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Going to London for first time - How to maximize 9 hrs.?

I

isasir

Diamond Member
OK, so I'm going to London in about 2 weeks. My flight is set to arrive by about 9 AM at Heathrow Airport on a Wednesday. I have a flight set at 9 PM to go from Heathrow to Dublin. That gives me about 9 hours to spend in London Wednesday. I will come back to London on Friday for the weekend, to see anything that I missed.

I want to do a lot of the touristy stuff that is close to the airport, and is easy to go from one to another. I read that many attractions are in Zone 1 of the Tube. Where is this in relation to Heathrow, and what's there?

Thanks!
 
Originally posted by: tweakmm
Isn't weed legal on one street in south London?
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By an odd coincidence weed for personal use (under a certain amount) is legal here in London.

Ontario that is.
 
weed is not legal in Great-Britain

it's only legal in Holland and Belgium

btw: Heathrow is a 45 minute metro ride to the centre of London
 
you want the science museum, that owns, also check out totteningham court road and aybe camden town, they are all in zone 1
 
Its not legal here in britain, but the laws are relaxed a bit, so if you caught with some on you and it is only enough for personal use, then they tend to let it slide. If it's like an ounce though......

As for what to do, check out the London Eye, London Dungeons, Madame Tussauds, Camden Market, Oxford Street, Leciester Square etc...
 
I'm not sure how close these are to the airport, but the Tower of London and the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace are classic tourist stops.
 
Take the tube into town, but it's a long ride on the Picadilly line.

The Heathrow Express is faster but more expensive.
 
Originally posted by: freegeeks
weed is not legal in Great-Britain

it's only legal in Holland and Belgium

btw: Heathrow is a 45 minute metro ride to the centre of London
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Ditto.

Don't smoke weed in London. In your own room or hotel who is going to bust you? But not in the bloody streets with cops about!

Go to David Blaine.

Koing

 
Sleep on the plane on the way over or else you'll bead on your feet.

I don't know how far the airports are from, say, Big Ben, Trafalgar Square, Picadilly, etc. but those would be the places to check out if you only have a few hrs. The time I was there we'd taken the Eurostar from Brussels.
 
Tower of London is terrific. The Beefeaters give the best tours in the city. Entertaining, fun, and rich with cool history of folks being killed.

After that, you could hit up the cabinet war rooms where Churchill and gang ran things during the war. Make sure you get the audio tour as it's entertaining and has lots of good info. Great to see. Just across the square is Westminster Abby. That can be a couple hour tour. Again, get the audio if possible (they quit distributing audio sets sort of early).

That would probably run you about 6 or 7 hours. Add a meal, trips to/from the airport, and you'll be tired enough to feel like you accomplished a lot.
 
Originally posted by: J Heartless Slick
You might be too wiped out from your flight to do much of any thing.
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neVar! I'll sleep on the plane, and even if I'm exhausted, I almost always am able to push myself to stay awake during vacation.

I definitely will check out the David Blaine stunt.

Does anyone have a better sense of distance of these attractions from Heathrow? Also is there a subway stop at the airport that I can just get on?
 
Originally posted by: RishiS
Originally posted by: J Heartless Slick
You might be too wiped out from your flight to do much of any thing.
Click to expand...

neVar! I'll sleep on the plane, and even if I'm exhausted, I almost always am able to push myself to stay awake during vacation.

I definitely will check out the David Blaine stunt.

Does anyone have a better sense of distance of these attractions from Heathrow? Also is there a subway stop at the airport that I can just get on?
Click to expand...

yes. the metro takes you right into town.
 
Just hit all the pubs you can! All the good spots have already been mentioned. Except the Eye, that just sucks.

You did mention Dublin! There you will have fun! Make sure you visit the Guinness, Brewery St. James Gate. There is a small pub I can't remember its name. Better than any other there. It's on a back street. I know you can't get any idea off of that but if I remember its name, I'll post it. If you have time and some extra cash go to Scotland. I can't wait to go back there, someday.
 
Originally posted by: J Heartless Slick
You might be too wiped out from your flight to do much of any thing.
Click to expand...
Nothing ruins a person like a red eye to London. You'll be excited to be there, but you'll be dragging ass all day. You might want to try for a more modest plan like finding a nice local pub and enjoying the atmosphere while having lunch and a pint or two....
 
The tube is at Heathrow. You grab your bags, follow the signs, and hop on. To get into town near most of the atttractions mentioned here will be about 30-45 minutes from the airport. Earlier you land, the more crowded and more time it will take. 45 minutes is probably a good estimate to get to the center of town.
 
Keep in mind that coming in you have to clear customs and get your bags and going out you have to check in, etc...

You don't have as much time as you may think.

And to add to the Beefeater comment above, not only do they give great tours, they are also all highly decorated war veterans.
 
Originally posted by: Mwilding
Originally posted by: J Heartless Slick
You might be too wiped out from your flight to do much of any thing.
Click to expand...
Nothing ruins a person like a red eye to London. You'll be excited to be there, but you'll be dragging ass all day. You might want to try for a more modest plan like finding a nice local pub and enjoying the atmosphere while having lunch and a pint or two....
Click to expand...
I agree, it's going to be tough to get a lot done in those first 9 hours right after a transatlantic flight. Good luck though.
 
Tube Map

Go to Covent Garden if you have time as the shops are quite neat. Also a note that it's faster to walk from Covent Garden to the Leicester Square stop if you need the Northern Line, than taking the Picadilly Line from Covent Garden to Leicester Square.
 
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