OT: 3 days in London, recommendations?

[Chin Diesel]

Ha.. Check out this article from Flipboard today.

10 Of The Most Overrated Tourist Traps
http://www.businessinsider.com/10-of-the-most-overrated-tourist-traps-2013-1

Stonehenge and Pisa make this list. Read the Blarney Stone blurb for a laugh.

Good list. My sister and wife took kids to Times Square for an overnight stay on December 26 th. The review could have been written by my kids. They said the same thing. And they brought home candy from the M&M store and ate pizza from Sbarro.

Secondly, actually had a co- worker say last year that it was funny how Greenwhich, UK was in the same time zone as GMT- said without a drip of awareness. We laughed at him and didn't care. It was well- earned ridicule.

 

[CL82]

I'd add Churchill's Bunker to the list.

 

[huskypantz]

I wouldn't bother with Pisa, it's a bit out of the way and once you see the tower for 10 minutes there is nothing else to see.

I mapquested brescia to roma with and without a stop in Pisa. It's 1 hour difference. So it would take 2 hours of our time to go there, snap some photos and move on. Knowing that there has to be at least one stop during the drive anyway, would you do it?

 

[ZooCougar]

Ha.. Check out this article from Flipboard today.

10 Of The Most Overrated Tourist Traps
http://www.businessinsider.com/10-of-the-most-overrated-tourist-traps-2013-1

Stonehenge and Pisa make this list. Read the Blarney Stone blurb for a laugh.

The clock in Prague isn't all that. But Prague is. And if you go to Prague you might as well walk by the clock on the way to the Charles Bridge.

And so true about the Pyramids. Overrated. They are so big you can see them from anywhere in the city. There is so much trash and litter in Giza that it's depressing.

 

[huskymedic]

I mapquested brescia to roma with and without a stop in Pisa. It's 1 hour difference. So it would take 2 hours of our time to go there, snap some photos and move on. Knowing that there has to be at least one stop during the drive anyway, would you do it?

If it's not taking you that far out of the way - then in my opinion i t's worth a stop. We went two years ago during a cruise. It's a been there, done that moment. My boys (were 12 and 14 @ time) thought it was neat.

Went went during summer and the fields and fields of sunflowers as far as you can see on the outskirts of Pisa were incredible.

 

[huskypantz]

Thanks for all the input, vacation was great. I modified things a little so we spend 4 nights in London, 3 in Paris and the rest of our time in Italy - went to Milan, Venice, Florence, Pisa and Verona along with various areas around Brescia. Rome and Sicily will have to wait. Having a 1-year old (getting close to 2) and a pregnant wife made things a little challenging but definitely worth it. Big Bus Tour was well worth it (the tube is rough with a stroller and the bus stop was closer to the hotel than the train station) - bought two day passes and since they never really checked tickets used it a third day as well. We missed the Last Supper due to the museum being closed on Monday in Milan, but saw countless works of art in all 3 countries as well as all of the requisite tourist attractions. Italian girls FTW, by the way. London was far behind except for the girls working in Harrod's.

 

[Palatine]

Start at Harrod's walk along Green Park to Buckingham Palace, continue to Trafalgar Square, then head over to Westminster Abbey/Parliament/ Big Ben continue across the river and ride the London Eye. It's kind of a zig-zag straight line. Wear comfortable shoes and it only takes a few hours.

I would also suggest riding a double decker tour bus for a couple hours to get the lay out of the city.

Other highlights are pubs, the happy hour at the Lamb and Flag is pretty good, oldest pub in the city. Great place to meet people.

Piccadily Circus is like a tiny Times Square, Old Bond Street (London's version of Rodeo Drive) is a few blocks from Picadilly.

Do not miss the Tower of London. If you like museums the British is exception. Seeing a play in a theater near Liecster Square is pretty cool. If you're into that sort of thing the Jack the Ripper tour is interesting, I loved it.

You'll be going back.