An Insiders Guide to London

Overview

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Tate Modern Museum Borough Market People-Watching at Covent Garden The Porterhouse Strand on the Green La Perla Mexican Restaurant Richmond Park Going to Wimbledon to watch the tennis. Quick Tips: Take time to have a lazy walk along the Thames at some point during your trip. I would recommend walking from Westminster Bridge to Tower Bridge and then crossing over the river and walking along the other side of the River Thames. You won't believe how many things you get to see along the route. Plus, you get to see many of the famous London landmarks and you don't have to pay a penny! Unfortunately there are many pick-pockets operating on...Read More

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Swan Private Guest House

Hotel

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Considering the location of this guesthouses, I don't think you will find a better valued place to stay in the whole of London. I have stayed here a number of times, and have always been impressed by the cleanliness of the place. Although the decorations are basic, you really cannot complain at the price of £25 per room per night, especially when some of the rooms have up to 3 beds. Breakfast is also included (between 7am and 9am), which consists of a traditional English breakfast with the choice of a number of cereals as well. Each room has coffee and tea making facilities, TV, and alarm clock. The bathrooms and toilets are shared, but these are always clean and I have never...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on May 15, 2006

Swan Private Guest House
17 Thornton Ave.
London, England W4 1QE
+44 (208) 994 2870

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La Perla Bar

Restaurant | "La Perla Mexican Restaurant"

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I was introduced to Mexican Food by my girlfriend, and was quite disappointed to fine that London lacks a wide variety of Mexican restaurants. Of the few that are on offer I would say that La Perla is by far the best, and I would say that it is up there with some of the traditional Mexican restaurants I have eaten at while in America. They offer a full Mexican menu, from starters to dessert, and I would personally recommend the nachos for starters and the vegetarian Burrito for main, which is huge. For this meal you are looking at paying around £11, which considering the location and the quality and quantity of the food, is excellent value. Along with a good food menu, there is als...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on May 15, 2006

La Perla Bar
28 Maiden Lane
London, England
+44 (20) 7240 7400

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Borough Market

Attraction

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This has to be my favourite place in London and luckily, although it can get busy, it isn't one of the top tourist hot spots, which means it keeps its appeal as a typically English market atmosphere. The best bit for me is the amount of free tasters on offer, so if you are short on cash and are feeling a little peckish, then you can easily feed your appetite on free tasters here. Another favourite that I would recommend people trying is the Somerset Cider Stall that is located near the restaurant. It's gorgeous stuff! You can lose yourself here easily for a couple of hours looking at the wide array of fruit, vegetables, breads, cheeses, meats, fish and other speciality foods ...Read More

This has to be my favourite place in London and luckily, although it can get busy, it isn't one of the top tourist hot spots, which means it keeps its appeal as a typically English market atmosphere.

The best bit for me is the amount of free tasters on offer, so if you are short on cash and are feeling a little peckish, then you can easily feed your appetite on free tasters here. Another favourite that I would recommend people trying is the Somerset Cider Stall that is located near the restaurant. It's gorgeous stuff!

You can lose yourself here easily for a couple of hours looking at the wide array of fruit, vegetables, breads, cheeses, meats, fish and other speciality foods that you will find it hard to find anywhere else in London. Stalls and market operators include the Monmouth Coffee Company, de Gustibus, and the Fresh Olive Company.

This fruit and vegetable market is located almost opposite the London Bridge tube station, although I would recommend walking to it along the River Thames, as it's about a 30 minute walk from Leicester Square and Covent Garden, as this way you get to see so much more of the city.

The market itself spreads out in an L-shape and is the successor to a medieval market, held on London Bridge way back in 1276, so not only do you get free food, but also you get to take in a lot of nostalgia and history as well! The buildings of its present location date from 1851.

Surrounding the market there are even more shops offering fresh produce, cheeses and meats including 'Neal's Yard Dairy', selling British and Irish farmhouse cheeses, the acclaimed 'Fish', beside the restaurant of the same name, and Konditor & Cook, the bakers.

Opening hours for Borough Market are:
Fri: noon-6pm, Sat: 9am-4pm

If you require any further information then you can check out there website at: http://www.boroughmarket.org.uk

I can't recommend this market highly enough and it's an excellent attraction as part of a full day of entertainment along the River Thames, which can include The London Eye, Tate Modern and even better, the Vinnepolis Wine Tasting Museum!
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Member Rating 5 out of 5 on May 15, 2006

Borough Market
West of Borough High Street
London, England SE1

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Richmond Park

Attraction

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London has many parks, but for me the best of the lot is a short trip outside of London to the suburb of Richmond, where you will find Richmond Park. Richmond Park, is almost 1000 hectares in size, with a diameter of approximately 10 miles, making it ideal for those who like to run or cycle. It is the largest Royal Park in London and unlike any of the others, it has a population of approximately 650 deer which are free roaming. The deer are an ideal highlight if you have children, as not only are they easy to find but they are used to humans, so you can get very close to them. Cars are allowed to drive through the roads in the park, meaning that it is easy to travel to whic...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on May 15, 2006

Richmond Park
Richmond
Surrey, England TW6
+44 20 8948 3209

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Porterhouse

Attraction | "The Porterhouse"

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Within Central London this is one of my favourite bars, not only for the relaxed and friendly atmosphere that you will find here, but also for the ridiculous amount of beers on offer, both on tap and in bottles. They have about 300 different beers on offer from throughout the world, so there is something for everyone so to speak. The pub is large and has many seperate level floors (5 in total), but due to its popularity and closeness to Covent Gardens it is normally very busy especially on weekends, which can have a bit of a negative effect on the enjoyment you can have here. The Porterhouse also has a large selction of pub food, which is very good quality and I would recommend a lunch...Read More

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on May 15, 2006

Porterhouse
21-22 Maiden Lane
London, England WC2E 7NA
020 7379 7917

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Wimbledon Tennis Championship

Attraction | "A Cheap Days Tennis at Wimbledon"

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I am sure visiting Wimbledon is mentioned in every guide book, but I want to comment on my experience of visiting Wimbledon last year (2005) to show that you do not need money, nor a lot of time to enjoy one of the greatest tennis events on the planet. Every year their are always stories in the newspapers at the ridiculous prices charged for strawberries and cream and a drink of Pimms, but don't let these stories have any influence on your decision, as a trip to Wimbledon can be as 'cheap as chips'! I was working in London last year while Wimbledon was playing and decided to go along with my girlfriend, even though the earliest I could finish work was at 4:30pm. I managed to ...Read More

I am sure visiting Wimbledon is mentioned in every guide book, but I want to comment on my experience of visiting Wimbledon last year (2005) to show that you do not need money, nor a lot of time to enjoy one of the greatest tennis events on the planet.

Every year their are always stories in the newspapers at the ridiculous prices charged for strawberries and cream and a drink of Pimms, but don't let these stories have any influence on your decision, as a trip to Wimbledon can be as 'cheap as chips'!

I was working in London last year while Wimbledon was playing and decided to go along with my girlfriend, even though the earliest I could finish work was at 4:30pm. I managed to arrive at outside of Wimbledon at 5:15pm, and it took another 15 minutes to reach the end of the general admittance queue, which was over a mile long.

Morale was very low at this point as I thought it would be hours before we would actually enter into the grounds, but I couldn't believe how fast the queue moves, and we only had to queue for no more than 30 minutes before we were inside.

The cost for general admittance was £10. This allows you to see all tennis being played apart from Centre Court and Court Number 1. If you want to see tennis on these two courts, you can go to a special booth (signposted inside the ground) where you can buy tickets for as little as £5 from people who have left early. This money goes to charity.

People who are leaving also give away their tickets and my girlfriend and I were lucky enough to be given tickets to Court Number 1 as soon as we arrived managing to see the British 'sensation' Andy Murray power his way to a big upset.

There was also a women's double match on afterwards, which we watched for the entirety.

So for the sum of £10 and entering the grounds at 6pm (after queueing for 30 minutes), we got to watch tennis on Court Number 1 and the outside courts for almost 3 hours. Not bad for an evenings entertainment, seeing one of England's biggest sporting events.

The first week of Wimbledon is the best week for doing this, as during the 2nd week, less tennis is played on the outside courts meaning that you will get less tennis for your £10 entrance fee.

More information can be found on the website: http://www.wimbledon.org

Ticket Enquiries: +44 (0)20 8971 2473.

The nearest stations to Wimbledon are Wimbledon and Southfields, with shuttle buses going from each to the tennis.
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Member Rating 5 out of 5 on May 17, 2006

Wimbledon Tennis Championship
Church Road
London, England SW19 5AE
+44 20 8944 1066

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The London Eye

Attraction | "Is the British Airways London Eye Over-Rated?"

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There is no doubting that the British Airways London Eye is one of the biggest tourist attractions in London. On a good day you can see for 25 miles across the sprawling city of London, viewing other top tourist attractions such as Buckingham Palace, Covent Garden, Big Ben, and St. Pauls Cathedral, to name but a few. Even though a ride on the London Eye is an unparalled experience, and the only way of seeing London from the air, for some reason the experience didn't live up to my expectations, and by the end I was left feeling a little disappointed. A ride on the London Eye isn't that expensive (about £12.50 for adults) but I feel the time spent queueing to buy your tickets, ...Read More

There is no doubting that the British Airways London Eye is one of the biggest tourist attractions in London. On a good day you can see for 25 miles across the sprawling city of London, viewing other top tourist attractions such as Buckingham Palace, Covent Garden, Big Ben, and St. Pauls Cathedral, to name but a few.

Even though a ride on the London Eye is an unparalled experience, and the only way of seeing London from the air, for some reason the experience didn't live up to my expectations, and by the end I was left feeling a little disappointed.

A ride on the London Eye isn't that expensive (about £12.50 for adults) but I feel the time spent queueing to buy your tickets, then queueing to actually get on the London Eye, and then 30 minutes you spend on the London Eye could be time better used.

I think part of my let down was due to the 60+ minutes spent buying the tickets and queueing to ride the London Eye, so by the time I actually got on I was expecting something more than what was on offer. By the time you get to the highest point you have already viewed all of the sites and views that can be seen, so the ride back down was a little on the boring side.

If you are a tourist then you will have probably visited most of the attractions that can be seen from the air.

Don't get me wrong, the views you see are quite breathtaking (although I am sure these are lost slightly if the weather isn't very good) but if I was able to use the time again, I would much rather spend the 2 hours or so spent queueing and riding the London Eye on walking along the Thames, or through Soho and soaking up the culture and atmosphere that is on offer. This seems to be slightly lost when riding the London Eye.

If you are looking on getting good photo opportunities then the London Eye is for you, but if you are like me and expect a little more atmosphere and culture then I would think twice before riding it.

More information can be found at: http://www.londoneye.com/
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Member Rating 2 out of 5 on May 17, 2006

The London Eye
South Bank of the River Thames
London, England SE1 9TA
+44 (870) 500 0600

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London Journals

An Insiders Guide to London