocode=&q=Founders+Arms+london

magma books: design geek mecca

If you love beautiful books and funky design stuff, and you enjoy having a wallet that's more half-full than half-empty, avoid magma like the Hadron Collider created black hole that's apparently going to swallow London (and the rest of the world) day after tomorrow. Not because they're expensive, but because they have so many things you simply must have. And instead of the pristine, sanitised design shop aesthetic of so many similar shops, magma feels more like a skateshop. Perfect.

Of course you can shop online too, but you really should hold this sort of stuff in your sweaty little hands. There are two shops in London (Camden & Coventry Garden), and note that the Clerkenwell Rd. on their map seems to actually be called Theobald's Rd.

Fifteen

Great food, fun atmosphere not overly pricey for London.

Sandwiches

Buying tickets for the London Eye

Buy online: http://londoneye.com/ and avoid being in line to buy the tickets there. You just have to go the one of the prepaid tickets machine, insert your credit/debit card and that's it. Saved me probably half an hour ;) Sad thing is, it's probably best to use Internet Explorer to do it... it's funny at least on Firefox.

Wicked

Si vas a Londres y te gusta el musical, no puedes dejar pasar la oportunidad de ver el mejor espectáculo audiovisual que he visto nunca.

If you go to London, you have to see the most amazing show I've ever seen.

cafe&food shop for people watching

Leila's shop on edge of Arnold Circus. Food shop with cafe inside. A little gem. Speciality foods and for breakfast extremely good fried eggs with sage brought to you in a heavy pan to the table, with decent bread. Platters of polish sausages, horseradish, Comte cheese and gherkins. Coffee made just right. Bookable in the evenings for private dinners: you, your friends, the chef and someone to look after you.

Just another trip...

Visiting AKQA for two full days of workshopping fun. But - a football game from the VIP box should be something new!

Columbia Road is great for flowers and jewels!

Sunday on Columbia Road is probably london's best flower market offering plants, shrub, trees, bulbs and exotic flowers. There is also a string of boutique type shops that run up and down the road. My personal fave is 'mad fashion bitch' and sells amazing jewels!

Some nice pubs and cafes too.

One of the best restaurants.....

For anyone looking for tips on where to eat Belgo in Covent Garden is a fantastic Belgian restaurant offering more than just moules and frites. Well worth a try and good value for money too. They do many offers along the lines of `the price you pay is the time you arrive' e.g £6.06p for two courses if you arrive at 6:06 pm, that sort of thing. Fantastic range of beers too and a great atmosphere.

Decanter

Feb 21th to Feb 22nd 2009

Visit

tate modern museum. most of it is free, always very thought provoking. easy to get to. some of the best modern modern artists in the world.

go graffiti hunting in london's east end, near aldgate, going stencil hunting. a lot of banksy works linger here. underground -> aldgate -> just wander around, sort of following the jack the ripper self guided tour.

Where the Best singles stops near Gatwick...

In my opinion the best thing to explore in London is London Eye. It’s so wonderful. It’s a giant wheel and from here you can enjoy the whole view of London.

In my mind, Greenwich Park.

A Royal Park that is advertised as the 'start of time', you can trace the course of the Greenwich meridian through several buildings and by the green laser that shines across the city at night.

And of course, the superb, unsurpassable (in my mind, anyway) view: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/55/Greenwich_pano.jpg

If you can go to 1 place on a short trip to London then go to the Tate Modern. I never skip it.

Madonna and Guy Ritchie's pub. Super expensive (pint 4 quid), traditional, small, but good: No bloody TV and other flickering machines !

Visit the Exquisite Bodies exhibition, grossly fascinating.

The orangery is such a lovely place to sit with a newspaper, it alone is worth the price of entry (£4).

I wish so much to visit the place!

this is the newly opened Lomography Galeery Store, Ace!

I havnt actually been here yet as I live in Stoke on Trent, but hope to go soon and wanted to share it!

Serves as my outdoor office. Mature, semi-wild woodland. Solitude during weekdays, nice cafe on central meadow...

Check out Luardo's Burrito Van for a filling lunch, and ask about their loyalty cards!

Times: 11:00am/6:30pm Thursday to Sunday

Buses: Primrose Hill 274 Chalk Farm 24/27/31/168/C11 Camden C2

Underground: Chalk Farm Northern Line Camden Northern Line Swiss Cottage Jubilee Line The museum is located near the corner of Regents Park Road and Sharpleshall Street in Primrose Hill, London NW1. Just walk past the library and it is the next building along.