Five days in London...what to do?

Peter H. · Post by **Peter H.** » Mon Jun 14, 2004 4:00 pm

In a few months I'll be spending five days in London. On other visits I've covered most of the usual tourist things. Now I'd like your ideas on things to see and do in London that are specifically interesting for a Feldgrau sort of person...the Imperial War Museum is an obvious choice, but there must be others. Have heard that you can visit Churchill's underground war offices...do you recommend it? What else?

B Hellqvist · Post by **B Hellqvist** » Mon Jun 14, 2004 5:04 pm

The National Army Museum is interesting. The War Rooms might be interesting (I've never been there), if only to see where Churchill took many of the crucial decisions. You might want to browse the militaria/military history shelves of a couple book stores, like Foyle's and Motorbooks. Why not take the commuter train northwards to Hendon and visit the RAF museum? Some unique German aircraft there, like a Bf-110 Nachtjäger, a Stuka, and many others. Perhaps a day trip to Portsmouth and the D-day museum... Plenty to do!

Patrick · Post by **Patrick** » Mon Jun 14, 2004 5:38 pm

Hello,

Those are all good - in addition, HMS Belfast is tied up on the Thames as a floating museum and there's the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, which is worth a look. The Science Museum in South Kensington has a V2 and some aircraft hanging from the ceiling. If you're getting out of town, try the tank museum in Bovington (they have a restored Tiger). There's the airborne museum in Aldershot, but I've not been there yet. You can also see U534 and other historic warships near Liverpool.

medic · Post by **medic** » Mon Jun 14, 2004 8:01 pm

I have been to London a few times, and I will definitely second Überhauptnichtsführer in saying you should see the RAF Museum. I think this is one I've enjoyed the most out of all the museums in/around London. The trip there doesn't take very long on the Underground and there's a station real close by it.

The HMS Belfast is also a really great thing to view. Plus it gives you a great view of the Tower Bridge if you want to take a good photo of it.

Tolga Alkan · Post by **Tolga Alkan** » Tue Jun 15, 2004 2:41 am

Keep in mind,London is considered as the most expensive city in Europe.

Peter H. · Post by **Peter H.** » Tue Jun 15, 2004 9:43 am

Thanks guys, some great ideas here.

Yes, London is expensive...that's why I'm limiting my stay there to five days.

Let me know if you have further ideas.

B Hellqvist · Post by **B Hellqvist** » Tue Jun 15, 2004 10:52 am

Cheap(ish) eating: the pizza buffet at Pizza Hut during lunch hours. Eat as much as you want!

Achilles · Post by **Achilles** » Tue Jun 15, 2004 10:59 am

Keep in mind,London is considered as the most expensive city in Europe.

But most of the museums are free....including the IWM.

Patrick · Post by **Patrick** » Tue Jun 15, 2004 12:15 pm

That's why its helpful to have a grandmother in Leamington Spa - a train ticket is much cheaper than a hotel room!

Have you considered staying in the suburbs and taking the tube into/out of London? You will have a long commute on your hands, but will save some money.

Tolga Alkan · Post by **Tolga Alkan** » Wed Jun 16, 2004 2:25 am

Achilles wrote:
Keep in mind,London is considered as the most expensive city in Europe.
But most of the museums are free....including the IWM.

I didn't mean that places like museums.I meant that normal life conditions,food,drink and rest.Its a statistic fact.

Best
Tolga

medic · Post by **medic** » Wed Jun 16, 2004 8:12 am

London isn't that expensive, depending on where you plan to stay and eat. I've done the Youth Hostel thing (yuck!) and there are a lot of affordable hotels as well. Plus, if you're like me, you'll probably only come back to the hotel to sleep and shower.

There are also a lot of really good pizza and Chinese places in London that are cheap.

Peter H. · Post by **Peter H.** » Wed Jun 16, 2004 8:50 am

Thanks again for your ideas.

Yes, life in London is expensive. I've booked into a fairly reasonably-priced club. In some ways it would make more sense to stay outside London and just make day trips into London as required, but as well as Feldgrau-kind of activities, I have to make sorties to relatives throughout the southeast , so it's easier, for these five days, to be more centrally positioned.

Fortunately there's a Safeway near the place I'm staying, so I'll probably get most of my food there.

I've decided definitely to go to Churchill's war rooms and also the RAF museum. That still leaves two free days so I'll see where exactly the other places are (the Army Museum and so on) and budget my time accordingly. I think the Bovington Tank Museum would take up a whole day.

B Hellqvist · Post by **B Hellqvist** » Wed Jun 16, 2004 1:26 pm

Yup, the Tank Museum is a real day trip. When I was in England in 1988, I stayed for the night in a small town close to the museum, and spent the whole next day at the museum before moving on.

derGespenst · Post by **derGespenst** » Thu Jun 17, 2004 7:57 am

Hey Peter, it may not be strictly WWII related (though Hess was kept there for a while) but the Tower of London is a must see. Even with a long wait "in queue" it's worth the time.

greenhorn · Post by **greenhorn** » Wed Jul 07, 2004 11:18 am

Get a Weekly Travelcard that gives you access to the Tube, Railways and Buses.

Imperial War Museum in South London is a must see, as is the RAF museum at Hendon, also I'd recommended the Maritime Museum at Greenwich (for naval stuff not really ww2). Have a great time.

The our fuhrer bunker is well worth a visit...... If you want to do some research you could try the National Archives at Kew.

Pls chk http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

You could try contacting London based regiments to see if you could get a guided tour around Regimental Museums.......

Feldgrau.net

Five days in London...what to do?

Five days in London...what to do?

Thanks, guys

Thanks again, guys