Some friends recently traveled to London and surveyed friends for ideas. This was my list.
You have to do tea. I suggest doing it more than once. Harrod's or Fortnum & Mason, then the other. If Prince Charles or the Queen is willing to have you over, you could go a third round. Two words for you: clotted cream.
Shakespeare was fun. Make time for whatever is playing in that teeny little theatre.
The Sky Garden requires careful planning but is worth it.
Those Brits make excellent (and a slightly different) greeting cards. I think we dropped in on a chain called Paperchase (near the Sky Garden). [ed. note: they went the way of most stationary stores but you should still keep an eye out for greeting cards]
A visit to Greenwich is cool. Allow a fair bit of time for the observatory. Wouldn’t hurt you to have read Dava Sobel’s Longitude.
Punting in Cambridge, but not Oxford, where they don’t do it right. The Eagle Pub in Cambridge where Watson & Crick drew DNA helixes on napkins. The Eagle and Child in Oxford, where Tolkien and Lewis drank. Who had the greater flight of fancy?
Pints and pies. Darts if you can find it. Rarer in London these days. I think they’re adopting the Irish perspective, which, according to my friend from Cork is that, “it gets in the way of the drinking.”
The British Museum! If you can stay near there, we'd suggest dropping in on your way out each day for one (or maybe two) things.
Evensong service at Westminster Abbey. They're very fussy. St Paul's is a bit more relaxed. But Westminster is better.
If you are at all interested in WWII, the Churchill War Rooms are fantastic. You may not realize just how interested you actually are...
If you like Indian food, London is the place for you. Dishoom is the Indian place. Means "mojo" in Hindi. You'll want to get the Viceroy Old Fashioned. The black lentil dish was amazing. Nothing was bad, so go with your favorites. [ed. note: heard it's fallen off since we were there]
The Grand Imperial London has hands down the best presentation of Peking Duck we've ever had. It's probably the traditional way, but it had never been done for me. [ed. note: heard it closed during COVID]
Out front of King's Cross station they sometimes have a market. Get a snack (or two). See if The Scottish Kitchen is there, and if it is, get the smoked clava and thank me later. [ed. note: Jen tells me the Scottish Kitchen doesn't do a stand any more. Still. There are lots of places to grab snacks there...]
